CHIEF JUSTICE OPPOSES CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

CHIEF JUSTICE OPPOSES CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

Kathmandu, 15 March: Chief Justice Ram Prasad Shrestha opposed a decision of a sub-committee under a main constitution drafting to establish a constitutional court besides a supreme court at the center in a new constitution
Shrestha said this Monday after returning from Pakistan following a week-long visit.
Democracy will be weakened, he said.
‘It’s not necessary at all,” he said
The top supreme court judge said he’ll hold discussions with political party leaders.
‘Constitutional courts have failed in many countries,” he said naming Russia and South Africa.
‘There’s bound to be crisis of coordination between constitutional court and supreme court because it is obvious that the judges or the constitutional court will be appointed politically,” Shrestha said.
nnnn


150MW UPPER MARSHYANGDHI HYDRO PROJECT PLANNED

Kathmandu, 15 March: A preliminary study has been launched for a 150 MW Upper Marshyangdhi hydro project.
The project will cost Rs 30 billion.
Construction is expected to start in another 15 months.
Daily load-shedding has peaked to 14 hours.
Nnnn

APPOINTMENS OF LABOUR ATTACHES SCRAPPED

Kathmandu, 15 March: CIAA Monday disabled appointments by the previous government of labour attaches to Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and some West Asian countries,
The appointments were made by Labour Minister Mohammad Aftab Alam.
nnnn




HOW SAFE IS NEPAL FROM QUAKES?





Kathmandu, Mar 14: The massive earthquake of Japan was followed by tremors in Nepal and, with them, the fear that seismic shifts could leave a trail of disasters in cities like Kathmandu, Giita Sapkota writes in The Rising Nepal.
People were talking about risks at home after jolts in Japan took a heavy toll on humans and destroyed well-built physical infrastructure, seismologists said.
Nepal falls in a highly seismic zone with Kathmandu ranked as the 11th city in terms of quake hazards.
"To add to the fears, small quakes hit some western districts of the country just a day after the Japan quake," they said.
Another concern was that out of the total deaths from earthquakes, 80 per cent accounted for people crushed by demolished houses, according to experts.
"Infrastructure intensity in Nepal will be less than this cut off line," Amod Mani Dikshit, chairman of National Society of Earthquake Technology (NSET), said.
Hospitals, electricity, drinking water supply, and communication system in Nepal did not meet the quake safety standards, Dikshit said.
"We are even not sure that the Prime Minister’s Office and Singha Durbar are quake safe," he said.
At least major government offices, big government hospitals, media houses that need to meet the requirements of an emergency during disasters should be safe, he said.
On the other side, due to haphazard urbanization, open spaces and public places are changing rapidly into crowded settlements in Kathmandu.
A study showed that around 50 open spaces like the open theater are necessary in Kathmandu during disasters such as an earthquake. However, no specific study has been carried out in Kathmandu valley to identify the open spaces which could be used during the time of disasters to house the evacuated victims.
According to an estimate, 95 per cent of water pipes could be destroyed by such an earthquake and the displaced people who would need 13.5 million liters of water per day would find it difficult to maintain their lives.
Similarly, the NSET already said that more that 60 per cent telecom towers would be damaged during disaster.
Dikshit asked to the government to follow the building code and punish those who violated it.
He also said that the people should create a pressure to the government to take measures to ensure city houses were safe
According to an estimate of the Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risks Management Project, over 50,000 people would be killed, around 100,000 to 200,000 would be injured, around 600,000 to 900,000 people would be displaced and around 60 per cent of the buildings would be damaged if an earthquake of the magnitude of 1934 jolted Nepal again.




Nnnn

KAMAL RAJ SIGD
NO ASYLUM FOR FONSEKA MENKAMAL RAJ SIGDEL-
A group of Sri Lankan nationals who worked closely with former Gen. and Commander of Sri Lankan Army Sarath Fonseka during Sri Lanka’s 2010 presidential and general elections have been seeking asylum in Nepal for the last few months. The government, however, has denied the request, Kamal Raj Sigdel writes in The Kathmandu Post .

The Sri Lankans, who are currently semi-underground in Kathmandu, said they fled their country along with their families and sneaked into Nepal during the second half of the last year. They said they fled to save their lives from the ‘repressive’ regime of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who beat Fonseka in the 2010 presidential elections. “We are seeking a secure place to live and express our feeling until a point in future when we can go back and speak out,” said Santha Karunaratne, Coordinator of the “Politically Affected Families of Gen. Fonseka in Nepal.” “Following the elections, many people had to flee the country when the police started cracking down on those who they thought were anti-establishment.”

They are seeking the status of political refugees in Nepal, which however, has been denied by the government. Government officials said they “could be arrested anytime”.

The Sri Lankans fear that if they are held and handed over to Sri Lanka they would be treated as terrorists. Their documents showed they have a case pending at a court in Sri Lanka where they were tried under a ‘stringent’ terrorist act. Their return

to Sri Lanka at this time, as they said, would mean a life term or death sentence to all of them as they are “falsely charged with supporting Fonseka in hatching a plot to illegally overthrow the current regime by means of violence.”

The asylum seekers entered Nepal via India. They thought that Nepal was the ‘easiest’ place for asylum seekers. Of the 14 who were staying in Nepal reportedly under “unofficial protection” of UNHCR for the last few months, one died of heart attack, one managed to fly to Canada and five other disappeared. Remaining seven are seeking asylum. UN sources confirmed that the asylum seekers have received unofficial protection but because of their illegal status they would not be called refugees unless Nepal approves so.
Nnnn





PROSPECTS FOR NEPALIS IN MALAYSIA DWINDLE

Kathmandu, 15 March: As Malaysia, the most sought-after labor destination for Nepali migrant workers, prepares to lift a year-old ban on Bangladeshi laborers, Nepal fears losing job opportunities for thousands of its unemployed youths, Om Astha Rai reports in Republica.

