Nepal : China cuts down India's Influence

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Nepal's Maoists 'threaten' to take up arms again

Three years after they laid down arms and won an election, Nepal’s former guerrilla party, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Monday threatened to return to war as its cadres called a general strike in the west and staged a show of might in central Nepal.

Hundreds of Maoist cadres poured in from adjacent villages Monday to flex their muscles in Banepa, a tiny town in Makwanpur district east of Kathmandu, a day after their office there was vandalised by angry locals for enforcing a bandh and attacking public vehicles. Marching with red flags, the former rebels threatened they would start another “people’s war” and had the weapons to do it, a private television station reported.

According to Kantipur Television, the protesters said that besides the arsenal locked up under UN supervision in 28, they had more arms stashed away in their homes and would retaliate against those behind the Banepa office attack.

The report comes after a controversial admission by Maoist supremo Prachanda that his party would continue its revolution even after signing a peace pact and would divert the state funds intended for the upkeep of the guerrilla People’s Liberation Army to buy weapons. Though unconfirmed, the report also resurrects the scepticism that had greeted the UN in the past when it had accepted the Maoist statement that they fought the 10-year “people’s War” with about 3500 units of weapons.

As tension simmered in Banepa, eight more districts in western Nepal, the home of the Gorkha community, were shut down by an ethnic association of the Maoists, the Tamu Rastriya Mukti Morcha. Besides demanding an autonomous state, the general strike is also meant to pressure the new government of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal into initiating a debate in the interim parliament on the conduct of the President, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, who the Maoists say violated the constitution by reinstating the chief of the army they had fired.

Besides the strikes, the Maoists have also kept up their blockade of parliament since last month when Prachanda resigned after the row with the army backfired on his party.

The new prime minister had to also contend with a second general strike on the same day called by the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) that had only last week supported him. The MJF called a general strike in 22 districts in southern Nepal to show its anger at the appointment of a dissident member in the cabinet.

The regional party withdrew support to the government after its dissident leader Bijay Kumar Gacchadar was appointed deputy prime minister by Nepal. It is now asking for Gacchadar as well as two other dissident MPs to be expelled from parliament.

In addition, Nepal also faces continued dissidence in his own party. Even 13 days after swearing in, the communist premier Monday failed to reach an agreement with his own party men over inducting more members in the 11-member cabinet.
Nepal's Maoists 'threaten' to take up arms again - South Asia - World - The Times of India

Any thoughts of the Maoists going back to armed insurgency has to be nipped in the bud. This time India has to be more pro active. The Maoists have lost most of its weapons and more can only come from China. India has to stop the Maoists from gaining strength again.
 

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Struggle to halt land encroachment by India: Nepal Maoist leader

Kathmandu: Nepal's ruling Communist party and the Maoists Thursday joined forces to condemn the growing "encroachment" of the republic's border areas by India and "atrocities" by India's Border Security Force while student organisations said it would launch street protests.
"Nearly 6,000 people have been displaced from Dang district," former deputy prime minister and home minister Bam Dev Gautam of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) told journalists after 18 parties met Thursday to discuss reports in the local media of widespread displacement in more than 20 villages in the district since the past two days.
"Indian security forces have been coming over to Nepali land with arms, assaulting villagers and raping women," the former minister said.
Calling it a serious attack on Nepal's sovereignty, the 18 parties said in a joint statement that they were forming a committee to monitor the situation in the border areas and suggest measures to alleviate the distress of the displaced villagers.
Gautam said encroachment by India has also been reported in Bara district in southern Nepal.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said it has received no intimation from the Nepal government on this issue.
On Wednesday, the Maoists, who blame India for the fall of their nine-month government, raised the issue in parliament, accusing the new government of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal of being a `puppet' that had failed to protect its own people.

With the growing allegations, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is under mounting fire.

On Wednesday, five small parties demonstrated in front of the Indian embassy at Lainchaur. More protests before it are in the offing with 12 student organisations affiliated to 12 political parties Thursday announcing a protest movement.

The student groups said they will submit a memorandum to the prime minister as well as to the Indian ambassador to Nepal, Rakesh Sood.

In the farwest, a group of people have started a campaign `Mato Bachao Abhiyan' - Save our soil.

Led by a writer, Hembabu Lekhak, the group is campaigning in Kalapani, the disputed 372 sq km area at the junction of India, Nepal and China that Nepal says has been taken over by Indian security forces.

