Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04KATHMANDU205
2004-02-03 03:12:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:  

WEEKLY NEPAL MEDIA REPORT: January 27 to

Tags:  OPRC PGOV PREL KMDR NP 
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030312Z Feb 04
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 000205 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC PGOV PREL KMDR NP
SUBJECT: WEEKLY NEPAL MEDIA REPORT: January 27 to
February 2, 2004


-STATE FOR NP, AC, PM
-STATE FOR IN/R/MR
-STATE FOR SA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO
-STATE FOR SA/PPD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 000205

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC PGOV PREL KMDR NP
SUBJECT: WEEKLY NEPAL MEDIA REPORT: January 27 to
February 2, 2004


-STATE FOR NP, AC, PM
-STATE FOR IN/R/MR
-STATE FOR SA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO
-STATE FOR SA/PPD


1. POLITICAL AFFAIRS

-- Valley bandh: The Kathmandu valley is shutdown due
to the one-day strike called by the five agitating
parties. (Major reports, 2/2)

-- Parties threaten to flare up their agitation: The
five agitating political parties, following King
Gyanendra's interview with Time magazine, concluded
that it had further widened the distrust between the
political parties and the king and threatened to flare
up their agitation against "regression". (Major
reports, 1/30)
-- RPP on the verge of split: The Rastriya Prajatantra
Party (RPP) seems to be heading for a split as the pro-
government members in the party Monday unilaterally
called the National Council meeting to challenge the
party's two-month-old decision seeking prime minister's
resignation". (Major reports, 1/27-2/2)

-- Chandra Shekhar in town: Former Indian Prime
Minister Chandra Shekhar arrived in Kathmandu for a
three-day informal visit Tuesday afternoon. As usual,
the capital city was abuzz with colorful rumors about
the Indian leader's visit, particularly in this
juncture when the country is badly into political
turmoil. He met with the king, Prime Minister Surya
Bahadur Thapa, Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad
Koirala, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, one of the founding
leaders of NC, and Sher Bahadur Deuba, president of NC
(Democratic). Sources say that he stressed on the need
for the king and political parties to come together.
(Media report, 1/28-30)


2. MAOIST INSURGENCY

-- RNA chief visits "Maoist heartland": General Pyara
Jung Thapa, Chief of the Army Staff, Royal Nepal Army
(RNA),has visited parts of mid-western districts said
to be the flashpoints of the Maoists. General Thapa
addressed soldiers in Thawang VDC of Rolpa district -
which was earlier known as headquarters of the Maoists.
The army chief also visited neighboring Salyan,
Jajarkot, Surkhet, Rukum and other districts. The RNA
has been conducting search operations in these areas
for the last two weeks. The RNA troops are also
conducting the search operation in Junga Thapachaur of
Jajarkot district - the same place where the Maoists

had organized their major meeting to announce the
formation of Bheri Karnali autonomous region two weeks
ago. (Media reports, 1/30-2/2)

-- Maoists call bandh (shutdown): The Maoist rebels
have announced bandh of western tarai districts on
February 8 to coincide with the visit of King Gyanendra
and Queen Komal to Nepalgunj to receive a civic
felicitation. (Media reports, 2/2)

-- Abduction scare forces 39 schools to close: Thirty-
nine schools in Achham district have closed
indefinitely after the Maoist militants started
abducting schoolchildren to get them involved in their
political rallies. (Centrist "The Kathmandu Post," E/D,
1/31)

-- Capital's security under unified command: The
security system in Kathmandu Valley has been placed and
managed under the "Unified Command" to systematize the
law and order situation and to curb Maoist activities.
(Govt-owned National News Agency, 1/29)

-- Effigies of Prachanda and Dr. Bhattarai to be burnt:
The Association of Maoist Victims plans to burn the
effigies of Maoist supreme Prachanda and Dr. Baburam
Bhattarai on February 13 in protest against the threat
by the Maoists to dissolve the association. (Pro-India
"Annapurna Post," V/D, 1/28)

