WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 62 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 31.4 C 5.5 C Monday, April 27, 2020 | 15-01-2077 Dhangadi Jomsom Oli faces tough time amid pressure to choose between heading party and leading the country A majority of Secretariat and Standing Committee members have demanded a Standing Committee meeting where they plan to ask Oli to step down as prime minister.

ANIL GIRI KATHMANDU, APRIL 26

Under pressure from his Secretariat and Standing Committee members, ruling Nepal Communist Party chair and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has intensified discussions with his close confidantes, even as rival fac- tions continue to devise their own strategies. A majority of Secretariat and Standing Committee members have been demanding a Standing Committee meeting, where they plan to ask Oli to step down as prime minis- ter or choose between leading the country and leading the party. Given that Oli is in the minority in the 44-member Standing Committee, with just 11 POST PHOTO: SANJOG MANANDHAR members on his side, he is likely to be com- A mother returns with food aid given by Kathmandu Ward 13 office in Kalimati on Sunday. The government has extended the lockdown to contain spread of Covid-19 by 10 days. pelled to give in, say party insiders. Oli on Sunday held a meeting with his close aides, including Province 5 Chief Minister Shanker Pokhrel, to discuss ways to face the Secretariat and Standing Committee. POST FILE PHOTO A party leader who spoke on condition of KP Sharma Oli Nepal Police’s refusal to register Surendra Yadav anonymity told the Post that discussions revolved around how to avoid resigning as motion a series of events, including allega- prime minister. tions of abduction of a sitting lawmaker, abduction case raises questions about its neutrality Senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal also earning disrepute for the government and held separate meetings with some Standing the party. Committee members to chart out a future While as many as 20 Standing Committee Many believe police are acting on order from on high to not register the case, especially since strategy. members have been asking for a meeting, six Nepal’s role will be key as the factions led out of nine Secretariat members, who are it involves powerful political actors and a former chief of police. by Oli and the other party chair Pushpa considered the senior most leaders in the Kamal Dahal are in a tough power game, at party hierarchy, have warned Oli that he least two leaders told the Post. could be recalled any time soon. SHUVAM DHUNGANA & TIKA R PRADHAN Mahottari is Yadav’s home district. “It is our common understanding that the According to two leaders who spoke on KATHMANDU, APRIL 26 Yadav’s alleged abduction was government has desperately failed to deliver, condition of anonymity citing the fluid situ- one of the events triggered by so the Standing Committee meeting should ation in the party, Oli is left with very few The saga of the alleged kidnapping Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s be called immediately to review the overall options. of a Member of Parliament from controversial ordinances, issued scenario,” said Raghuji Panta, a Standing Either he has to take everyone along by Janakpur continues to unfold in a on Monday. One of the ordinances Committee member. “In the meeting, almost changing his ways and abiding by the party manner both bizarre but not unex- that the Oli Cabinet pushed all members were of the view that it was committees, or he will have to make way for pected. through sought to ease a party time the party explored alternatives to Oli.” others, said a leader. Police on Sunday refused to reg- split, specifically the party that Despite failures on the governance front, “The Standing Committee is set to vote on ister an abduction case against two Yadav belonged to then— corruption allegations and high-handedness recalling Oli,” the leader told the Post. Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Samajbadi Party. Yadav was alleg- in leadership, Oli’s situation had not become “Another option the members are mulling is leaders—Mahesh Basnet and edly brought to Kathmandu in so untenable in the last two years. asking Oli to prove his majority in the Kisan Shrestha—and former police order to facilitate the split. But leaders say that Oli’s move to push Parliamentary Party.” chief Sarbendra Khanal for their Though Basnet, Shrestha and through two ordinances last week set in >> Continued on page 5 roles in the alleged kidnapping of Khanal have denied that they had lawmaker Surendra Yadav on kidnapped Yadav, all of them have Wednesday. admitted in various interviews Leaders from the newly formed that they had been to Janakpur to Janata Samajbadi Party, Nepal had fetch Yadav and that they came to approached the Metropolitan Kathmandu together. Police Range in Teku with a com- Basnet had told the Post that he plaint that Yadav, one of their law- had been called to Janakpur for a makers, had been kidnapped from discussion by some Samajbadi Janakpur by Basnet, Shrestha and POST PHOTO: DEEPAK KC Party leaders who wanted to split Khanal and forcefully brought to Leaders of the newly formed Janata Samajbadi Party, Nepal return after police refused the party. Last week, ruling party Kathmandu. to register a case of alleged abduction of one of their party members, in Kathmandu. insiders also admitted to the Post “But the police refused to regis- that Oli had deployed some leaders ter the complaint as per orders station on Sunday to file an abduc- plaint, as the area is not under our to hold talks with the Samajbadi from higher up,” said Rajendra tion complaint, according to jurisdiction,” Bogati told the Post. Party. Shrestha, a senior leader of the Superintendent Hobindra Bogati, “We requested them to file the com- As many as seven Samajbadi Janata Samajbadi party. spokesperson for the Kathmandu plaint with the police in the area of Party leaders were planning to Yadav himself, along with party Metropolitan Police Range. the incident.” split the party and register a new leaders Baburam Bhattarai, “Since the incident seems to However, the incident took place party as per Oli’s scheme, accord- Upendra Yadav, Rajendra Mahato have taken place in Mahottari, we in the city of Janakpur, which is in ing to leaders. and others, had reached the police were unable to register the com- the district of Dhanusha. >> Continued on page 5 Fears of a rise in cases of domestic violence due to the lockdown may have come to pass Although official data says otherwise, anecdotal evidence from helplines and rights organisations report a significant increase in cases of gender-based violence amidst the restrictions.

ADITI ARYAL the perpetrators repeating the abuse. Usually, KATHMANDU, APRIL 26 survivors call us when their abusers are not around but now the abusers are around them all Ever since the lockdown was implemented, 1145, the time,” she said, reporting that the frequency the national helpline to report gender-based of calls had increased since the lockdown. violence, has been ringing off the hook, at a rate When the lockdown was first instituted on of around 20 calls every day. So far, in the 30-or- March 24, there were already fears that cases of so days since the lockdown began, the helpline domestic and gender-based violence would rise, has received 521 calls, of which 119 have been given similar experiences around the world. specifically about domestic violence. Now, more than a month into the lockdown, it “On some days, I take up to 15 calls about appears those fears have been realised. domestic violence,” one helpline operator told According to Renu Adhikari, founder of the CK

the Post on condition of anonymity as she was TO Women’s Rehabilitation Centre (WOREC), the not authorised to speak to the media. “Just this frequency of gender-based violence has increased morning, I attended to a survivor who had to since the lockdown began, drawing on testimo- SHUTTERS nies from survivors and reports from local lock herself in the bathroom of her two-roomed organisations. WOREC, an organisation work- flat in Kathmandu to make the call. The hus- ing to combat violence against women and chil- band, after an unsuccessful attempt to rape her, dren, recorded 83 cases of violence against women had dragged her by the hair while verbally abus- in the last three weeks from 13 districts of Nepal. ing her.” While organisations working for women’s The helpline operator counselled both the rights like WOREC report an increase in cases woman and her husband but since the former of gender-based violence, police reports suggest did not wish to pursue legal recourse, the opera- otherwise. tor let the husband off with a warning. According to Nepal Police data, the number of On other days, she counsels women who are reported cases of gender-based violence has terrified making these calls because their perpe- decreased drastically nationwide since the lock- trators are in the vicinity. down was implemented. “After I hang up, I am still apprehensive about >> Continued on page 5

C M Y K MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 | 02 MEDLEY

Inside the Post Quote of the day

Nepal Police’s refusal to register Surendra Yadav abduction case National raises questions about its neutrality, Page 1 The District Attorney’s Office in Kathmandu filed a case at the District Court on Sunday against former government secretary Bhim Upadhyaya for cybercrime after he was accused of defaming the KP Sharma Oli government. “Rejecting the application shows there is a clear influence of power. Opinion The annulment of the two ordinances is not the end of the story. Oli may be down There is nothing called rule but is not out. To bolster his position, PM Oli is likely to use the two remaining tools: executive control and the agenda of nationalism. of law here.”

Money Senior advocate Bhimarjun Acharya on police refusing to register an abduction case against two ruling party lawmakers and a former police chief. The local administration has banned the import of vegetables and fruits from India, and all contraband food items and fresh produce have been destroyed and the warehouse where they were stored have been sealed.

World Most read online A special train possibly belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was spot- ted this week at a resort town in the country, according to satellite images All international and domestic flights to remain reviewed by a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, amid conflict- ing reports about Kim’s health and whereabouts. suspended until May 15 The government said on Saturday all international flights to Nepal will remain suspended until May 15. The High-level Coordination Committee for Prevention Culture & Arts and Control of Covid-19, led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel, took a ‘Covidiot’ is a new term that has been used heavily on social media in recent decision to this effect on Saturday in view of the rising number of Covid-19 weeks. Coined by joining two words ‘covid’ and ‘idiot’, it is being used to define cases in the country. those who do not follow physical distancing rules and other precautionary meas- ures to keep the virus at bay. Health Ministry recommends extending the lockdown by a week or allowing the provinces to decide on their own More than a month into the nationwide lockdown imposed to limit the spread of Covid-19, tentative calls to lift the crippling restrictions on public movement News Quiz have begun to emerge.

