Received: from mp.cs.niu.edu (mp.cs.niu.edu [131.156.1.2]) by library.wustl.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id MAA03720; Sat, 7 Feb 1998 12:25:24 -0600 (CST) Received: by mp.cs.niu.edu id AA24946 (5.67b/IDA-1.5 for nepal-dist); Sat, 7 Feb 1998 10:56:35 -0600 Received: by mp.cs.niu.edu id AA24942 (5.67b/IDA-1.5 for nepal-list); Sat, 7 Feb 1998 10:56:34 -0600 Date: Sat, 7 Feb 1998 10:56:34 -0600 Message-Id: <199802071656.AA24942@mp.cs.niu.edu> Reply-To: The Nepal Digest <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu> From: The Editor <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu> Sender: "Rajpal J.P. Singh" <A10RJS1@cs.niu.edu> Subject: The Nepal Digest - February 8, 1998 (26 Magh 2054 BkSm) To: <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu> Content-Type: text Status: O X-Status: X-Keywords: X-UID: 257
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The Nepal Digest Sun Feb 8, 1998: Magh 26 2054BS: Year7 Volume71 Issue3
Today's Topics:
Obstruction of a Due Process
Nepali Youth Magazine
conference posting
Re: The Monarchy
Re: Jason's vendetta against Christianity
informations on nepal
News from TND-Canada Chapter
Re: king's decision
Re: Nepal, Travel, Trekking and Trafficking.
******************************************************************************
* TND (The Nepal Digest) Editorial Board *
* -------------------------------------- *
* *
* The Nepal Digest: General Information tnd@nepal.org *
* Chief Editor: Rajpal JP Singh a10rjs1@mp.cs.niu.edu *
* (Open Position) *
* Columnist: Pramod K. Mishra pkm@acpub.duke.edu *
* Sports Correspondent: Avinaya Rana avinayar@touro.edu *
* Co-ordinating Director - Australia Chapter (TND Foundation) *
* Dr. Krishna B. Hamal HamalK@dist.gov.au *
* Co-ordinating Director - Canada Chapter (TND Foundation) *
* Anil Shrestha SHRESTHA@CROP.UOGUELPH.CA *
* SCN Correspondent: Open Position *
* *
* TND Archives: http://library.wustl.edu/~listmgr/tnd/ *
* TND Foundation: http://www.nepal.org tnd@nepal.org *
* WebSlingers: Pradeep Bista,Naresh Kattel,Robin Rajbhandari *
* Rabi Tripathi, Prakash Bista tnd@nepal.org *
* *
* +++++ Food For Thought +++++ *
* *
* "Heros are the ones who give a bit of themselves to the community" *
* "Democracy perishes among the silent crowd" -Sirdar_Khalifa *
* *
******************************************************************************
******************************************************************
Date: February 5, 1998
To: The Nepal Digest <nepal@cs.niu.edu>
From: Rajpal J.P. Singh <rsingh@nit.com>
Subject: Obstruction of a Due Process
"Obstruction of a Due Process"
-----------------------------
In light of the recently created "constitutional crisis" out of a
"constitutional process", its every citizen's duty, not only a right, to
protect and make sure that the constitution is being carried out in
its true spirit.
Having said that, let us try to look at some of the underlying key points that
make the bare foundation which upholds our Constitutional Framework (CF):
1) In a true democratic sense, a constitutional thesis/framework/spirit
is the unalienable truth that states "By the people, For the
People and To the people".
2) Prime Minister (PM) is fully accountable to the people. He/She
is an elected candidate.
3) Constitutional Monarchy (CM) demands that the Royal Institution (RI)
can do NO WRONG because the RI facilitates "executive power" ONLY
through the recommendation of a Prime Minister (PM) and his/her
cabinet.
4) This is why the RI is NOT accountable to the people. Furthermore,
He/She is the rightful heir and NOT an elected candidate. And this
is why the RI is protected and is UNDER the constitution.
5) Supreme Court Judges (SCJ) are NOT accountabole to the people. He/She
is NOT an elected candidate.
6) Advisory role of SCJ doesn't mean unlimited authority. The
constitutional and the democratic understanding is that SCJ will
limit itself to "judiciary nature of events" and consciously MUST
refrain from stepping over "Executive" or "Legislative" organs of the
government.
With this understanding, let us further look at the "constitutional process"
of 1994, 1995 and 1998.
I. Constitutional Process in 1994
---------------------------------
1) PM is in majority.
2) PM recommends House Dissolution (HD) and Midterm Poll (MP) to RI.
3) RI calls for HD and Midterm Poll (MP) following PM's recommendation.