-- Maoist call valley bandh on February 12: The Maoists
have
called bandh in the hilly districts of Bagmati,
Narayani and Janakpur including Kathmandu valley on
February 12, expressing solidarity to the ongoing anti-
king movement. (Centrist "Nepal Samacharpatra," V/D,
1/27)

3. MONARCHY

-- Students to debate monarchy in schools: The seven
student organizations have announced that they will now
begin to hold discussions on the "relevancy of monarchy
in Nepal" in schools and colleges across the country.
Private and Boarding Schools organization of Nepal
(PABSON) has urged the student organizations not to
initiate political activities within schools. (Leading
dailies report, 2/2)

-- Crown Prince's tour costs 9.5 million rupees: Crown
Prince Paras's recent two-week India visit has cost the
state coffer 9.5 million rupees, high-level government
officials told Deshantar. (Pro-Nepali Congress
"Deshantar," V/W, 2/1)


4. REFUGEES

-- Tibetan refugees rerouted to China: Nepali officials
handed over three Tibetan refugees, including a minor,
to the Chinese border on January 13, sources at the
International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said. (Pro-India
"The Himalayan Times," E/D, 2/1)

-- Refugees urge Nepal to mediate: The Bhutanese
Refugee Representative Repatriation Committee has
requested Nepal to facilitate dialogue between the
government of Bhutan and the refugees. The committee is
accusing Bhutan of insincerity, lack of reciprocity and
political will to address the protracted refugee
crisis. (Media reports, 1/29)

-- UNHCR cuts back volume of relief materials to
refugees: UNHCR has scaled down the volume of relief
materials it had been providing to the Bhutanese
refugees stating at different camps in eastern Nepal.
Sources said the UNHCR was forced to take this decision
due to lack of funds. The UNHCR officials have already
warned that they may not be able to continue their
assistance for too long in case the issue was not
resolved soon. (Centrist "Kantipur," V/D, 1/28)


5. BUSINESS/ECONOMIC

-- India to extend railway lines: The Inter-
Governmental Committee (IGC) meeting concluded in
Kathmandu with India agreeing to bring its broad gauge
railway lines up to Jogbani and Sunauli [border
points]. (The Kathmandu Post, 2/1)

-- Nepal-India petro pipeline gets nod: The government
has cleared a proposal to build a pipeline between
India and Nepal to transport petro-products from the
former. Reports said the government also agreed to a
joint venture of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) and Indian
Oil Corporation (IOC) for cooking gas plants. (The
Himalayan Times, 1/29)

-- British govt. to provide Rs. 104.6 million: British
government is to provide Rs 104.6 million for
implementing an open prison and community services
project in Nepal. The sum will be received through the
Department for International Development (DFID) in the
next two years. (RSS, 1/27)

-- India to build 1500 km of road in the Terai: Indian
Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Sharan has said India will
build nearly 1500 Kilometers of road in the Terai area
of Nepal. (Kantipur, 1/27)


6. OTHERS

-- Community information center established: The U.S.
Embassy has established its first community information
center in Bhairahawa. The center is established by the
American Center in cooperation with Nepal-America
Friendship Association and Siddharthanagar Industry and
Commerce Association at the latter's premises.
Director of American Center Constance Colding Jones
inaugurated the center established with the support of
Rs. 3.5 million from the U.S. Embassy. The embassy
plans to open four such centers across the country.
(RSS, 2/2)

-- PSI launches postal drive: Population Services
International (PSI),producer and marketer of Number
One condom, has initiated a postal sticker campaign
against HIV/AIDS. The main idea behind the campaign,
launched in collaboration with the Ministry of
Information and Communication, Ministry of Health,
USAID and National Human We
lfare and Environment
Preservation Council; is to place a sticker with a
message on HIV/AIDS on every letter entering to and
leaving from the country for six months in a bid to
create awareness on HIV/AIDS prevention. (Leading
dailies, 1/30)

MALINOWSKI