Maoists to work together with private sector

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, April 23 - With the emergence of the former rebels CPN-Maoist as the largest party in the new government to be formed soon, the party Wednesday said that it has been striving to work together with the private sector and create a friendly environment for investment for the economic development.

Maoist leadership this morning consulted with office bearers of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) and clarified that they will focus on teaming up with private sector.

Maoist Chairman Prachanda said that they have been concentrating to bring in foreign investment and towards creating a fovourable environment, during the meeting held at Maoist Central Office at Buddhanagar in the capital.

The Maoist Supremo had also urged the team led by FNCCI President Kush Kumar Joshi not to be misguided by the Maoist’s economic policy. Maoist leadership assured that it will include private sector while formulating all kinds of economic policies, Joshi informed.

The meeting comes amidst fears that the Maoist’s economic policy will not be liberal and will nationalise major economic hubs. The entrepreneurs drew the Maoist leadership’s attention towards issues including insufficiency of petroleum products and other necessary commodities.

Maoist Second-in-Command Dr Baburam Bhattarai and Maoist’s economic department chief Krishna Acharya were also present at the meeting that lasted for around two hours.

Latest Poll Tally

Seats -- Party
Maoist -- 120
NC -- 37
UML -- 33
MPRF -- 29
TMDP -- 9
NSP-M -- 4
PFN -- 2
NWPP -- 2
Others -- 3

2nd Loktantra Day observed

A parade at Kathmandu’s Sainik Manch (army pavilion) marks

the 2nd Loktantra Day on Wednesday. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala

and other high-level government officials attended the programme.

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, April 23 - The second anniversary of the historical Loktantra Day was observed through out the country on Wednesday to commemorate the victory of Nepalis people over the direct rule of King Gyanendra. Exactly two years back on this very day (Nepali month Baishakh 11), democracy was restored following a nationwide mass uprising popularly known as April movement for the reinstatement of parliament dissolved by the King.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala stated that the responsibility to transform Nepal into a peace and prosperous nation has come upon everyone’s shoulder, in his special message. Stressing on the need of making the responsibility a success through mutual harmony, PM Koirala called on all to end poverty, scarcity, illiteracy and unemployment in the country by establishing new culture and tradition.

Likewise, CPN-UML Acting General Secretary Amrit Bohora underscored the need to focus on drafting a new Constitution adding it is the responsibility of everyone at this historical juncture. Also on this special day for all Nepalis, senior NC leader and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba offered condolences to the martyrs and conveyed his best wishes to the people.

Marking the Loktantra Day, a special programme was organised at the Army forum in Tudikhel in which Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, other Ministers, Speaker, Chief Justice, constitutional heads, heads of security agencies among others participated. The government also held a tea reception at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sheetal Niwas this noon. Ministers, speaker of the parliament, leaders of various political parties, high ranking officials, heads of foreign diplomatic agencies, industrialists, businessmen and prominient figures of diiferent fields were present in the reception organised by the PM. Speaking to the press during the reception, Speaker Subash Nemwang said that formulation of a new constitution is the chief responsibility of the CA. “High level of understanding between the all the major political parties is essential. Unity among the people of all castes, ethnicity and religion is necessary. Then only can we formulate a feasible and strong new constitution,” Nemwang said.

However, senior leaders of CPN-Maoist did not attend the PM’s reception.
Various programmes have been organised, not just in the capital but, nationwide to mark the historical day. The Home Ministry has urged everyone to light up their houses in the evening for three days starting Tuesday to mark the Loktantra Day.

India: How will Maoist gains in Nepal shape two countries' ties?

Maoist leader Prachanda

The Maoist party had a surprisingly strong showing in recent elections. India is worried about the impact on its own Maoist rebel movement, the Naxalites.
By Mian Ridge
from the April 22, 2008 edition

The victory of Nepal's Maoists is as worrying for neighboring giant India as it was surprising. Following the former rebels' strong showing in general elections this month, government officials in New Delhi are wondering where the Maoists' victory leaves relations between the two countries. They are also concerned that the win may embolden India's own Maoist movement.
According to results posted Monday, Maoists won half of the 240 directly elected seats. Results for an additional 335 seats allotted to political parties based on the percentage are expected later in the week. Nepal's Maoists have said they want to scrap the Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed by Nepal and India in 1950. The treaty defines the countries' relationship, allowing Nepalis and Indians to travel freely across each other's borders. Until 1969, it also allowed India to keep security positions on Nepal's border with China.

(A map of the region can be found here.)

But it is the effect the win will have on Indian Maoists – a group known as Naxalites – that poses the greatest threat to India, reports Agence France-Presse. India's Naxalites say they are fighting for India's poor and landless – just as Nepal's Maoists did. India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, has previously identified the Naxalite movement as the country's single biggest security threat. The Naxalites had reportedly expanded to half of India's 28 states in 1996, prompting a military counteroffensive, said The Christian Science Monitor.

Daily News and Analysis, a Mumbai (Bombay) newspaper, reports the concerns of an official from India's Border Security Force (BSF) about possible future links between the two groups: No direct links between Nepali Maoists and Naxalites in India have been established. But what turn it will take in the near future, your guess is as good as mine. When you have a Marxist government in Nepal, there may possibly be sympathies with Maoists here. It is too early to say anything," said AK Mitra, BSF director general....

The Nepal Telegraph, noting that the Indian ambassador to Nepal, Shiva Shanker Mukherjee, had met with "Comrade" Prachanda – the nom de guerre of Nepal's Maoist leader, which means "fierce" or "terrible" – said that India was anxious that Nepal not scrap "unequal treaties" made between the two countries.

However, with the new earth shaking political developments in Nepal and the Maoists ready to form their own new government in a matter of month[s] if not days, a nervous looking Indian establishment is doing all it can in order to "calm down" the Maoists possible wrath that they are sure to exhibit against India the moment they step in the power corridors in Singh Durbar.
New Delhi is pretty concerned with the Maoists' presumed insistence on changing the 1950 and other unequal treaties signed with Nepal at different intervals of history.

