• New Development on Lauda Investigation • Supreme Court Opinion on Citizenship Bill • Integrated Security & nl!u'l!lnI~ml! Longer lasting freshness, longer lasting smile \ CONTENTS Page Letters 3 News Notes 4 Briefs 6 Quale Unquote 7 The export is expected to take a downturn thanks to decline in Off The Record 8 carpet and pashmina and fueled by imposition of counterveiling duty on manimum retail price of Nepalese exports by Indian government and failure to reimburse duty drawback by the COURT VERDICT: Royal Option 9 Nepalese government. Page 16 OBITUARY: Into Thin Air 12 EX- SERVICEMEN: Support Center 13 SECURITY & DEV. PROGRAM: Will The Medication Work'? 14 POSITION POLITICS: Losi ng Steam 21 WORLD BOOK DAY: Fellowship Of Words 25 CIAA : ENDLESS DRAMA BOOK REVIEW 26 Lauda controversy takes a new turn after CIAA takes action against former RNAC chief and board member Page 10 THE BOTTOMLlNE 27 HIGHER EDUCATION PROJECT: Novel Concept 28 PASTIME 29 INTERVIEW: Zeng Xuyong LEISURE 30 The Chinese envoy speak; about Sino-Nepal relations on the eve of the visit by the Chinese premier FORUM: Manohar K. Shrestha 32 Page 22 SPOTLIGHT/MAY 4.2001 SPOTLIGHT EDITOR'S NOTE THE NATIONAL NEWSMAGAZINE Vol. 20, No.42, May 4, 2001 (Baishak 21,2057) hu Rongji, Prime Ministerofthe friendly country in the north is coming to Chief Editor And Publisher Nepal very soon. All parriotic Nepalese are enthusiastically waiting to Madhav Kumar Rimal welcome him with open hearts. It is reliably leamt a large section of the Editor ruling party does not want the government to become over exuberan t and Sarita Rimal not to go out of the way to pamper the distinguished visitor. One need not Zgo very far to understand the reason behind it. But, it will in no way affect the Chinese Managing Editor Keshab Poudel Premier's behavior. We know well and are greatly assured ofthchelp our Chinese friends have always offered us in times of need. The Chinese ambassador in Kathmandu has Associate Editor Bhagirath Yogi minced no words in stressing his cou ntry's unveering support (see the interview inside). Since they don't believe in shallow rhetorics they prefer to maintain a low key. Even Senior Reporter though the visit of the Chinese Prime Minister is taking place after more than a decade, Sanlaya Dhakal relations between two neighbors have been so unblemished that there are no proble Reporter whatsoever that would engross their attention. A couple of agreements on Chin Akshay Sharma Cooperation to Nepal are expected to be signed. We do hope our honored guest is sure to Design and Layout set at rest any concern the Nepalese people might be harboring due to the unstable political Jyoti Singh situation in the country when he meets the Nepalese monarch. We exhort all the twent~ three million Nepalese to accord our Chinese friend a very hearty welcome. Photographer Nishchal Chapagain * * * Two recent eve nts have blackened the already soi led image of Koirala government [0 such Art M.S. Khokna an extent that all the waters in the Koshi will not be able to cleanse it. One, is the Bill to amend the citizenship act which was presented to the Head of the State for his final Legal Advisor approval. 111e hue and cry the bill generated in the counrry forced the King to seek the Advocate Lok Bhakta Rana advice or the Supreme Court. Now, the Supreme Coun has expressed its opinion that the Marketing/Advertisement bill is unconstitutional. Since the Supreme Court had no political axe to grind there could Sarit Rimal (USA) be no ground what soever to doubt the genuine objectivity oftheSupreme Court in arriving Marketing at such a conclusion. The Bill, if it had become the law of the land, would have opened Madan Kaji Basnet the nood gates for aliens to acquire Nepalese citizenship and ultimately the sovereignty Navin Kumar Maharjan of the eountry would have been gravely endangered. Nothing could be more sinister than Madan Raj Poudel the intentions of the Nepali Congress that only to assure their prospects in future elections Editorial Office their lawmakers did not even hesitate, for a moment. to pawn the independence of their GPO Box 7256, Baluwatar, Kathmandu. Tel: (977-1) 423127, Fax: (977-1) 417845 country Granted that the two septuagenarian leaders tried to aSserl their loyalty to t' Chief Editor's: 435594 motherland. But what about other law makers who were born in Nepal"? Has their bl E-mail: [email protected] also turned white? And even more surprising and bewildering has been the behavior of Internet Add: http://www.nepalnews.com/ spotlight the opposition law makers. How could they pertllit the bill to have such an easy passage in the House? Kudos 10 King Birendra and the judges of the Supreme Court for Cover Design safeguarding the integrity