1. Which country on Saturday Cornered in the party, Oli should mend his ways, say analysts abolished flogging as punish- 5. The Health ministry on Sunday ment? confirmed two more cases of POST PHOTO: SANJOG MANANDHAR but he’s likely to take even harsher measures a. Saudi Arabia novel coronavirus in which A municipal worker tends to a plant at a traffic island in Sundhara, Kathmandu. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli may have managed to calm a brewing storm for b. Iraq district? now by withdrawing the two controversial ordinances, but dissent within the c. Syria a. Khotang ruling party continues to ferment. As a majority of the party’s Secretariat mem- d. Iran b. Bhojpur bers have already banded together to demand a meeting of the Standing c. Bardiya On this day in history Committee, party chair Oli, according to insiders, has just one option left– 2. Who is the singer of the popu- d. Parsa course correction. lar song Sunday Morning Love You? 6. When is the Earth Day a. Pashupati Sharma celebrated? Nidhi for more aid to drought-hit Dhanusa Colleges start online classes but students don’t have reliable b. Arthur Gunn a. April 7 internet access c. Bhim Niroula b. May 5 JANAKPURDHAM - Nepali Congress general secretary and parliamentarian d. Bikki Gurung c. April 22 Mahendra Narayan Nidhi is to demand extension of the food-for-work pro- With signs that the threat of Covid-19 pandemic will not subside anytime soon, d. August 10 gramme in the drought-hit regions of Dhanusa to mitigate the hardships faced BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, on Monday started online 3. The government extended the by the people because of unavailability of sufficient foodgrains. classes for its students. suspension of domestic and Nidhi made this remark to RSS after conducting an inspection of the various international flights till which VDCs of the drought and hailstorm affected regions and oversaw the distribu- date? tion of relief and the development works being carried out in these regions. a. May 3 He said that as the food distribution conducted by the district drought relief b. May 7 committee is rather unsystematic and slow, the committee has not been able to Corrections c. May 10 deliver the rice even after the consumers committees have received coupons. d. May 15 Our reporters and editors do their best to make sure our reporting is free from The Kathmandu Post errors. But when we make mistakes that warrant correction, we will be transparent 4. Who is the author of The Lord April 27, 1993 and clarify at the bottom of the specific article. of the Rings? If you believe we have got something wrong and it requires correction, please a. G.R.R. Martin email us at [email protected] with “correction” in the subject line. b. J.R.R. Tolkein Answers to News Quiz: 1(a), 2(c), 3(d), 4(b), 5(d), 6(c) For the most recent corrections, visit kathmandupost.com/corrections. c. Arthur Conan Doyle d. J.K. Rowling REUTERS HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) CANCER (June 22-July 22) LIBRA (September 23-October 22) CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) **** ** **** **** A friend who has been all talk and no action has One of your personal relationships has been Communication is getting very complicated. Today is a day for gathering information. Learn been getting on your nerves for some time now. bothering you lately. Harsh words were Texts, e-mails, and even voice messages do a more about that new person. Do an online It could be time to make a decision about them. exchanged, and now you’re wishing you could poor job of conveying what you really need to search for that place you’ve always wanted to You don’t need people in your life who disap- learn to stop staying things before you think say to others. You’re working under some visit. Ask co-workers about their recent experi- point you over and over again. Have a talk with them through! If an apology is in order, make it assumptions, and while they could be correct, ences. Getting a better grip on what’s going on them and find out what’s behind all their empty quick. The longer you delay admitting you they could also be wrong. Try to get them around you and what you want to do next is not promises. Stop giving them ‘one more chance’. screwed up, the worse the damage will be. cleared up first. only incredibly valuable, but it will also be fun!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) LEO (July 23-August 22) SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) **** *** **** *** If you feel like you’re running out of time, you Instead of being annoyed by talkative people Trying to avoid conflict between you and a You’re especially in tune with other people right just might be right. Listen to your gut and do today, you’ll enjoy debating them and learning co-worker is easier said than done, but that now, and you might even be able to shock them what it tells you to do. If you feel like you should from what they have to say—and boy, do they doesn’t mean you should give up. Today, getting with your insights. Go ahead—try to guess what be in a hurry, speed up! But if you want to obey have a lot to say! You’re intrigued and enter- into an argument or even a friendly debate is number they’re thinking of or what they want to your slower nature, do that. People might get tained by their point of view, and you’ll have a going to be way more counterproductive than eat for lunch. Go out on a limb with your guesses whiplash watching you today, since your energy blast seeing how they interpret things through you can imagine. It could ignite tempers and and you’re probably going to get a shocking is likely to vacillate back and forth. their own special filter. get people way off track. number of things right.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) VIRGO (August 23-September 22) SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) PISCES (February 19-March 20) **** *** **** *** Sometimes anger makes a person do silly things. On the job, you need to focus more on the deci- Trying to figure out what is motivating other There is an art to playing hard to get. Push it too For example, are you giving the silent treatment sion-making process and less on the latest gos- people is a waste of your time. If you’ve been far and you’ll end up missing out on an amazing to someone you fought with recently? sip that your co-workers are spreading. Get wringing your hands over a mysterious situa- relationship. If you’re working on luring a new Communication is the only way to resolve the serious. Digging into how choices are made will tion, stop. If someone isn’t going to tell you romantic interest, you need to keep in mind that issue, so what you’re doing now is only wasting help you anticipate what the next one will be what you need to know, they aren’t going to tell not everyone has the energy, attitude, or drive to time and feeding the anger. You need to get in and help you get exposure to the more impor- you, no matter how long you wait or how many knock down every brick of the wall you’ve put touch and clear the air. Forget your pride. tant and influential people at your office. hoops you jump through. up. They’ll only try for so long.

CROSSWORD SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

C M Y K 03 | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 NATIONAL Attorney’s office files court case against former government secretary Upadhyaya for cybercrime Upadhyaya was arrested for his critical comments against the Oli government on social media.

SHUVAM DHUNGANA political leaders, including Prime KATHMANDU, APRIL 26 Minister Oli, to troll people on Facebook. Nachiring, who hails from The District Attorney’s Office in Khotang district, was also charged Kathmandu filed a case at the District under the Electronic Transaction Act. Court on Sunday against former gov- The arrests of Upadhyaya and ernment secretary Bhim Upadhyaya Nachiring are nothing new under the for cybercrime after he was accused Oli administration, which has been of defaming the KP Sharma Oli gov- actively suppressing online dissent ernment and its ministers through his and people’s right to free speech. social media posts. After coming into power, the Oli A team from the Central Cyber government has introduced and Bureau of Nepal Police had arrested amended a series of legislations, Upadhyaya from his Lalitpur home on including the Criminal and Civil Wednesday. Code, many of which affords sweeping powers to the state to arrest and pros- ecute citizens and journalists. POST PHOTO: HEMANTA SHRESTHA Rapper Samir Ghising, popularly Workers from Nepal Electricity Authority install a utility pole in Kupondole, Lalitpur, on Sunday. known as Vten, singer Durgesh Thapa and comedian Pranesh Gautam are some of the few names who in the past have had run-ins with the authorities for expressing themselves. Advocate Baburam Aryal, who spe- International NGOs likely to slash funds for Nepal as cialises in cyber law, says the state and the law enforcement agency have been invoking these vaguely worded, draco- nian laws, to arrest the citizens. “The law enforcement agency has pandemic affects developed world, stakeholders say PHOTO COURTESY: UPADHYAYA’S BLOG been using the cybercrime law as per Bhim Upadhyaya their whim. Upadhyaya was not given any specific reason when the authori- The country has received Rs12 billion as of the third quarter of this fiscal year, according to Social Welfare Council. SSP Nabindra Aryal, chief of the ties arrested him. He wasn’t told what bureau, told the Post that Upadhyaya his crime was,” Aryal told the Post. “ PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA matching the last fiscal year’s figure,” areas of local development. They have jects. According to the National was taken into custody following Had the police explained to him what KATHMANDU, APRIL 26 Bhattarai said. also been providing support to service Reconstruction Authority, foreign numerous anonymous complaints his crime was, be it defamation, hate He added the representatives of delivery, advocacy, raising awareness NGOs have so far spent more than against him. speech or fomenting dissent dishar- Aid commitment to Nepal from the international NGOs were unsure and strengthening accountability. Rs40 billion in reconstruction pro- “His offence falls under the purview mony, then one could say his arrest international non-governmental whether the committed fund would be Achyut Luitel, president of the jects. of the Electronic Transaction Act and was justified. But no, he is being held organisations could go down signifi- issued amid the global health as well Association of International NGOs in However, Bhattarai said that Nepal we have proceeded with the case in custody for violating the Electronic cantly this fiscal year, with the major as financial crisis triggered by the Nepal, said that he did not believe that could not expect such contribution accordingly,” Aryal said. Transaction Act” funding countries, officials and repre- pandemic. there would be a commitment of as from the foreign NGOs this time The bureau had prepared a case Charan Prasain, a human rights sentatives of foreign NGOs said. Nepal has been receiving a signifi- much as Rs28 billion in the current around, because the pandemic has against Upadhyaya, which included activist, says freedom of expression is During the third quarter of the cur- cant portion of foreign aid through fiscal year. caused a global economic crisis. his social media posts that criticised part of basic human rights and the rent fiscal year 2019-20, the country international NGOs. In the last fiscal “I think the aid pledged to the health Meanwhile, a growing number of the incumbent government and the state cannot put censorship on public received the pledge amount of Rs 12 year, they disbursed $ 215 million to sector will remain stable if not rise foreign NGOs have started to divert ministers, and submitted to the opinion. billion, according to the Social Welfare various projects in Nepal, according while funding in other sectors may their existing funds towards fighting District Attorney’s Office. “By arresting Upadhyaya, the gov- Council. to the Development Cooperation decrease,” he told the Post. Covid-19 after the council allowed Based on the bureau’s report, the ernment is essentially threatening the “Project proposals of around Rs 4-5 Report 2018-19 published by the He said foreign donors could chan- them to divert 20 percent of their attorney’s office has sued Upadhyaya public at large who want to share their billion are awaiting the council’s Finance Ministry. nelise their resources in the areas of budget in pandemic preparedness and for a cybercrime at the District Court, thoughts and opinions,” said Prasain. approval for their implementation,” The amount was almost double of economic recovery and employment response programmes. prescribing five years prison term, Upadhyaya’s arrest has also stirred Durgha Bhattarai, information officer what they had spent—$110 million—in creation in the upcoming years as “As many as 22 international NGOs Ananda Shrestha, the court registrar, a debate on social media. at the council, told the Post. the previous fiscal year. the pandemic has been causing devas- have taken the council’s approval to told the Post. Many have criticised the govern- In the last fiscal year 2018-19, the The share of foreign NGOs in total tating effects on the livelihood of divert Rs750 million to fight the pan- The case against Upadhyaya comes ment for misusing the law to squelch council had approved the projects official development assistance of Nepali people. demic,” Bhattarai said. barely two weeks after the bureau people’s freedom of speech and expres- worth Rs28 billion. “Considering donors stands at 12 percent, according After the earthquakes of 2015, a The international NGOs are sup- arrested Tara Nachiring from his sion while some have argued for a the impact the Covid 19 has had among to the report. large number of foreign NGOs had porting in the areas such as health rented room in Budhanilkantha, limit when it comes exercising one’s the major funding countries, we Foreign NGOs have been working in increased their spendings in post- and sanitation, emergency relief and Kathmandu, for using the photos of right to free speech. don’t expect to receive proposals partnership with local NGOs in the quake relief and rehabilitation pro- education. Prime minister’s job scheme may not provide relief Rights body urges government for migrant workers hit by Covid-19, analysts say to study situation of Nepalis The scheme promised to create jobs for thousands of people, but its track record gives little to cheer about. stranded in foreign countries CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL once they are in Nepal.” KATHMANDU, APRIL 26 KATHMANDU, APRIL 26 Nepali workers have been languishing in major labour destinations. The ongoing When the government announced a The National Human Rights Commission lockdown in host countries has further slew of measures to support sectors (NHRC), Nepal has urged the government worsened their situation whereas the affected by the coronavirus pandem- to conduct a quick survey on Nepali work- travel restrictions imposed by Nepal and ic last month, it had pinned its hope ers stranded in the foreign labour destina- also labour hosting nations have affected on the Prime Minister Employment tions amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. their plans for returning home. Programme, which provides a mini- The rights advocacy group has called on Various migrants’ rights organisations mum 100 days of work for registered the Nepal government to collect details on have called on the government to bring unemployed citizens, to address the conditions of Nepali workers in major Nepali workers back from the Persian issues related to employment. labour receiving countries and gather the Gulf and Malaysia, which are under the But as a large number of migrant number of those who need to be brought grip of Covid-19. workers have been hit hard by the back immediately. The NHRC has also asked the govern- global pandemic, such programmes Drawing the attention of the Ministry ment to manage the repatriation of Nepali that provide only temporary employ- of Labour, Employment and Social workers, prioritising their critical condi- ment can’t provide respite for work- Security regarding the workers’ plight tion, after the host countries relax their ers in the long run, experts say. abroad, the NHRC suggests that the rapid lockdowns and the situation is normal for “Schemes such as the PM employ- survey could be conducted in collabora- their return. The rights group has also ment programme can’t be a long-last- tion between the ministries of labour and urged the government to complete all the ing option as it temporarily provides foreign affairs or by organisations work- preparations and gear up for the situation certain days of employment,” said ing in the sector of migrant rights before if Nepali workers must be brought home. Swarna Kumar Jha, a labour migra- drafting a detailed plan for rescuing needy “Countries like Kuwait have provided tion researcher at the National POST FILE PHOTO Nepali workers during the pandemic. general amnesty for undocumented work- Network for Safe Migration, a group Government figures show that 67,020 migrant workers returned home from various countries between mid-February and March 24. “The NHRC has been learning about ers, including Nepali nationals, to return of organisations working labour the poor condition of Nepali workers in home without paying any fines and hav- migration. has already collected data of the criticism for squandering money whether affected workers will be the Gulf countries, Malaysia and South ing to pay for air tickets,” said Pathak. According to the government migrant workers concerned and was over unproductive and trivial work actually interested in working under Korea from its reporting, ministries of “The Nepal government should also uti- announcement, prospective migrant working on a plan to employ these such as rearing stray animals and the scheme which deals with small- Labour and Foreign Affairs and Nepali lise such schemes to bring back its work- workers who received their work migrant workers under the PM gardening. This year too the pro- scale projects and provides limited missions abroad, human rights commis- ers safely.” permit but couldn’t travel abroad employment programme. gramme is running behind schedule income,” said Jha. sions of labour hosting countries and The rights organisation has suggested due to Covid-19 restrictions, and But it has already been a month with only two months left in the In addition to that, the threat of media reports,” Sudip Pathak, a member allocating sufficient budget to Nepali mis- those that had to return home after since the relief package for workers fiscal year. the virus and the impending rainy of the NHRC told the Post. sions abroad either by using the Migrant losing their jobs were to be regis- was announced, and they are Prospective migrant workers season could make it challenging for “Nepali workers are mostly living in Workers’ Welfare Fund, maintained by tered at the local government’s nowhere from receiving jobs as the would have already invested loans workers to get the temporary jobs. fear of losing their jobs and being infected the Foreign Employment Board, or Employment Service Center, and country remains in lockdown at worth hundreds of thousands of “The Covid-19- induced lockdown with the coronavirus.” through separate government funds to they would get work through the least until April 27. rupees to secure jobs abroad, and and health precautions taken by the According to Pathak, Nepali workers manage food and accommodation for Prime Minister’s Employment “PM employment programme-like the money the employment pro- local governments are delaying the need support as their income has plum- stranded Nepali workers as long the Programme. schemes can’t replace foreign jobs gramme provides won’t be enough implementation of the scheme,” meted with reduced working hours. They Covid-19 pandemic remains. The NHRC Government figures show that that provide opportunities for tens to repay the loans. “Most of them said Ghimire. are struggling for food without money and has directed the government to immedi- 67,020 Nepali migrant workers have of thousands of Nepalis every year,” fund their foreign employment With all these issues factored in, languishing in crammed rooms, suffering ately release a budget to the Nepali mis- returned home from various coun- said Jha. The track record of the through the high-interest loans. So “there is a very slim chance that the physical and mental stress during the sions so that they can provide food aid to tries from mid-February to March 24 government programme, which is they would rather migrate as the PM programme will be implemented public health crisis. Nepali workers. when all international flights were yet to be fully implemented, doesn’t employment programme can not soon, let alone provide jobs to these “Through such rapid study, we will The Labour Ministry says different banned. Likewise, nearly 150,000 suggest that it can provide jobs to give adequate income,” said Jha. workers,” said Jha. know the actual situation of Nepali work- committees are working to assess the situ- prospective migrant workers who the masses, analysts say. The country has been in lockdown Jha suggests that rather than rely- ers and what can be done to ensure their ation of Nepali workers in foreign coun- had already received permits hav- The programme, which earlier ever since the relief measures were ing on short-term schemes such as safety,” said Pathak. “And, if they need to tries, said Pathak. “Our concern is that en’t been able to go abroad because aimed to generate 100-days of announced, and it’s impossible to the PM employment fund, the gov- be repatriated, then the government must the Nepal government should be ready in of travel restrictions. employment for 60,000 registered gauge how many people would be ernment needs to come up with larg- have a master plan in place for all case of a major crisis. After the survey, Suman Ghimire, spokesperson for applicants this year, could only pro- interested in taking up the 100-day er reintegration schemes that phases—from their repatriation to there should be a mechanism to respond the Ministry of Labour, Employment vide 13 days of work for 175,909. The temporary employment. “Even after address their concerns during a keeping them in quarantine to providing and for monitoring through different and Social Security, said his office programme has faced a barrage of lockdown is over, we need to see global pandemic like this. them with employment opportunities phases.”

