US embassy cable - 05KATHMANDU1203

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 001203 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NP, AC, PM 
DEPT FOR IN/R/MR 
DEPT FOR SA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO 
DEPT FOR SA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, PGOV, PREL, KMDR, NP 
SUBJECT: WEEKLY NEPAL MEDIA REPORT FROM JUNE 1 TO 6, 2005 
 
 
1. POLITICAL AFFAIRS 
 
Go to court; not street: Vice Chairman of the Council of 
Ministers, Tulsi Giri on Sunday suggested that the 
political parties and lawyers should ask for justice at 
the Supreme Court rather than take to the streets.  On 
Sunday Giri said that rule of law couldn't be established 
by taking to the streets.  "The security personnel will 
enforce law if the law professionals do not follow it 
while protesting," he warned.  Giri's remarks followed the 
protest rally by members of Nepal Bar Association in 
prohibited areas of the capital. (Media reports, 6/6) 
 
`Lift ban on news broadcast': More than 300 journalists 
took out a rally Sunday morning to demand that the 
government restore press freedom and lift news broadcast 
ban on private FM radios.  Demonstrators, in the silent 
rally organized by the Federation of Nepalese Journalists 
(FNJ), held placards bearing messages demanding lifting of 
economic sanctions imposed on private media, restoration 
of press freedoms to pre-February 1 status, release of 
detained journalists and initiation of the democratic 
process. (Daily newspapers, 6/6) 
 
Lawyers call for democracy: A huge rally of lawyers went 
around the city demanding the restoration of democracy and 
civil liberties in the country.  The rally was taken out 
after the completion of the anniversary celebrations of 
Nepal Bar Association (NBA).  The NBA also passed a 17- 
point declaration at the end of the 25th and 26th Central 
Executive Council meeting.  In the declaration, it 
described recent political events unfolding since February 
1 as an "infringement" on the rule of law and demanded the 
immediate dissolution of the "unconstitutional" 
government.  They have also demanded the "scrapping" of 
the Royal Commission for Corruption Control. (Major 
reports, 6/5) 
 
Koirala leaves for New Delhi: In a meaningful trip, Nepali 
Congress president and former Prime Minister Girija Prasad 
Koirala left for New Delhi on Saturday.  Although termed 
as a trip for health treatment, the visit has assumed 
greater significance as it is the first one by Koirala 
after February 1.  Koirala is expected to meet with high- 
level Indian officials and politicians, including Prime 
Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. (Major reports, 6/4-5) 
 
Open house passes 13 points: A mock session of the 
parliament organized in the street of Patan on Friday 
passed a 13-point resolution unanimously declaring that 
the reinstatement of the parliament and the Constitution 
of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990 will be the starting point to 
resolve the current problems faced by the country. 
Chaired by Deputy Speaker of the dissolved House of 
Representatives Chitra Lekha Yadav, the session had 
participation by members from most of the political 
parties - in fact 95 percent of the parties represented in 
the earlier parliament were present in the session. 
Altogether 19 National Assembly members and 132 lawmakers 
from the House of Representatives were present at the mock 
parliamentary session.  It also endorsed the common agenda 
of the seven political parties. (Major reports, 6/4) 
 
UML's Jhalnath Khanal returned from airport: Security 
forces at the Tribhuvan International Airport stopped CPN- 
UML leader Jhalnath Khanal from boarding a flight to New 
Delhi Thursday afternoon.  Khanal said he was traveling to 
New Delhi for a regular medical check-up at the All India 
Institute of Medical Sciences. (Media reports, 6/3) 
 
Rs five million bail each for Deuba, others: The Royal 
Commission for Corruption Control on Tuesday issued orders 
to release former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, one 
of his cabinet colleagues, three officials and a 
contractor, on bail amounting to Rs 5 million each. RCCC 
sent Deuba and Singh to jail for refusing to post a bail 
of Rs five million each imposed by it in connection with 
the Melamchi Drinking Water Project `irregularities' case. 
Deuba and his cabinet minister Prakash Man Singh rejected 
the bail and are still in custody while the three others 
(officials and contractors) have been released on bail. 
(Major reports, 6/1-3) 
 