4) Minority Opposition (less than 103) lodges protest to the SCJ.
5) SCJ unanimously opinions that PM is in majority, hence the call has
legal and constitutional merit.
6) House is dissolved and Midterm Poll takes its course.
Note: Every step here is under Constitutional Framework (CF).
#1 says PM is in majority.
#3 says RI, who can do NO wrong, followed PM's recommendation
under constitutional framework (CF).
#4 says Opposition was in minority (less than 103) when the
protest was lodged.
II. Constitutional Process in 1995
----------------------------------
1) PM is in minority.
2) Majority Opposition (more than 103) lodges request to RI for Special
Session (SS) and to discuss vote of No-Confidence.
3) Minority PM (less than 103) requests to RI for House Dissolution (HD)
and Midterm Poll (MP).
4) RI calls for HD and MP following PM's recommendation.
5) Majority Opposition (more than 103) lodges protest against the
Minority PM to SCJ.
6) SCJ unanimously opinions that PM is in minority, Opposition is in
majority, hence HD and MP is illegal and unconstitutional.
7) RI cancels the minority PM's call for HD and MP and restores
the House of Representatives.
Note: Every step here is under Constitutional Framework (CF).
#1 says PM is in minority.
#2 says Opposition is in majority.
#4 says RI, who can do NO wrong, followed PM's recommendation
under constitutional framework (CF).
III. Constitutional Process in 1998
-----------------------------------
1) PM is in majority
2) PM recommends House Dissolution (HD) and Midterm Poll (MP) to RI.
3) Minority Opposition (less than 103) lodges request to RI for SS.
4) RI does NOT follow PM's recommendation and denies PM his prerogative,
but asks for SCJ's opinion.
5) SCJ in a DIVIDED vote gives its opinion to RI.
6) RI calls for Special Session (SS).
Note: Here serious questions arise as Constitutional Framework (CF) is
not carried out in its true sprit.
#1 says PM is in majority.
#3 says Opposition is in minority (less than 103)
#4 says RI, who can do NO wrong, has derailed a "Constitutional Due
Process" instead of following PM's recommendation as outlined
in the constitutional framework (CF).
#5 says SCJ has crossed its "judiciary boundary" and infringed
upon "Executive" and "Legislative" organs of the government.
Now lets look LONG and HARD at why a "constitutional due process" has
been OBSTRUCTED in 1998?
1) In a TRUE Constitutional Monarchy (CM), RI plays a role of symbolic
unity.
2) CM demands that RI can do NO WRONG - an underlying element of the
constitutional monarchy (CM) - hence RI simply facilitates majority
PM's every constitutional recommendation without ANY further delay.
This underlying element makes the PM and his/her cabinet accountable
to the people, hence punishable ONLY by the people and NOT by either
the Royal Institution (RI) or the Supreme Court Judges (SCJ). This
element is the "life and soul" of a Constitutional Monarchy (CM).
3) By refering the matter to SCJ which is not accountable to people,
RI's request to SCJ has tried to turn a political-event to a
judicial-event hence turning "constitutional due process" to a
questionable "constitutional crisis".
4) By not "felicitating in a constitutional monarchy capacity", RI
has placed itself in "Obstruction of a Constitutional Due Process"
situation which is a blatant violation of a CM democracy! This
"Obstruction of a Due Process" awakes any law abiding and freedom
loving citizen to ask "Why is RI allowing itself to obstruct a
constitutional due process and What are its clear motives?"
5) This leads to the ultimate question: Is RI accountable for its
action? If NOT, we do NOT have "democracy in Nepal". We still
live under the "absolute autocracy!"
Last time I checked, "Obstruction of a Due Process" is defined as a federal
crime, punishable by law, in this side of the free world.
Ask your conscience not your wallet and/or party alliances, "Has the
constitution been carried out in its true spirit?" Ask your conscience
again, "Is there a true guardian of our constitution and our freedom?"
Ask yourself that!
so long,
rjps
"Democracy perishes among the silent crowd!"
******************************************************************
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 21:37:28 -0500 (EST)
From: Nima <purinima@wam.umd.edu>
To: The Editor <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu>
Subject: Nepali Youth Magazine
Hello everybody,
Well let me introduce myself-I am Nima Puri, and I am a nepali
undergraduate student going to
Univ. of Maryland. I am the Vice-President of the Nepali Youth
Organization here in the D.C Metropolitan area, and I am also the editor
of our Nepali youth magazine called 'Kshiteez'.
Since the foundation of NYO(Nepali Youth Organization), we
have been able to publish three issues of the magazine. As we go on to
move into another new year we hope to publish not less than four. This
magazine gives a chance to all the nepalis all over to write about their
ideas, their views, their stories, poems, thoughts, experiences etc. etc.