C M Y K MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 | 04 OPINION EDITORIAL An unfolding tragedy It’s a free country The prime minister may be The government must remember it is serving a down but is not out. Further democratic country where people have a voice. conflict between claimants to power will cost us more. It has been revealed that former secretary Bhim Upadhyaya was arrested on 24th April under the Electronic Transaction AJAYA BHADRA KHANAL Act. The Act is a broad and vaguely-worded law intended to authenticate electronic transactions. This Act, along with other legal tools, has been used consistently by the govern- ment to curtail freedom on speech as well as journalistic freedom. And the government has been using the Electronic Transaction Act to arrest—and take action against—people based on their social media posts deemed ‘improper’ by the Prime Minister KP Oli designed the two authorities. What’s more, the government has prescribed a regressive ordinances to facilitate his fine up to Rs1.5 million and/or five years imprisonment for narrow political interests. Four days individuals who post online contents that fit the above-men- after giving her seal of approval, tioned offences. President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on But this is not the first case. Last year in April, Arjun Giri, Friday annulled both at the request of editor of Tandav News, a Pokhara-based weekly, was detained the government. The cancellation put an end to a phase of events, which began for publishing a story online about a local businessman with PM Oli’s dramatic effort to split the involved in financial fraud. In fact, according to the cyber- Samajbadi party and weaken the crime cell at Nepal Police, 106 cases were filed in Kathmandu Madhes-based parties. Valley in the last three years for posts on social media. Free Oli’s moves appear to have backfired. speech advocates have been rightly maintaining that author- A large chunk of the civil society and his ities have been using provisions in the law as a weapon to party stood against him while the curtail freedom of speech. Rashtriya Janata Party and the Cybersecurity is necessary, but authorities should not use Samajbadi Party went into overdrive for a merger. safety as a weapon to gag opinions. Any cybercrime legisla- The annulment of the two ordinances, tion that possesses a threat to press freedom must be revised. however, is not the end of the story. Oli Also, laws must apply to everyone equally. The authorities may be down but is not out. To bolster concerned cannot arrest someone for writing their personal his position, PM Oli is likely to use the opinion on twitter while letting go of people who have two remaining tools: executive control SHUTTERSTOCK committed serious crimes. The Asgar Ali incident is a case and the agenda of nationalism. Given minister in Province 2 would have corruption. The latest cases of the two on four agendas: nationalism, good in point. that Oli’s incentives remain intact, we marked a satisfying personal victory for ordinances and the attempt to split the governance, political stability and may likely see tumultuous political PM Oli. Samajbadi Party are reflections of this economic development. He used the Ali is the IT Consultant to the Prime Minister. But he land- events soon. nexus. nationalist agenda against India and ed in a controversy soon after it was found that a software Amendment to the Constitutional good governance against Nepali company owned by him had secretly removed a news content Amendment to the Political Parties Council Act The Office of the President Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba. by hacking into a Kathmandu-based online news portal. It Act Similarly, the first amendment to the Act Oli’s fight with Pushpa Kamal Dahal and People, who were dissatisfied with con- was later proved that the allegations made against Ali were The ordinance amending the Political Related to the Constitutional Council the Madhesi forces is a long one. He had stant changes in government and true. But he was never punished even though what he did was Parties Act 2073 made changes in four 2066, removed and replaced the earlier relented in recent months after his horse-trading, approved the idea of polit- a serious cyber offence. articles easing the restrictions for the Article 6, which required unanimous health worsened, but he seems to have ical stability. Their frustration with pov- The freedom of expression is one of the most important split of smaller and new nationally rec- decision among the six council members. upped his manoeuvrings after appearing erty and conflict made them dream of ognised parties. The changes in the Act The change allowed the council to meet to have recovered from his chronic economic development. rights that form the bedrock of democracy. In our case, it is a weakened the principles of multi-party even if only four council members are malaise. The Office of the President has Within two-and-half years of his right guaranteed by the constitution. But the Oli-led adminis- democracy, particularly their ability to present and take decisions through a been complicit in partisan political rule, most of his agenda has become tration has continually shown disregard for freedom of make elected members accountable. majority. manoeuvres and has frequently taken irrelevant. His agenda of good govern- speech. What we are witnessing in the country bears a stark The provision discriminated between In the past, political parties had a the lead in internal party politics of the ance has been exposed by reports resemblance to states being run by dictators. Like dictators, members of parliament elected through habit of colluding to allocate constitu- Nepal Communist Party (NCP). of corruption and the desire to the prime minister likes to be surrounded by unctuous peo- the first past the post system (FPTP) and tional positions to their cronies. In In recent years, the president has extend executive control by misusing ple but is quick to punish those whose line of thought he those elected through the proportional recent years, Oli has been using the acted as an executive in many instances, democratic processes. Similarly, Covid- representation (PR) system. The move council to strengthen executive control. whether in the conduction of foreign 19 has dented the agenda of economic disagrees with. Or with those who are not sycophants and coincided with efforts to split the It is one of the reasons why other politi- policy or taking part in government development. examine things critically. While corruption during a pan- Samajbadi Party and alter the power cal leaders were so peeved. functioning. How the two ordinances As a result, PM Oli will only have demic goes unpunished, expressing one’s opinion in a coun- equation in Province 2. The greatest threat to the prime minis- were expedited by avoiding the regular recourse to the agenda of political stabil- try that likes to call itself a democracy invites irk from those In addition to luring the potential ter’s political authority has come from process is worrisome. The latest episode ity and nationalism, although his agenda chosen to serve the people. defectors—those who were already dis- inside his party and from the Madhes. marks another instance where the presi- have considerably been weakened by his Freedom of the press is essential to any democracy and any satisfied with Upendra Yadav’s leader- Therefore, he is abusing his executive dent has failed to uphold the constitution policies and practices. laws that might be used to circumscribe that freedom should ship—by offering money, individuals control over bodies like the Commission and rise above petty politics. Her moves The only way out for him to overcome be scrutinised so that it is not misused. More importantly, the close to the prime minister were threat- for Investigation of Abuse of Authority have debased the office, undermined the current crisis is to strengthen politi- ening prosecution in cases of corrup- (CIAA) and the Department of Money democratic principles and destabilised cal dominance by extending executive Oli-led administration, which is already roundly criticised by tion, people directly knowledgeable Laundering Investigation (DMLI) to Nepali politics. control. In the days ahead, there will be a all sections of society must remember that they are serving a about the chain of events claimed. silence his political opponents, including further conflict between Oli and democratic country where people have a voice. Such intimi- Weakening the Madhes-based forces Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Legitimacy in crisis other claimants to power, which will cost dation tactics will only make their voices louder, not softer. by splitting them and changing the chief Everything in Nepali politics is tied to The prime minister rose to power based Nepal more.

