www.nepalitimes.com #142 25 April - 1 May 2003 16 pages Rs 25 Class of 1970 Destiny has brought the graduates of a People’s Movement II small school in Gorkha together again. Major political parties in the dissolved parliament are launching a ‘people’s THOMAS BELL and MAARTEN POST in GORKHA movement’ 4 May unless the house is ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ restored or there is an all-party nce upon a time, there Bhattarai, and the health government. The four main parliamentary parties (NC, UML, was a school in Nepal minister in the royal People’s Front Nepal, NWPP, and a O where every student government, Upendra Devkota, faction of Nepal Sadbhavana Party) passed the SLC exams. It was were classmates. (In picture said Thursday the United Mission to Nepal’s taken circa 1969, Bhattarai is at Editorial p2 they have How much longer? agreed on the Amar Jyoti Janata School in extreme left, and Devkota first phase of Gorkha, and it was a remarkable second from right.) the movement, but they did not give institution with remarkable Today, in a dramatic instance details. “We have done our homework, and we’ll unleash a big students. of history coming full circle, the hurricane,” the UML’s Madhab Kumar The class of 1970 stands out two are members of negotiating Nepal told us. NC’s Girija Prasad because its graduates have lived teams from opposite sides in Koirala said the movement would “force the king to choose between and led Nepal’s recent history. proposed peace talks to end monarchy and republic”. The chief ideologue of the seven years of conflict. Maoist movement, Baburam continued p4-5 Weekly Internet Poll # 82 Q. Is the current student agitation hurting or helping the peace process? The price we pay for power NAVIN○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ SINGH KHADKA American investors threaten retaliation if the gove- hen the $100 million Bhote Kosi hydropower project went on rnment doesn’t buy excess power from Bhote Kosi. ○○○○○○○○○○○ stream in 2000, it was touted as ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Total votes:1,196 W Weekly Internet Poll # 83. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com a successful test case of Nepal’s policy George W Bush administration to arm- disputes were common in projects like Q. Who is responsible for the delay in the peace process? of allowing private joint-ventures in twist Nepal. “They intimidated us saying this and they could be settled amicably. Government, Maoists, Neither, Both, Don’t know energy. that they would make their senators in Rana said turbines meant for 36MW Today, the government seems to be Washington scrap the US textile quota for can sometimes generate more power wishing it had never signed the contract. Nepal,” a senior NEA official who was depending on the hydrology of the The power plant near the Chinese border present at the meeting told us. “They also river, and there was nothing wrong was supposed to have a capacity of 36 threatened to stop World Bank aid to with that. MW, but ended up generating 52 MW by Nepal.” The NEA says it has not paid Bhote the time it was built. However, the power Another option Panda offered was to Kosi for the extra power. “Anything purchase agreement between Bhote Kosi force Nepal to buy the project for $100 added outside the contract is being and the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) million plus interest owed to financiers deducted,” an NEA official said. With is to buy only 36 MW at Rs 5.5 per unit. with a 30 percent premium. an installed capacity of nearly 500 MW The NEA says Bhote Kosi has started The offer was made last month in the national grid, the NEA has a billing nearly $100,000 per month more when Nepali officials were in surplus of about 30 percent of its than stipulated in the agreement for 16 Washington to sign a power power during the monsoon. According MW of extra power. There wouldn’t be development deal with the World Bank. to an auditor general report, the NEA anything wrong with that had the NEA not Another senior government official who incurred a loss of over Rs 1 billion in already got excess capacity during the was present during the meeting fiscal 2000-01 buying power from monsoon. It would therefore end up refused to confirm or deny Panda’s Bhote Kosi and the other private join- paying more than originally agreed for threat. “This involves bilateral relations, venture project at Khimti. The NEA pays power it won’t be able to sell to and it could have a big impact,” that nearly half its entire revenue to buy consumers. official said. power from just these two private The NEA is now coming under Siddartha Rana of Himal sector producers. It shells out nearly pressure from the American shareholders BHIM SUBBA International Power Corporation, the double per unit to Khimti and Bhote Kosi