If you want to know more about the magazine and the organization, please
feel free to visit our web site at http://www.nyo.org
But let me get to the point. I receive the monthly issues of the Nepal
Digest and I have read your articles. They are really good!!! I would
therefore like to ask you to write for the magazine. You can write about
anything that will prove to be interesting to all the nepalis here in the
US and in Nepal. In due course of time we will be publishing this magazine
in other cities and countries where there is a larger population of
expatriate nepalis!!!
We will be publishing the magazine just in time to be distributed around
our Nepali New Year so the deadline date to submit articles is on the
20th. of March. I would therefore like to ask you all to start writing. As
soon as the magazine is publised I will make it a point to mail the
magazine to you all. Therefore, I would be really greatful if you did send
me your mailing address as well. We need as many articles as we can get,
so it would be really nice if you could also ask your friends or your
family members to write for the magazine as well. You can then email me
with the article!
Thank you all for taking the time to read this email. Please inform me if
you are able to write.
Thank you, and hope to hear from you real soon!!!!
Nima
email: nima@newweb.net
nima@glue.umd.edu
******************************************************************
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 1998 09:58:46
Subject: conference posting
From: sanjay@stella.mos.com.np (mercantile)
Attached file: NEWTHEME.DOC
Dear Editor,
I take pleasure informing you that the Central Dept. of
Geography (CDG), Tribhuvan University, is hosting an international
conference on "Sustainable Tourism in the Next Millenium -
Implications on the Environment, Economy, and Culture" to be
held Sep 7-10 1998.
I would appreciate it very much if you could kindly post the
attached announcement in TND. We would like all Nepalis as
well as the international community to contribute to this event.
For your info, while the CDG is mainly responsible for
organizing this conference, various local and international
agencies are also supporting this event and are part of the
organizing committee. ICIMOD, IUCN, WWF, UNDP, Ministry and
Department of Tourism, PATA, Hotel Association of Nepal, Nepal
Travel Agents Association, RNAC, Swiss Foundation for Alpine
Research are among the supporters.
For further info and flyer, please, contact:
Prof. Mangal Siddhi Manandhar
Central Dept. of Geography
Tribhuvan University
Kathamndu, Nepal
Fax: 977 1 331 319
email: cdg@wlink.com.np
A World Wide Web page detailing the conference program is in
process.
Finally, please include me in your mailing list.
Many thanks.
Sanjay K. Nepal
email: sanjay@stella.mos.com.np
Sanjay/Stella Nepal
15/259 Paknajole
Kathmandu 16, Nepal
Tel. No.: (977)-1-422158
******************************************************************
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 16:12:23 GMT
To: TND <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu>
From: carin@gn.apc.org (H Brown)
Subject: Re: Jason Ritchie's vendetta against Christianity.
Although I don't normally respond on religious topics, I found it
deeply offensive to have the teachings of Jesus Christ confused with
the atrocities committed by some people and sects who call
themselves Christians with no good cause, since they have lost sight
of the fundamental Christian precept of loving one's neighbour.
I intended to write, but I was busy with anti-trafficking issues, so
I was glad to see that Joel Hafvenstein and Owen Lewis pointed out
the flawed thinking in Jason Ritchie's vendetta against Christianity.
I was brought up in the Christian faith and became intrigued by the
religions practised in Nepal, without ever rejecting Christianity.
People in Nepal, and elsewhere, don't need ideas projected onto them
that could lead to them becoming needlessly suspicious of those of
other faiths. I've never had much difficulty practising religious
tolerance in Nepal. In fact I've been blessed by a number of holy
men, even though it caused some consternation to a minority of
people on my return.
Helen Brown
carin@gn.apc.org
carin@activist.com
http://www.blue-fox.com/nepal
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
******************************************************************
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 1998 03:55:02
From: bijay.gurung@usa.net
To: tnd@nepal.org
Subject: informations on nepal
Dear sir/madam,
I`m Bijay Gurung from Nepal currently studying in England.I`m having a model of the UN Session in march in which I`m representing Nepal.My topics include
-issues on climate change
-issues on indigenous people and
-issues on arms trade
I would be very grateful if you could send some informations on these topics.Thanking you for your kind cooperation.
Yours sincerely
Bijay.
***********************************************************
From: "Anil Shrestha" <SHRESTHA@CROP.UOGUELPH.CA>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 16:54:57 EDT
Subject: News from TND-Canada Chapter
From: Anil Shrestha, TND Canada Correspondent
Subject: Canadian Aid to Nepal
This article has been reproduced with the permission of CIDA. I thank CIDA
for allowing me to publish this information in "The Nepal Digest."