Nepal's home ministry said it has asked the chief district officer of Dang to submit a report on the alleged atrocities by India's Seema Suraksha Bal, a border force, and the ensuing exodus of panic-stricken villagers.


Nepal's ruling party protests 'atrocities' by India

On one hand Nepali govt denies encroachment by India
On the other Maoist want to be seen as saviors of nepal against 'indian expansionism'
India should have asked to wipe them out when the king was in power:2guns:
 

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India encroached Nepal’s land, says CA delegations

June 14th, 2009 - 12:48 pm ICT by ANI


Kathmandu, June 14 (ANI): Separate delegations of Nepal’s Constituent Assembly and Parliament have concluded that Nepal was encroached by India in Dang district.

According to a Nepal News report, Amik Sherchan, chairman of the Committee for Protection of National Interest, was one of those making the claim.

Padma Lal Biswakarma, the chairman of the International Relations and Human Rights Committee, heading the parliamentary delegation, also made a similar charge at a press conference in Dang Saturday.

Both urged authorities in Kathmandu to start rehabilitation of those displaced by the unruly acts of Indian border security officials.

The team told local journalists that Indian SSB personnel threatened, harassed and barred Nepalis from purchasing daily consumer goods from the bordering market.

Indian government and some Nepali officials including Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala have denied any border encroachment. (ANI)


India encroached Nepal’s land, says CA delegations
 

Rage

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In response to the above...You have a duty to read so that you are able to counter accusations of "rape" and "murder" leveled against the Indian Border Security Forces:

x-x-x-x-x


The flexible border

Sushma Joshi




Accusations that the Indian security forces have been causing havoc by raping Nepali women and forcing them away from their land by moving the border markers has made front page news in recent days. So is Koilabas another Susta?


I was interested to read a report prepared by a mixed group of seventeen civil society members, including eight journalists, two policemen, one INSEC representative, and government officials who went to the border to investigate. Interestingly, there were no women on the team -- and perhaps some conclusions, especially about rape, may have been radically different had a few women been included in the team.


The Dang border, says the report, is about an 8-9 hour walk from the highway through small paths across rivers, jungles and hills. There are 22 crossing points in Dang in about 82km of border -- and each border crossing point is about a two hour walk away from each other. Only Khangra and Koilabas have police stations on the Nepali side -- the rest don't even have a police post.


Koilabas, 60km away from district headquarters Ghorahi, is linked by a gravel and an unpaved road but in the monsoon this road becomes unpassable. For the past 15 days, this road has been unusable, forcing people to walk for four hours to the border.


Since many of the displaced came from Khangra and Adbaruwa, the team went and discussed with them and found out that the Landless Struggle Committee, having promised the people land closer to the highway, had asked 2-3 people from each family to join the group and move away from the border.


In a village close to Khangra, the investigation team saw the Indian side digging an irrigation ditch, an activity that did not honour the 10 gajja of no man's land territory.


Now the interesting conclusion -- all the border markers were old, and in need of repair. One had been washed away by a flood and had yet to be reinstated. The 10 gajja of no-man's land wasn't honoured. But there was no sign that the Indian security forces seized the land around them.



What the report seems to conclude, rather, is that it's not the encroachment from the Indian side, but the neglect from the Nepali side, that seems to be the problem. There was no police post on the Nepali side, while the Indian side had its SSB police force in place. And herein lies the gist of the matter -- there were no roads, no health posts, no veterinary services, no schools, no post offices, no telecom offices, no electricity -- for the Nepali citizens living in this area.


Even the land meant for a police post in Khangra had been seized by locals who had put in a foundation for a private home. There was no seeds, fertilizers, or any other agricultural supplies necessary for farming to reach this remote border point.


The Nepali government had failed to ensure government presence on the border. There were no land registration offices which could show that land was measured and registered when bought and sold. Hunger was endemic because there was no good provision for year around food supply. There was no baazzar on the Nepal side, so the locals had to depend on the bazzar on the Indian side, which was a four hour walk through the jungle.


There is conflicting testimony about the Indian border security force, with some saying they restricted their access to the bazzar, and others saying there were no restrictions. Some said the SSB restricted locals from purchasing more than seven kilos of food. The border police force also insist on the custom tax, ask to see citizenship papers (which most Nepali on this side of the border lack), and they also try to confiscate animals meant for sale. But others also claim the border force allows them up to 50 kilos of food, cement, sugar, fertilizers and other essentials without restrictions. Perhaps the answer to this lies less in foreign policy and India-Nepal relations but in how well each Nepali is able to establish a rapport with each Indian security guard.