Covid-19: Impact on the banking sector

There are numerous big projects in which the Blanket policies announced by bank and financial institutions have been invested. These will be infected by the high the government, intended as fluctuations on the exchange rate which will further hamper the profitability and repay- relief measures, may do more ment amount of loans in the banking sector. Nepal’s own management of the money mar- harm than good. ket should be another key area of risk manage- ment. As both inflation or stagflation are unwanted ailments to the economy, policy NIRMALA PAUDEL measures alone, without actual injection of cash by the government, may have very little desired impact.

Cushions and measures To mitigate these unwanted risks, at least some measures are inevitable—hopefully imple- mented sooner rather than later. In the last fiscal year, the financial sector con- A major one will be effective communica- tributed about 6.3 percent to Nepal’s gross tion. Senior executives with communication domestic product (GDP). This contribution had skill can mitigate market fears, minimise staff more than doubled over a period of a decade. absenteeism and maintain a market presence, But with the onset of the global pandemic, the adding more value to customers. The banking prospect of Nepal’s financial sector looks fair- industry now needs to coordinate across busi- ly bleak as it is one of the most severely hit. ness functions, employee health, lending port- The severity of the impact of the pandemic, folio and recovery. It should focus on how to however, will mostly depend on its duration, revive all services with strong internal and the government’s preparedness, and the effica- external communication strategies, along with cy of the health care system. Also, given the a recovery plan. It should also focus on main- pervasiveness of spread of the virus across the taining the reserves at healthy levels, enhanc- globe, Nepal will not remain untouched ing the quality of service and modifying by sharply reduced international flow of deposit and loan products as per the need of finances, along with other interactions, across the times. economies. The client support system is the most pivotal The overarching uncertainty in every walk aspect of addressing the present situation, of national life as the world is completely where the business confidence of most entre- gripped by the clutches of the pandemic, fol- preneurs and borrowers has hit rock bottom. lowed by a long lockdown announced by the Borrowers need technical and cash-flow man- government, has virtually halted all economic agement support to sustain their business. activities—in production, distribution and, to Thus, banks should first establish the mecha- a great extent, consumption, too. During the nism to interact with its loan customers to last two weeks, cash withdrawal of about Rs5 address their problems. Then, in consultation billion from the banks and financial institu- with their customers, they can reschedule the tions (BFIs) signals diminished consumer con- payment also in line with the relief packages fidence. At the same time, the emerging scenar- announced by the government and Nepal io of drastically reduced investment opportu- Rastra Bank. nities may soon result in excessive liquidity in SHUTTERSTOCK Finally, the government must come up with the system. The potential extensive default on are also added costs to consider, such as for the health of the BFIs. Indian currency. As the Indian rupee faces an a workable stimulus and support package in the repayment of loan and mortgage instal- procurement of protective and sanitising The Covid-19 pandemic may force the asset almost 5 percent depreciation against the US consultation with the representative industry ments pose the real risk of systemic failure. equipment. Further, staff absenteeism may prices to decline, and it may place the balance dollar, and as India’s economy has been on a organisations, one being the Nepal Bankers’ The government’s response to the crisis seems increase—due to both psychological resistance sheet of many financial institutions under downturn, Nepal will feel the shock, too. Association. Many of the blanket policies to have been announced without much home- and added family obligations. All of this will pressure for several fiscal years. Banks will Remittance inflow has been Nepal’s main announced by the government, like deferral on work done, and it has put the entire banking bring about additional challenges in human operate at a higher degree of competition—to source of foreign currency earning for years payments for all and sundry, including those industry under additional duress. resources management as well. attract deposits as well as to find investable now. But this is also in a declining trend, see- who are capable and willing to pay, has put the At this critical juncture of existential crisis, Further, the cost for deposit mobilisation projects. This, in turn, will lead some finan- ing a 0.5 percent reduction during the first BFIs in a very awkward situation. Any deferral the Nepali banking sector seriously needs to could increase substantially, since the govern- cially vulnerable BFIs towards bankruptcy. seven months of the current fiscal year. in payment for banks is a cost augmentation. work on risk evaluation. Some risks are inevi- ment’s development budget is unlikely to be The role of the regulator and the government Another key source of foreign currency earn- Therefore, the government can instead ascer- table and require equally meticulous plans to spent as per guidance. Customers are likely to policies in the days to come will be critical in ings, the tourism sector, may take a very long tain the relief needs of the pandemic-affected take them head-on. hold a more-than-normal amount of cash with saving the entire financial system from such time to resurrect. All this will reduce Nepal’s borrowers on an individual basis and provide them due to the uncertainty surrounding the predicament. reserves of foreign currencies, making it diffi- support accordingly, instead of making gener- Operational risk future. On the other hand, due to reduced cult for her to pay the ballooning import bills. ic policy statements which are eventually The disruption to normal life will continue for production and other economic activities, the Currency risk Financial institutions with hedge invest- impossible to implement. a long while. This will put some added pressure demand for credit in lucrative investable Nepal’s currency risk is largely associated ments will experience swinging stresses as per on BFIs; the logistics management in a new projects could also plummet. All this will with the health of the Indian economy because the extent of the disruption by the impact of Paudel is a branch manager at normal will be challenging enough, but there have obvious adverse effects on the financial the Nepali rupee is strictly pegged to the the novel coronavirus on the global economy. Prabhu Bank.