Writing in The Times of India, columnist Swapan Dasgupta Deep said that India's attempts to foster diplomatic ties with Nepal's new leaders would be pointless. Maybe it is best to let bygones be bygones and allow the Maoists an opportunity to change their stripes. Unfortunately, if history is anything to go by, the prospects of those who capture power [by] professing Marxism-Leninism, transforming themselves instantly into honourable social-democrats, are extremely remote. Revolutionaries do see the light eventually, but not as long as the pioneers of the revolution are at the helm. Africa is littered with examples of radical nationalists who lost no time subverting the Constitution and turning their countries into one-party autocracies. Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe who "stole an election" last month followed a long tradition of self-professed Marxist-Leninists who believe 'once in power, always in power'. But other commentators were more hopeful of improved future relations between the two countries. India's Financial Express reported that India had expressed such a hope during Mr. Mukherjee's meeting with Prachanda .

And The Press Trust of India (PTI) news wire reported that the Maoists were in talks with the United States to lose their "terrorist" tag. Outlook, a leading Indian news magazine, noted that thus far, Prachanda had shown signs of being a sensible and cautious leader. So far the statements from Prachanda and others of his ilk have been sober and statesman-like, keeping a balanced approach between India and China. He recognises that developments in Nepal are tied to India and the two share a special relationship. Mukherjee got a call from Prachanda's office soon after the victory trend became clear, asking for a meeting. In the half-hour meeting, the Indian ambassador assured him of all support. Sources say the Maoists appreciate that India stuck with the democratic process and helped with material and money.

The most important task for India's foreign office is to help shape events in Nepal so that New Delhi's vital interests are secure and the open border does not become a security threat. [Nepal's] government has been "responsive" to Indian concerns about Pakistan using the Indo-Nepal border to send across troublemakers. China too is entrenched in the area. But in the end it is India's responsibility to "sanitise" the border, keep up surveillance, monitor the traffic, and build the infrastructure on its side. "You need cooperation from Nepal but you also need to do your own job more vigorously," a well-informed official said.

Indeed, many analysts expect the former rebels to be pragmatic in power, focusing on development. Nepal, one of the world's poorest countries, has suffered from decades of weak governance. The Maoists know that they will be unable to reduce poverty without the support of India, Nepal's main trading partner and the source of its fuel.

The weekly news magazine India Today noted that Prachanda had acknowledged the importance of a cordial relationship with Nepal's big neighbors. He had specifically mentioned the importance of friendly relations with India and China, the paper reported. Because the Maoists could ill-afford to antagonize Delhi, India should seize the opportunity to strengthen ties with Nepal.

Arvind Deo, a retired Indian diplomat, writing in the Economic Times also urged India to play a constructive role in Nepal's future development: India has some vital security concerns which need to be put across tactfully but unambiguously. In offering economic assistance for development, India must be generous without sacrificing any of its long-term interests. We must remember that it always pays to be courteous yet firm. Commentator Anuj Mishra, a Nepali journalist, writing on the Open Democracy blog predicted that India would have little to fear from Nepal's new leaders. However, the Maoists do have substantial limitations in their maneuverability, not least from regard for the wishes of the international community and of India. The former provides much of Nepal's development budget and the latter has not only enormous regional economic clout, but, more importantly was midwife of the April 2006 political process. Hence Nepal's move from Monarchy towards a liberal democratic republic is being led by a party which calls itself Maoist, and which it will not be, save in its name.

Maoists ask UML to reconsider pull-out from govt

KATHMANDU, April 17 - The CPN-Maoist Thursday requested the CPN-UML to rethink its decision on withdrawing from the government. Maoist Chairman Prachanda called on UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, who recently resigned from the General Secretarial post of his party, this morning and asked him to reconsider withdrawal from the government. Following Prachanda’s request, Nepal said that the decision comes from the meeting of UML Standing Committee (politburo) adding the UML is committed to the seven-party unity.

During the nearly 45 minute-long meeting at Nepal’s residence at Koteshwor in the capital today, the duo discussed the results of the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections and future strategies. Maoists second-in-command Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai was also present at the meeting.
The UML, which was the second largest political party after the Nepali Congress following the last parliamentary election in 1999, pulled out of the coalition government Wednesday after it suffered a huge loss in the CA polls. All seven ministers of the party submitted their joint resignation to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at Baluwatar.

Almost all Standing Committee and Central Committee members, including Nepal, KP Oli, Bamdev Gautam, Bharat Mohan Adhikari, Raghuji Panta, Keshav Badal, Yubaraj Gyawali, Bidya Devi Bhandari and Krishna Gopal Shrestha, have lost in the CA elections. The UML is leading in the second position in the ongoing vote count under Proportional Representation

POLL TALLY
Party --- Seats

Maoist --- 116
NWPP --- 2
NC --- 33
SP-M --- 3
UML --- 31
PFN --- 2
MPRF --- 24
TMDP --- 7
Others --- 2

Nepal Maoists to embrace capitalism

NEW DELHI: Maoist supremo Prachanda, whose party is poised to form a coalition government in Nepal, said capitalism will be the new regime’s tool for bringing economic advancement.

Reports from Kathmandu quoting Prachanda said Maoists will promote capitalism and encourage foreign investment. This statement is expected to soothe the frayed nerves of those who have invested in Nepal. Mr Prachanda assured industrialists that Maoists were not going to nationalise industries at the moment. "We will allow private investment and also promote foreign investment. Don’t loose confidence, we are not going to capture industries, but we need your cooperation to gain economic prosperity," he said.

But industries will have to function under the gaze of the Maoists was clear when he said that the new government will provide a force to guard industrial establishments. He said the government will "create conducive industrial environment to businesses by creating special security force with the involvement of Maoist combatants stationed in cantonments."

Prachanda also appealed to the private sector to trust them fully and give them a chance saying the government will expand the tax base, eliminate red tape and end culture of commissions and corruption.

Maoists continue to be on a roll

The Maoists are clearly emerging as the largest party in the country after the April 10 constituent assembly election as it has won 112 out of the 200 con stituencies declared till late tonight. The Maoists are also leading in four constituencies. Nepali Congress stands in the second position today as it now has 31 candidates elected to the constituent assembly, while the CPN-UML is trailing in the third position with 28 candidates elected for the constituent assembly. The NC is leading in two constituences, while the UML is also leading in two constituencies till late tonight.

The newly formed Madhesi Janadhikar Forum is in the fourth position with its 19 candidates securing victory in the election.