Now the question of rape. Interestingly, the paragraph on rape is almost a case study on how not to investigate cases of rape. Here is a verbatim translation: "On asking locals about sexual harassment and abductions of women at the border, the team were told that such incidents took place in the past but in the present such incidents do not occur and there has been no cases filed in the police about such cases."



Now as every activist (male or female) working in rape knows, going up to a potential victim and saying to them: by the way, have you heard of any rape cases around this area? is rarely a good way to get accurate information.


Victims often suffer from psychological and physical trauma of the incidents. They are not willing to confide to a fly-by-night team that yes, indeed, the border security force raped them -- especially since there is no police protection and no guarantee of safety that any protection will be accorded to them after the investigation team leaves.


If the Nepali government is really serious about investigating accusations of rape by the Indian border force, it will get together a diplomatic team in Nepal who will fly to New Delhi, get hold of the Indian Government's Ministry of Women Affairs and form an investigative team that will include high level Indian police officers like Kiran Bedi, and prosecutors who have worked to put rapists in prison. This team will then spend two to three weeks talking to Nepali (and Indian) women at the border, and conclude by dismissing key offenders and implementing strong sexual harassment laws in the Indian border security force. And while we are are it, we should do the same for the Nepali security forces as well.


The two countries must also provide safe homes and counseling centers for women facing sexual violence on the border area, since borders seem particularly prone to incidents of violence against women.


According to advocate Govinda Bandi Sharma, there is no legal solution to encroachment. Somebody has filed a lawsuit in the Nepali Supreme Court but one cannot really take the Indian Embassy to Nepali court because they enjoy diplomatic immunity. "The only solution is a diplomatic one," says Sharma.


The way forward is constant pressure and vigilance from civil society to document and investigate actual incidents. Nepali civil society groups must also make linkages with Indian ones and keep them informed about actual incidents so Indian journalists, lawyers and citizen groups are updated on these situations and can raise it within their own legal system.


The Nepali government must also get its dysfunctional foreign ministry in order, and engage in diplomatic talks with the Indian side. One good way may be to informally engage former ambassadors to India, who already have the experience of dealing with their Indian counterparts, to broaden the discussion and keep it in the public eye.


Instead of blaming India for all its problems, the Nepali government must get off its lazy and dysfunctional ass and immediately provide essential services at the border, including citizenship certificates for its nationals, land registration offices, and border monitoring guards.


And all of this, of course, must be constantly monitored by civil society to ensure the Nepali government removes its ostrich head from the quicksand of political bickering and actually does something for its citizens.



(Sushma Joshi has a BA in International Relations from Brown University)


eKantipur.com - Nepal's No.1 News Portal
 

Rage

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India, Nepal to sign boundary map

Shirish B Pradhan


Kathmandu, Jun 9 (PTI) Against the backdrop of alleged encroachment by India along the Indo-Nepal border, a joint committee set up to resolve the border issues between the two countries, is working towards finalising a boundary map.

The technical-level committee is working towards finalisation of the map, Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Rakesh Sood told reporters here.

"We are awaiting the Nepal Government's nod to sign the boundary map (that will be signed by both countries)," Sood said after meeting Nepalese Foreign Secretary Gyan Chandra Acharya yesterday. "We have been waiting for over a year to sign the agreement." He also informed that nearly 98 per cent of the border between Nepal and India has been demarcated. Now, we need to formally put our signature in the border map, he said.

The joint committee, headed by Surveyor General of India and Director General of Nepal's Department of Survey, has been working in a coordinated manner towards demarcating and managing the border. PTI


India, Nepal to sign boundary map
 

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New Delhi, June 13: Nepali Maoists are proving a little more tractable for New Delhi than home-grown ones waging violent rebellion in the heartland.

Ahead of a crucial politburo meeting beginning Monday, India is believed to have conveyed to the Nepali Maoist leadership that it will find it tough to deal with them if they continue with their anti-India tirade.

What’s more important, the Maoists have taken note. A top Maoist leader has been quoted in the Kathmandu media as saying: “We made mistakes in handling India, but India also can’t ignore that we are the most powerful party here.”

