Scribes manhandled, vehicles vandalised

Supporters of the banda called by the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) continued to assault journalists and press vehicles on Tuesday as well.

The supporters manhandled a journalist of Mountain TV and vandalised the van ( Ba 9 Cha 2933) at Gatthaghar in Bhaktapur this morning.

The irate banda enforcers vandalised the van that was heading to pick up television staffs, and took away the identity cards and manhandled journalist Uttar Phuyal and office staff Mina Khadka, sources confirmed. The banda supporters had impounded the van for some time.

Likewise, a tourist bus (Ba 1 Ya 430) has also been vandalised at Mahankal of Bouddha this morning.

Meanwhile, police detained some eight banda supporters at Jadibuti for forcefully enforcing banda in the area.

Though NEFIN Chairman Raj Kumar Lekhi, in a statement, urged cadres not to obstruct the movement of media persons, banda supporters have ignored the call.

Source ekantipur

Banda cripples banking activities

 Early Monday morning, Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) hurriedly deposited checks collected from various dealers worth Rs 1.4 billion at Standard Chartered Bank and asked it to immediately convert them into cash. The state-owned petroleum company was in a rush as the deadline of May 23 to pay its fortnightly installment to Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for consignments of petroleum products was approaching. 

“We knew the deadline was just two days away and it was creating pressure on us. Yet we decided to wait till the last hour to carry out the task as it was our assumption that it would only take couple of hours to cash checks,” a senior official of NOC told Republica on condition of anonymity.

But that was where NOC´s assumption went wrong. The reason: Monday was not a normal day like NOC had presumed, as it was the second consecutive day of three-day banda called by the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities. 

To make the banda effective, protest organizers had asked various banks to keep their offices shut and show solidarity to their program. As a result, many banks were not open or partially open on Monday. 

“Since nothing was operating in a normal way, we informed banks that we would not be delivering any service related to settlement of check payment on Monday,” a senior official of Nepal Clearing House Limited said, informing that Nepal Rastra Bank, the central monetary authority, had given consent to its decision.

This basically meant that checks of various banks, say, Nabil and Rastriya Banijya, that were issued by NOC´s dealers could not be cashed and deposited at its account in Standard Chartered.

Later, the panicking fuel monopolist even reached the doors of the Ministry of Finance to help it get the checks cleared. But it was told to wait until Tuesday when the clearing house resumes normal operation.

The clearing house works as an intermediary between two banks to settle check payments. Simply put, it indirectly helps, say, Standard Chartered client, who has received payment via check issued by, say, Nabil Bank, to have the amount deposited in Standard Chartered within two to five and half hours, without making the client go to Nabil Bank.

That´s why check payments cannot be processed without the help of the clearing house. 

Although NOC is quite sure about meeting the IOC´s deadline as it will still have one more day to settle the payment if it is able to have its check cashed on Tuesday, the oil corporation´s experience shows how the banda has affected day to day work of firms that have to rely on financial institutions to conduct business.

The shutdown has had similar impact on individuals who want to access banking services like depositing money or obtaining a bank draft. The protest has also forced those going abroad to scuttle places to convert foreign currency, while closure of ATM kiosks in many places has also affected those who are in need of cash.

In Pokhara, for instance, many depositors who are in urgent need of money have started calling bankers to arrange the funds they need. Although many banks in the western city have opened back doors for their clients, many call it a risky proposition as protesters are “violent this time”.

“These institutions which were allowed to provide services unhindered during the Maoist insurgency and people´s movement of 2006 now cannot risk calling their staff to work as protesters prevent them from entering workplaces,” Bishwa Mohan Adhikari, CEO of City Development Bank, said, calling the situation “tragic”.

This has not only affected deposit collection and loan distribution but has also affected loan recovery process, which is of utmost importance to ensure sound financial health of banks and financial institutions.

Although there are no official figures on losses these daily bandas are inflicting on banks and financial institutions, Rajan Singh Bhandari, CEO of Citizens Bank and vice president of Nepal Bankers´ Association, said when every wheel of economy has been forcefully clogged, banks will definitely be in the losing end as they need support of other sectors for their growth.