Any queries can be directed to the address at the end of the article.
Canadian Assistance to Nepal 1994-95: $ 18.36 million
Bilateral = 29.9 %
Multilateral = 67.3 %
Partnership = 2.8 %
Nature of Canada's commitment
Canadas co-operation program with Nepal implements projects through three
types of mechanisms: bilateral programs (country-to-country), multilateral
programs (assistance through international institutions) and the Canadian
partnership program (assistance through non-governmental organizations
[NGOs], institutional co-operation and industrial co-operation).
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Canada sought to increase food and energy
production in Nepal, while preserving the environment and the livelihood of
Nepalis through human resource development and institution-building programs.
Canada's latest strategy focuses on two areas that intersect with the major
goals of the Government of Nepal: improving the living standards of the
poorest people through rural development, and developing the potential of
considerable water resources.
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) manages a bilateral
development assistance program with Nepal. The program is based on
partnership with Canada's private sector, non-governmental organizations,
professional associations, educational institutions and government
departments.
CIDA's current development assistance objectives for Nepal are institution
strengthening in water and energy-resource management, and good governance
through community development. The women in development theme is integrated
into the planning and execution of all projects.
The institution-strengthening projects focus on increasing capacity for
appropriate, environmentally sound water and energy resource management.
Projects also help institutions to better plan and implement policies, and
address domestic and regional environmental issues.
A new community-based economic development project is designed to strengthen
Nepal's civil society by developing local organizations as viable
institutions capable of interacting with locally elected governments,
governmental agencies and ministries. Implemented by the Canadian Centre for
International Studies and Cooperation, this project focuses on
socio-economic development and environmentally sound management of natural
resources.
CIDA's assistance to Nepal is also provided through multilateral
organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF,
the World Food Programme, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
The multilateral institutions, in particular, the World Bank and the Asian
Development Bank, are major sources of public development finance in Nepal
and important channels of policy dialogue and development advice. CIDA uses
its influence within these organizations to improve their leadership and
effectiveness in aid coordination and to promote measures consistent with
An important CIDA institution-strengthening initiative supports the Water
and Energy Commission Secretariat and the Nepal Electricity Authority. The
project reinforces the Secretariat's policy and planning capability by
providing professional advisory services and training. Implemented by
Canadian International Water and Energy Consultants, this project increases
Nepal's capacity for environmentally sound water and energy resource
management.
The University of Calgary is implementing the second phase of a CIDA health-
development project to help communities take a participatory approach to
their development needs. This project focuses on income-generating
activities and the development of community health models, leading to the
development of sustainable community-based organizations. Small community
projects focus on agriculture and forestry management.
Women in development
A Women in Development Initiatives Fund was established to strengthen the
ability of governmental and non-governmental organizations to deliver
community and social programs targeting women. The CIDA-funded activities
have three objectives: to strengthen women's groups through gender
sensitization and programming; to develop links between Nepali women's groups
and non-governmental organizations; and to support the integration of gender
issues into government policies and programs.
Infrastructure services
Canada has gained prestige and influence through its long involvement in
Nepal's civil aviation industry, which is vital to regional development and
tourism. Canada provides airport security equipment, training, maintenance
facilities and, through the Twin Otter Support Project, supplies aircraft,
parts and pilot training. The Twin Otter project helps Royal Nepal Airlines
and Nepal's Department of Civil Aviation by extending the life and improving
the operational safety of the country's fleet of Twin Otter aircraft.
List of Bilateral Projects in Nepal
NEPAL HEALTH DEVELOPMENT PROJECT PHASE II
Duration:1995-2002
Implementing Agency:University of Calgary
Description:This is a community development project to increase the capacity
of communities to address their development needs through a participatory
community development approach. Programs will be in the areas of skills
training, socio-economic and health improvement, and household and community
infrastructure.
THE CANADA FUND
Duration:1997-98
Description: The fund finances a variety of small local projects in Nepal.
It serves to complement CIDA bilateral activities by allowing the Canadian
High Commission to react with greater flexibility and speed to local requests
and needs.
WECS INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (WIDP)
Duration: 1996-2001
Implementing Agency: Canadian International Water and Energy Consultants
(CIWEC)
Description:The goal of the project is to increase the capacity for
environmentally sound water and energy resource management in Nepal.
The purpose is: (1) to assist Nepal's Water and Energy Commission
Secretariat (WECS) in its efforts to become a sustainable institution;
and (2) to strengthen the institutional capacity of WECS to develop and
coordinate water and energy policies, and to advise water and energy program
implementation agencies.