ICRC suspends RNA barracks visit: The International 
Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) put on hold visits to 
detainees at army barracks throughout Nepal.  The 
suspension comes after the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) 
allegedly failed to fully comply with the terms of an 
agreement with ICRC regarding what are called worldwide 
working modalities.  "These are carefully worded 
conditions, set down by the Swiss-based organization, that 
virtually abstain from making any direct statement against 
state authorities or other parties to any conflict," it 
said.  It further said the current difficulties center on 
the detention of Nepal's Maoist insurgents.  It has also 
quoted Friedrun Medert, ICRC's delegation head in Nepal, 
as saying, "We have visited persons detained by the RNA 
since December 2002, and we had some problems as far as 
the respect of the ICRC's worldwide working modalities for 
and with detainees are concerned.  We discussed these 
problems with RNA and felt that the steps it took were not 
sufficient to redress the situation," Medert added.  RNA 
was not respecting Medert, however, and refused to go into 
details, as to which of the modalities. (All dailies, 6/1) 
 
2. U.S. - NEPAL 
 
U.S. report lauds Nepal's anti-trafficking efforts: Nepal 
has moved from Tier Two to Tier One in the fifth annual 
U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons (TIP) 
Report, which was released in Washington on Friday by 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.  The change reflects 
 
SIPDIS 
the Nepali government's anti-trafficking efforts, 
specifically in prosecution, protection and prevention, 
said the report.  "Despite political and security 
challenges, the government has sustained its efforts to 
combat trafficking in persons.  Nepal has a National Plan 
of Action to combat trafficking, a draft Human Trafficking 
Control Bill to strengthen its 1986 anti-trafficking law 
and a National Rapporteur on trafficking," said the 
report, adding, "however, these commendable anti- 
trafficking efforts are hindered by political instability 
and security problems."  "The U.S. government will 
continue to encourage the government of Nepal to focus on 
critical issues related to its anti-trafficking efforts," 
said a statement issued here by the American center.  The 
TIP report is a comprehensive worldwide report on the 
efforts of governments to combat severe forms of 
trafficking in persons, or modern-day slavery. (Centrist 
"Kathmandu Post," E/D, 6/4, Circulation: 20,000) 
 
Garment export to U.S. plunges by 43 percent: The export 
of the readymade garment to the United States, the largest 
market, has plummeted by 43 percent during the first five 
months of 2005.  According to statistics of Garment 
Association Nepal (GAN), the export of the product stood 
at mere U.S. $ 27.21 million during the period.  It was 
valued US$ 47.56 million during the period in 2004.  The 
Nepali readymade garment has been losing competitiveness 
in the U.S. market since the U.S. pledged duty-and quota- 
free market access facilities to the Sub-Saharan and 
Caribbean countries.  A bill named Trade Act 2005 has been 
tabled in the U.S. Senate and House of representatives 
promising duty-free market access for 14 LDCs of Asia and 
the Pacific this year.  "This too could have given some 
respite to the dying industry, however serious discussion 
on it is still to begin," said GAN office bearers. (The 
Kathmandu Post, 6/5) 
 
American team to train RNA soon?: The United States is 
planning to send instructors to train Royal Nepalese Army 
(RNA), and a team will arrive next week to conduct a 
course related to International Humanitarian Law, sources 
said.  This will be first training by U.S. instructors 
after the February 1 royal takeover.  The training, which 
U.S. army instructors were scheduled to provide to a unit 
of RNA's special forces in March, is also expected to 
begin soon.  The course is likely to begin on Monday. 
"They (the Americans) have proposed to begin it from 
Monday but the Chief of Army Staff is yet to confirm," 
said an official.  A team of four U.S. Army officers from 
Defense Institute of International Legal Studies had 
provided similar training to RNA officers last year. 
Participants will study and discuss a few cases on 
allegation of human rights abuse for understanding them 
according to the international law of armed conflict. 
RNA officials hope that the annual joint training 
exercises between the RNA soldiers and U.S. Army, 
particularly the U.S. Pacific Command officials, too, will 
take place this year.  However, U.S. military assistance 
other than non-lethal still remains under review.  (Pro- 
India "Himalayan Times," E/D, circulation: 25,000 and 
Annapurna Post, V/D, circulation: 30,000, 6/3) 
 
MILLARD