“When industries and firms are being told to shut down their business operations how will they pay the loan amount and approach us for fresh credit,” Singh wondered. “And when there is low demand for the money that we collect from depositors, we obviously cannot generate profit.”


Source myrepublica

Banda affects movement of cargo from customs points

 Around a thousand vehicles carrying essential goods are stranded in the northern and southern border areas of the country due to bandas called by various groups, compelling importers to pay extra cost, which will eventually be transferred to consumers. 

Cargo trucks are currently lying in the yard of Biratnagar Customs Office. Trucks that are carrying raw material for industries, mainly located in the Morang-Sunsari industrial corridor, and fast moving consumer goods, are currently stuck in the customs office since the last five days, Binod Kunwar, chief of customs office, told Republica on Monday. 
 
Similarly, imports from China have come to a complete halt and more than 60 containers are stranded in the yard of Tatopani Customs Office, while around 350 empty-containers are in the Birgunj inland containers depot (ICD). The containers that are stranded in the Birgunj ICD had brought iron, feeds and fast moving consumer goods. 

“The empty containers which are on the property of Indian shipping companies charge US$14 per day,” Rajan Sharma, president of Nepal Freight Forwarders´ Association (NFFA), told Republica. 

Similarly, goods such as summer apparels and cosmetics that are imported from China are stuck in the Tatopani Customs Office. “More than a dozen containers are lying in the Tibetan territory of China,” said officials at the Tatopani customs. 

Importers, such as Arjun Sapkota, fear agricultural products, like fruits, imported from China might be ruined if they are not taken to the market in time. 

Abhinas Bohara, president of the Morang Merchants´ Association (MMA), said many industries are on the verge of closure due to scarcity of raw materials. According to local importers, they have to pay detention charge of up to Rs 2,500 per day to customs office in case their vehicles have to be parked in the yard of the office. 

“The whole cost that occurs due to delay in the transporting goods will ultimately be transferred to customers,” Sharma said.


Source myrepublica

Sambhidhan

Nepali protestor broke hand of journalist

चाँदनी हमाल, चितवन, जेठ ७- संयुक्त थारु संघर्ष समितिले नवलपरासीको डण्डास्थित थारु संग्रहालयमा आयोजना गरेको विरोध सभाको समाचार संकलन गरेर फकिर्दै गरेका नवलपरासीका पत्रकार हरि शर्माको थारु कार्यकर्ताले हात भाँचिदिएका छन्। पत्रकार शर्मा अन्नपूर्णपोष्ट, इमेज च्यानललगायतका सञ्चारमाध्यममा कार्यरत छन्। 

नेपालगंजमा आदिवासी जनजाति महासंघका अध्यक्ष राजकुमार लेखीले आफ्नो पक्षमा समाचार नआए पत्रकार र सञ्चारमाध्यम जलाउन सक्ने बताइरहँदा उनकै कार्यक्रमको समाचार लेख्न हिँडेका शर्मामाथि आक्रमण भएको हो।
आदिवासी जनजातिका अध्यक्ष राजकुमार लेखी सहभागी कार्यक्रमको समाचार पठाउन शनिबार साँझ पौने आठबजे परासी फर्कँदै गरेका पत्रकार शर्मामाथि बासामा थारु कार्यकर्ताले आक्रमण गरेका हुन्।

'फर्कदै थिए एकदुई ठाउँमा प्रेस कार्ड देखाएपछि छाडे,' घाइते पत्रकार शर्माले नागरिकसँग भने, 'बासामा भने छाडेनन् दायाँ हातमै हाने।' तपाँईहरुकै कार्यक्रमको समाचार लिएर आएको नपत्याए हेर्नुस् भनेर क्यामराका फोटो पनि देखाए तर मोटरसाइकल फुटाईदिए, जलाईदिए उनले घटना सुनाउदै भने तपाँईकै अध्यक्षलाई फोनमा कुरा गर्नुस् यसो नगर्नुस्भन्दा मोबाइल खोसेर फाले अनि हातमा लाठोले हाने। कुट्दाकुद्दै भिडबाट आएका एकजना थारुले नै रोकेर जोगाए अनि सुरक्षित ठाउँमा लगे। अस्पताल ल्याउदा हाँत भाँचिएको थाहा भो।'