ENGINEERING EDUCATION LINKAGE
Duration:1989-97
Implementing Agency:University of Calgary with a consortium of Canadian
Universities.
Description:The project is designed to increase the capacity of the
Institute of Engineering of Tribhuvan University to train engineers,
architects, rural planners and technicians to help alleviate Nepal's
shortage of professional personnel. This project is co-financed with the
World Bank and Switzerland.
AIRPORT SECURITY
Duration:1988-97
Implementing Agency:Transport Canada
Description: Project objectives involve assisting the Department of Civil
Aviation to install a new security system at Tribhuvan International Airport
in Kathmandu to improve air travel safety. The project includes providing
and installing equipment, as well as training airport personnel.
TWIN OTTER SUPPORT
Duration:1994-2000
Description:The project's goal is to assist the Government of Nepal in
implementing its rural transportation strategy to improve domestic civil
aviation services for regional development and tourism. The purpose of the
project is to assist Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) and the
Department of Civil Aviation in extending the life and improving the
operational safety of the Twin Otter fleet, and to enhance the capabilities
of Nepal's air transportation institutions.
NEPAL WID INITIATIVES FUND, PHASE III
Duration:1994-97
Implementing Agency: Canadian Cooperation Office - Kathmandu
Description: The fund is intended to strengthen the capacity of selected
organizations to plan and implement development activities aimed at
improving the status of women, promote women as equal partners and
beneficiaries in community development and increase awareness of gender
issues.
COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (C-BED)
Duration:1995-99
Implementing Agency:Canadian Centre for International Studies and
Cooperation (CECI)
Description:The goal of the project is to enhance the development of civil
society and local democracy in the area of management of local resources,
and socio-economic improvement of poor rural communities. The project seeks
to strengthen community based organizations to develop as viable and mature
institutions capable of interacting with locally elected governments,
governmental agencies and central level ministries and agencies.
For more information, please contact:
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
200 Promenade du Portage
Hull, Quebec
K1A 0G4
Tel: (819) 997-5006
Toll free: 1-800-230-6349
Fax: (819) 953-6088
For the hearing and speech impaired (TDD/TTY): (819) 953-5023
Internet address: http://w3.acdi-cida.gc.ca
********************************************************
To: nepal-request@cs.niu.edu
Date: Sat, 7 Feb 1998 04:47:43 +0530
From: sagarmatha@juno.com (Himal Ghimire)
Dear Sir,
Please publish the following in TND. Thanks a lot.
Dear Sir / Madam,
If you are looking for a good 3 bedrooms flat for short/long-term lease
just outside Ring Road for you or your people, kindly contact us.
Located in the hill surrounded by terraces, pine forest and temples, the
apartment has a grand view of the Kirtipur Horticulture Farm, Kathmandu
and the Himalayas and is only 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) south of Balkhu,
Ring Road on the way to Panga.
The flat has spacious 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, dining and living area.
For more information and visit please contact Suresh Shrestha in Nepal at
telephone number 977-1-330494 (11 am - 4 pm except holidays) or at email
jghimire@vishnu.ccsl.com.np. Or Himal Ghimire in Sacramento, CA at
telephone number (916) 486 - 9355 or at email sagarmatha@juno.com
The flat is fully furnished with beds, furniture, cooker and refrigerator
and is available from the moment you decide to move in. Weekly rent Rs.
6,000. Monthly rent Rs. 20,000. Annual rent negotiable. Thank you very
much for your time.
Please contact your travel agency for the current conversion rate between
US$ and Nepalese Rs.
Yours truly,
Himal Ghimire
4412 Baron Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95821
Phone : (916) 486 - 9355
e-mail : sagarmatha@juno.com
******************************************************************
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 1998 17:43:31 -1000
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
From: Narain <narain@aloha.net>
Subject: made a typo ( re: let us look for a solution for girl
trafficking? )
Note:
as i was reading through what i had written, i came up on a typo which
could change the meaning of my sentence. the letter below is with the
correct spelling. if you could delete my earlier version and replace it
this one, i would appreciate it.