According to foreign employment agencies, the Malaysian government has already decided to lift the ban on Bangladeshi laborers, further shrinking job opportunities for Nepali workers.

"We have confirmed the news report about the Malaysian government´s new decision," Kumud Khanal, general-secretary of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), told Republica. "Only some procedures are left now for the Malaysian government´s recent decision to come into effect."

Nepali foreign employment agencies say that Malaysia´s new decision comes as a jolt to thousands of unemployed Nepali youths, who are eying unskilled jobs in the construction and plantation sectors in Malaysia. "If our government does not swing right into action within a couple of weeks, the opportunities of Nepalis for working in Malaysia will certainly be devoured by Bangladeshi cheap labor," Khanal stated.

The Malaysia government had announced a ban on Bangladeshi workers last year, canceling some 55,000 work visas, ostensibly to prevent unscrupulous Bangladeshi agents from duping foreign job seekers. The Bangladesh government had been trying to persuade Malaysia to revoke its decision.

"The Bangladesh government lobbied hard with the Malaysian government to scrap the ban on its workers. Even the Bangladeshi premier, Sheikh Hasina, met her Malaysian counterpart in person several times, asking Malaysia to allow her people to work in Malaysia," Hansa Raj Wagle, vice-president of NAFEA, said. "However, our government pathetically failed to lobby for its people."

In December, the outgoing labor minister, Mohammad Aftab Alam, had requested some Malaysian authorities to create an environment for Nepal to send workers to the construction and plantation sectors in Malaysia. However, a political void persisted for long in Nepal, leaving no competent authority here to lobby for Nepali migrants.

While Bangladeshi laborers were prohibited from working in Malaysia, the Nepal government did not allow its citizens to work at plantations and construction sites in Malaysia, citing low wages and insecurity. The basic salary scale of migrant workers in Malaysia is low. Despite the low salary scale, most migrant laborers working in other sectors earn more than 800 ringgit through overtime. However, migrant workers employed in the construction and plantation sectors have to be satisfied with their basic salaries as they cannot work overtime.

"As it rains frequently in Malaysia, migrant workers employed in the construction and plantation sectors cannot work overtime. They have to stay indoors at least one week every month. Besides, camps meant for plantation workers are set up close by forests and are not safe," Khanal said. "Our workers cannot work there as long as these circumstances continue. The government could have created a more favorable atmosphere by lobbying with Malaysia. However, we failed to do so."

Malaysia -- where a majority of Nepali migrants are currently working --- requires thousands of laborers in its plantation and construction sectors, especially as Indonesian laborers stopped seeking jobs there. In this new scenario, argue Nepali manpower agencies, Malaysia could have easily agreed to hike the basic salary scales and make the camps safe for Nepali workers had the government lobbied for it.

More than 30 percent of the total of 1.8 million migrant workers currently employed in Malaysia are in the plantation and construction sectors. Although Bangladeshi laborers work for low wages, Nepali workers, foreign employment agencies argue, have some other merits of their own. "They are honest, disciplined and quick to learn new skills," Wagle said. "The government should cash in on our workers´ exemplary merits while lobbying for better salaries and safer camps."
Nnnn


SAC SETS DEADLINES FOR GOVT.

Kathmandu, 15 March: The parliamentary State Affairs Committee today served a host of deadlines to the government and its agencies to submit reports on ways to improve deteriorating security situation, The Himalayan Times reports.

SAC asked the government

to submit a blue print of security policy and status of report on

implementation of the reports submitted by different committees and commissions formed in

the past by March 29.

It also instructed the government to end the existing dual administration — allowing the inmates to run a parallel administration inside prisons.

SAC set yet another deadline of April 4 for the government to furnish detailed information on perks, benefits and entitlements given to former prime ministers, ministers, their advisers, top ranking civil servants and chiefs of security agencies. SAC ordered chief secretary to provide information on vehicles being used by former PMs, home ministers, and other officials.

Today’s meeting and the myriad of instructions and deadlines come in the wake of a shooting inside the Central Jail on Thursday. An Indian national by the name of Jasjeet Singh on Thursday had shot at Yunus Ansari, who is doing time on the charge of running a fake Indian currency racket, inside the Central Jail. SAC pointed out that the state’s aim to turn prisons into rehabilitation centres had gone awry, as those doing time in jails were found involved in inducing criminal activities outside.

SAC said frequent security lapses in prisons showed that the state had failed to fulfil its security obligation efficiently.

Alarmed by degrading security situation coupled with Thursday’s shooting, SAC, after discussing for two days, directed home minister and home secretary to submit strategic details of security measures to contain organised crimes that are perpetrated under the command of criminals behind bars. It asked the home minister and the home secretary to improve security situation in prisons within 15 days.

SAC Chairman Ram Nath Dhakal underscored that civil and security administration must work in tandem to maintain law and order. “The dual administration in prisons has caused several problems,” said Dhakal. SAC also directed the home minister to provide security equipment to the prison administration to monitor security systems in jails and submit a report on providing training to security personnel to be deployed at jails.

SAC has asked the home secretary to inform the committee about actions initiated based on the SAC dossier submitted last year in relation to improving jail security. It had also summoned AIG Arjun Jung Shahi, IG Ramesh Chandra Thakuri, Director General of Department of Prison Management Durga Prasad Bhandari and Home Secretary Govinda Prasad Kusum to enquire about the Central Jail shooting.
Nnnn