The Tarai Madhes Democratic Party follows the MJF with six of their candidates winning so far. Nepal Workers' and Peasants' Party has not been able to increase its seats in the assembly after winning both the constituencies in Bhaktapur a couple of days ago. The Sadbhavana Party has expanded its win to two constituencies, while the People's Front Nepal has managed to win only one constituency. The election results continued to surprise the country today, too. Independent candidate Baban Singh, who is in the police's most-wanted list, has been elected to the assembly with an impressive 9,201 votes. Singh's rival Ajaya Kumar Gupta of the Sadbhawana Party secured 6,588 votes.

People's Front Nepal Vice-chairman Lilamani Pokharel was humbled by Maoist candidate Nir Kumari Kunwar in Sindhuli-3 while Bal Bahadur KC was defeated by his Maoist contender Gopal Kirati at NC's bastion in Solukhumbu.

UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal lost to Maoist Devendra Prasad Patel in Rautahat-6. Patel won in Rautahat-6 with 10,133 votes, while Nepal polled 8,966 votes. Altogether 240 members are to be elected to the 601 member constituent assembly through the firstpast-the-post election and 335 members are elected through proportional rep- resentation.

Strong showing by the Maoists in Nepal elections has taken its influential neighbour India by surprise.

Some fear Nepal's Maoists could encourage Maoist rebels in India

By Sanjoy Majumder BBC News, Delhi April 14, 2008

Diplomats at its sprawling embassy in Kathmandu, its largest mission anywhere, privately concede that it is a result that they hardly expected and least favoured. With a strong possibility of the Maoists forming the next government, many in Delhi are wondering where it leaves relations between the two countries. While India has nurtured some ties with the former rebels, there is growing concern over the Maoists' links with China, and also with India's own troubling Maoist insurgency. Reports in the Indian and Nepalese media have quoted Maoist leader Prachanda talking about taking a more "balanced" approach in his country’s dealings with its neighbours. Saying that he will develop "new relations" with India, he is reported to have said that Nepal will maintain an equal distance between Delhi and Beijing. It is a comment that has already sent policy-makers in Delhi into a tailspin.

Special relationship

Many here are concerned that the Maoists will use their new-found electoral clout as leverage over India. "It means that the special relationship between India and Nepal which dates back to British days and 1950 is in its terminal phase," says KV Rajan, a former Indian ambassador to Nepal. A Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which both countries signed in 1950, defined their political and economic relationship.


Under the Treaty, people living in both countries could freely travel across the border for employment, and could reside in either place. It also granted preferential trade arrangements and, until 1969, allowed India to maintain security posts in Nepal's northern border with China, as well as a military mission in Kathmandu. India's basic concern, say diplomats, was always China. Delhi, which had already fought a bitter border war with Beijing in 1962 which it lost comprehensively, was paranoid about China establishing a major presence in Kathmandu.

Influence

"The 1950 treaty was basically meant to help address India's security needs," says Ambassador Rajan. "In return, Nepal got economic benefits, such as the right to live and work in India. That was the basic arrangement." But increasingly, many Nepalese were uncomfortable with the Treaty, believing it gave India major political and economic influence. The Maoists have regularly raised the issue and said they want the Treaty scrapped. They also want a review of other agreements, especially those relating to river water and irrigation – issues which are very sensitive on both sides of the border.
And there is the question of links between the Maoists in Nepal and those in India.

Security threat

India's bloody Maoist insurgency runs across a broad swathe of its territory from its northern border with Nepal down to its central tribal belt and the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. It was recently identified by the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, as the country's single biggest security threat. Security experts believe that the Maoist victory in Nepal will come as a big morale booster to Maoist rebels fighting in India. India's problems also stem from the fact that they have traditionally backed the mainstream political parties, particularly the Nepali Congress of the outgoing Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala.
They have always backed a role for the monarchy, too, albeit one that has changed somewhat over the past two years following the pro-democracy protests of 2006.
Ironically, many of the senior Maoist leaders have studied in India and would often hide in the country at the height of the insurgency.

Next government

They also have relatively close ties with India’s own mainstream Communist parties, who support the governing coalition in Delhi. But their influence is limited, particularly after the Maoists' current political position following the election. "We will have to accept that India will have to deal differently with the next government, and accept that Prachanda represents the sensitivities and aspirations of the majority of Nepalese," says one foreign office mandarin who wished to remain unnamed. But there are some who believe it is time for relations between both countries to change, and reflect the new realities, rather than be mired in history. "Our relation was one between a sovereign country and a semi-protectorate. It now needs to be one of equals," says Ambassador Rajan. Ultimately, some believe, India’s importance to Nepal outweighs its political imperatives. Both countries have strong cultural, economic and ethnic ties, and India is Nepal's largest neighbour. And many here think that no government can ignore that.

Nepal's Constituent Assembly Elections - Unfolding Message!

With about one half of the results of the election to the Constituent Assembly (CA) having al ready been out, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) is sweeping over the country, its seat tally exceeding the combined total of all the other parties combined, at least so far. Under the First Past the Post system, 240 seats are available for grabs, and under proportional representation, the number is 335. Given the trend seen in the counting in progress, the CPNM is clearly heading to be, at least, the single largest party in the CA. The results so far have con founded almost all predictions, as they had expected the CPNM to emerge to be a distant third behind the Congress and the CPNUML.

First of all, the people's popular vote for the Maoists has established them as a legitimate force in Nepal, and reflects the people's endorsement of the causes the Maoists have championed through their People's War, later expressed in the present peace process. The people, it may well be supposed, have also indicated their dissatisfaction with a situation in which some other party has been at the head of the government since Jana Andolan II, despite the fact that the nation has adopted the Maoist agendas, which form the central tenets of the peace process. The voters have made known their desire to see the originators of the agendas to be in the lead role, too, in implementing them. The electorate's endorsement of the peace process also means the need for all the parties to work together to bring the process to a logical conclusion based on cooperation and understanding, at least till the Constitution is drawn up and promulgated. Indeed, the Interim Constitution stresses consensus even after the CA polls. And the leaders of the three major parties – the Congress, the CPNUML and the CPNM – had pledged even before the April 10 election that, irrespective of whichever party won a majority, there would be a coalition government. This spirit must be kept up. The unfolding popular mandate is expected to make the political transition smoother and the resolution of contentious issues like the adjustment of the PLA combatants easier. The decimation of the Congress and the UML and the defeat of most of their central leaders will not be without serious implications for those parties.