of the country. Wordscape Kamal Pokhari, Ph: 410772, Fax: 432872 TIle other event is the ignominious expUlsion of the diplomat of a friendly country. Indeed. Pakistan is an enemy country to India. Is it also an enemy country to Distribution Nepal? Why should have the government of Nepal put the Pakistani diplomat to such a Bazaar International 228 Sanchaya Kosh Bldg. Kathmandu humiliation is beyond one's comprehension. After all. who is running the government G.P.O Box 2480, Ph: 222983 Fax: 229437 here? Is Girija KoiralaPrime MinisterofNepal orChiefMinis(cr orone Indian State? All a-mail : [email protected] proud Nepalese must hang their heads in shame. Indeed. diplomats are turned persOIIG flon Printers: Kishor offset Press (P.) Ltd. grata and expelled. But there are ccrtain diplomatic nonns and conventions that guide p.a. Box 4665, Galkopakha, Thamel, such actions. Why should the Vienna convention have been so blatantly violated? In Kathmandu,Tal: 351 044 (011),351172 (Res.), Fax: 977-1-351172, whose interest? Has the Dean of the diplomatic corps any obligation IOwards the E~mail: [email protected] accredited diplomats? We want answers to all these question. Will any body oblige? C.D.O. Rcgd. No 151/039-.0 Postal Rcgd. N~ 42/057/58 U.S. Library of Congress Madhav Kumar Rimal Catalogue No. 91·905060 Chief Editor& Publisher 2 SPOTLIGHT/MAY 4. 2001 LETTERS ____________________________________________________________ The Root Nepalese people thal he does not have a serious challenger Problem (Koirala Gains Strength Spot­ The widespread poverty light April 13). Hisopponems. is the root of most of the ills inside and outside the party. the country is faCing today seem helpless in frontofhim. (Goab. Damn Goals Spotlight He effortlessly won hiS war IQ April 27). Be it the Insurgency take possession 01' PM's post or the i !literacy or tht! unem­ against his main rival Mr. Sher ployment. most or Nepal's Bahadur Deuba. Despite the problem have their roots In deadlock and perplexity III the the economics. Without ad­ lower- house of the parlia­ dreSSing this root problem. ment and the challenge posed none of the problems can be by united opposition parties solved. The country', efforts. including UML General Sec­ therefore. ,huuld be geared at retary and the leader of the resolving it~ economic proh· opposition Madhav Kumar lems if that is done. Ncpale~e Nepal who and other rival will witness a gradual devel­ leader~ were arrested hecause opmt::nt of the country. The they demonstrated against PM latesl poverty reductjon strat­ asking for his resignation over egy by the government is a his involvement in Lauda posiuvc move. But the taste Scandal. Though millions of uf the pudding lies III the cat­ ordinary people do not want ing and withou; lis proper to see him as the Prime Min­ implementation, the problems ister of Nepal. it is our fate to will persist. see Koirala as PM and there is Shekhar Basllet no alternative to PM Koirala. Naxal So Mr. Koirala is the PM of this poor. underdeveloped country. can understand why politics lished in your last issue has Devolution Is The Key SlIbhash Lohalli in our coumry cannot stabi­ come as a total surprise to us As suggested by your Kalopool. Kathmandu 'er story on poverty (Goals, Iize.It is no wondenhat Nepali (Spotlight April27). Wecould amn Goals SpOllight April Congress government gives a not have visualized that the Burning Issue free hand to the Indian RAW Bangladeshis were forced to 27), the Si nghdurbar-prescri bed Piracy and infrin gements to meddle in our inrernal af­ resort to arms to defend their programs is not going to reduce of intellectual property rights poverty in Mugudistricl. A thor­ fairs. Since they cannot sur­ national interests. we is a bur~lng issue w?r ldwide. vive without the suppOrt of Nepalese, indeed. have to take ough decentralization and the The arlic1e on music piracy their masters and mentors - lessons from these happening. local demand-driven programs (Haunted By The 111eft Spot­ the Indian - they shut their The hcgcmonistic attitude of need to be implemented if we light April 19) provided the eyes to the nefarious activi­ the Indians will always des ta­ are to reduce poverty. The par­ information about the situa­ ties of RAW. We patnotic bilize our politics. The only ticipation of local people in the tion here. It is unfortunme that Nepalese have not only 10 way we can stop is with a na­ Jevelopment projects would the authorities do not seem understand this but to make tionalistic government. So, we help instill a sense of commit­ serious aboUl checking sllch our simple Nepalese public have to wait for patriotic poli­ ment, which would go a long piracics. I f the Silumion per­ aware of such anti-national ticians la come lO power.