2,886 STREET CHILDREN IN CHITWAN Kathmandu, 16 Sept.: As many as 2,886 child labourers are working in Chiwan district , according to a survey released recently, RSS reports fro Chitwan. ….the number of street children is 110 and 2,776 others are working as domestic labourers in the district. nnnn MEDIA GOOGLE “I decided to quit the race for NA officer when I realized that it was imposible for me to pass the medical test. Despite so man sacrifices, I’m sorry I couldn’t secure an officer level post for someone from Rolpa.” (Phanindra Acharya aka Kshtiz, only candidate from Rolpa [from where Maoist insurgency was launched] who applied for officer post in NC, Republica, 16Sept.) “As the delay in approving the ordinances has hampered the government’s daily administrative works, I urge the President to realise the urgency and act accordingly. “Regarding the Truth Reconciliation And Disappeared Commission Bill, it is related to the peace process. The Cabinet forwarded it as it had been supported by the political parties representing in the then parliament.” (Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, The Himalayan Times, 16 Sept.) nnnn OVER 100 BORDER PILLARS MISSING FROM KAILALI ALONE Kathmandu, 16 Sept.: Over a hundred border pillars demarcating the boundaries of Nepal and India are missing from Kailali. Mohn Bidhairwritesin The Kathmandu Postfrom Kailali.. According to the Dhangadi-based border security office (BSO) of the Armed Police Force (APF), 123 border pillars (27 main boundary pillars, 95 subsidiary pillars and one reference pillar) have disappeared from in between the border area along Dhansinghpur VDC-1 and Doke bazaar in Dhangadi while 14 others (12 main pillars and two subsidiary pillars) are in need of repair. The disappearance of the pillas was discovered during a recent field inspection carried out BSO chief Madhu Krishna Gartaula. He opined that the Mohana river that runs along the Nepal-India border must have swept the pillars away. According to Gartaula, now that the pillars are gone, there is nothing to clearly indicate the boundaries of the two countries and that the no-man's land was being encroached upon by both Nepalis and Indians. "In some areas, Indians are using Nepali border lands whereas in others, Nepalis are using Indian land," he said, adding that his office had informed the Home Ministry of the missing pillars and the situation of the remaining ones through the local administration. The officer further said that there were disrepancies between the number and status of the border pillars as reported separately in field inspections by the Indian Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) and the APF. For instance, 10 border pillars that the SSB had reported missing were found intact, he added. Nnnn OPINION SALVAGING OUR IMAGE [EXCERPTS] Kathmandu, 16 Sept.: Looking at the past, it was a miracle that a small country like Nepal with extremely limited resources could safeguard its independence by valiantly fighting against the superior British troops keen to include Nepal under its colonial umbrella, even though countries like India and others collapsed before it like a house of cards, former Prime Minister Kirtinidhi Bista writes in Republica on an article headlined :Salvaging Our Image. emr . But the present seems to indicate just the opposite trend: whereas India and other smaller countries in the region, since their liberation from the British rule, are once again asserting and consolidating their sovereignty, Nepal is being reduced to a state of helplessness, as it finds itself unable to tell countries near and far to stay away and not interfere in its internal affairs, let alone face and resist their mounting pressure. No one except our own leaders could be blamed for opening the door not only to foreign interference and dictation but also sending the country to the brink of a failed state, with growing lawlessness, mismanagement, corruption and insecurity hurting every segment of Nepali society. It is painful to watch Nepal’s image sinking lower by the day in the international community due to our own leaders’ incompetence and irresponsibility. How could a stalwart revolutionary like Prime Minister Bhattarai publicly acquiesce that Nepal is being used and treated like a pawn by foreign countries without even mentioning their names? Added to it, the kind of comments foreigners are making on Nepal cannot be taken lightly and dismissed as unnecessary and out of place. There seems to be a well-designed plan not only to discredit persons like the democratic minded nationalist King Tribhuwan but also to conceal and bury Ballabh Bhai Patel’s sinful motive and effort to incorporate Nepal into the Indian state. Is it necessary to teach an academician like SD Muni about the initiative and attempts of various Indian leaders at different times to bring Nepal under its security umbrella and control? When there is a need for greater understanding and cooperation among and between Nepal’s neighbors, SD Muni is trying to single out China as being the only supporter of the then regime during the time of Jana Andolan II. He does not need to be enlightened about China’s policy in Nepal. China always respected Nepal’s independence and stood by it without interfering in its internal affairs. If China had supported Nepal at that time it would have been impossible to reach the present stage. It is China’s declared and practiced policy to accept and cooperate with any regime, whether monarchical or federal republican. Nepal should seek and pursue a foreign policy that will not only keep it far from any involvement in any conflict—not only between its neighbors and among other countries in the region, say between India and Pakistan about Kashmir—but also try to create an atmosphere for an amicable settlement of such a conflict without any mediation of a third country or party. Nepal should not take sides in such conflicts which is sure to render the whole region into ashes. Actually Nepal had been playing a very constructive role as a member of the Non-Aligned Group with genuine commitment to five principles of peaceful coexistence. In this respect King Mahendra’s role was not only important but also constructive. His clear message to various countries that Nepal would never involve itself in bilateral conflicts or wars by pitting one against the other (India vs China or India vs Pakistan) was honored at the time. nnnn