C M Y K 05 | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 NATIONAL Rescuers recover bodies of two Damak Municipality expedites South Korean tourists buried Covid-19 tests after a case was in an avalanche in January reported in the eastern town Annapurna Base Camp area. On Wednesday, security personnel recovered the body of a Nepali high altitude worker at Ward No. 11 of The Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed another case of the coronavirus in Jhapa. Annapurna Rural Municipality in Kaski. Police identified the body as that of Min Bahadur Tamang, a resi- dent of Dhading district. Rescuers had found the body of one of the three missing Nepali workers a few days after they had gone missing. Bodies of three of the seven missing are yet to be found. According to the District Police Office in Kaski, four Korean tourists named Lee Min Su, Jong Pil Bong, Kim Sook Ja and Choi Hyo Won, and three Nepali high altitude workers— Wangdak Sherpa, Saroj Pariyar and Min Bahadur Tamang—had been bur- ied in the avalanche. The bodies of Tamang, Pariyar and two Korean tour- ists have been recovered so far. “The bodies recovered on Saturday are of the Korean tourists—one male and another female. Preparations are underway to airlift the bodies to Kathmandu and hand them over to their relatives,” said KC. Search for the remaining three bod- ies are underway at the incident site which lies at an altitude of around PHOTO COURTESY: DAMAK MUNICIPALITY 3,200 metres from the sea level. It takes The municipality on Sunday collected samples of 74 people from three of its wards to test for Covid-19. POST PHOTO: DEEPAK PARIYAR two days to reach the site from Seven people had gone missing on January 17 in the Annapurna Base Camp area. Pokhara. ARJUN RAJBANSHI that a 62-year-old man from Damak individuals who had come in contact According to the Tourist Police DAMAK, APRIL 26 Ward No. 3 had tested positive for with the patient and his son, who had DEEPAK PARIYAR Raj Kumar KC said the bodies were Office in Pokhara, three backpacks of Covid-19. The ward has been under recently returned from Dubai,” said POKHARA, APRIL 26 retrieved by a team of police person- the missing Korean tourists were also Damak Municipality on Sunday col- lockdown following the positive case. Limbu. “We will send the swab sam- nel, locals and employees of the recovered from the incident site on lected samples of 74 people from three According to health officials, the ples to the Dharan-based BP Koirala A team of rescuers recovered two bod- Annapurna Conservation Area Wednesday. “Efforts are underway to of its wards to test for Covid-19, as two patient is currently receiving treat- Institute of Health Sciences early ies of South Korean tourists, who had Project. find the other missing bodies as well. people in Jhapa district tested positive ment at the Biratnagar-based Koshi Monday morning.” gone missing three months ago, at Seven people—four South Korean The snow has started to melt, so we’re for the disease. The throat and nasal Covid Hospital. Meanwhile, a team of doctors and Hinku between the villages of tourists and three Nepali high altitude hoping that the search for the missing swabs of 44 people out of the 74 have Deputy Mayor and spokesperson of medical personnel from the Himalaya and Deurali in Annapurna workers—had gone missing on will be easier,” said Bidhan Singh been collected for testing through the Municipality Gita Adhikari Epidemiology and Disease Control Rural Municipality on Saturday. January 17 in an avalanche that had Chhetri, assistant sub-inspector at the Polymerase Chain Reaction method. informed that the team collected sam- Division, World Health Organisation Deputy Superintendent of Police hit the Century Trekking Route in the Tourist Police Office. Four medical teams from Damak ples from 60 individuals from ward no. and the Provincial Ministry of Social Hospital led by Dr Khadka Lal Limbu 6, and four each from wards 6 and 9, Development had arrived at Damak to collected the samples from ward no 3, while six samples were collected take stock of the situation. 6 and 9 of the municipality. from individuals referred by other The Health Ministry on Sunday The municipality decided to contact hospitals. confirmed another positive case of Nepal Police’s ... Oli faces tough time amid trace and expedite testing after the “We have conducted rapid diagnos- Covid-19 in a 50-year-old man from Health Ministry on Friday confirmed tic tests and taken throat swabs of Jhapa. >> Continued from page 1 However, politics took a sudden turn when the Samajbadi Party and pressure to choose between Rastriya Janata Party decided to merge, foiling Oli’s plan to split the third and fourth largest parties in heading party and leading ... Fears of a rise in cases of domestic ... Parliament one after another. The gov- ernment subsequently withdrew the >> Continued from page 1 Shrestha told the Post. “Something >> Continued from page 1 This trend has not only continued bodies.” ordinance on Friday. Even though Oli is in minority in concrete will come up in a day or two.” Total cases of gender-based vio- during the lockdown but is expected to But with all public movement pro- Janata Samajbadi Party leaders the Secretariat and Standing Leaders from the Nepal faction say lence, including rape, attempted rape, have made things worse, as women are hibited, women are now unable to have alleged that the police is failing Committee, as of now, he still appears that only a credible reconciliation pro- allegations of witchcraft, polygamy, often unable to reach police stations visit these organisations in person, to do its duty by refusing to register a to command a comfortable majority posal from Oli can save him. and domestic violence for a period of or shelter homes on their own. leading them to either bear with the criminal case, especially since it when it comes to the party’s 174 “When Oli faces the Standing only 10 days preceding the lockdown “Most cases that are occurring right violence or attempt to reach some sup- involves the former inspector general. Members of Parliament—121 from the Committee, he needs to come up with numbered 1,561. In contrast, nation- now go unreported because the perpe- port via helplines. “How can we believe the rule of law former CPN-UML and 53 from the a convincing proposal, or else he is in wide cases during the first three trators are family members. Survivors “I have been counselling women is upheld and people’s lives will be Maoists. for a tough time,” said Bishnu Rijal, a weeks of the lockdown were just 362. usually repress such instances from who are extremely vulnerable in their protected in Oli’s government when central committee member who has “Amidst this pandemic, the crime other members of their family and own homes and if not for the lock- police refuse to register the case?” close relations with Nepal. “A situa- rate has dropped substantially,” said filing formal complaints is out of the down, they would have found an Bhattarai wrote on Twitter. The alle- Ruling party leaders tion may arise where Oli has to hand Senior Superintendent Umesh Raj question,” said Sanjita Timsina, pro- opportune moment to run to the police gations regarding Yadav’s abduction over either the prime ministership or Joshi, the Nepal Police spokesperson. gramme coordinator at WOREC. station and file a complaint,” said have become an albatross around Oli’s are also wary of any party chairmanship to Nepal.” “The same effect can be seen in cases “The survivors cannot seek support Punyashila Dawadi, an advocate. neck, as his own party leaders, who How things evolve, however, will of gender-based violence, perhaps due from friends or other designated offi- “Now, with limited mobility and con- were already against the ordinances, drastic moves that also depend on Dahal’s moves. to the fact that men cannot be out on cials because they cannot leave their tinuous surveillance from their abus- are questioning his moral standing. Another leader close to Nepal said the roads and women are safer at houses.” ers, they do not have that freedom.” “The move to issue ordinances trig- Oli could make. that if Dahal shows any interest in home.” However, police officers them- According to women rights activ- Government agencies, however, are gered a series of events that also becoming the prime minister while he selves disagree with the institution’s ists, the situation under lockdown is still reluctant to draw direct links include allegations that a lawmaker and Oli continue as party chairs, assessment. One police officer from largely reflective of the situation at all between the lockdown and an increase was kidnapped. Who’s answerable?” But given the evolving dynamics, Nepal is likely to side with Oli. the Ranipokhari women’s cell told the other times—many women don’t trust in gender-based violence. Jhala Nath Khanal, a senior ruling where the former UML too has vari- With pressure mounting on Oli, rul- Post that complaints are often not reg- the system and would rather make Shanta Adhikari Bhattarai, secre- party leader and former prime minis- ous factions led by Nepal, Jhala Nath ing party leaders are also wary of any istered when police are able to recon- complaints to non-governmental tary at the National Women ter, told the Post. Khanal and Bamdev Gautam, the drastic moves that Oli could make. cile the two parties. organisations, hence the discrepancy Commission, said that an increase in A majority of Nepal Communist tables could quickly turn, as all “The prime minister is waiting “We have received 19 cases of between the official data and anecdo- telephone calls alone cannot vouch for Party Secretariat and Standing these leaders are currently in the for the rival faction to make a domestic violence in this cell alone,” tal evidence. an increase in domestic violence. Committee members have been Dahal fold. move,” said Gokul Baskota, one of she told the Post on condition of ano- “A lot of survivors who have spoken “Domestic violence has always been demanding a Standing Committee But so far, Oli has resisted and Oli’s close aides. nymity. “We usually let them off after to me do not trust the police or the present in Nepali society and it is con- meeting for Oli to answer questions. refused to even call the Secretariat “Let them call the Standing the abusers promise not to repeat the women commission because of how tinuing during the lockdown,” Amid allegations and counter-alle- meeting, a prerequisite for the Committee meeting and Secretariat abuse. Sometimes, such cases are not casually their cases have been han- Bhattarai said. “In concluding that gations, mostly over social media, Standing Committee to convene. meeting and let them table a no confi- formally registered.” dled,” said Adhikari of WOREC. “This there is an interlink between the two, calls were also growing for the accus- “There is no decision yet when the dence vote against the prime minister. Even in normal times, cases of is a major reason why they have been we might overlook other important ers to file a case and for the accused to Secretariat meeting will be held,” The prime minister will respond domestic and gender-based violence turning to local gender rights agen- factors that might have led to an legally defend themselves. party spokesperson Narayan Kaji accordingly.” are considered highly underreported. cies instead of designated government increase in the phone calls,” she said. “Since police refused to take the case, now we are planning to consult a government attorney,” said Shrestha. Cases like abduction are govern- ment cases and, by law, such cases should be take by the government Dang’s health workers struggle to find accommodation to self-quarantine attorney. Numaraj Khanal, the Kathmandu district government attorney, said if a police office refuses For a lack of quarantine facility, health workers deployed at the temporary hospital are staying on hospital premises. to register a case, the complainants either need to file an application at the DURGALAL KC lated lodging. In Beljhundi, however, district government attorney’s office DANG, APRIL 26 there are no hotels. The nearest hotels or reach out to a higher police office. are in Tulsipur, seven kilometres The police’s refusal to register a case On Wednesday, Dr Sarbesh Sharma of away, and in Ghorahi, which is 16km by someone who is identifying himself a corona-specific hospital in Beljhundi away from Beljhundi. as a victim shows dereliction of duty wrote a Facebook status requesting a The lodging facilities inside the hos- and if that is happening at direct lodging facility for a team of health pital have been suboptimal, Sharma orders from the people in power, it’s workers he leads. said. “We need somewhere decent to even more dangerous, say legal experts. “Respected hotel entrepreneurs, stay and there should be a team that “Rejecting the application shows social workers, political representa- manages food for us,” he said, adding there is a clear influence of power. tives, administrative authorities and that currently the health workers are There is nothing called rule of law friends from the media,” Sharma, who cooking food for themselves. here,” said Bhimarjun Acharya, a sen- is the member secretary at the coro- As of now, 45 health workers are ior advocate. “Since all those accused na-specific hospital, wrote. deployed at the hospital, while the are in Kathmandu and the person who “We appeal to you to help manage a hospital administration has urged is making allegations was brought hotel for us to quarantine ourselves at. other doctors at the Tulsipur Zonal here, police should register the case.” We are not untouchables. We are com- Hospital and health workers at the Former police officials say that pelled to touch you to save your lives.” local units to prepare themselves to recent events associated with the Health workers working day in and fight Covid-19. Nepal Police have damaged its image. day out at the temporary hospital have The temporary hospital has a capac- The recent incident involving a for- struggled to find a place to live in ity of 100 beds, of which 20 are cur- mer chief of police could do more Dang. According to Sharma, health rently occupied. Previously, 64 indi- harm to an institution that is already workers are currently staying at viduals were isolated at the hospital, facing criticism for its manner of the hospital premises and are all of whom have returned home after treating citizens. At this very moment, taking turns to go home once a week testing negative for the novel corona- police are under fire for arresting, at since there have been no positive cases virus. the behest of the government, a for- so far. Govinda Prasad Rijal, chief district mer government secretary over his “But if there’s a positive case, we officer and coordinator of the coro- social media posts. can’t go home as we may get infected na-specific hospital, said, “As of now, According to former deputy inspec- ourselves and in turn infect our fami- the health workers are living on the tor general Hemanta Malla, police ly members too,” Sharma told the hospital premises, as the condition is officers could have felt pressure to Post. “What do we do in that case? not dire. If the number of Covid-19 reject the case since it is related to There are no hotels nearby. So it’s time patients increases, we will manage powerful political actors. we think about it.” isolated lodging and food for them. We “But they could have accepted it and Sharma said that health workers on are discussing to find a viable solu- later transferred it to Mahottari police the front line of the fight against POST PHOTO: DURGALAL KC tion. We won’t put the health workers for further investigation,” said Malla. Covid-19 should be provided with iso- Forty-five health workers are deployed at the corona-specific hospital in Beljhundi, Dang. in any kind of trouble.”

C M Y K MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 | 06 MONEY

FOREX Japan Airlines US Dollar 122.63 Vegetable imports banned to promote Euro 132.70 looking to tap Pound Sterling 151.68 banks for $2.8 billion Japanese Yen 11.41 local products and keep virus at bay Chinese Yuan 17.32 in funding Qatari Riyal 33.45 Officials are working to bring fresh produce directly from the farmers’ fields to consumers.

