#107 16 - 22 August 2002 16 pages Rs 20 Shrinking Tundikhel 8 EXCLUSIVE the polls. The UML, for its part, seems so at least five of their central committee Crowded sky tantalised by an impending victory that it members have been arrested or killed and Two near-miss incidents within half-an- doesn’t want to entertain any doubts that one of every five people killed by hour early morning on Monday, 12 about polls. security forces is a party worker. The August, have raised concerns again Narahari Acharya of the Girija faction government has arrested hundreds of rebel about aviation safety in the crowded sky told us: “I see two major obstacles to supporters, some of whom have provided over the capital. holding free elections: the state of valuable intelligence. Still, the hardcore Nepali Times has learnt that flight emergency and the Maoist problem.” The Maoist fighting force is intact. And they RA225 to Bangalore had taken off in The government and Maoists both need emergency is due for another extension in are quite capable, if the talk of truce driving rain and was about to set course two weeks, and since the Maoists are far doesn’t get anywhere, to resume attacks in to Simra after a wide climbing turn over elections, but for different reasons. from defeated, the army would prefer the build-up to next month’s strike. Kathmandu when its anti-collission renewal. see p6 TCAS warning came on. The Royal BINOD○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ BHATTARAI an adversary unshackled by civilian control. Maoist Chairman Prachanda in his Nepal 757 was converging with a Qatar t could be war-weariness, it could be For the Nepali people, November could extra-conciliatory 9 August statement Airways Airbus 320 from Doha which the monsoon lull, they could just be be an opportunity to show not so much appealed for “dialogue to end the emer- had just aborted landing because of Icatching their breath, or there could which party they prefer, but to vote in a gency and find a positive political resolu- poor visibility, and was also climbing out be genuine indecision about what to do virtual referendum on democracy. Since the tion”. But he followed that up with a over the airport. Sources told us that next. One or all these factors seem to be turnout would be a key indicator, it would warning that this flexibility shouldn’t be the 757 pilot had to take extreme evasive egging both the Maoists and the govern- be in the interest of the Maoists (and seen as a weakness, and therefore action. ment to seek a face-saving formula that anyone else who doesn’t believe in parlia- force his group to “attack those will pave the way for relatively free mentary democracy) to keep voting low who support elections”. The elections in November. through violence. threat to agree-or-else couldn’t Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba The Maoists call the shots: they have have been more explicit. was forced to call early elections to propelled themsleves into the position of The convergence of interests of outmanoeuvre his rival, Girija Prasad being able to determine whether elections both the Maoists and the govern- Koirala. But having staked all on are held or not. This is a strong bargaining ment to let elections go through elections, he loses big if they are called chip. If elections can’t be held, then the presents a window of opportunity to The Airbus then went around to try off, postponed, or if campaigning is ensuing constitutional crisis will allow the agree at least on a truce. So far, the to land one more time, but had to climb marred by serious violence. king to invoke Article 127 and use his government has publicly demanded out again because of clouds on finals. The Maoists, despite all their macho power to find a way out of the impasse. that the Maoists first give up their The pilot was westbound over the talk, have also decided that this is not Many see that as taking the country weapons. But secretly, emissaries have airport when it found itself directly in the going to be the quick revolution they had back to square one, circa 1990. But the been going back and forth to see if there path of a Buddha Air mountain flight that planned for. Their casualties are heavy, uncertainty is rooted much more in the can be a compromise. had just taken off. Kathamandu radar supply lines are disrupted, and the Maoists’ next move. If they genuinely desire a truce (even controllers realised the emergency and Indians are cracking down across the As the manifestos are prepared and the if it is to just regroup and re-arm), the and asked the Buddha Air Beech 1900D border. But more than all of that, they Election Commission hears the Congress Maoists need to do more to prove that to “descend immediately” while the now see that disrupting the coming factions fight it out over the tree symbol they will not double cross the govern- Qatari pilot had to put his plane on a elections may end up pitting them against and party flag, many remain uncertain about ment this time. The Maoists admit that steep climb. Civil aviation authorities have refused to comment, but at least one French passports. The eldest and youngest daughters, who were on one passport, near miss incident report is expected to went through Kathmandu airport departure immigration, that morning a year-and-half be filed. Aviation experts say proce- ago. But Lilliah and her three other children were caught. dures for missed approach inside They posted a Rs 180,000 bail for one year while the case was under investigation. Kathmandu Valley in bad weather need But now they could be taken to court and, if convicted for travelling on forged docu- to be urgently revamped. Axis of despair ments, face jail sentences of a maximum of five years. It would be possible to convince KUNDA○○○○○○○○ DIXIT ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ the judge that deportation, rather than sentencing, would be better for all concerned. he enemy of an enemy should be a friend. But it doesn’t seem to work quite that The United Nations refugee agency in Kathmandu, UNHCR, is trying to help, but way in geopolitics. A divided Iraqi Christian refugee family in Kathmandu is can’t give them refugee status until the case is tried. Even then, the UNHCR says that it T testimony to how humanitarian concerns don’t figure in the present sabre-rattling can only return them to northern Iraq. Liliah would prefer to go to Jordan, where she against Iraq and the “axis of evil”. thinks it will be safer for her family, and from where will be more chance of reuniting Two years ago the Kandal family fled Iraq to escape persecution by Saddam with her husband and two other daughters. Hussein. But while the father and two daughters are in a refugee camp in Germany, the Last week, Liliah wrote a petition requesting King Gyanendra for a royal pardon, mother and three other children are waiting in Kathmandu for someone to help re-unite and to be allowed to leave the country on humanitarian grounds. them. They are trapped between unfeeling embassies, Nepal’s own rigid laws that make no humanitarian exceptions, and a United Nations that has its own rules on refugee status. While America prepares to bomb Liliah Kandal is a petite 47-year-old woman with a radiant face who could easily be mistaken for a kindergarten teacher. In a cramped flat in Kathmandu, Liliah, her two Iraq again, one Iraqi refugee family daughters Dina and Dayana, and her son, Sargon, are trying their best not to give up is in limbo in Nepal. hope. “All we can do is pray and trust that our family will be one again,” Liliah says, showing us family photographs stuck to the wall of her tiny room (right). Governments and relief agencies haven’t been of much help, but a fellow refugee from Iraq’s erstwhile enemy Iran came to the rescue. An American good samaritan then assisted with living expenses. Still, local missionary schools don’t want to take the children because they do not have any documents. Then there is the stress and boredom of living in alien surroundings, and an overwhelming sense of uncertainty about the future. After her husband sought political asylum in Germany two years ago, Liliah took their five children and travelled via Jordan and Thailand to try to join him. In Bangkok, a human smuggling ring organised to take them to Germany via Kathmandu with fake 222 EDITORIAL 16 - 22 AUGUST 2002 NEPALI TIMES NATION 16 - 22 AUGUST 2002 NEPALI TIMES 333 Nepali Times is published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Chief Editor: Kunda Dixit Editor: Anagha Neelakantan COMMENTARY by PUSKAR GAUTAM Design: Kiran Maharjan OPINION by ALOK BOHARA [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: 01-543333-7, Fax: 01-521013 Printed at Jagadamba Press: 01-521393 An end to the means Nothing to talk about “If you act like there is no possibility of change, you The Maoist offer of talks is a ploy to ARTICLE 127 guarantee that there will be no change.” - Noam Chomsky ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ e must have elections, but we can’t have elections. That is the dilemma of distract the security forces while the our democracy.