शर्मा सवार मोटरसाइकलमा समेत आगजनी भएको छ। शर्माको पृश्वीचन्द्र अस्पताल परासीमा उपचारपछि थप उपचारका लागि बुटवल लैजाने तयारी भैरहेको नेपाल पत्रकार महासंघ नवलपरासीका सचिव पुरुत्तोम सुवेदीले बताए। पत्रकार शर्मामाथि भएको आक्रमणको नेपाल पत्रकार महासंघ नवलपरासीले खेद जनाएको छ। प्रेस चौतारी, नेपाल प्रेस युनियन, क्रान्तिकारी पत्रकार संघ नवलपरासीले शर्मामाथिको आक्रमण प्रेसमाथिको आक्रमण भएको भन्दै सुरक्षाको माग गरेको छ। कावासतीका डिएसपी मुकुन्द मरासिनीसँग भेटेर सुरक्षाको माग समेत पत्रकारहरुले गरेका छन्।

आफूहरुको पक्षमा समाचार नआएको भन्दै विगत केही समययता थारु समुदाय सञ्चारमाध्ययमप्रति रुष्ट देखिएका छन्। रातीको घटना सेलाउन नपाउदै आइतबार बिहान थारु कार्यकर्ताले बासा सडकमा एकदर्जन सवारीमा तोडफोड र आगजनी गरेका छन्। बस, एम्बुलेन्स, मोटरसाइकलजस्ता सवारी तोडफोडको निशाना बनेको परासी प्रहरीले बताएको छ। थारु प्रदर्शनकारीहरुले वुटवलबाट चितवन आउँदै गरेको ना४ख ४८४३ र ना४ख ४६८२ नम्बरको मालबाहक ट्रक, ना१ख ७४१२ नम्बरको पानी ट्याङकर, ना२ख ७०६१ नम्बरको सिमेन्ट बोकेको ट्रक, ना३ख १७०७ नम्बरको चकलेट बोकेको ट्रकमा आगजनी र तोडफोड गरेका हुन्।

लगातारको बन्द अवज्ञा गरेको भन्दै भे १ प ५८६४ र लु ७ प ६४८१ नम्बरको मोटरसाईकल,नम्बर नखुलेको भ्यान र एक मोटरसाईकल तथा राती पत्रकार हरिशर्माको लु १ प २६१८ नम्बरको मोटरसाईकल पनि आगजनी र तोडफोड भएका छन्।

राति एक्कसी हुलका हुल निस्केर अराजक बन्दै सडकमा उत्रने र तोडफोड गर्ने प्रविर्ती बढ्दै गएको प्रहरी प्रमुख ज्ञानविक्रम शाहले बताए। सडकमा सुरक्षा व्यापक बनाउदा पनि सुरक्षा घेरा तोडेरै प्रदर्शन र तोडफोड हुने गरेको प्रहरीको भनाई छ। सो क्षेत्रमा पटक पटक प्रहरी र थारुप्रदर्शनकारीबिच झडपहुँदा गोली र अश्रुग्याँस चलेका छन्।

जातीय राज्यको मागका विषयमा केन्द्रीय तहमा बहस चलिरहदा दबाब दिन देशका विभिन्न स्थानमा थारुसमुदायले बन्द जारी राखेका छन्। कडा बन्द भन्दै नवलपरासीको बासा क्षेत्रमा कुनैपनि समयमा सवारी चल्न दिइएका छैनन्। चितवन लगायतका क्षेत्रमा साँझ बन्द खुलेर सहज हुँदा गएका सवारी बासामा दैनिकजसो तोडफोड भैरहेका छन्। बिरामी बोकेको एम्बुलेन्सदेखि राती बसमा यात्रारत यात्रुहरु आक्रमणको शिकार बनिरहेका छन्। कतिपय बिरामी बस र एम्बुलेन्समै मर्न वाध्य भएका छन्। लगातारको बन्दले जनजीवन सास्तीपूर्ण बन्दै गएको छ।