Australian Dollar 78.32 REUTERS DURGA LAL KC TOKYO, APRIL 26 Malaysian Ringit 28.13 DANG, APRIL 26 Japan Airlines Co is discussing the Saudi Arab Riyal 32.61 The local administration has banned possibility of securing financing total- Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank the import of vegetables and fruits ing $2.8 billion from its lenders to from India, and all contraband food cushion the financial blow of the coro- items and fresh produce have been navirus outbreak, public broadcaster PRICE PER TOLA destroyed and the warehouses where NHK said on Saturday. BULLION they were stored have been sealed. The airline, which has seen its pas- Local officials and the Dang senger numbers tumble as it has Fine Gold Rs 77,000 Chamber of Commerce and Industry slashed 90 percent of its international said the move was directed at promot- flights and 60 percent of domestic Silver Rs 720 ing domestic products and preventing flights, has tapped its main lenders the possible spread of the coronavirus Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, SOURCE: FENEGOSIDA from the southern neighbour. Mizuho Financial Group and other Traders had been supplying Indian banks for extra funding, NHK said, vegetables as they are cheaper; but citing unnamed sources. GASOLINE WATCH following the stringent embargo, all It was also considering securing deliveries to the market have stopped, special emergency funding from officials said. the Development Bank of Japan Vegetables grown locally are now (DBJ), it added. being sold in the bazaar, said Narayan Global airlines are struggling to pay Prasad Bhusal, president of the Dang fixed costs as the majority of their Chamber of Commerce and Industry. planes have been grounded due to “Domestic produce are starting to traveling restrictions put in place to gain a market after imports were control the spread of the coronavirus. stopped,” he said. Japan’s government has promised We are working to bring vegetables POST FILE PHOTO financial support for the country’s directly from the farmers’ fields A file photo shows farmers harvesting potatoes. airlines as part of a coronavirus stim- to consumers, he added. “The vegeta- ulus package equivalent to a fifth of ble requirement is being fulfilled their products directly to consumers Sushil Pokhrel, has taken his place. great risk of spreading the coronavi- Japan’s annual GDP, although it has by local production. The district is without having to rely on layers of Vegetables brought from India have rus, said Biru Rawat, president of the yet to say how much they will receive. even self-sufficient in the supply of middlemen. all been destroyed, and the shops sell- Tulsipur Chamber of Commerce and JAL and its rival ANA Holdings Inc cabbage, and is able to export it to “Farmers were not getting a fair ing them have been sealed. A vegeta- Industry. The vegetable and fruit mar- are not government owned, but ties other places.” value for their crops, so we have short- ble market in Tulsipur where Indian ket that was shut down had been with regulators are close, with offi- There are adequate stocks of varied ened the supply chain to allow them to vegetables are mostly sold has also importing Indian products in defiance cials and politicians willing to extend kinds of local vegetables, but lemon is sell their vegetables by themselves,” been shuttered. of the ban. A team from the consumer financial help in troubled times to in short supply in the market. This he said. Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan City rights protection division of Tulsipur support a domestic aviation network has made growers realise the impor- The chamber had decided to collect decided to ban the import of Indian Sub-Metropolitan City and the which connects an island archipelago tance of lemon farming, Bhusal said. fresh produce from the farmers and vegetable as local production was suf- Tulsipur Commerce and Industry stretching almost 3,000 kilometers “There is a huge demand for lemon deliver them to the consumers’ homes, ficient. Officials said the coronavirus Association closed the market. (1,800 miles). in the market, but we have not been but after it was revealed that several was spreading widely in India, and The inspection team also found a Earlier this month, Reuters report- able to fulfil it,” he said. of its vehicles based in Tulsipur were there was increasing risk of the dis- large number of shops selling vegeta- ed that ANA is seeking a $2.8 billion Vegetables are being brought in being used to transport vegetables ease being transmitted to Nepal with bles imported from India in Tulsipur-5. credit line from the DBJ, and is work- from Rolpa and Salyan too, he said. A from India, the coordinator of the the shipments. Many fruit and vegetable stores found ing with private banks to bring for- home delivery system has been start- scheme, Ram Prasad Pokhrel, stepped Four Indian vehicles were arriving selling Indian vegetables have been ward $930 million in borrowing that Embraer hits out ed for farmers so that they can sell down. The treasurer of the chamber, daily with vegetables, and there was ordered closed. had been scheduled for June. after Boeing scraps $4.2 billion tie-up India plans to fast track Chinese UK economy crumbling investments after policy change under coronavirus strain REUTERS REUTERS LONDON, APRIL 26 NEW DELHI, APRIL 26 The United Kingdom’s economy is India plans to fast track the review of crumbling under the strain of the some investment proposals from neig- coronavirus lockdown and govern- bouring countries such as China fol- ment borrowing is soaring to the high- lowing concerns new screening rules est levels in peacetime history, could hit plans of companies and increasing pressure on the govern- investors, three sources told Reuters ment to set out an exit strategy. on Saturday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, To avoid opportunistic takeovers recuperating at his country residence REUTERS during the coronavirus outbreak, after being seriously ill with COVID- A view of the Boeing Renton Factory in India said this week that all foreign 19, is facing criticism from opposition Renton, Washington, US. direct investment from countries politicians and some epidemiologists sharing a land border would require REUTERS for reacting too slowly to the novel REUTERS REUTERS prior government clearance, meaning A general view of Mumbai’s central financial district, India. coronavirus outbreak. A woman wearing a protective face mask SAO PAULO/PARIS, APRIL 26 they can’t go through a so-called auto- With the number of deaths in hospi- walks out of an underground tube station in matic route. proposals as soon as possible. It Dipti Lavya Swain, a partner at tals hitting 18,738, ministers are work- the City of London financial district. Boeing Co on Saturday pulled out of a Advisers to Chinese firms have said may be faster for some (sectors) and in Indian law firm HSA Advocates ing to roll out a mass testing and $4.2 billion deal to buy Embraer’s com- they are concerned the process could others we might take some time,” said which advises Chinese companies, tracking programme to try to reduce 12.9 from 6.0 in March—not even close mercial jets division, sparking a take several weeks and hit deals and the official, who did not want to be said sectors such as telecoms, finan- the rate of transmission and possibly to the weakest forecast in a Reuters furious response from its jilted part- investment timelines. Auto firms such named due to the sensitivity of the cial services and insurance were like- ease stringent measures that have all poll of economists that had pointed to ner and leaving plans for a US-Brazil as SAIC’s MG Motor and Great Wall, discussions. ly to be deemed more sensitive than but shut the economy. a reading of 31.4. alliance from regional jets to jumbos and investors Alibaba and Tencent Two other sources familiar with the others such as automobiles and Ministers have been struggling to The UK will issue 180 billion pounds in tatters. have placed major bets on India. government’s thinking confirmed that renewable energy. explain high death rates, limited test- ($222 billion) of government debt The collapse, first reported by The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi a fast track mechanism was being con- “Approvals should be a seamless ing and shortages of protective kit, between May and July, more than it Reuters, came hours after a midnight has called the new screening policy sidered, with possible approval time- process and anything between two to and the reality of the damage to the had previously planned for the entire deadline expired with no agreement discriminatory. lines of seven days to four weeks. four weeks could still be bearable,” world’s fifth largest economy hit home financial year. on how to implement a deal first A senior Indian government source India’s ministry of commerce and Swain said. “Sectors which are on Thursday. The country’s debt mountain aired in 2018, partially in response to a who is involved in policymaking told industry did not immediately respond already under severe financial dis- “We are experiencing an economic exceeds $2.5 trillion and its public sec- similar Canadian acquisition by Reuters that New Delhi will try to to a request for comment. tress and do not concern national contraction that is faster and deeper tor net borrowing could reach 14 per- Europe’s Airbus. approve any investment proposal in a While the fast track mechanism security should also receive faster than anything we have seen in the past cent of gross domestic product this Boeing accused Embraer of failing non-sensitive sector within 15 days would be open to all India’s neigh- approvals.” century, or possibly several centu- year, the biggest single year deficit to meet conditions for closing the when the stake being bought is not bours with a land border, China would The new Indian screening rules are ries,” Bank of England interest-rate since World War Two. transaction, but Embraer said Boeing significant. be the main beneficiary. Unlike designed to prevent fire sales of corpo- setter Jan Vlieghe said. A Reuters poll of economists on had torpedoed it because of wider The official declined to elaborate on Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, rate assets during the coronavirus The recovery, he said, was unlikely Thursday pointed to a roughly 13 per- financial problems it faces as a result which sectors would be considered Nepal and Bhutan, it has major exist- outbreak but government sources to be swift. cent contraction in economic output of the coronavirus crisis and the sensitive and what threshold of invest- ing and planned investments in India, have said they will also apply to green- The IHS Markit/CIPS Flash UK in the current quarter, which would be grounding of its 737 MAX. ment would be deemed significant. which the Brookings research group field investments, as well as invest- Composite Purchasing Managers’ the largest since records began after “Embraer believes strongly that “We will try to fast track investment estimated at $26 billion. ments from Hong Kong. Index (PMI) fell to a new record low of World War Two. Boeing has wrongfully terminated the (agreement,)” the Brazilian company said. Boeing struck a more emollient tone but behind the scenes, both sides were bracing for months of argument over the breakup. Little suspense as Fed meets with US economy in crisis “Over the past several months, we had productive but ultimately unsuc- cessful negotiations ... We all aimed to AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE down nationwide to stop the spread of “The statement has to be, we’re resolve those by the initial termina- WASHINGTON, APRIL 26 the virus, the Fed rolled out trillions here, we’re committed to doing any- tion date, but it didn’t happen,” Boeing of dollars in new credit lines to keep thing we can,” he said. senior vice-president Marc Allen said The Federal Reserve already cut its the financial system from locking up Powell has hammered home that in a statement. benchmark lending rate to as the economy fell off a cliff. message and likely will repeat it again The rift halts the second half of a zero and made unprecedented The two-day meeting of the rate-set- at his press conference on Wednesday major reshaping of the global duopoly moves to bolster liquidity as the coro- ting Federal Open Market after the meeting concludes. between Boeing and Airbus as both navirus slammed the US economy, so Committee (FOMC), starting Tuesday, He has said the economic comeback companies sought to expand into it is not expected to do much besides will be the first scheduled meeting “can be robust” once the virus is regional jets. Airbus bought the project confidence at its policy meet- since unemployment filings surged tamed, but the Fed’s most recent Canadian CSeries in 2018 and renamed ing this week. past 26 million and key indicators of “beige book” survey showed the pain it A220, which has sold well. Held by video conference, the economic health plummeted. may yet continue. Industry sources say Boeing was gathering will lack much of the sus- But the FOMC has limited power to As far as interest rates, the central interested in Embraer mainly for pense of previous meetings, with ana- address those issues, and analysts say bank has nowhere to go but negative, access to lower-cost engineers and lysts most interested in what the Fed the central bank already has done and Naroff says there is no chance of new manufacturing options, but it is and its chair Jerome Powell have to much of what it can. that. Nor will it consider raising rates now pondering cutting 10 percent of say about the future of the world’s “My best guess is it’s going to be a any time soon, even when lockdowns its workforce while also seeking US largest economy. rather uneventful meeting,” chief US are lifted. federal help for the aerospace sector. “He’s going to basically say ‘we economist at JP Morgan Michael “The Fed’s not going to do anything The feud also breaks a previously know what we’re doing,’” economist Feroli told AFP. when things are open until they see close relationship between two of the Joel Naroff said of Powell. “That The pandemic has sickened three to six months of consistent world’s top three planemakers, who doesn’t mean that they’ve got total upwards of 866,000 people in growth,” Naroff said. “Could we go have adopted similar positions on control, but let’s face it, they were pre- the US and killed more than 50,000 as longer than another year? The answer trade battles with Europe and Canada. pared, but the government wasn’t.” of Friday, with the economic is yes.” “This is not the kind of statement As the coronavirus pandemic’s damage spread across most Instead, he expects the central you see very often in this industry,” potential for economic destruction sectors of the economy including bank to be eyeing the resiliency of Teal Group consultant Richard became clear in March, the central retail sales and manufacturing, which debt, as well as lending to companies that occurred during the downturn 12 financial institutions, particularly Aboulafia said. The deal calls for a bank twice held emergency meetings data shows contracting at rates not and municipalities and easing of bank years ago. when it comes to loan losses that could $100 million breakup fee but to cut the rate, ultimately dropping it seen in decades. regulations. Feroli said the meeting will be become more common if the crisis Embraer is poised to sue Boeing for to the 0-0.25 percent range, back to The Fed followed up its rate The aim was to keep the US finan- more about soothing frayed nerves doesn’t ease. significantly more, alleging that the where it was during the global finan- cuts with a host of liquidity cial system from freezing up and it through its communications than “Right now, they’re going over all long period of uncertainty has ham- cial crisis in 2008. measures, including unlimited pur- appears to have worked thus far, with announcing measures like further the things that could potentially hap- pered sales of its E2 jets. And even before businesses shut chases of US Treasury and mortgage few signs of the banking sector chaos liquidity injections. pen going forward,” he said.