More at:
The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Frontpage | Nepal Maoists change tune
So, who says India takes thing lying down? ;)
 

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India to support Nepal in transition to multi-party democracy


Posted: Monday , Jun 22, 2009 at 0148 hrs IST



File: Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon (left) accompanied
by his Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir (centre) and Pakistan’s
High Commissioner Shahid Malik (right)



New Delhi: India reiterated its commitment to help Nepal in the peace process and its transition to the multi-party democracy during Foreign Secretary Shivshanker Menon’s maiden visit to the country after Madhav Kumar Nepal became the Prime Minister.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s, also known as ‘Prachanda’, Maoist-led government quit office early last month, followed by M K Nepal taking over as Prime Minister.

Menon went to Nepal on Saturday and returned Sunday.

Menon, addressing a press conference in Kathmandu, said, “India has an interest in the success of Nepal’s transition to multi-party democracy and peace process. These are issues that are to be decided and settled by the Nepali people and their representatives. India will continue to support Nepal in its transition, in the hope that the fraternal Nepali people achieve their aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous future. India will do all it can to help these processes of positive change in Nepal.”

The Foreign Secretary, who visited Nepal twice over the past four months, also called on Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav.

He also met Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala, Defence Minister Bidya Devi Bhandari and Home Minister Bhim Rawal, besides holding discussions with his counterpart Gyan Chandra Acharya.

Besides, he also met the former PM and president of Nepali Congress G P Koirala, former PM and chairman of UCPN (Maoists) Prachanda, CPN (UML) chairman Jhala Nath Khanal and Deputy PM Bijay Gachchdar and had discussions with leaders from a wide cross-section of political parties.


http://www.indianexpress.com/news/I...in-transition-to-multi-party-democracy/479605
 

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Pak foreign secretary in Nepal

Saturday, June 27, 2009 : 1845 Hrs


Kathmandu (PTI): A top Pakistani diplomat arrived here on Saturday to meet officials of the newly formed CPN-UML-led government of Nepal on bilateral issues, close on the heels of Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon's visit to the country.

Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Salman Bashir is on a three-day visit in Nepal during which he will discuss with Nepalese officials, political, trade and cultural relations between the two countries, Foreign Ministry spokesman Madan Kumar Bhattarai said.

Talking to reporters after his arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport this afternoon, Bashir said he will hold talks with Nepalese officials on issues of bilateral relations and mutual cooperation.


http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200906271802.htm


x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x


Nepal, India sign MoUs under SAARC cooperation


KATHMANDU -- Nepal and India signed four Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at fostering cooperation under the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) framework here in the capital on Monday.

The MOUs were signed by Foreign Secretary Gyan Chandra Acharya, and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood.

In a press statement issued on Monday, it has mentioned that the MOUs relate to projects in the areas of Telemedicine, Shuttle Breeding in Pulses, Rural Solar Energy Electrification and Tele-Education.

The four MOUs involve projects with a total expenditure of around Rs 90 million (some 1.19 million U.S. dollar).

The projects are part of India's commitments made at the 14th SAARC Summit in New Delhi in April 2007 to help move SAARC to an implementation phase through projects that produce tangible benefits for people at the local level.

It is expected that continuing efforts by the governments of both Nepal and India will strengthen bilateral cooperation for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two countries.


http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/08/content_11509385.htm
 

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China reminds Nepal to curb Tibetan demonstrations

China reminds Nepal to curb Tibetan demonstrations - www.phayul.com

Phayul[Monday, June 29, 2009 13:39]
By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, June 29: Chinese government has requested the Nepal government to curb “growing demonstration against the china by the Tibetan exiles,” according to a Nepalese media report.

The Chinese government has made this request through its ambassador to Nepal ambassador to Nepal, Reviewnepal.com reported.

The Chinese pressure comes in the wake of sporadic protests being organized by Tibetan exiles in Nepal.

Nepal police on Friday reportedly arrested 35 Tibetans, including eight women, near the Tibetan border as they tried to cross over and stage a protest march in Tibet as part of a “Free Tibet” campaign.

According to Reviewnepal.com, some Tibetans had also simultaneously demonstrated in the country’s Kavre district on Friday to protests against Chinese rule in Tibet.

The protests were the first open show of defiance by Tibetan exiles in Nepal in as many months.