Greetings,
it seems that for the last few months, the topic of conversation on TND
has been about the problems of "sex trafficking of innocent Nepalese girls
to India." this topic seems to have generated a lot of discussions and
interest and rightfully so.... this is a very serious problems that will
have serious repercussion for us all in the future, may it directly affect
us or through the deterioration of a nation.
these discussions have lead to reporting of statistics on girls being
tricked into prostitution, the epidemic of the AIDS, horrific stories of
how parents sell their own daughters to makes ends meet, and also the
history and how this trafficking business can be justified because it was
done by Rana oppressors....
well, with all being said.... the fact still remains that we have an
ongoing problem that needs a solution. awareness through the Internet to
Nepalese residing outside of Nepal is a powerful tool and it has certainly
got my attention, however, majority of us (readers and writers) in TND
will probably never ever experience the pain, suffering, humiliation and
loss of human dignity faced by these girls and their families.
let us face it, many of these girls and their families are in the lower
economic bracket with little education to protect themselves from people
who have no humanity.... i think of these traffickers as vultures that prey
on the weak and wounded.
i for one feel frustrated and angry.... i would like to be a part of the
solution but what can one person do to help out.... i think one person can
do a lot if we all put our heads together and come up with a realistic and
practical solution.
what i would like to start is a discussion on different kinds of
alternatives we can should be focusing on to rid this problem. a sort of
brain storm from us all... i know that there are a lot of people who read
this newsletter who are knowledgeable about laws in Nepal. it is a plea to
ourselves that we do not allow some money motivated trafficker to sell the
lives and dreams of our "didi" and "bahinis."
i have read some reports on "Kathmandu Post" about politicians addressing
these problems, but i have not heard any positive results or even any plan
to take any actions. it may be just myself, but i feel like there is a lot
of talk but "no walk" from these politicians. if there is anyone who knows
of any committee in Nepal addressing the girl trafficking problem, i would
appreciate the information.
my brain storm is to put together a special committee in Nepal that will
investigate and take appropriate actions to protect the girls. this
organization should be an independent and not dictated by the Nepalese
government.
my other ideas include, radio and television broadcast for problem
awareness, speakers travelling to remote villages to educate families about
the dangers of trusting stranger, pushing for stricter laws against any
traffickers, seeking out the traffickers or even investigating the brothels
in India who violate the innocent victims.
this is a point of view of one reader and i know that are many of us out
there who are bothered by what we read about Nepal with regards to girl
trafficking. i personally do not qualify for anything other than seeing a
problem and wanting to do something about it.
i do not want to analysis or read more sad stories, i want to take some
action. the Internet has given us all a great opportunity to unite and
voice our opinions so let us all be a part to do want we can to save the
future "ama" of our country.
let us all look for a solution.
Narain.
***************************************************************
From: rbadbx@aol.com (RBADBX)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.nepal
Subject: Re: king's decision
Date: 7 Feb 1998 15:47:07 GMT
It is astonishing to see the communist and the royalist as bedfellows. The
adage that ' Politics makes strange bedfellows' only seem to be to true.
According to their ideology, they should be mutually exclusive; only one should
exist at a time, not both. Therefore, it can be infered that the communist
really do not believe in their dogma and that the royalist will do anything to
survive and retain power.
Congress Party has not proved to be any better either, it has turned into a
party by the Koiralas for the Koiralas.
The Shah's of Nepal have been manipulating and surviving for the last 200
years(?). The present politicians and the citizens of nepal are of no match to
the so called Royals deceit, corruption, and immorality laden lives. It is
depressing to see that they have been able to corrupt the politicians in such
a short time after the jana andolan. They are the root of all the causes,
and before it is too late they shoul be uprooted.
Dahi Chuire's like Arjun Singh of People's Review, M.R. Josse, and Katrina
Williams, and misguided individuals like Ravi Thapalia really do not help the
dialouge. It is better if they kept quiet and let others who at least show
some maturity in judgement and independent thinking do the talking. They
should remember that: It is better not to speak and be judged a fool than to
open one's mouth and prove it.
Bishwonath has served the country very well. Remember, he did not accept the
post of chief justice of the supreme court under the panchayat regime when it
was offered to him because then he would have to obey the Palace. Nepalese
citizens deserved a uncorruptable chief justice.
He was intrumental in providing the current costitution, the political leaders
after the jana andolan were ready to accept a constitution that had been
drafted by the Palace.
Only when Bishwonath threatened to resign and go to the people, did the
political leaders and the Palace retreat.
He was labeled as a communist by the Congressis and Indians after the Tanakpur
verdict, now the communist label him as a congressi. Words are cheap, it's the
deed that counts. Furthermore, now the Military Intelligence(Palace) accuses
him of being a agent of the Indians.
For that matter, the communist and the royalists have also accused Thapa and
Girija as Indian agents as well. What non-sense. Ravi seems to buy all this
without any analysis.
******************************************************************
Date: Sat, 7 Feb 1998 15:46:42 GMT
To: TND <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu>
From: carin@gn.apc.org (H Brown)
Subject: Re: Nepal, Travel, Trekking and Trafficking.
Dear Sir,
Our Web site at http://www.blue-fox.com/nepal seems to have
stirred up plenty of healthy debate.
