BRITISH ASSISTANCE FOR QUAKE MANAGEMENT Kathmandu, 18 Aug.: Britain’s DFID is providing Rs 10.75 million in assistance for an earthquake risk management. The cabinet Friday decided to accept the assistance. nnnn DR.SHYAM SUNDAR MISHRA APPOINTED CHIRMAN OF PAROPAKAR MATERNITY HOSPITAL Kathmandu, 18 Aug.: Dr Shyam Sundar Mishra has been appointed chairman of the Paropakar Maternity Hospital. Kameshwar Jha was appointed by the cabinet Friday chairman of Janakpur Zonal Development Committee. Nnnn MEDIA GOOGLE “In general, the President does not have the right to reject any ordinance. But he has referred to an extraordinary objective reason to call the ordinances irrelevant. So, his move cannot be questioned. His move would have been objectionable if he had rejected the ordinance(s) on a subjective ground.” (Former Attorney General Sushil Pant, The Himalayan Times, 18 Aug.) "The proposed ordinance will pave the way for appointments in the constitutional bodies without conducting any parliamentary hearing. As per the draft ordinance, the appointments will be endorsed within 30 days after the parliamentary election.” (Anonymous official in Republica after President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav rejected two election-related ordinances, 18 Aug.) “Today’s nationalism is not about protecting the territory. It’s about giving a lift to the economy, If the country is not developed, we cannot protect our sovereignty as well.” (PM Baburam Bhattarai revealing BIPPA agreement is also being signed with China, Republica, 18 Aug.) “We cannot move ahead and cannot expect union in foreign policy at a time when politics is in a state of confusion, in fragmented and divisive mentality,” (Dr. Bekh Bahadur Thapa, The Kathmandu Post, 18Aug.) Nnnn NEPALIS FEARING RETALIATION RELIVED WITH INDIAN ASSURANCE Kathmandu, 18 Aug.: Nepalis living in various cities in south Indian are relieved following assurances from security agencies that they would be safe, Mahesh Acharya writes in The Kathmandu Post from New Delhi. The Nepalis had been fearing for their safety after rumour mills churned that people from northeastern India would be attacked by Muslims after the holy month of Ramadan next week in reprisal for ethnic violence that rocked the state of Assam recently. The rumours that Nepalis will also be targeted as they resemble people from India’s northeast had earlier triggered panic among the Nepali community in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune and Mumbai. Hundreds of Nepalis flock to these cities annually for studies and in search of work. “The atmosphere of fear has gradually diminished after security agencies tightened vigil in colleges and universities. We have faced no problems so far even outside the colleges,” said Vikram Neupane, a student of physiotherapy at Padhmashree College in Bangalore. A student of BSc Nursing at SGR College, Ila Panthi, said the situation has become relatively better with all activists, security mechanisms, government and political parties joining hands against rumour-mongers. A Nepali technician at the water department in Hyderabad, Chintamani Paudel, told the Post over telephone that no case of violence against Nepalis has been reported so far. The Nepali Embassy in New Delhi is also monitoring the situation in the southern cities. “We are watching very closely the situation. As of now, there are no reports of violence against Nepalis,” Acting Ambassador Khaganath Adhikari said. Exodus concerns Singh NEW DELHI: India’s prime minister on Friday said the unity of the country was at stake as thousands of migrants from the northeast continued to flee Bangalore and other cities after anonymous threats. Extra trains were put on for the second night in a row to accommodate panicked students and workers leaving the south and returning to their homes in the northeastern state of Assam. Bulk text messages were on Friday temporarily banned to try to halt the spread of threats and incendiary rumours. Three weeks of clashes in remote Assam between members of the Bodo tribal community and Muslims have claimed 80 lives and displaced more than 400,000 people. “What is at stake is the unity and integrity of our country. What is at stake is communal harmony,” PM Manmohan Singh told parliament. “If there are miscreants, if there are people who are fanning these rumours, they should be brought to book.” Bulk text messages have been outlawed for 15 days, senior civil servant RK Singh announced, with telecom operators ordered to immediately block messages sent to more than five people at a time. Police in Bangalore, aided by security specialists, have been working to find the sources of the anonymous messages spread via text messages, Facebook and online message boards. They say that no attacks on northeastern migrants, who number about 240,000 in Bangalore, have been reported. An official in the western Indian city of Pune also said some migrant workers were heading back to the northeast due to fears of assault. In Assam’s main city Guwahati, Assamese migrants, who are physically distinct from most other Indians and look more East Asian or Tibetan, were also arriving from the city of Hyderabad and from Kerala state. For the second night in a row, thousands of northeasterners on Thursday had boarded trains in Bangalore for Guwahati. nnnn