A visit by Chinese delegation in February this year, forced the district administration in Kathmandu, which last year witnessed unbroken protests by Tibetans for almost eight months, to impose an indefinite order prohibiting all protests near the Chinese embassy and its visa office. The ban came just days before the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day in March.Tibetans exiles in Nepal last year staged some of the most dramatic and sustained demonstrations in Kathmandu, targeting the Chinese embassy, its visa office and the United Nations after unrest against Chinese rule in Tibet faced brutal Chinese military crackdown.

Tibetan demonstrations were routinely stopped by Nepali police, often using excessive force. The demonstrators regularly faced arrests, intimidation and in some cases individual threats and arbitrary detention.

Nepal’s brutal handling of Tibetan protesters had come under intense international criticism and the government had been accused of cracking down on the refugees under Chinese pressure.

In the midst of protests, China sent a flurry of high-level official delegation and repeatedly forced Nepal to effectively curb "Free-Tibet activities” while promising to increase assistance to the crisis-stricken country in return.

According to statistics, Nepal has more than 20,000 Tibetans refugees concentrated mainly in the Kathmandu valley and Pokhara in western Nepal.

The figure does not include Tibetans who arrived in the country after 1990 because the Nepalese government stopped registering them as refugees. Estimates also suggest between 2,500 and 3,000 Tibetans escape Tibet and enter Nepal each year after a perilous journey over the Himalayas on their way to Dharamsala, the seat of Tibetan Government-in-Exile in north India.
In a message to the country, Nepal’s new Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Sunday said that his newly formed government would give top priority to democracy and human rights while going about the task of fulfilling the people's aspirations.
 

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Madhesi leader blames China for Nepal Land encroachment

Telegraph Nepal : Madhesi leader blames China for Nepal Land encroachment


Date: Tuesday 30 June, 2009
One of the prominent Madhesi leaders has opined that given China also has encroached upon the Nepali territory but yet no words of criticism is made against the northern neighbour whereas India is continuously criticized in Nepal in a calculated manner and is being unnecessarily alleged for the Nepali land occupation.

Mr. Shyam Sundar Gupta, the chairman of the Nepal Sadvawana Party (Anandi Devi) made these remarks while addressing a journalist gathering on Monday June 29, 2009.

“The Maoist want to bring in illegal weapons into the Nepali territory by unnecessarily yet in a calculated manner flaring up the border encroachment issue with India”, Mr. Gupta revealed.

Mr. Gupta also alleged that the UML, Nepali Congress and Maoists are pushing the country towards a vertical split.

“The split is inevitable if the present acts of the three so-called largest parties continue unabated”, Gupta added.
 

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India to provide 30 MW additional power to Nepal

India to provide 30 MW additional power to Nepal

Kathmandu (PTI): India has decided to provide an additional 30 MW of power to Nepal, which is expected to relieve the country of its on-going electricity crisis, affecting its people and industry.

The decision is in connection with Nepalese government's request made in April. Nepal at that time was facing an acute power shortage with up to 18 hours daily load shedding, Indian Embassy sources said.

Currently after improvement in the country's hydropower, the duration of power cut has reduced to four hours a day.

Nepalese officials meanwhile said the Indian government's decision to supply the additional electricity is not as significant as it would have been few months ago.

It can nonetheless help the country to completely do away with load shedding, they added.

Nepal has been facing severe power criss during recent years, affecting business and industry and daily life of people. India faces similar power shortages, it can share the plight of the people in Nepal, an Indian Embassy press release said.

Under Power Exchange Mechanism, India is already providing 50 MW to Nepal, which is in addition to free power supply from Tanakpur project.

India's Power Trading Corporation (PTC) is making necessary arrangements in association with the Nepal Electricity for power export to the country via transmission line in Bihar.

The Hindu News Update Service
 

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Bansal visit breaks ice in Nepal over Kosi - South Asia - World - NEWS - The Times of India

Bansal visit breaks ice in Nepal over Kosi
TNN 12 July 2009, 06:38pm IST

KATHMANDU: There was a perceptible thaw in Indo-Nepal ties on Sunday as Dr Manmohan Singh's envoy for the Kosi river, water resources minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, mollified the new Nepal government with a high-level delegation and fresh assurance of help.

Bansal, the first central minister from India to visit Nepal since the formation of a communist-led government in May, was also accompanied by Vincent Pala, minister of state for water resources, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Bihar’s water resources minister, and Umakant Jha, secretary at the irrigation ministry.