Bijaya Rajbhandari wrote:
>Many issues seems to have been mixed up. Some brought up the
>issue of rape during the visit in Nepal...
When Robert Markey and I put together this web site we realised it
represented a controversial approach to the problem of sex
trafficking. I seem to have repeated so many times that in
highlighting the abuse of tourists as a way of emphasising the
importance of female human rights, we are not out to harm the
interests of the ordinary person involved in tourism in Nepal. The
remedy for any threat to Visit Nepal 98 is extremely simple and it
lies within the hands of the tourism industry itself. All it has to
do is pressurise or remove guilty men, replace them with men of
integrity, then Visit Nepal 98 can continue without opposition from
us, but a precedent for taking note of the human rights of women has
been set.
An e-mail that we recently sent out to Nepalese travel companies
explains the point.
Robert Markey wrote:
>
>Dear Sir,
>
>Over the past several months we have organized an e-mail campaign to
>raise awareness on the issue of sexual harassment and rape of women
>travelers in Nepal. During this time we have had some good
>communication with several of the tourist agents, media people and
>government officials who were on our list of e-mail recipients. We
>want to reaffirm that it has never been our intention to hurt any
>innocent people involved in the tourist industry in Nepal.
>
>Our intention is to bring international attention to this problem.
>It is the responsibility of all involved in any aspect of tourism,
>including government officials and the police, to insure that no
>women traveling in Nepal will be subject to any kind of sexual
>abuse. If abuse does happen it is the responsibility of those same
>people to insure that the offender is quickly brought to justice. If
>publicity surrounding such abuse does damage to the tourist
>industry, the industry itself is solely to blame.
>
>For those of you who are unfamiliar with the realities of rape we
>would like to point out that most rapes - anywhere - go unreported.
>Shame, mistrust, emotional trauma and the expectation of not being
>believed make it very difficult for any woman to report a rape. For
>a woman traveling in a foreign country it is even more difficult.
>Not knowing the language or the customs, difficulty in changing
>airline reservations to stay and press charges, and callous
>treatment at the hands of local officials or police make it almost
>impossible to take any kind of action except to get home and try to
>recover as best she can.
>
>Please don't assume that because a case has not come up for trial
>that abuse is not present or even rampant. As noted in the
>attachment sent previously, one article in the Independent several
>years ago elicited letters from several women who had been abused by
>those in the travel industry in Nepal. **
>
>Because of the World Wide Web and its growing use by people
>gathering information before traveling as well as making travel
>plans, the travel industry is increasingly vulnerable to campaigns
>such as ours. We will be doing everything in our power to continue
>to monitor the situation in Nepal and will not hesitate to post
>travel warnings, name abusers and urge people to take further action
>if any abuse of women occurs in the future. We implore you in the
>travel industry to take this issue very seriously and make it clear
>to your employees, coworkers, colleagues and elected officials that
>abuse will absolutely not be tolerated.
>
>We will also be increasingly focusing our attention to the issue of
>sex-trafficking girls and women from Nepal to the brothels of India.
>This trafficking both in Nepal and elsewhere is a brutal violation
>of the basic human rights of hundreds of thousands of women
>worldwide and must be stopped. Travelers come to Nepal because of
>its extraordinary natural beauty and because of the warm hospitality
>shown by its people. The presence of large scale trafficking
>operations in this same country is a real threat to the health of
>the travel industry. We implore you to realize this and as leaders
>in your communities to do everything you can to stop this practice.
>We invite you to work with us in this issue.
>
>We welcome your comments on our work.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Robert Markey
>Helen Brown
** The attachment sent were pages from our web site featuring
letters and articles from The Independent about the maltreatment of
women tourists.
Some trek company owners have responded to this e-mail by showing
great sympathy for victims, discussing possibilities of awareness-
raising programmes for both guides and women and told us of their
concern about sex-trafficking and hopes of setting up centres for
the rehabilitation of women returning from the brothels.
The reaction of many others is so negative that we are convinced of
the points raised by Aiko about the callous disregard of the rights
of women who are misguidedly written off as "easy".
In time we will have a very clear picture of the attitudes shown to
women tourists by many companies and travelers to Nepal will check
out our site before booking. Accordingly the human rights of women
will not be so easily overlooked by men of wealth and power in
Kathmandu. We can use this as leverage to press for an end to
trafficking.
With regard to the numerous other countries where tourists are
assaulted, I would like to see Web Sites dealing with them also.
However such a site demands specific knowledge of the country, which
is why I am concentrating on issues in the country where I worked
for so long. So Nepal is not being singled out. In time, as more
people with specific knowledge of different countries take note of
our idea, it will be seen to be one of a series of countries where
specific human rights issues are examined in relation to tourism.