यता लामो बन्दका क्रममा सदभावपूर्ण रहेको चितवनमा पनि तोडफोडका फाटफुट घटना हुन थालेका छन्। नेपाल टेलिकम,जिल्ला विकास समितीमा आईतबार बन्दकर्ताहरुले तोडफोडको प्रयास गरे। त्यस्तै भरतपुरका केही स्थानमा मोटरसाईकल तोडफोड भएका छन्। खैरहनीमा प्रहरी र जनजाती प्रदर्शनकारीबिच विवादपछि झडपको अवस्था श्रृजना हुँदा तीनसेल अश्रुग्याास प्रहार गरिएको थियो। स्थानिय प्रहरी प्रशासन र राजनीतिक दलहरुबिच पटक पटक छलफल गरेर कार्यक्रम ,सभा गर्दा रुट मिलाएर गर्दै आएको थियो। स्थानीय प्रशासनले भने सदभाव बिथोल्न नदिन आफुहरु प्रयत्नशिल रहेको बताएको छ।

Source nagariknews

Media fraternity flays attack on media during Sunday's banda

 Media fraternity has condemned a series of attacks on journalists and media persons and vehicles belonging to them and media houses during Sunday´s shutdown called by the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN).

Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) General Secretary Om Sharma flayed the attacks against journalists, saying the assaults were pre-meditated. He also asked the agitators to stop launching attacks on the press and warned that if they don’t mend their ways, they have only to lose. 

Revolutionary Journalists Association Chairman Maheswhowr Dahal has urged stakeholders to refrain from attacking journalists on field collecting the news. Nepal Press Union Chairman Kiran Pokharel has said such attacks would only weaken their agitation. 

Press Chautari Vice-chairman Rajendra Aryal said a series of attack against journalists and media persons have invited a critical situation and demanded such attacks be stopped immediately.

 Media personnel have taken out a rally from Maitighar in protest of attack against the press. The FNJ general secretary described today´s attack on the press as the worst assault ever against the Nepali press.

Earlier, NEFIN General Secretary Ang Kaji Sherpa, during a program in Reporters Club in the capital, had warned that they would counter any rally  taken out by media persons.

According to a TV report, Sherpa also gave life threat to Club chairman Rishi Dhamala, charging him that Dhamala never gave importance to indigenous nationalities´ concerns while organizing interactions at his club.

In a series of attacks against journalists today, banda enforcers have vandalized the Republica daily´s van (Bhe 1 Cha 1083) while it was returning after delivering copies of the newspaper from Nepalgunj to Butwal.

Similarly, the vehicles of the Kantipur Publication have been vandalized in Budhanagar and Jorpati early morning. The strike enforcers have also attacked a vehicle belonging to Karobar Daily in Kupondole. They have destroyed a van of Kantipur TV (Ba 9 Cha 5537) in Baneshwor and torched a motorcycle (Ba 20 Pa 3899) of the Himalayan Television cameraman YP Ghimire in Gwarko.

They have also roughed up Saral Gurung, Satish Subedi, Akkal Kunwar and Punya Dhamal of Sagarmatha Television. They attacked with iron rods and injured Dinesh Gautam, a cameraman of Citizens FM 94, and vandalized his motorcycle in Boudha.

Likewise, NEFIN activists manhandled journalists Radheshyam Dahal, Shakti Karki and Prakash Kattel Biku Tamang near Sanepa Chowk and set in fire two motorcycles that they were riding on.

In Langankhel, banda enforcers misbehaved with Upendra Sharma, editor of the Mukti weekly and vandalized his motorcycle. In Chabahil, a group of strike enforcers misbehaved with Rajesh Chamling and Shambu Prasai of Gorkhapatra and Bijay Chamling of Rajdhani daily.  

Normal life has been crippled all across the country including in the capital on the first day of the three-day banda called by the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) on Sunday. 

Academic institutions, market places and shops have remained closed and transport services have come to a complete halt due to the strike. The Broader Madhesi Front has also extended its support to today’s banda. 

The general strike has been called demanding scrapping of the 11-state model that does not have names and clear delineation, federalism based on identity and guarantee of rights of indigenous people in the new constitution. 

Banda enforcers have not spared vehicles even belonging to hospital, diplomatic missions and human rights organizations. 

Earlier on, NEFIN Chairman Raj Kumar Lekhi, issuing a press statement, had urged to provide unhindered passage to vehicles belonging to emergency services providers.

PM calls on agitators for talks

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has urged the agitating NEFIN to come for talks on Sunday.

