WEEK-LONG TAX WEEK ENDS Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Week-long Tax Week organized by Internal Revenue Department (IRD) concluded Thursday. Sixty-six taxpayers from across the country were facilitated, including 16 from Kathmandu valley. Prihvi Bahadur Pandey , Chairman of Nepal Invest Bank (NIB) was the top individual taxpayer. IRD said Rs 27 billion revenue has collected by the fourth month of the current fiscal year against its target of net Rs 25 billion. Nnnn NEPAL BANGLADESH BANK TO RAISE PAID-UP CAPITAL TO RS. 5 BILLION Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Nepal Bangladesh Bank is to increase its paid-up capital to Rs.5 billion from Rs 2 billion The Bank’s annual general meeting Thursday adopted the decision. nnnn INDIAN DELEGATION CALLS ON PRESIDENT Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: A delegation from Gorakhnath Sewa Samiti in Kolkata on Thursday called on President Dr Ram Baran Yadav at the President Building, Sheetal Niwas, and presented a special edition of newspaper 'Maulo' brought out by the Samiti, RSS reports.. The delegation headed by Samiti Chairperson Chandra Bahadur Shrestha comprises Narbikram Thapa (Secretary), Nagendra Shrestha and Rudra Shrestha (Member) and Dharma Raj Baral (Adviser). The newspaper 'Maulo' has been published in Nepali language from Kolkata since 24 years. On the occasion, President Dr Yadav said Nepali citizens wherever they go in course of employment or other purpose should not forget the literature and culture of the motherland, Samiti Adviser and journalist Dharma Raj Baral quoted the President as saying. The Samiti also apprised the President on the under-construction of 'Nepali Bhawan' in Kolkata. Meanwhile, the delegation also called on Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi and briefed him about the service being rendered by the Samiti to Nepali pilgrims going to take holy dips in The Ganges in Kolkata. The delegation is scheduled to hold interaction with the Nepal Academy and other literary figures of Nepal on Friday. nnnn CLIMATE CHANGE SHOULD BE PRO-PEOPLE AGENDA Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: At a time when climate change is considered a development agenda put forth by various development agencies and donors in developing countries like Nepal, it is necessary to link the issue directly with the empowerment of rural populations who are at the forefront to the negative impacts of climate change, said Shiva Gaunle, chairperson of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, at a programme organised in the Capital on Thursday, The Kathmandu Post writes.. Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day workshop on ‘Reporting climate change’, Gaunle stressed the role of media to bring the voices of poor and marginalised communities who are already facing devastating effects of various climate-induced disasters, including floods and landslides, in the country. “Unless we (media) trace the linkage of environmental problems and livelihoods of the poor communities, the efforts to address the impacts of climate change will fail,” he said. Another speaker, Deependra Bahadur Kshetri, vice-chairperson of the National Planning Commission (NPC), said the government in coordination with the NPC is planning to allocate budget under a separate heading in the national budget from the next fiscal year to address the impacts of climate-induced disasters and help communities respond and minimise risks. The workshop is being organised by the Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists with support from the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology and UKaid. Nnnn TRUCE HOLDS, HAMAS CLAIMS VICTORY Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Hamas leaders and thousands of flag-waving supporters declared victory over Israel on Gaza´s first day of calm under an Egyptian-brokered truce Thursday, as Israeli officials flew to Cairo for talks on easing a blockade on the battered Palestinian territory, AP reports from Gaza City. Eight days of punishing Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and a barrage of Hamas rocket fire on Israel ended inconclusively. While Israel said it inflicted heavy damage on the militants, Gaza´s Hamas rulers claimed that Israel´s decision not to send in ground troops, as it had four years ago, was a sign of a new deterrent power. "Resistance fighters changed the rules of the game with the occupation (Israel), upset its calculations," Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, who attended the rally, said later in a televised speech. "The option of invading Gaza after this victory is gone and will never return." At the same time, Haniyeh urged Gaza fighters to respect the truce and to "guard this deal as long as Israel respects it." The mood in Israel was mixed. Some were grateful that quiet had been restored without a ground operation that could have cost the lives of more soldiers. Others — particularly those in southern Israel hit by rockets over the past 13 years — thought the operation was abandoned too quickly. Thousands of Israeli soldiers who had been sent to the border during the fighting withdrew Thursday, the military said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive´s aims of halting Gaza rocket fire and weakening Hamas were achieved. "I know there are citizens who were expecting a harsher