The boycott of Burma came before any action of ours.
Helen Brown
carin@gn.apc.org
carin@activist.com
http://www.blue-fox.com/nepal
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
******************************************************************
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 02:13:23 -0500 (EST)
From: Joel Hafvenstein <joel.hafvenstein@yale.edu>
To: The Nepal Digest <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu>
Subject: Re: The Monarchy
Ang Tsering Sherpa's letter on the horrors of the Nepali monarchy in a
recent issue of TND ["Should we question monarchy?" Feb 4, 1998] struck
me as slightly... odd.
I couldn't help feeling that it had been sitting around in a drawer
somewhere since the late 1980's... because half of Mr Sherpa's complaints
about the King haven't been accurate since the panchayat era.
The King does not have absolute power. This is because the King has
_already_ "given up his power to the people" in order to "let his country
move forward". The King is not a dictator like Marcos, however many shoes
Her Majesty may possess. The King does not make laws, and his exercise of
authority is strictly limited by the constitution. The government of
Nepal _is_ chosen "by a majority vote of the people"... because the head
of government is the PM, not the King. (Even after today's court
decision).
The King is a "figurehead" -- slightly less so than Queen Elizabeth of
England, but then, the English monarchs haven't truly ruled for centuries.
If you compare King Birendra to kings in other new democracies (King Juan
Carlos of Spain, for example) it should be quite obvious that the King of
Nepal has a perfectly normal amount of power for a constitutional monarch.
Again, this remains true even in light of recent events. The Supreme
Court just stripped a power from the Prime Minister -- foolishly, in my
opinion -- but they only gave it _very_ loosely to the King.
The King is not a democratic leader, and he _did_ get his position solely
by right of birth. But democracy can and does survive very nicely with
non-democratic institutions woven into it -- most notably, figurehead
monarchies. See half the countries in Europe for examples. The point is
not whether a King remains as head of state... the point is whether he's
head of government. King Birendra is not.
To these old problems, Mr Sherpa suggests two possible alternatives. The
first -- a violent coup -- is even more ridiculous now than it would have
been under the panchayat system. First, as Mr Sherpa correctly points
out, the King has the army and the money (not to mention the popular
legitimacy) to crush anyone who actually wanted to get rid of him
violently. Second, in the 1970s and 1980s there was the chance that
getting rid of the King might have helped bring about democracy. But now,
what on earth would you hope to gain? The problems with Nepali government
now come from democratically elected politicians, not from the monarch.
The second alternative -- gradual change leading to a democratic system --
happened in 1990. And yes, plenty of objections were made at the time by
people who enjoyed benefits under royal rule... but the King repeatedly
ignored those objections and backed Nepal's democratic leaders in times of
crisis. Since then, he has repeatedly deferred to the Supreme Court on
difficult constitutional issues. He has been one of the most reliable
actors in the constitutional system so far (certain politically-motivated
slurs to the contrary).
Yes, the King _is_ looking out for his own interest. And being an
intelligent King, His Majesty will accordingly do his level best to act
within the constitution (just as he has been doing). He's not foolish
enough to repeat his late father's royal coup -- not when doing so would
instantly plunge Nepal into a civil war twice as bad as the one he so
narrowly avoided back in 1990.
In my opinion, the only way King Birendra will resume power is if he is
explicitly _asked_ to... by G.P. Koirala, K.P. Bhattarai, and Man Mohan
Adhikari. Until he has the support of the major parties, he'll wait
patiently. Look to the politicians for danger signs, not the King.
> Human right issues such as freedom to vote without intimidation and
> freedom to speak your mind without fear that you will be taken away by
> the army or the police and disappear without any trial.
The only electoral intimidation that goes on now comes from either the
Maoists or (allegedly) the major political parties. And the only major
human rights violations by the government have been in the Maoist-
afflicted areas... which violations, while immoral, affect only a minority
of the population. Now, if the anti-terrorism bill had been introduced
last fall, _then_ we'd have something to gripe about.
> It seems that Nepal has fallen through the loopholes and forgotten from the
> rest of the world.
It seems that Mr Sherpa has fallen through a loophole and missed the last
eight years of Nepali history.
Nepal does need to develop a less hierarchical culture; the caste system,
if strictly enforced, would be utterly incompatible with a system of
basic human rights. But one can have a King without a caste system, and
(similarly) getting rid of the King will not _end_ the caste system.
The problems of Nepali politics go much deeper than the monarchy, and so
far King Birendra has been quite helpful in holding the whole system
together. I honestly don't think Nepal would gain anything worthwhile by
opting for a king-less republic.
Regards,
Joel Hafvenstein
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