The Indian delegation on Sunday inspected the Kosi barrage and its eastern embankment, part of which had been washed away in the flood last year, as well as the plight of the flood-affected villagers of Sunsari district in southern Nepal. It was a joint inspection conducted with Nepal’s Irrigation Minister Bal Krishna Khand.

Bansal’s visit has resulted in a bonanza of gifts. India has earmarked Rs 852 million to automate the operation of the Kosi’s 56 sluice gates after one was damaged this monsoon, as well as repair of launching aprons and construction of upstream and downstream pilot channels.

An additional Rs 200 million has been disbursed for the immediate relief of the flood victims while Rs 1430 million was allocated to repair the breached embankment and build spurs for reinforcement.

After a spate of reports in Nepal’s media about the efficacy of the repair, undertaken by a Bihar company, the two ministers Sunday issued a joint statement, reassuring “the people of the two countries of the safety of the barrage and its flood embankments”.

India will also provide further assistance for strengthening as well as building new embankments along the rivers Kamala, Bagmati, Lalbakeya, Sunsari, Trijuga, Lakhadehi and Kankai allocating nearly Rs 400 million. As a goodwill gesture, New Delhi has also agreed to rebuild part of the East-West Highway linking India with Nepal that was destroyed by last year’s flood.

The two sides have also agreed to set up round-the-clock patrol of the Kosi’s embankments during the rainy season to meet exigencies. On its part, Nepal has agreed to provide security to the patrol.

Though the Kosi remained the main agenda of the Indian visit, New Delhi is also pushing for a long-term solution: building a high dam in Nepal. Bansal said India is mooting a 269m high dam that would also provide the additional benefit of generating 3000MW of hydropower.

India had pushed for the dam even during the earlier government of Maoist prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. During his visit to India last year, India had also showcased one of its high dam projects. However, the Maoist government fell after eight months and the push did not get tangible results.

Now with the Nepali PM being off to Egypt to attend the Non-Alignment Movement Summit, Khand has been invited to India where New Delhi plans to show him how it handled the resettlement and rehabilitation of the people displaced due to its high-dam projects.
 

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Nepal encourages Dalit marriage

Nepal encourages Dalit marriage
PTI 13 July 2009, 08:39pm IST


KATHMANDU: Nepal's CPN-UML-led government has provided attractive financial incentive under its new budget to encourage inter-caste marriage between Dalits or low caste and non-Dalits.

Under the new scheme, the government will provide a grant assistance of Rs 100,000 to newly married Dalit couple if they apply within 30 days of marriage registration in the district administration office.

Finance Minister Surendra Pandey told parliament as he presented the government's new budget that "Society still rejects inter-caste marriage between Dalits and non-Dalits and the initial days of couples thus married are normally tough."

"To encourage such inter-caste marriage, the government will provide a grant of 100,000 rupees to the newly married couple within 30 days of marriage registration."

Marriage between Dalits and non-Dalits is normally discarded by society.

Similarly, to encourage widow marriage, the government will provide Rs 50,000 to one who marriages widow and apply for the grant assistance within 30 days of marriage registration in the district administration under the new arrangement.

He said the government would also introduce measures to increase widows' access to employment.

Nepal encourages Dalit marriage - South Asia - World - NEWS - The Times of India
 

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Nepal encourages Dalit marriage
PTI 13 July 2009, 08:39pm IST


KATHMANDU: Nepal's CPN-UML-led government has provided attractive financial incentive under its new budget to encourage inter-caste marriage between Dalits or low caste and non-Dalits.

Under the new scheme, the government will provide a grant assistance of Rs 100,000 to newly married Dalit couple if they apply within 30 days of marriage registration in the district administration office.

Finance Minister Surendra Pandey told parliament as he presented the government's new budget that "Society still rejects inter-caste marriage between Dalits and non-Dalits and the initial days of couples thus married are normally tough."

"To encourage such inter-caste marriage, the government will provide a grant of 100,000 rupees to the newly married couple within 30 days of marriage registration."

Marriage between Dalits and non-Dalits is normally discarded by society.

Similarly, to encourage widow marriage, the government will provide Rs 50,000 to one who marriages widow and apply for the grant assistance within 30 days of marriage registration in the district administration under the new arrangement.

He said the government would also introduce measures to increase widows' access to employment.

Nepal encourages Dalit marriage - South Asia - World - NEWS - The Times of India
Admirable intentions, but why exactly does the government need to step in?
Why not simply try to increase education and opportunities all around so that the economic weakness of Dalits is mitigated?