C M Y K 07 | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 WORLD Yemen’s southern Train possibly separatists claim belonging to sole control of Aden North Korean ASSOCIATED PRESS SANAA, APRIL 26 leader spotted

Yemen’s southern separatists on Sunday broke a peace deal with the in resort town country’s internationally recognized government and claimed sole control REUTERS of the regional capital of Aden, threat- WASHINGTON/SEOUL, APRIL 26 ening to resume fighting between the two ostensible allies. A special train possibly belonging to In a statement, the separatists’ North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Southern Transitional Council, which was spotted this week at a resort town is backed by the United Arab Emirates, in the country, according to satellite declared a state of emergency and images reviewed by a Washington- said it would “self-govern” the key based North Korea monitoring pro- southern port city and other southern ject, amid conflicting reports about provinces. The separatists accused Kim’s health and whereabouts. Yemen’s government, which is sup- The monitoring project, 38 North, ported by Saudi Arabia, of corruption said in its report on Saturday that the and mismanagement. train was parked at the “leadership The government dismissed the sep- station” in Wonsan on April 21 and aratists’ move. Foreign Minister April 23. The station is reserved for Mohammed Abdullah al-Hadrami the use of the Kim family, it said. called for Saudi Arabia to have a Though the group said it was “clear position” and take “decisive probably Kim Jong Un’s train, Reuters measures against the continuing has not been able to confirm that rebellion of the so-called Transitional independently, or whether he was Council.” in Wonsan. The division between the two sup- “The train’s presence does not prove posed allies is another facet of the the whereabouts of the North Korean country’s complicated civil war. On leader or indicate anything about his one side are the separatists and on the health but it does lend weight to other are forces loyal to former reports that Kim is staying at an elite President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. area on the country’s eastern coast,” Both have fought together in the the report said. Saudi-led coalition’s war against Speculation about Kim’s health first Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels. arose due to his absence from The Houthis in 2014 overran major the anniversary of the birthday of parts of northern Yemen, including AP/RSS North Korea’s founding father the capital, Sanaa, pushing out the A man pulls a wooden house from the back side to place at Pon Sang village in north side of Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Sunday. It is the traditional moving way that villagers and Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung, internationally recognized govern- gather to help each other by using tractors and logs with keeping the house intact. on April 15. ment and ushering in a war that has killed tens of thousands of people. Hadi fled first to Aden and then to North’s state media Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition intervened last reported on in the conflict in 2015 and has since waged war against the Houthis in an Kids in Spain relish outdoor hour Kim’s whereabouts effort to restore Hadi’s government to power. when he chaired a The fighting in the Arab world’s poorest country has also left millions meeting on April 11. suffering from food and medical care as coronavirus lockdowns ease shortages and pushed the country to the brink of famine. Spain, Italy and France, which have Europe’s highest death tolls from the virus, all imposed tough lockdown rules in March. North Korea’s state media last In August, heavy fighting broke reported on Kim’s whereabouts out between Hadi’s forces and the when he presided over a meeting on southern separatists when the latter ASSOCIATED PRESS between restarting the eurozone’s sec- April 11. took Aden, the temporary seat of BARCELONA, APRIL 26 ond-largest economy and preventing a China has dispatched a team to Hadi’s government, and key southern second wave of infections that could North Korea including medical provinces. The fighting stopped Shrieks of joy rang out on Sunday in overwhelm intensive care units. experts to advise on Kim Jong Un, when the two groups reached a deal the streets of Spain as children were French President Emmanuel according to three people familiar in November. allowed to leave their homes for the Macron had already announced that with the situation. first time in six weeks, while residents France’s lockdown would start to be A third-generation hereditary of Italy and France were eager lifted beginning May 11. Philippe’s leader who came to power after his to hear their leaders’ plans on easing speech will flesh out the details, cover- father’s death in 2011, Kim has no some of the world’s strictest coronavi- ing health, schooling, work, shops, clear successor in a nuclear-armed BRIEFING rus lockdowns. transport and gatherings. The lock- country, which could present major The sound of children shouting and down has been raising tensions in international risk. the rattle of bikes on the pavement France’s poorest areas. Italy’s Premier On Thursday, US President Donald Modi urges citizens to after the 44-day seclusion of Spain’s Giuseppe Conte is expected to Trump downplayed reports that Kim follow lockdown youngest citizens offered a first taste announce more details easing the was ill. “I think the report was incor- of a gradual return to normal life in lockdown in the coming days for the rect,” Trump told reporters, but he NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister the country that has the second-high- first European country to see a large- declined to say if he had been in touch Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed est number of confirmed infections, scale coronavirus outbreak. with North Korean officials. to citizens to strictly comply with a behind the United States. Britain, which has joined the Italy, Trump has met Kim three times in nationwide lockdown and maintain “This is wonderful! I can’t believe it Spain and France in recording over an attempt to persuade him to give up social distancing norms, as cases of has been six weeks,” Susana Sabaté, a 20,000 virus-related deaths, imposed a a nuclear weapons program that coronavirus mounted steadily despite mother of 3-year-old twin boys, said in less harsh shutdown in March. threatens the United States as well as over a month-long curfew. In a radio Barcelona. “My boys are very active. Johnson returns to work amid calls by its Asian neighbours. While talks have address, Modi said the country was in Today when they saw the front door AP/RSS opposition politicians for more clarity stalled, Trump has continued to hail the midst of a “war” and urged hun- and we gave them their scooters, they Brothers Pau, 4, and Leo, 9, sit near the beach, where access is prohibited, in Barcelona, Spain. on when his government will ease the Kim as a friend. dreds of millions of citizens to sus- were thrilled.” lockdown now set to run until at least A Trump administration official tain the “people driven” fight and not Wary of igniting new infection Two weeks after he was discharged home. Children under 14 have been in May 7. The British government is also said continuing days of North Korean be misled into believing the spread of flare-ups, nations around the world from a London hospital, British Prime complete seclusion, but as of Sunday facing criticism over limited testing media silence on Kim’s whereabouts the virus has been brought fully have been taking divergent paths on Minister Boris Johnson—the only morning they were allowed to take and a lack of protective gear for medi- had heightened concerns about his under control. I will urge you that we when to reopen their economies after major world leader so far to fall ill walks with one parent for up an hour. cal workers. condition, and that information should not be trapped into over-confi- weeks at a standstill under coronavi- with Covid-19—will return to work on Those weren’t the only restrictions. Several countries in Europe are remained scant from a country US dence and nurse the belief that in our rus lockdowns. Monday, his office said. Spanish youngsters must be within 1 already further along in easing lock- intelligence has long regarded as a city, in our village, in our streets, in The number of deaths officially Spain, Italy and France, which have kilometre of their homes, take only downs. Germany started allowing “black box.” our office, coronavirus has not attributed to the new coronavirus has Europe’s highest death tolls from the one toy with them and are not allowed nonessential shops and other facilities The US State Department did not reached and that is why it will not topped 200,000 globally and at least 2.9 virus, all imposed tough lockdown to play with other kids. Authorities to open last week and Denmark has immediately respond to questions reach” Modi said. India has reported million people have been infected, rules in March. All have reported sig- recommend that both parents and reopened schools for children up to about the situation on Saturday. 26,496 cases of Covid-19 and 824 according to a tally by Johns Hopkins nificant progress in bringing down children wash their hands before and fifth grade. Germany’s restaurants Daily NK, a Seoul-based website deaths. University. Those figures are widely infection rates and are ready—wari- after outings. and tourism industry are among those that reports on North Korea, cited one believed to understate the true toll of ly—to start giving their citizens more In France, Prime Minister Edouard still awaiting word on a way forward unnamed source in North Korea on the pandemic, due to limited testing, freedom. Philippe said he will unveil the in Europe’s largest economy, but Monday as saying that Kim had under- Australia launches problems in counting the dead and So far, Spanish adults were allowed “national deconfinement strategy” on Chancellor Angela Merkel has indicat- gone medical treatment in the resort controversial tracking app some governments’ moves to under- out only for essential shopping or to Tuesday. That follows weeks of work ed that more major decisions won’t county of Hyangsan north of the capi- MELBOURNE: The Australian govern- play their outbreaks. go to work that can’t be done from by experts on how to find a balance come before May 6. tal Pyongyang. ment launched a controversial coro- navirus tracing app on Sunday and promised to legislate privacy protec- tions around it as authorities try to get the country and the economy back onto more normal footing. Virus lockdown raises tensions in France’s poorest areas Australia and neighbouring New Zealand have both managed to get their coronavirus outbreaks under ASSOCIATED PRESS need. Providing food aid might be the virus deaths, according to national control before it strained public CLICHY-SOUS-BOIS, FRANCE, APRIL 26 most fixable of the longstanding prob- statistics agency Insee. Experts have health systems, but officials in both lems in the heavily immigrant hous- blamed the density of the population, two countries continue to worry Joining more than 1,000 others, ing projects ringing France’s large the difficulty to enact social distanc- about the risk of another flare-up. Djemba Diatite stood for hours in line cities. Leader after leader has tried ing in often large families and the fact The app, which is based on to feed her growing family, grateful for and failed to find remedies for often-di- that those in poorer areas often have Singapore’s TraceTogether software, handouts of fruits, vegetables and lapidated and cramped housing, jobs with a higher risk of infection. uses Bluetooth signals to log when soap. It was her first time accepting chronic delinquency, a thriving drug Statistics were not available to show people have been close to one another. charity, but she had no choice. The trade and, above all, the entrenched whether the virus was solely responsi- It has been criticised by civil liberties coronavirus pandemic has turned her discrimination against minority com- ble for the higher mortality rates. groups as an invasion of privacy. small world upside down. munities that limits their job pros- “This crisis is simply making [the With open air markets closed, pects in France. problems] much more visible,” said supermarket prices skyrocketing, an Some residents say they felt con- Mohamed Mechmache, who heads the Trump says briefings out-of-work husband, two children fined years before the strict coronavi- association ACLeFeu, or Enough Fire, to feed and another on the way, rus lockdown measures imposed which grew out of the riots and is dis- not worth his time Diatite said even tomatoes are now too March 17. “I feel the social crisis is tributing food in Clichy-sous-Bois. WASHINGTON: President Donald expensive. growing with confinement,” said Thousands now line up twice a week Trump tweeted on Saturday that his “This is my only solution,” she said, Clichy-Sous-Bois Mayor Olivier Klein. for the distribution, organized after daily coronavirus briefings were not relieved that a local group in her Paris “We see numerous people in need, the lockdown began. worth his time, two days after spark- suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois stepped in urgently, in a way we’ve never seen,” Diatite is typical of many in her ing a furor by suggesting patients with help. he told France Info radio. “In these predicament. Her husband drives a might be injected with disinfectant to Clichy-sous-Bois—where fiery tense neighbourhoods, the smallest bus at Paris’ Orly Airport, which kill an infection. He appeared to con- nationwide riots started in 2005—is spark can trigger still more tension.” closed last month due to the lull firm media reports that he was con- just 23 kilometres northeast of the Alongside the food crisis, there has AP/RSS in air traffic, putting him out of work. sidering halting the briefings, French capital, but with its rows of been scattered violence, with youths Residents arrive to collect vegetables, fruits and other staples distributed in a Paris suburb. The growing family lives in a which dominate early-evening cable housing projects, restless youth and targeting French police in confronta- 26-square-metre (less than 280-square television news for sometimes residents teetering on the poverty tions that end in clouds of tear gas but police car in Villeneuve-la-Garenne, large swaths of a population they foot) apartment. more than two hours, out of frustra- line, it feels light years away. no known injuries, including in northwest of Paris. Claims that police barely knew existed. The lockdown is “There is a very large accumulation tion with questions about his han- The town mayor, seeing a looming Clichy-sous-Bois. The town is where were at fault spread across the inter- again shining a spotlight on the still of inequalities that often increase” in dling of the Covid-19 pandemic. crisis triggered by food shortages, filmmaker Ladj Ly shot his Oscar- net. From his hospital bed, he mostly invisible lives of those who a crisis, said sociologist Marie-Helene “What is the purpose of having White sounded the alarm, and with scattered nominated modern police drama “Les implored gangs to “go home,” in a struggle even in the best of times. Bacque who worked with Mechmache House News Conferences when the unrest simmering in impoverished Misérables.” video released by his lawyer. The town is in the poorest region of in 2013 on political participation in Lamestream Media asks nothing but suburbs, the French government A call for calm came from an unlike- Clichy-sous-Bois was the takeoff mainland France, Seine-Saint-Denis, housing projects. About 70 percent of hostile questions, & then refuses to announced a plan for urgent food ly person, a 30-year-old man with a point of nationwide rioting 15 years where the overall mortality rate has the population of Clichy-sous-Bois is report the truth or facts accurately,” assistance of 39 million euros (nearly long criminal record who crashed his ago. Nightly TV images of the destruc- more than doubled since March 1, of immigrant origin, she noted, typi- Trump wrote. (AGENCIES) $42.1 million) for communities in motorcycle into the open door of a tion awakened many in France to when the country began counting cal of similar suburban towns.