of the Texas-based Panda Energy, one of Nepali partner in Bhote Kosi, told us he what it pays Butwal Power the two US investors in the scheme, who had heard about the threats made at the Corporation, which was recently threatened to use their clout with the meeting in Washington, but such privatised. #142 NT Pepc.p65 1 4/25/03, 5:14 PM 2 EDITORIAL 25 APRIL - 1 MAY 2003 NEPALI TIMES #142 NATION 25 APRIL - 1 MAY 2003 NEPALI TIMES #142 3 Nepali Times is published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Chief Editor: Kunda Dixit Desk Editor: Trishna Gurung, Design: Kiran Maharjan Webmaster: Bhushan Shilpakar [email protected], www.nepalitimes.com Advertising: Sunaina Shah [email protected] Subscription: Anil Karki [email protected] Sales: Sudan Bista [email protected] Sanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, Lalitpur GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: 01-5543333/ 5523845 Fax: 01-5521013 Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hattiban: 01-5547018/17 Maoist manifesto The Maoists issued a 75-point manifesto reactionaries” and warns that anyone who just before the breakdown of the last truce “played the role of counter- in November 2001. In language straight revolutionists…shall be deprived of all HOW MUCH LONGER? out of 1960s China, and containing political rights for a certain period”. All land et’s get this straight. The political parties don’t trust the king, and seeming contradictions about land titles will be “null and void”, all forms of vice versa. The Maoists and the monarchy don’t trust each other. appropriation and individual property, the prostitution will be banned. The manifesto L The political parties also don’t trust the Maoists, but issue broad threats that they will get into bed with them against the monarchy document calls for “nationalisation of the pledges to close Gurkha recruitment, stop while in the same breath accuse the Maoists and the monarchy of property of bureaucratic capitalists and INGO financing, and wants to set up a being anti-democratic. Both the Maoists and the political parties treat the royal cabinet with contempt. Try to brokers”, “freeing national industries from “South Asian Soviet Federation”. An untangle that. the shackles of Indian monopoly unofficial translation of selected excerpts: In this rigmarole, the political parties have got their student fronts to close the country down for days on end in a display of Bihar-style political stamina. It’s a bit United Revolutionary People’s of individual property, except in accordance end feudal, semi-feudal and bureaucratic Indians of the trade sector shall be right to be recruited in the people's disingenuous for our politicos to refuse to take responsibility Congress Nepal’s Minimum United with the law... means of production and develop a national terminated… military and the militia shall be formed for the burning of libraries, museums and books at universities and Policy and Program capitalistic means of production under 46. Exploitation and misery within the under a command centre for local colleges. Come on, they don’t do that even in Darbhanga. CHAPTER 2 which land will be distributed to the country and nation shall be liberated from security… It is an even greater sign of moral bankruptcy to declare a bandh CHAPTER 1 State System landless and poor farmers…no expropria- foreign loans. Financial institutions will be 64. Local level autonomous rule shall ‘successful’ just because the populace has been cowed down into shutting up Fundamental Policies 11. The people's assembly and people's tion of the land belonging to rich people free to carry out lending transactions in be formed in high mountainous regions shops by arsonists and window-smashers, to call factories, schools and bus ROBIN SAYAMI 1. The principal purpose of the new committee's government shall be formed in and absentee landlords shall be made… rural areas but the interest rate will be like Karnali, Seti and Mahakali which are companies to close down, or else. How is this any different to what the Maoists people's congress is to institutionalise a four tiers: central, autonomous region, 32. The help of the local level revolu- controlled… neglected and suffer unbalanced did? Now, every little rump faction can go around the city in a hailer-equipped people's republic. The fundamental tenets autonomous district, and village/municipal tionary peasants shall be obtained to 48. The imperialists' financial interven- development… three wheeler to declare a bandh whose 'success' is preordained. of the new people's republic are to end all level... determine the character of landless, poor, tion caused by ngos and ingos shall be 65. …The tarai will be a separate Is this country genetically programmed to self-destruct? Watching our forms of exploitation by national capitalists, 12.