What's there to stop people from getting into fraudulent alliances to get at the money?
 

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Indian arms for Nepal again

New Delhi, July 22: India has decided to lift a self-imposed bar on arms supplies to Nepal and will resume its cheap sale of rifles and ammunition to the Himalayan nation’s military despite protests from the Opposition Maoists.

Defence ministry sources said today that India would resume supplying Insas rifles with ammunition, re-start joint training programmes and recruitment of Gorkhas from Nepal into the Indian Army.

The decisions were conveyed to visiting Nepal defence minister Bidya Devi Bhandari who met defence minister A.K. Antony yesterday. Bhandari is on an official tour to India and is also here for medical treatment.

In Kathmandu, the news that India was resuming its subsidised supply of arms to the Nepalese army immediately angered the Maoists whose chief, Prachanda, urged Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to shelve the move. Prachanda interpreted the supply of arms to the army as a threat to the peace process in his country.

India suspended supplying arms to the Nepal Army — then the Royal Nepal Army — in 2005. The RNA till then was overwhelmingly dependent on Indian military aid and training. The RNA’s main task was to take the fight to the Maoists.

But since then the tumult has seen the Maoists leading the government and now they are in the Opposition. Nepal itself has transformed from a kingdom to a republic.

India has its own compulsion to restoring military ties and its special relations with Nepal. Officials in the Indian security establishment noted with concern the growing influence of China in Sri Lanka after India turned down requests for firearms from the island nation.

An expansion of Chinese influence in Nepal after the Maoists have gained legitimacy is strategically undesirable for New Delhi.

But the Indian Army’s standard issue weapon — the Insas rifle — that was supplied to the RNA became, for large sections of Nepal’s people, a symbol of Indian hegemony. When India stopped supplies, Kathmandu scoured the world market for arms and once even advertised in its state-run newspaper.

India and Nepal have a special Arms Assistance Treaty that the Maoists oppose. India frowns on Nepal’s efforts to procure arms from third countries
 

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Indian arms will imperil peace: former Nepali PM

KATHMANDU, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Former prime minister and chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) Prachanda has strongly objected to the government's request to India to resume the supply of arms, which had been put on hold since the February 2005 royal takeover, local newspaper The Kathmandu Post reported on Thursday.

"If Defense Minister Bidhya Bhandari makes a deal with India to resume arms supplies while the peace process is still on, it will effectively imply that the peace process has come to an end," the newspaper quoted Prachanda as saying on Wednesday, "This could lead to bloodshed in the country and the current government will be responsible for untoward incidents that could follow."

The former prime minister said so commenting on the possible resumption of arms supply from New Delhi. During a meeting with her Indian counterpart A.K. Antony and Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna in New Delhi, capital of India, on Tuesday, "Bhandrai had asked for resumption of arms assistance to Nepal," according to the report.

"The Indian ministers had assured that India was ready to assist Nepal as per the country's needs," the report read.

"I asked them to continue assistance in the military sector in the same way as they are helping us in health and education," Bhandari told The Kathmandu Post in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Also on Thursday, state-run newspaper The Rising Nepal reported that Energy Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat on Wednesday said the government would import arms if it deemed it necessary for the security of the country.

"Import of arms depends on the need of the country and the government will take a decision considering the security situation of the country," Minister Mahat said speaking at the Reporters' Club Nepal in capital Kathmandu. "He, however, clarified that no decision had been taken so far to bring in arms," the report said.

UCPN-M central leader Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, on the same occasion, countered Minister Mahat saying the government activities invited confrontation in the country and could sabotage the ongoing peace process.
 

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India promises to resume arms supplies to Nepal

NEW DELHI: Eager to counter China's strategic inroads into Nepal, India has promised to bolster defence cooperation with the Himalayan country,
including resumption of arms supplies which had run into rough weather in recent times.

This came after visiting Nepal defence minister Bidya Devi Bhandari, leading a 10-member delegation, held talks with her Indian counterpart A K Antony and other top military brass on Tuesday.

The recruitment of Nepalis in Indian Army's Gorkha Rifles also figured in the talks. The earlier strife engulfing Nepal ensured no recruitment rallies were held for the purpose since September 2006.

It was only in February-March this year that the Indian Army once again began the process, with rallies in Dharan (eastern Nepal) and Pokhara (central Nepal), attracting over 15,000 applicants.