response," he said, adding that Israel is prepared to act if the cease-fire is violated. In a development that could complicate cooperation on the cease-fire, Israel on Thursday arrested an Arab-Israeli man connected to Hamas and Islamic Jihad on accusations he planted a bomb on a bus in Tel Aviv that wounded 27 people in the hours before the agreement was announced Wednesday, police said. A Palestinian militant cell based in the West Bank village of Beit Lakiya dispatched the man, who lived in the village of Taybeh in Israel, to put a bomb on the bus, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. He then got off and called his handlers, who remotely detonated the explosive by calling the phone, Rosenfeld said. "He admitted to carrying out the terrorist attack," said Rosenfeld, who declined to name the man. Attacks by Israeli Arabs are rare, though they have happened in the past. Nevertheless, the cease-fire raised hopes of a new era between Israel and Hamas. A senior Israeli official and three aides arrived in Cairo late Thursday and were escorted to Egypt´s intelligence headquarters, according to Egyptian airport officials, presumably to hammer out the details of a deal that would include easing a blockade of the territory. The airport officials declined to be named because they were not authorized to give information to the media. However, the vague language of the agreement announced Wednesday and deep hostility between the combatants made it far from certain the bloodshed would end or that either side will get everything it wants. Israel seeks an end to weapons smuggling into Gaza, while Hamas wants a complete lifting of the border blockade imposed in 2007, after the militant group´s takeover of Gaza. Israeli officials also made it clear that their position had not warmed toward Hamas, which they view as a terror group aligned with their archenemy Iran and pledged to the destruction of the Jewish state. "Without a doubt, Israel in the long run won´t be able to live with an Iranian proxy on its border," Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Israel´s Channel 10. "As long as Hamas continues to incite against Israel and talk about destroying Israel they are not a neighbor that we can suffer in the long run. But everything in its time." Israel launched the offensive Nov. 14 to halt renewed rocket fire from Gaza, unleashing some 1,500 airstrikes on Hamas-linked targets, while Hamas and other Gaza militants showered Israel with just as many rockets. The eight days of fighting killed 161 Palestinians, including 71 civilians. Six Israelis, two soldiers and four civilians, were killed and dozens others wounded by rockets fired into residential neighborhoods. Gazans celebrated the truce after a night of revelry. "Today is different, the morning coffee tastes different and I feel we are off to a new start," said Ashraf Diaa, a 38-year-old engineer from Gaza City. Hundreds of masked Hamas fighters appeared in public for the first time since the offensive during a funeral for five of their comrades. The armed men displayed grenade launchers and assault rifles mounted atop more than 100 brand-new pickup trucks. The latest round of fighting brought the Islamists unprecedented political recognition, with foreign ministers from Turkey and several Arab states visiting — a sharp contrast to Hamas´ past isolation. Israel and the United States, even while formally sticking to a policy of shunning Hamas, also acknowledged its central role by engaging in indirect negotiations with them. Egypt emerged as the pivotal mediator, raising its stature as a regional power. Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will now have to assume a more direct role as a referee between Israel and Hamas, at a time when he faces many domestic challenges, including reviving a faltering economy. Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and the head of the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group Ramadan Shalah met with Egypt´s intelligence chief Thursday as the follow-up talks geared up. Reaching a deal on a new border arrangement for Gaza would require major concessions from both sides. Hamas wants both Israel and Egypt to lift all border restrictions. In 2007, Israel and Morsi´s pro-Western predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, sealed the territory, banning virtually all travel and trade. Israel eased its restriction somewhat in 2010 in response to international pressure, allowing Gazans to import consumer goods, while barring virtually all exports and travel. Gaza´s battered economy recovered slightly, but the ban on exports prevented it from bouncing back fully. After Mubarak´s fall last year, Egypt eased travel through its Rafah crossing with Gaza. However, Morsi has rebuffed Hamas demands to allow full trade ties, in part because of fears this would give an opening to Israel to "dump" Gaza onto Egypt and deepen the split between Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinians hope the West Bank and Gaza, which lie on opposite sides of Israel, will one day make up the bulk of a Palestinian state. Israel has barred most travel between them during the past decade and closer ties between Egypt and Gaza could exacerbate the division. Israel, meanwhile, wants Egypt to halt weapons smuggling into Gaza through tunnels under the border. Hamas has been able to significantly