CPNUML general secretary Madhav Nepal and Congress acting president Sushil Kerala have already announced their resignation from their respective posts after they lost the election. The outcome may well mark a decline in influence of the Koirala family on the Congress politics, not only because of the poor Congress performance but also of the defeat of daughter Sujata in Sunsari and nephew Shekhar Koirala in Morang. The royalist parties of former Pinches have been eliminated. But in their place, Tara based parties have emerged. Whatever the final tally of scores, the pressing need is to make the transition successful within the frame work of national unity. Maoist chairman Prachanda's speech, made immediately after his election from Kirtipur on Saturday, was a message of reassurance to the other parties, security personnel, civil servants, and to the international community.

Nepal’s sociopolitical landscape is going to be drastically changed by the result of the Constituent Assembly election. The background, nature and futuristic con sequences of CA are deterministic. Never in the history of modern Nepal had an all embracing movement like Jana Andolan II been launched. The 1950 anti Rana armed movement also aimed at holding CA election and promised political stability and popular sovereignty, but was soon forgotten by principal players of the movement the King and the political parties resulting in 1960 royal coup ushering in a full fledged monarchical rule. Political parties could be partially blamed for compromising the spirit of CA in the wake of rapid rise of monarchy as a de facto force. The king once again asserted his authority in 2002 2006 sidelining the political parties along with the blatant violation of the spirit of 1990 Constitution.

The second experiment with multiparty system and semi-constitutional monarchy once again ended in absolute monarchy in 2005 when King Gyanendra usurped power by abusing the spirit of constitution. The recurrent rise of monarchy led people to conclude that in Nepal, democracy and monarchy are antagonistic forces. Thus the broad coalition of forces of juxta-posed ideologies and strategic positions was possible. A moderate party like the Nepali Congress could turn republican. Now the major parties, namely the NC, CPNUML and CPN Maoist, are in common on almost all agendas for making "new Nepal". Coming as it does against the back ground of the movement, the CA election is significant not only for drafting a new constitution but also for setting the pace for the country's march to a federal republic, inclusive democracy and permanent peace.

The election has belied all rumours of political backlash and uncertainty. Now people are much concerned about consequences of CA election and likely unfolding scenario in the country. They are anxious about Maoist move to democratise Nepali polity and society. The Maoists need to be happy with holding of CA election and the mandate it is likely to get from the people because of its long struggle for achieving it. In a democracy, parties' rise and fall can be seen during periodic elections. Winston Churchill won the Second World War as one of the Alliance leaders even though his party was defeated in the election. In political parties, charisma also matters but it is momentary because charisma needs to be institutionalised to achieve political stability. Sometimes, parties' credible role during the crucial period of political development also arrests the erosion of party's image. GP Koirala, despite his initial ambivalence towards progressive agenda such as abolition of monarchy and inclusive democracy, has proved to be the most pragmatic and visionary leader. His leader ship of the Seven Party Alliance and government has earned both national and inter national acclaim.

The SPA triumvirate GP Koirala, Prachanda and Madhav Nepal deserves three cheers for steering the complex course of Nepali politics. If they work in tandem in the future too, political stability and progress is assured. What the postelection politics requires is their unity, vision and capacity to adopt progressive agenda for improving people's condition within the democratic framework. Nevertheless, holding of election and formation of government alone do not guarantee stability and progress if the parties pick quarrels on small pre texts. The present political landscape is not likely to allow a single party to act independently of other partners. The continued cooperation and understanding is desirable due to broad ideological convergence of these forces. Since there is hardly any difference on their agenda, major parties have no qualm about continuing their mutual cooperation. Recent commitments of prominent leaders assure the Nepali people and inter national community that Nepali politicians can stand up to such an occasion. The practice of immediate consultation they adopt when crisis arises suggests that they are alive to the needs of time. Despite all such positive developments, political leaders have yet to demonstrate that they have shed their narrow partisan spirit while conducting the affairs of the government.

Modern political system demands impartiality, accountability and quick policy decisions. Parties' failure to rise above petty interest would no longer be acceptable to the people. The tightrope walking policies of the Interim Government had been justified by the excuse of CA election and the need to maintain SPA unity, but people now want order, security and effective governance. The making of constitution should also be less cumbersome and time consuming. Parties should try to reach a consensus on some tangled issues such as units of federal structure, respect for proportional representation as per the distribution of percentage of seats and adherence to the process of institutionalisation. Dr Baral is executive chairman, NCCS

Nepal Elections 2008

Chief Election Commissioner Bhojraj Pokharel (right) with former US President Jimmy Carter at the Election Commission in Kathmandu, Tuesday.

Q&A: the Nepalese elections

Nepal tomorrow votes for an assembly body in historic elections that will rewrite the constitution, and which are expected to unseat the unpopular King Gyanendra, abolishing the country's 240-year-old monarchy.

Wedged between India and China, Nepal is strategically important, and its 17 million voters have been wooed by more than 70 political parties, many of them ingenues in the rough and tumble of democracy. The campaign, the first since the late 90s, has been relatively peaceful – and the poll comes after a decade of bloody civil war.

However, a fresh wave of violence, including a reported six killings today, has rocked the polls. Tens of thousands of police officers have been deployed across the Himalayan country, and officials say security has been tightened around the 21,000 polling booths.

Why now?

The polls tomorrow are the climax of a peace process that ended a decade-long war launched by Maoist guerrillas that left at least 13,000 dead.

Why did the Maoists give up the gun?

The Maoists called a ceasefire after King Gyanendra restored parliament and ended a year of absolute rule in April 2006. The palace had faced weeks of strikes and protests on the streets. Political parties joined hands with the Maoists as a prelude to bringing them into government.

Will the Maoists become a normal political party?

As long as the polls are fair and free, it is unlikely the Maoists will return to war. The Maoist leadership has kept 30,000 soldiers from the People's Liberation Army into UN-monitored camps and signed up for peace.

But haven't the Maoists been accused of intimidating voters in Nepal?

Yes. The Maoists' youth wing has run a campaign of terror in many towns. But they have also been the targets of attacks. It was claimed today that six of their party workers had been shot dead.

Is the monarchy to be ended immediately?

No. Nepal's Hindu monarchy is to be scrapped after elections for the constituent assembly. The former rebels made this a condition of entering politics, and political parties accepted that the monarchy would be abolished.

What will be left of the monarchy in Nepal?