C M Y K MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 | 08 CULTURE & ARTS (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 Covid is changing everything, including everyday language From coining words (covidiot) to redefining existing terms (isolation) and centre-staging of rarely used ones (furlough), coronavirus is changing the way we speak.

ANKIT KHADGI that the country is at war, fighting the KATHMANDU invisible enemy—coronavirus. Similarly, while addressing the nation on the day of hen Surakshya Pant Nepali New Year on April 13, Prime saw her friend break- Minister KP Sharma Oli also had said ing lockdown rules that the government is leading the war and going for a walk, against the coronavirus. The constant use the first thing she of war imagery by addressing health pro- did was send him fessionals as front line warriors is also Wa message questioning his decision. “I constantly used to signify how they are told him not to be a covidiot,” says 24-year- leading the pack to combat the spread of old Pant. coronavirus. ‘Covidiot’ is a new term that has been In the Nepali vocabulary as well, there used heavily on social media in recent has been an increase in use of loan words. weeks. Coined by joining two words Words like lockdown, quarantine and iso- ‘covid’ and ‘idiot’, it is being used to lation still haven’t been translated from define those who do not follow physical English and are being directly used with- distancing rules and other precautionary out any modification. measures to keep the virus at bay. Although efforts have been made to The coronavirus pandemic has taken localise these terms, with many using the the world by storm. In many ways, it has term bandabandi to denote lockdown and changed the way our society functions, samajik duri to refer to social distancing, travels and works, and it is also trans- loan words are still extensively used even forming the way we speak. With the rise PHOTO: SCREENGRABS VIA MERRIAMWEBSTER.COM in local media language, which according of neologism in our vocabulary, from our vernacular is through the merging of Aman Upadhaya, a 20-year-old student. to Rai can confuse people as they might ‘covidiot’ to ‘doom surfing’, meaning con- two separately existing words. The pan- The term social distancing (now urged not have understood its meaning. “During suming news related to pandemic demic has introduced a host of portman- According to Google by the WHO to be used as physical dis- a crisis like this the government should obsessively, the coronavirus is teaus: One recent addition is quarantini, trends, terms social tancing) too was mostly used as a socio- focus on using words in local languages changing our lexicon. It is also redefining made from the combination of logical concept. However, because of the so more people can understand the mes- existing terms, like ‘isolation’ and ‘essen- quarantine and martini, an alcoholic distancing, lockdown pandemic, the connotation of the word sage,” he adds. tial’, and has brought to centre-stage beverage that you sip during quarantine; has completely changed. The pandemic has also popularised the words that were hardly used before in and coronnials, used to define the and isolation jumped According to Rai, assistant professor at usage of phrases, particularly “flattening everyday language, like ‘furlough’ or generation born during or after the pan- Central Department of Linguistics of the curve”. The use of such terms, accord- ‘quarantine’. demic made from the combination of two 100-fold in searches. Tribhuvan University, the semantics of ing to linguists, is a successful way of As more people are getting familiar words. words can change as per social circum- ascribing agency to people which will with creating new words as well as epide- Another portmanteau, Zoombombing, searched-for definitions on Merriam- stances. “The meaning of words like remind them about their responsibility in miological jargons, linguist Tara Mani which means unwanted disruption Webster’s website were all related to quarantine and isolation were different. stopping the outbreak. And that holds Rai says it’s not surprising that the nature caused by an individual while people are Covid-19. Likewise, according to Google But now people have accepted the new true. “In the past whenever I heard the of language itself is being changed. conversing on Zoom, a video conferenc- trends, the words social distancing, lock- meaning,” says Rai. term curve I used to associate it with “Language can’t be constant, it is always ing platform, has also been popularised down and isolation also had a 100-fold Another way the coronavirus has some mathematical theorem. But now, moulding itself; new words can be created recently. increase in search volume on Google affected language is how we have come to when I hear the word I am reminded of according to the situations people face,” Words that were until a few months search. use certain words, especially war meta- how we as a society can stop the outbreak says Rai. used mostly health professionals and “I had never heard of the word quaran- phors. The President of the United States of the coronavirus,” says Pant. “Its Perhaps the most popular way epidemiologists have also become part of tine before. Isolation had a different of America, Donald Trump, declared meaning has completely changed, like so new words are making their way into everyday language. The top 50 most meaning for me. As did lockdown,” says himself as a wartime president and said much else.” ESCALATE Low-tech Japan challenged in working from home amid pandemic Contrary to the ultramodern image Japan has, the country, in many respects, is still technologically challenged.

policies. The main problem is with the heads the Board Director Training tions grows, urban commuter trains are small and medium-sized businesses Institute of Japan, a non-profit that offers only slightly less crowded than their which make up about 70 percent of the management and governance training. usual jam-packed state. economy. Japanese companies still rely on nuanc- Futoshi Takami, a “salaryman,” as Nicholas Benes, a corporate govern- es of face-to-face interaction, or being Japanese workers are called, says he had ance expert who has been offering a free able to “smell the air,” or “read the air,” to work from the office until mid-April webinar on teleworking for Japanese, Benes said, using common vernacular when he was finally told he could work said interest was surprisingly low. expressions. from home. But so far, he’s gotten few A lack of up-to-date IT systems means And then, there’s the fax machine. directions about what he’s supposed to be Japan lags in nurturing flexible work A third of Japanese households have doing. He might soon be assigned to take practices, office rules, management meth- faxes, according to a government study. some online classes, he said. ods and even attitudes toward remote It’s rare to find an office that doesn’t Takami, who asked that his employer work. It’s one factor contributing to rela- have one unless it’s a futuristic company not be identified, said he has been doing tively low labour productivity. like SoftBank that frowns on such some soul-searching about workplaces “Telework requires that managers old-fashioned practices. Many respectable that seem to value rules over human life. trust and delegate much more deci- institutions shun emails and insist on “I am going to devote my time to think sion-making to employees because it receiving requests for information or about what it is I really want to do with takes too much time in email or Skype to other documentation by fax only. my life,” he said. AP/RSS check with the boss,” said Benes, who So as the number of coronavirus infec- —Associated Press YURI KAGEYAMA TOKYO

hen the Japanese government declared an emergency to curb the spread of the coronavirus earlier this month and asked Wpeople to work from home, crowds rushed to electronics stores. So much for social distancing. Many Japanese lack the basic tools needed to work from home. Contrary to the ultramodern image of Japan Inc. with its robots, design finesse and gadgetry galore, in many respects, the country is technologically challenged. But the bigger obstacle is Japanese cor- porate culture, experts say. Offices still often rely on faxes instead of email. Many homes lack high-speed internet connec- tions, and documents often must be stamped in-person with carved seals called “hanko,” which serve as signa- tures. So many Japanese really cannot work remotely, at least not all the time. A survey by YouGov, a British market researcher, found only 18 percent of those recently surveyed were able to avoid com- muting to school or work, even though a relatively high 80 percent of people in Japan are afraid of catching the virus. In India, nearly 70 percent of those sur- veyed were staying home. In the US, it was about 30 percent, according to YouGov. One factor, says Yuri Tazawa, a pioneer in Japan of “teleworking,” or working from home, is that Japanese workers often do not have clearly defined jobs like Americans do, so companies expect their staff to be in constant communication with each other, working as teams. “But this is a matter of life and death for the workers and their families,” said Tazawa, president of Telework Management Inc. “We need to do immedi- ately what we can do now.” Tazawa is offering an online crash course on how to immediately start working from home, using just mobile phones, if a per- sonal computer is not available. She calls the approach a “hypothetical cloud office.” Unlike regular Zoom meetings, in which workers check-in and out for dis- cussions, she is proposing using Zoom for just voice connections, keeping it on throughout the workday so that employ- ees who would normally share an office can feel as if they’re in the same room. “Teleworking is so important in the fight against the coronavirus,” said Tazawa. Some of Japan’s biggest companies, like Toyota Motor Corp and Sony Corp, already have announced work-from-home

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