boost its arsenal in the past four years, largely with weapons from Iran, according to Mashaal, who thanked Tehran for its support late Wednesday. As part of the cease-fire, Israel received U.S. pledges to help curb arms shipments to Gaza. The fighting gave a major boost to Hamas´ popularity, not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank, where the Islamists´ internationally backed rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, oversees a self-rule government. Abbas, the leading Palestinian proponent of non-violence and negotiations with Israel, was forced to watch from the sidelines as his bitter rivals scored political points. A senior Abbas aide, Nabil Shaath, stood alongside Hamas leaders during Gaza City´s victory rally Thursday. Despite the symbolism, it was not clear whether the two sides would be able to mend their rift. Nnnn OPINION CONSENSUS WITHOUT CONCORD Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Cutting through the political cacophony over the Dasain holidays and their aftermath, it seems consensus has retained its supremacy in the national conversation, Maila Baje writes in Nepali Netbook. . Yet the sound that emerges is not a sonorous one. President Ram Baran Yadav, who has for the umpteenth time warned how he would not remain a mute spectator to the political torpor, nevertheless wants a collective recommendation from the parties on how to proceed. UCPN-Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, whose flip-flops Maila Baje believes have ceased to be a serious factor in any solution, now wants the parties to name a consensus candidate for the premiership. The incumbent, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, while not averse to making way for a suitable successor, insists he could work economic miracles if he got another 10 uninterrupted years on the job. Maoist vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha, enjoying his own bewildering moment in the sun, proclaims that elections would be held in April-May next year. Never mind that the parties cannot agree on whether the voting would be for the Constituent Assembly or for a new parliament. The rival Maoist faction has named Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal as its candidate for premier. But the ‘hard-line’ faction is still caught between the imperatives of capturing the state and competing in open politics. Such talk is passé to CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal. He thinks the Maoists have already captured the state. The real challenge, according to him, is to pry open the ex-rebels’ fists to the extent possible. His party colleague K.P. Oli, for now, at least, is too sick to make any splash. UML chairman Jhal Nath Khanal seems to have become the least relevant of the trio following the ethno-regional fissures within the party. For once, Sushil Koirala of the Nepali Congress has taken a firm stand. But his decision to go for fresh parliamentary elections is being challenged every moment from every possible corner. Sensing that Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ram Chandra Poudel lack the ability to amount to much on their own, Sujata Koirala has staked her claim to the premiership. (The other Koiralas, while quiet on the surface, must be preparing to checkmate her.) The Madhes-based parties, locked in their own internecine battles, have generously ceded the initiative to the big parties. However, they are primarily aiming to hold on to what they have got. All this has emboldened Surya Bahadur Thapa of the Rastriya Janashakti Party to step up to the plate. Unfortunately, time – in all its manifestations – is not on his side. Amid this muddle, Finance Minister Barsa Man Pun thinks he has figured things out. If the president tries to make even the slightest iniquitous move, the Bhattarai ally maintains, the country will either revert to the rule of King Gyanendra or become involved in civil war. Now, does Pun think most Nepalis consider the alternatives politically or morally equivalent? nnnn AWAITING DRASTIC ACTION Kathmandu, 23 Nov.: Nepal faces the chronic problem of unemployment. Any public corporation announcing vacancies for a score of seats is assured of being flooded with more than 10,000 applicationsm Trikal Bastavikwrites in People’s Review. . The situation has deteriorated with the onset of the new millennium when the war unleashed by the Maoists brought about indiscriminate death and destruction. The war lords and their patrons pitched their camps on the outskirts of Delhi and their caders were deployed all over the country. Indian intelligence officials facilitated meetings between mainstream Nepali party leaders and the underground group. Resources for the war were mobilized through extortions, beatings, maimings and killings in Nepal. No one knows how much was collected and whether the collections were all accounted for in the organization or not. Many feel that troop leaders and their superiors made away with literallybillions of rupees and tons of gold. Human rights were violated both by the state and the insurgents. The mainstream political parties at that time, such as the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), roundly condemned the terror and violence the Maoists unleashed, and wanted the state army to be deployed against the Maoists. A Nepali Congress minister of state for home affars publicly declared