Not much. The present king is feared rather than respected. Gyanendra came to the throne after his nephew killed most of the royal family during an argument over whom he was allowed marry in June 2001. Sensing the weakness of Nepal's politicians and accusing them of inaction during the civil war, he seized power in early 2005. Analysts say he set about creating an absolute monarchy in the Hindu kingdom despite the clear unpopularity of the then heir apparent, Crown Prince Paras, a playboy infamous for his reckless driving. But after street protests drove him from power, the king was slowly cut down to size. He remains extraordinarily rich in an exceptionally poor country, but he will be taxed, and his spending controlled, while his acts will be open to scrutiny in court or in parliament. His country estates are likely be split up and sold off.

Will the Maoist guerrillas be disarmed after the elections?

Yes, but no one knows how. The UN security council gave the UN peace mission, which oversees the demobilisation, a remit only until July. The Maoists want their fighters absorbed into the Nepalese army, but the move has been opposed by officers. Big questions also remain unresolved over the thousands of people who disappeared in the civil war.

Did China back the Maoists?

No. Until recently, Beijing disowned them. The Maoists say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, and want to establish a communist state. Led by Prachanda, or "the fierce one", the Maoists say they found inspiration in Peru's Maoist Shining Path guerrillas. Prachanda says that, unlike Peru's rebels, they decided to enter politics because it offered a better way to found a socialist state. Up close, Nepal's Maoists appear more like India's Marxist parties, who gave up revolution for democratic evolution decades ago and are now part of the mainstream.

Ethnic violence erupted last year in Nepal. Why?

Identity politics have bubbled beneath the surface of Nepal for decades. The country's 27 million people are as diverse as its topography. Nepal has 100 native tongues and half a dozen religions. There are 60 indigenous nationalities, popularly perceived to be Mongoloid, who constitute more than 35% of the population. Overlaying these identities are caste and gender. So the Indo-origin people of the plains, the Madhesi, also have their own internal stratification, with untouchables at the bottom of the pile. People living in the hills, known as Pahadis, have traditionally held power in Nepal. Yet the arrival of democracy in 1950, and then again in 1990, did little to include Nepal's minorities.

The 1990 constitution, while an improvement on the non-democratic system that preceded it, entrenched power in the hands of the few. The Hindu religion was promoted. Sanskrit and Nepali were designated as the national languages. Despite a long history in Nepal, Buddhism became a bystander religion in the country. Until 2006, power was consolidated in the hands of the Hindu elite, dominated by two castes, the Brahmins and the Chettris. Whether the palace or the parliament was supreme was largely irrelevant. Caste groups from either politics or royalty dominated Nepal.

The result was an alarming capture of power. The Brahmin-Chettris, who make up 30% of the population, occupied two-thirds of the top positions in the security forces, judiciary and civil service. By comparison, the indigenous communities took up just 7% of the high-ranking posts. The solution to the complex issue is one of the big issues facing the new assembly. The Madhesis - roughly a third of Nepal's population - are now demanding rights after years of neglect. This has brought them into conflict with powerful vested interests. For example, the Nepalese army insists it will not accept any Madhesi recruitment. Some groups have started from where the Maoists left off, and taken to the hills with arms. Political violence has killed over 100 people in the last 12 months.

Good Bye Ravi and Pammi

Richmond Sikh slayings stump police
By Karl Fischer and Kimberly S. Wetzel
Article Launched: 12/29/2007 02:59:15 AM PST


Guest books
• Paramjit Kalsi
• Ravinder Kalsi

RICHMOND - Two men shuffled down San Pablo Avenue on a wet December night. They passed a burger joint and doughnut shop before pausing at the door to Sahib Indian Restaurant.

One banged on the window. "You open?" he mouthed to the man inside.
It was a few minutes past 9 on Thursday night. Ravinder Kalsi, who owned the place with his brother, had locked up minutes earlier. Perhaps hoping to hear better, he turned the lock.

Opening the door became his last act in life. The killers shot the 30-year-old dead in the doorway. They stepped past him and moved quickly. They touched nothing, said nothing. They found 42-year-old Paramjit Kalsi in the kitchen and shot him.

"It does not look like a robbery. It looks like these two guys went in there to kill," Richmond Detective Sgt. Mitch Peixoto said Friday morning. "That's what worries me. Why?"

The cryptic deaths of two prominent restaurateurs left the East Bay's substantial Sikh community scratching for explanations, as Richmond police reviewed surveillance camera footage and looked for witnesses.

The Kalsis became the first of four homicide victims reported in Richmond within 24 hours, making this month the city's most lethal in more than a decade and pushing its annual homicide total to 47 -- highest since the early 1990s. Nothing about the Kalsis made them obvious targets, friends said Friday. They had owned the strip mall restaurant between Nevin and Barrett avenues for about five years and remodeled residential property on the side.

"We are shocked, in shock," said Tehal Singh, an in-law of one of the victims. "They were young men, very gentle."

Their family hails from Punjab in India, where they sent money, particularly for a disabled sister. A friend and former roommate called them kind, hard-working people who went out of their way to avoid confrontation. They were very close and spent their little spare time at the Sikh temple in El Sobrante.

"They were totally pure guys, not in a fanatical way, just really hard-working," friend Gurman Bal said. "They were very spiritual. They listened to Indian religious music, watched religious TV. They knew their path, and they stayed on it." Bal knew the brothers for almost a decade. The pair shared a room in his Berkeley home for about five years before moving to Richmond. They did not drink alcohol or eat meat and were quick to help around the house after long hours at construction sites.
"They would work a full day, about 12 hours, then they would ask me if there was anything they could do for me," Bal said. "That's the kind of people they were; they didn't take any handouts."

A witness dialed 911 at 9:14 p.m. Thursday. The gunmen walked or ran south on San Pablo Avenue after the attack. A canine officer passing on his way to work arrived at the crime scene almost immediately after hearing the call but did not see the shooters.

His dog tracked a scent as far south as Key Boulevard in El Cerrito, police said.
Detectives found little more inside the restaurant. The attackers did not disturb the cash register and took nothing, making a common motive for violent crime in the commercial strip along the Richmond-El Cerrito border unlikely. Businesses there frequently face robbers, sometimes with tragic results. In April, another San Pablo Avenue restaurateur, Alfredo Figueroa, died after resisting a takeover robbery at the Red Onion diner. El Cerrito police are still investigating that case. The Kalsis took over the Sahib Indian Restaurant in 2002 and often worked seven days a week. At one point, they lived in the restaurant to save money, Bal said. They also owned at least two residential properties in the area, which they renovated in hopes of selling for a profit.

