My blog log...: April 2007

Apr 30, 2007

118 Nepalese are bonded labourers in Malaysia

Some 118 Nepali workers, who reached Malaysia through a manpower agency in Kathmandu, are working as bonded labourers, newspaper reports said.

According to the Kathmandu Post daily, some agents of NB International Manpower Agency situated in Kuleshwore, Balkhu in Kathmandu had sent them there.

The agents had already received 5,318 Rials from the company in advance to send the Nepali workers there.

When the Nepali youths asked for their wages, the company showed a receipt as evidence confirming that the agents had received their salary in advance. “Only then did we come to know that we had been cheated by Nepali agents,” the paper quoted a letter written by the victims as saying.

The agents had assured the workers that they would earn between 751 to 1,000 Rials in a month. They had paid the Nepali agents Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 93,000 per head to get the foreign jobs. They reached Malaysia on 19th December 2006.

In their letter, the victims said the company was providing them just 20 to 50 Rials a month, adding, “They have to arrange extra money on their own even for treatment.”

Some of the Nepali workers being exploited in Malaysia have been identified as Tika Ram Chimuriya, Keshav Rayamajhi and Bhim Bahadur Bhattarai from Dangraha-9 of Morang district. The others are from Taplejung, Rupandehi, Palpa, Kavre, Makwanpur, Gulmi and Sankhuwasabha districts.

Apr 29, 2007

UN secy gen. lauds Nepal’s peace process

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday hailed the peace process of Nepal saying the peace process has made remarkable progress since the start of last year.

Ban, however, expressed his concern over “the complex questions remain about how to monitor the management of arms and armed personnel”.

Ban also warned that the upcoming election to a Constituent Assembly must be conducted in a manner that reflects the genuine will of the Nepalese people, including those communities that have been marginalized traditionally.

In his progress report to the Security Council, Ban says “few could have imagined at the beginning of 2006 that an end to the armed conflict would have been declared,” the UN would have started implementing an agreement on managing arms and armed personnel, and that the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) would have entered an interim legislature with the Government.

“These are historic achievements,” the Secretary-General writes, praising all parties for the willingness to strive towards consensus on some of the most divisive issues, but also noting that some of the underlying causes of the conflict are yet to be tackled.

The Secretary-General’s report is being released one year after a 19-day “people’s movement” which saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets in cities and towns across the country culminated in the king relinquishing executive power and reinstating Parliament. Last November’s comprehensive peace agreement then formally ended a decade-long conflict that killed 13,000 people and paralyzed life in the countryside.

Ban has also lauded the political parties for displaying willingness seek consensus on some of the most contentious issues, adding however, that some of the underlying causes of the conflict are yet to be tackled. Meanwhile, Ban has expressed concern regarding the living-conditions inside the PLA cantonments.

“Conditions at cantonment sites have been of great concern to the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN),” particularly given the scheduled arrival in mid-June of the annual monsoon rains, Ban said.

“It will also require a cooperative effort to establish public security through effective law enforcement that respects human rights, in a country previously divided between State and non-State actors and where the police have yet to be deployed nationwide.” Ban added.

Apr 28, 2007

Eight-party leaders agree to hold meeting to resolve impasse

Leaders of the eight parties Friday held an informal meeting to give way out of the present political deadlock among regarding to fix the date of CA polls and wipe out the growing differences amongst them.

According to sources, the informal meeting, which was held at Janamorcha office in Tinkune, decided to call a formal meeting of the eight parties to seek an outlet to the present political quagmire in the earliest possible.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal informed that the meeting had decided to resolve the delay in the CA polls elections through a meeting of top eight party leaders.

“We discussed the ways to hold the 8-party meet at the earliest and stressed the need to keep intact the 8 party unity,” said Maoist chairman Prachanda, emerging from the meeting, “The political deadlock appeared after some of the constituents of the eight parties proposed to declare the country a republic following the deferment of the constituent assembly election.”

Stating that his party was committed towards holding the CA polls, Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Ram Chandra Paudel said that the meeting also discussed strengthening of the eight party unity. Meanwhile, Unity Center-(Mashal) General Secretary Prakash expressed concern over the slack seeping into the eight-party unity.

Jana Morcha Vice Chairman Lila Mani Pokhrel informed that the meeting discussed the frequent disruptions of the Interim Legislature-Parliament, completion of the interim government formation process, state presence across the country, among others.

Apr 27, 2007

Maoists behind the deferral of CA polls: Deuba

President of the Nepali Congress (Democratic) Sher Bahadur Deuba has blamed the Maoists of being the main cause of unstable and deteriorating security situation in the country that led to the deferral of the constituent assembly polls.

Speaking at an interaction programme organised by the Man Mohan Memorial Foundation to mark the 8th death anniversary of the former Prime Minister and UML leader Manmohan Adhikari in the capital Thursday, Deuba said Maoists and its sister organization Young Communist League (YCL) should immediately control their unruly behaviour if CA Polls should be held in a free and fearless environment.

Addressing the function, UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said that it was not the time constraint that led to the delay of CA polls but the delay in taking decision like inviting the UN, drafting interim constitution and formation of the interim legislature, and the government led to the deferral of CA polls.

Nepal said an eight-party meeting should be organised soon to decide the fate of monarchy. He also said his party was ready for announcement of republic from the parliament.

Speaker of the Legislative Parliament Subash Nemwang urged all parties to let the House proceedings go smoothly. He said frequent obstruction on the House sessions had come in the way of taking many important decisions that are necessary in creating environment for CA polls.

Stressing the need for unity among eight parties at this transitional period, Nemwang said mandate of the people's movement last year was for united eight parties until a new constitution is written and a new Nepal is created through constituent assembly.