price tags placed on the heads of Maoist leaders. The NC leader said,”Bring the heads (of the Maoists) in one bag and take away the cash in another bag.” The news media did not condemn the price tags placed on the heads of themaoist top shots but were put puff by the cavalier manner in which the minister announced the decision. Yet Nepali Congressleaders, including Girija Prasad Koirala clandestinely met with the “terrorists.” There was also speculation that foreign agencies with specific agendas financed and trained the Maoists. Some of the countries that had declared the rebels as a terrorist organization exbited their blatant hypocrisy by supporting and arming the rebels. The duplicity was known to other South Asian countries, China and some Islamic and Western powers. This alerted those pursuing independent policies staving off extraneous pressures. The United States, for example, knew about the duplicity, among others, by its long-time allies, but it chose to look the other way in a shocking manner. Shocking because the U.S. interventions in Muslim-dominated countries in Asia are ostensibly on grounds of “War on Terror.” Would the big powers like the U.S., China and India have tolerated another country from where groups they declared as terrorists operated for eight and a half years? For the short term, such duplicity might seem expedient but its long term damage can be damning. The silence and the activity behind the transparent scene will one day prove to be costly for the perpetrators. A sort of precedence has been established for those who are strong and find the condemnable tractics handy for their use at some point in time at some corner of the world in future. Professing high sounding rhetoric on peace and stability but bending the rules of the game that others are supposed to honor has the potential for more than just embarrassment and harassment for the so-called power players. Concerning the Maoists, this time the situation involved a donor-dependent, resource-strapped least developed country which enjoyed peace and tranquility for years until the Maoists declared their war against the state and procured support from foreign agencies. Consequently, foreign agendas are finding their way left and right in the national policy. Presently, foreign interference in this country is the worst when compared with other South Asian countries. Where we stand in the international arena is indicated by the humiliation suffered in the bid for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council of the United Nations. The actual margin of defeat was one of the worst in UN history, although the precise margin is withheld to save the losing side from further embarrassment. More than the defeat, the approach and method applied in the conduct of foreign policy showed the extent of deterioration occurring in different spheres of activity in the country. When any riff-raff is treated with reverence if he happens to represent a foreign agency while those with sane and knowledgeable views are ignored, the results are not difficult to predict. Foreign aid, too, has been wasted; priorities are entirely set by the donors with prejudice against ideas that does not tally with theirs. Creating trouble for China and promoting Christianity are their two pillars for aid. The government of Nepal adoes not have a say in this. Political leaders are appeased by doling out funds for their supporters’ NGOs. Civil society “leaders” are corrupted likewise. When holding public posts, politicians, are rooted to party loyalty and family members than the welfare of society as a whole. personal integrity has detrioated among party actvists. For example, the wives of five Maoists’ wives recently submitted petitions pleading that their husbands who were in the Maoists’ armed group during the insurgency years, were trying to deprive them of their share in the money given by the state after the latter opted for voluntary retirement. Their grievance was that the ex-rebels had brought in second wives and were trying to shy away from their responsbility towards the first wives. Ironically, if a layman had commited the crime of bringing in a second wife during the “People’s War” days, members of the “People’s Liberation Army” would have caned, thrashed and broken the limbs of the culprit in public. For ten years, alochol-drinking invited punishment by the PLA in the villages and inhuman treatment was meted out to innocent people. Some had their throats slit andsome qere burnt alive in a public bus. Limbs were chopped off. Today, top Maoist leaders, we have come to know, have a soddy love affairs with expensive alochol and luxurious lifestyles well beyond their known means of income. They not longer condemn those among their cadres committing acts which they used to condemn them in tortuous manner till 2005. They made loud noises about the need for gender equality. Once they came to power, they chose to forget their commitments. Just look at the statistics all around. The distrbution of posts is on the previous patterns. Almost all important posts are monopolized by male Maoists. Here, too, the spouses of senior leaders are privileged with better posts than those given to the few others. Flexing muscles to impose their ideas and will has become a habit with them. And there is no relief in sight. (The writer can be reached at: trikalvastavik@yahoo.com) nnnn