"They would repair homes. They were extremely hard-working. They were particularly known for their tile work," said Richmond City Councilman Harpreet Sandhu, also a leader in the local Sikh community. "They had recently been granted permanent residency here."

But money was tight, and they were planning to sell the restaurant, police said.
Sikh leaders say they are working to arrange shipment of the bodies back to India, or to bring a family member to the United States for release. The family took it hard, Sandhu said, particularly Ravi's fiancee. Ravi returned to Punjab about two months ago for the engagement, and the business was on the market so he could get married in India, Sandhu said.

"It's terrible," said J.P. Singh, past president of the Sikh temple. "There's too much of that going on in Richmond."

Bal organized a Friday night vigil in front of the restaurant. "The main thing is to not let their deaths disappear into the void," Bal said. Bal fears the killings could be a hate crime. Police say there is no clear evidence of a hate crime but say they will investigate all possibilities. "We don't know yet, but going on what we've read in the paper, if they didn't even attempt to get into the register, it tells me there's something going on here," Bal said. "Just from the facts, it looks like they were targeted for who they are. It was a hate crime." "They were trusting," he added, "and that's why they opened that damn door."

Reach Karl Fischer at 510-262-2728 or kfischer@bayareanewsgroup.com. Reach Kimberly S. Wetzel at 510-262-2798 or kwetzel@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Richmond police ask anyone with information about the restaurant homicide to call Detective Nicole Abetkov at 510-412-2081.
Callers also can use the department's anonymous tip line at 510-232-TIPS (8477).

Varinder Singh adds from Patiala:

PATIALA: The family of the deceased in Model Town here was informed about the incident by their relatives in the USA. “What shocked us was a phone call from our relatives in the US who said Vicky, a nephew of the Kalsi brothers, was survived by five brothers and two sisters.

“We are shattered. My sons had no animosity with anybody in the USA or in India. We don’t know who could have been behind this crime against our innocent family,” said Gurbachan Kaur, the inconsolable mother of the deceased. Surinder Singh, a brother of the deceased, said the family was shocked and confounded over the crime particularly when his brothers had not offended anybody in the USA at any point of time.

In a suspected hate crime, a Patiala family lost two of its sons in a shootout at a restaurant, they owned, in South Richmond of Virginia state in the US on Thursday.

The Richmond police are, however, clueless about the motive behind the crime and said there was no clear evidence of a hate crime. The police said they were ‘‘investigating all possibilities.’’ Significantly, the attackers did not take money or valuables from the restaurant.

Nepal votes to end centuries-old monarchy

King will be removed after assembly elections scheduled for mid-April '08
KATMANDU, Nepal - Nepal's parliament voted Friday in favor of abolishing the centuries-old monarchy and turning this Himalayan nation into a republic.
More than two-thirds of parliament voted in favor of amending an interim constitution to end the monarchy after an agreement by the main political parties was reached earlier this week, said Speaker Subash Nembwang.

Friday's vote ensures the king will be removed immediately after constituent assembly elections scheduled for mid-April next year. Those elected to the assembly will be charged with rewriting Nepal's constitution.

The amendment passed Friday will make Nepal a federal democratic republic and all powers of state will be held by the prime minister, Nembwang said. "Today's vote has made sure the king will be removed immediately after elections," Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula said. The main political parties, including former rebels widely known as Maoists, signed an agreement this week to abolish the monarchy, a heated issue that caused the communists to pull out of the government.

Power grab was king's undoing

King Gyanendra — who heads a dynasty that dates to 1769 — dismissed Nepal's parliament and seized total power in February 2005, claiming he needed to clean up corruption in government and end the long-running communist insurgency.The power grab was his undoing and the resulting weeks of unrest brought his enemies together, stoked the anger of an already wary public, and put Nepal on the road to becoming a republic.A violent uprising in April 2006 ultimately forced Gyanendra to restore parliament — which later stripped him of his powers, his command over the army, and his immunity from prosecution.

The communist rebels gave up their decade-long armed revolt last year and joined a peace process, after more than 13,000 people died in the fighting.The Maoists entered parliament in January 2007 and joined the government three months later, but withdrew in September demanding the immediate removal of the king. Since then Nepal has faced a deepening political crisis.

News from Nepal

Visit the following web links to see Nepal news.

From usa:
http://www.nepalhorizons.com/beta/comnews.php?newsid=375

From Japan:
www.nepaljapan.com

From Russia:
http://www.freenepal.com/newface/display.php?WTJGMFBXMWhhVzVmY0dodmRHOWZaMkZzWVhKNUptbGtQVEV4T1RVeU1UVXlOelU9

Kapilvastu death toll reaches 20

KAPILVASTU, Sept 19 - The death toll in the Kapilvastu riots has mounted to 20 as 15 more bodies were recovered in the district Wednesday.
Seven bodies were recovered from a gorge at Devnagari in Birpur VDC this morning, stated the District Police Office (DPO), quoting local residents.

Eight more bodies were recovered from the same area today evening, the locals said.

More bodies are expected to be recovered, the police informed.

None of the eight bodies have been identified yet as their bodies have been disfigured beyond recognition, the police added.

Among the seven found this morning, the deceased have been identified as Hari bahadur Basnet, Jhabinda Khanal, Shovaram Sunar of Bisanpur VDC, and Mohit Bahadur Magar of Shivagadi VDC-3.

A woman from the same village is yet to be identified.

According to Deputy Superintendent Kuber Kadayet, faces of two of them have disfigured beyond recognition.

A team of police has headed for Bisanpur VDC after they were informed that the bodies were in the village.

The police team plans to bring the dead bodies to the DPO.

At least, 14 people are still missing in the riots torn in Bishanpur and other affected areas.

Two passenger buses were torched last night during the curfew period. The police have arrested four persons for their suspected involvement in the incident.

Besides, one dozen vehicles have been set ablaze and vandalized in Ganeshpur and Mahendra Highway, the locals added.

Meanwhile, curfew was relaxed for four hours this morning after three days. The curfew has been re-imposed in the district.

Property worth millions of rupees were destroyed in the riots after an unidentified group shot dead Mohit Khan, a former leader of an anti-Maoist group, Sunday morning.

The DPO added that at least 110 vehicles were either vandalized or torched while over 300 houses in various places were set ablaze.