He also condemned attacks by banda enforcers on media persons and their vehicles and assured compensation to the victims.

 Band enforcers have manhandled some media persons and vandalized several vehicles belonging to them and media houses at various places during today´s banda. 

The government has also invited the Joint Tharuwan Struggle Committee to come for talks. The committee has been enforcing banda in 22 western Tarai districts since past several days, demanding a separate state.

Meanwhile, talks between the National Muslim Struggle Committee and the government is underway at the peace and reconstruction ministry in Singha Durbar.

NEFIN chairman Lekhi asks agitators to refrain from attack on the press

NEFIN chairman Lekhi has said they have respect for rights of media persons to freely collect and disseminate news. He has also asked agitating NEFIN activists to keep restraint and not get swayed by the ´government´s conspiracy´ to disgrace the agitation, by being involved in attack and vandalism against the press. 

Meanwhile, the banda enforcers vandalized the office of the Mechinagar Municipality in Jhapa district today, RSS reported. 

According to the report, around 150 cadres of the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NeFIN) vandalized the office, said an official. 

The banda enforcers vandalized after entering a room, where multilateral meeting was being held, saying they opened the office by violating the banda.

The banda enforcers have padlocked that office forcing out officials after vandalism. 

Nagarik journalist´s bike vandalized

Banda enforcers vandalized the motorcycle (Ba 29 Pa 5584) used by Nagarik journalist Govinda Pariyar in Chabahil Chowk on Sunday. 

Journo attacked in Nawalparasi, fractures hand

According to our Chitwan correspondent Chandni Hamal, a journalist fractured his hand in an attack by Tharu cadres while covering banda news imposed by Joint Tharu Struggle Committe in Danda, Nawalparasi on Sunday. 

Hari Sharma associated with Annapurna Post and Image Channel broke his right hand in an attack by the banda enforcers. Irate cadres even set Sharma´s bike on fire.

"I was on my way back after covering banda news when I was attacked by the enforcers in Basa though I was allowed to go in some places after showing press card," Sharma recalled the incident. 















Injured journalist Hari Sharma receiving treatment




Source myrepublica

House okays amendment to fast-track statute

An overwhelming majority of parliament at its meeting on Saturday passed the government bill to amend Article 70 of the Interim Constitution to pave the way for fast-tracking the endorsement of the final draft of the new constitution.

Of the 536 members who cast their votes, 533 voted for the bill and only three members voted against. Altogether 536 members of parliament, whose full membership is 601, were present during the voting. 

The political parties decided to amend the relevent provision as it was practically impossible to follow the constitutional procedures for endorsing the final draft of the new constitution within the Constituent Assembly (CA) deadline of May 27.

As per the amended provision of Article 70, the CA could not put the bill on the new constitution to a vote in the full CA without first allowing 22 days for the leaders of political parties to forge consensus on contentious issues. This provision could be invoked for an indefinite number of times even if a single lawmaker so demanded.

The provision required that each and every article of the new constitution bill be endorsed by two-thirds of the full CA meeting attended by at least by two-thirds of the full CA membership of 601.

Under the new provision, the new constitution must be endorsed in its entirety by a two-thirds majority of a full sitting of the CA in its existing strength through a single motion.

The new amendment has added a provision that says that at least two-thirds of the existing total strength of the CA must vote to endorse the new constitution bill in its entirety whereas the previous version of the article allowed endorsement of the bill only by a two-thirds vote of a meeting attended by at least two-thirds of the statuatory total strength of the 601-seat CA. As per the new constitutional provision, a CA meeting convened to endorse the final draft of the new constitution is to be attended by two-thirds of the existing total strength of 594 members.

Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Ramesh Lekhak questioned the government why it chose to add the new provision without clearly explaining the reason for it.

Other lawmakers from various political parties, who also aired their views at the meeting, said they were compelled to vote for the amendment bill as there was no alternative to promulgating the new constitution by May 27 although that would curtail the lawmakers´ right to fully participate in the constitution making process.

With the 12th amendment of the Interim Constitution, the chances of promulgating the new constitution by May 27 have increased provided the party leaders succeed in settling the major contentious issues over the new constitution.


Source myrepublicahttp://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=35279