There are over 30,000 Nepali Gorkhas currently serving in Indian Army's seven Gorkha Rifles (Ist, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th and 11th), each of which has five to six battalions, and some paramilitary forces.

India, of course, had been caught off-balance after the Maoists emerged victorious in Nepal's constituent assembly elections and Pushpa Kamal Dahal `Prachanda' was sworn in as the PM last year.

With the Maoists tilting clearly towards China, India had to then scramble to engage them in `a constructive manner'. The situation, of course, is yet to settle down fully in Kathmandu following Prachanda's resignation after failing to sack Nepal Army chief General Rookmangud Katawal in a power struggle with President Ram Baran Yadav.
 

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Madhav Nepal says no agreement will be signed with India without consensus at home


Kathmandu, Aug 7- ANI: Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has assured Parliament that his government will not sign any agreement with India without taking them into confidence.

Madhav Kumar is visiting India for a five days goodwill visit starting from August 18, which will be his first official visit after assuming the office of the Prime Minister.

Sources said Madhav Kumar told the Parliamentary Committee on International Relations and Human Rights that he would not sign any deal with New Delhi that would give rise to disagreement among political parties in Kathmandu.

He also urged the members not to harbor any suspicion about his goodwill visit to India.

No new treaty on water resources will be signed with India without reaching political consensus at home, Madhav Kumar assured Parliament.

He said priority would be given to the implementation of agreements, which are signed before on time bound basis than signing new one.

Madhav Kumar informed the House that the issues related to water resources, Nepal-India Friendship Treaty of 1950, bilateral trade and Indian investment in Nepal would be on his agenda. - ANI
 

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Nepal to seek 'non-lethal' military supplies from India - South Asia - World - NEWS - The Times of India

KATHMANDU: Amid Maoist opposition to any arms deal with New Delhi, Nepal government on Saturday said it will only seek "non-lethal" military
hardware during Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal's upcoming visit to India.

"Nepal will only seek no-lethal military hardware from India," Information Minister and government spokesman Shanker Pokharel told reporters.

The opposition Unified CPN (Maoist) has been opposing any deal to import arms from India, arguing that it will amount to breaching the Comprehensive Peace Agreement reached between the government and the former rebels in 2006.

"We will not seek any lethal weapons from India during the Prime Minister's visit scheduled to begin from August 18, because importing lethal weapons is against the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed between the Maoists and the previous government," Pokharel said.

During a recent visit by Defence Minister Vidya Bhandari to New Delhi, the Nepal government had requested India to withdraw the ban on arms assistance, he said.

India was "positive" on resuming arms supply which was halted in 2005 during Nepal's last monarch Gyanendra's absolute rule, he said. During the decade-long Maoist insurgency, India had provided Nepal military assistance on the basis of 30 per cent cash and 70 per cent subsidy.

Pokharel said military assistance and security cooperation will figure during the talks Madhav Nepal will have with his counterpart Manmohan Singh in India.
 

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The Hindu : National : India, Nepal to discuss better border management

NEW DELHI: Border management, encroachments and political mechanisms to promote trust and understanding among parties in Nepal will come up for high-level discussions during the visit of Nepal’s Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala, which began here on Monday.

The two countries will also seek to advance talks on reviewing the India-Nepal Friendship Treaty and explore ways to bring about early conclusion to joint hydel projects including Pancheshwar, Sapta Kosi and Naumure.

“We would be happy to help Nepal actualise these projects,” said External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash.

In a meeting with Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Ms. Koirala could indicate the need for helping Nepal modernise its border forces, especially in the areas of communications and surveillance.

Security agencies here say that poor border management has led to militants in Jammu and Kashmir opting for routes from Nepal to enter India.

There have also been reports of counterfeit currency being smuggled in from Nepal.

Diplomatic sources said Ms. Koirala’s visit is expected to prepare the ground for Nepal Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s trip next week.

The Maoists have walked out of the transitional government on the issue of civilian supremacy and analysts here see the need for unanimity among all political parties in framing the new Constitution.

Meets Foreign Secy.


Ms. Koirala met Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau Member Sitaram Yechury and Nationalist Congress Party’s D.P. Tripathi during the day. She is scheduled to interact with Ministers of External Affairs, Defence, Commerce and Industry, Finance and Home.

Sources said Ms. Rao told Ms. Koirala of India’s willingness to help Nepal in all respects.

The need for a political mechanism to bring all parties on board in framing a new Constitution was discussed with Mr. Yechury.
 

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