In Chandrauta bazaar alone, 85 vehicles were torched whereas 16 others were torched in Krishnanagar.





Posted on: 2007-09-18 22:40:28 (Server Time)

New political basis needed to bolster eight-party unity: Mahara

KATHMANDU, Sept 19 - Newly-appointed spokesman of the CPN-Maoist, Krishna Bahadur Mahara Wednesday said that the seven parties have become “a bit serious” about their demands, including the declaration of a republic ahead of the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections, after the party pulled out of the current coalition government and launched the street protests Tuesday.
“The leaders of the seven parties were not serious about our demands till yesterday. We found them somewhat concerned today after we declared the agitation,” Mahara said after the eight-party meeting today, “But, this realization must be taken to a meaningful conclusion if the eight-party unity is to be strengthened.”

“A new political basis has to be discovered to bolster the eight-party unity. The recent developments have already proved that the eight-party unity cannot be upheld on the old basis,” he added, referring to the 12-point historical agreement between then seven-party alliance and the Maoists that led to the success of the April uprising.

The Maoists have put forth 22-point “pre-requisites”, including declaring Nepal a republic through the interim parliament and fully proportional electoral system to “ensure” the CA elections. They pulled out of the eight-party government yesterday, citing seven parties’ apathy to their demands.

Stating that they have always stood and fought for “meaningful” CA elections, Mahara added, “The (November 22) elections are merely an illusion. They won’t be possible without a new and strengthened unity among the eight parties.”

Mahara also urged the international community not to doubt the Maoist intention.

“We have certainly not pulled out from the peace process. We are still in the eight-party alliance. We have only stepped down from the government,” he said.

He also informed that the Maoist central secretariat meeting this afternoon had mulled over ways to push for a special session of the interim parliament to declare a republic through the House.

Stating that the meeting, which re-appointed him the party spokesman, also assessed the impact of the Maoist decision to quit the government, he claimed that the decision was backed by the people

Nepali Baba in Berkeley

Click picture for more detail.

Hindu prayer in California Senate

California State Senate here heard its first Hindu opening prayer today in its 157 years history, when famous Hindu chaplain, Rajan Zed, recited Gayatri and other ancient Sanskrit mantras. - Sacramento, California, August 27:

Starting with "Om", the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work, he read from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, dated from around 1,500 BCE. He also delivered from Brahadaranyakopnisad, Taittiriya Upanisad, and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), all ancient Hindu scriptures. He ended the prayer with last mantra of Rig-Veda, "samani va akutih", before concluding with "Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti", which he then translated as "Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all".

Before starting the prayer, he sprinkled Gangajal (holy water from river Ganga in India) on the podium, which is traditional in Hindu worship.

Wearing saffron colored attire, a ruddraksh mala (rosary), and traditional sandalpaste tilak (religious mark) on the forehead, Zed, after reciting the original lines in Sanskrit, then read the English translation of the verses. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of all Indo-European languages. Full text of the prayer will be recorded in the Daily Journal of the Senate, which is a permanent public record.

Reverend Canon James D. Richardson, Chaplain of California State Senate, introduced Rajan Zed while Don Perata, Senate President pro Tem; Senator Christine Kehoe (San Jose) and Senator Elaine Alquist (San Diego) personally welcomed him.

One of the paragraphs of this Hindu prayer read in Sanskrit was "Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrityor mamrtam gamaya", which was translated in English as "Lead me from the unreal to the Real, Lead me from darkness to Light, Lead me from death to immortality."

Zed was accompanied to the California Senate by his community volunteer wife Shipa Zed; son Navgeet Zed, recipient of Nevada Peacemaker of the Year award; and a group of other supporters, including Jassi Cheema, Paradhyeya Das, Chaitanya Dasi, etc., many of whom came out of town.

"This day of August 27, 2007, is an esteemed day for all Californians and momentous day for us when opening prayers from ancient Hindu scriptures are being read in this majestic hall of democracy," Zed remarked.

Rajan Zed, affiliated with World Congress of Faiths-London and listed in "Who's Who in America" 2006, volunteers as a chaplain in various hospitals, serves on various Boards of Directors, and is very active in interfaith dialogue. He created history on July 12 last when he opened the United States Senate session in Washington DC with Hindu prayer for the first time in its 218 years history. City of Reno issued him a proclamation and he received various honors from different organizations in this country and abroad.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has no datable beginning but some scholars put it around 3,000 BCE. It has no founder, no one authoritative figure, and no single prophet or holy book. One of its scriptures, Mahabharata, is the longest poem ever written, comprising over 100,000 couplets. Hinduism in North America was introduced in 1830s with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau studying Hindu scriptures like Upanisads and Bhagavad-Gita. Vivekananda made a strong impression at World's Parliament of Religion in Chicago in 1893 and he then founded Vedanta Society. Protap Chunder Mozoomdar of Brahmo Samaj delivered his first American address on September 02, 1883 in Concord, Massachusetts.

California ranks eighth in Gross Domestic Product in the world, higher than Canada, Spain, Russia, India, Australia, etc. California State Senate has 40 Senators, with each Senator representing 846, 791 Californians. Current Senate Chaplain Richardson, an Episcopal Priest, is the 47th chaplain since 1897, when this office began. Generally he offers the opening prayer but guest chaplains are also invited from time to time.

The prayers are offered to God on behalf of the Senate in recognition that our freedom and our abundance are gifts from God, according to Senate Chaplain webpage.

Contact Details:Rajan Zed : rajanzed@gmail.com

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Was the US Senate Attack on Hinduism an isolated Instance?
Article by: Rajiv Malhotra, USINPAC Leadership Committee Member

The US Senate has a long tradition of opening with Bible prayers, occasionally extending a symbolic courtesy to prayers of other faiths. For the first time in its history a Hindu priest was invited to conduct the opening prayer. Indian-Americans, having contributed immensely to America, naturally felt proud to be afforded equal respect alongside other American religions. But the Hindu prayer was attacked as an "abomination" by hate-filled heckling that resulted from an organized mobilization by civic groups such as the American Family Association attempting, to demonize Hinduism as heathen, immoral and dangerously un-American. The President of the Family Research Council mobilized Americans to block the Hindu priest, saying, "There is no historic connection between America and the polytheistic creed of Hinduism." David Barton, one of the scholars informing the attackers, declared that Hinduism was "not a religion that has produced great things in the world," citing social conditions in India as proof of its primitiveness.

The denigration of Hinduism influences the way Americans relate to Indians. Andrew Rotter, an American historian, in his book on the US foreign policy's tilt against India and towards Pakistan during the Nehru era, cites declassified documents revealing US presidents' and diplomats' suspicions of Hinduism. They regarded "Hindu India" as lacking morality and integrity, and its "grotesque images" reminded them of previous pagan faiths conquered by Christians, such as Native Americans. American ideas about India are intertwined with stereotypes about Hinduism.

There are domestic implications concerning the diaspora as well. The great American meritocracy has enabled us to succeed as individuals, and many Indians see American Jews as a role model. But it took the Jews over half a century of organized lobbying and litigation by organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, to establish their religious identity in public life. The lesson Jews had learnt in the European Holocaust was that their individual success could easily be used against them if their civilizational identity was defamed. Indians also faced hate crimes in New Jersey when the Dotbusters targeted Hindus. Recent rants by Pat Buchanan and Lou Dobbs generate xenophobia against Indians for "stealing" jobs from "real" (i.e. white Judeo-Christian) Americans. As Indian-Americans stand out for their individual success, while US economic standards deteriorate, we may one day regret having neglected the projection of a positive civilizational image. Unlike many other ethnic and religious groups, we have not adequately engaged US universities, schools, media and think-tanks deeper than the pop culture layer of cuisine, Bollywood and fashions. On the contrary, many Indian writers have fed the "caste, cows, curry" images of India.

Hindu-Americans need to be educated on the history of American public religion and the "American way" of claiming one's religious identity across the spectrum of liberals and conservatives. In fact, even liberal Americans have always been a very Christian people. Hilary Clinton's devout Christianity has shaped her liberalism. She told New York Times that her Methodist faith has been "a huge part of who I am, and how I have seen the world and what I believe in, and what I have tried to do in my life." She carries a Bible on her campaign travels and confidently quotes from St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and John Wesley, the father of Methodism. Another liberal, Barak Obama, proudly projects his Christianity and delivers many of his key campaign speeches before church congregations. It comes as a surprise to many secular Indians that the very liberal President Jimmy Carter describes himself as a Bible evangelist, and asserts that his Christian faith provided the moral compass to guide his presidency.

Liberalism in America is about egalitarian economic and race policies, and is not a rejection or even a departure from the nation's majority religion, i.e. Christianity. The equivalent scenario would be for India's CPM leaders (the liberal/left equivalent of Obama, Clinton and Carter) to quote Hindu sacred texts and deliver campaign speeches in major Hindu temples. While American labor unions have always been very deeply rooted in Christianity, India's labor unions are encouraged to discard the Hindu identity. Unlike in Europe, American public life has never abandoned its deep rooted Christian foundations. America's separation of state and church affects only formal institutions, and does not imply de-Christianizing the leadership or the national ethos.

Indian intellectuals have misunderstood America's Christian psyche because the Indian notion of secularism in India is very different to that of the American. Indian secularism requires distancing from the majority religion, i.e. Hinduism, by one or more of the following ways: by espousing a "generic spirituality" without any specific religious identity, by condemning any Hindu identity as a mark of communalism with BJP links, or by explicitly blaming Hinduism for all sorts of human rights problems. The equivalent situation would be to blame the Bible for all the US abuses in Guantanamo and in its domestic society, and to de-Christianize America into a sort of generic spirituality. While Hinduism, like all other world religions, does have social problems, it also has internally generated reformations, as well as immense resources to deal with the human condition.

Unraveling this requires understanding Hinduphobia's nexus in the American academy and seminaries. This is the subject of a well-researched eye-opening new book, titled, Invading the Sacred: An analysis of Hinduism Studies in America. (See: www.invadingthesacred.com for details.) The book exposes influential scholars who have disparaged the Bhagavad Gita as "a dishonest book"; declared Ganesha's trunk a "limp phallus"; classified the Hindu Devi as the "mother with a penis" and Shiva as "a notorious womanizer" who incites violence in India; pronounced Sri Ramakrishna a pedophile who sexually molested the young Swami Vivekananda; condemned Indian mothers as being less loving of their children than white women; and interpreted the bindi as a drop of menstrual fluid and the "ha" in sacred mantras as a woman's sound during orgasm. To understand the hatred spewed at us by the Senate hecklers one needs to understand the systemic creation and distribution of such one-sided "data" by an army of "scholars" whose mission is to bolster the image of Hinduism as a danger to the American way of life.

http://www.usinpac.com/articles1.asp

United We Stand - American Hindu Association
www.americanhindu.net

Associations of Nepalis in the US

We have listed some of the Nepali associations in the US.
If you know any organizations that are not listed here, let us know.
You can leave a comment or send us an email to peacenepalgroup@gmail.com Thanks!

Nepalis in Oregon
Utah Nepali Samaj
Greater Boston Nepali Community
Nebraska Nepalese Society
Nepal Center of North Carolina
Nepal Seattle Society
America Nepal Friendship Society
America Nepal Medical Foundation
America Nepal Society of California
Association of Nepalese in Midwest America
Florida Nepal Association
Friends of Nepal
International Nepali Literary Society
Nepalese Association in Southeast America
Society of Ex-Budhanilkantha Students
Association of Nepalese in the Americas
Nepalese Society Texas
Nepalese Student's Association
World wide Nepalese Student's Organization
Association Of Nepalese In Midwest America
Nepalese democratic youth council
Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Nepal
Alliance for Democracy & Human Right in Nepal
South Carolina Association of Nepalese
Nepal Study Center
Liberal Democracy Nepal Forum

Himalayan Fair in Berkeley May 19-20

If you folks have time, come on by and enjoy the festivities, which is full of music, dance and food both days. It is also great cause as it provides funding for many grassroots humanitarian projects in Tibet, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Mongolia.

Carolyn and Gopal will be at the Himalayan Fair. They will have a booth for JOINT ASSISTANCE CENTRE where they will be promoting their volunteer projects in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Carol Vernal from Children's Medical Aid Foundation from Sonoma will be there also promoting her project in Nepal. If you want to know more about Joint Assistance Centre's project check their web site at www.jacusa.org. Childern's Medical Aid Foundation has a web site as well. It is www.childrensmedaid.org

Again come and join them at the Himalayan Fair!