Nepal

Kathmandu, October 2

The Embassy of Germany organised the First Nepal-German Business Forum in Kathmandu today.

The theme of the event organised in coordination with the Nepal-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Investment Board Nepal was ‘Building Bridges: Nepal-German Business Relations&. &The forum aimed at allowing ‘German firms to explore Nepali market and benefit from new dynamics characterised by political stability, energy security and efforts of the Government of Nepal to improve investment climate,& read a press release issued by the embassy.

During the event, 28 representatives from 20 German companies and organisations met their Nepali counterparts and exchanged business experience. Major companies participating in the event included Siemens and Commerzbank AG. They covered sectors such as energy, finance, hospitality/food - beverage, infrastructure development, IT/communication, manufacturing and tourism.

Around 90 participants engaged in round-table discussions with Nepal government representatives on policy and regulations for new businesses in Nepal, foreign direct investment opportunities and doing business in Nepal, according to the release.

&This forum aimed to promote Nepal as a place for business and wanted to foster job creation as well as investment for production. It therefore contributed to the bilateral economic relation and informed potential German investors about the improving business climate in Nepal,& read the release.

The business forum was part of a multitude of events being organised by the embassy. The events include a three-day visit by a delegation lead by Norbert Barthle, German vice-minister of Cooperation and Economic Development, followed by the National Unity Day Celebration on October 3, and the inauguration of the German Technical School in Dhading on October 4.

Barthle, who arrives tomorrow, will call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and meet other government representatives on the same day. During his stay in Nepal, Barthle will attend inauguration ceremony of the German Technical School in Dhunibesi Municipality of Dhading.

He will also inaugurate the National Load Dispatch Centre, financially supported by the German Development Corporation with a grant of seven million Euros. Barthle will also visit Patan and Bhaktapur cities. During his engagements, Barthle will also discuss German support to Nepal on the implementation of federal system in the country. &This visit underlines Germanywish to continue its long-standing partnership with Nepal by adding new dimension to it,&read the release. &Support for the German Technical School in Dhading shows that professional training is key to developing future industrial relationship of Nepal with Germany and the whole Europe.&

According to the embassy, private industries from Germany have been showing interest in exploring opportunities in Nepal. The embassy said renewable energy was one of the three pillars of Nepal-German cooperation, other two being health and sustainable economic development.&Of course, Germany will continue to make significant contributions for Nepal through the European Union as well as multilateral institution (development banks and the UN system),& read the release.

The post First Nepal-German Business Forum concludes appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

Kathmandu, October 2

Around 1.2 million people have left Kathmandu valley to join their families back home to celebrate Dashain festival.

According to statistics provided by Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, the outflow of people from the valley was 11,91,988 against the inflow of 7,69,676 from September 22 to October 1. As many as 1,37,083 vehicles ferried the passengers to their destinations during the period through Thankot, Dakshinkali, Jagati and Balaju transit points. On anaverage, the outflow of people is likely to surge till Mahaasthami. Fulpati and Mahaashtami are the busiest travel days and after those days the valley witnesses a lull for a few days. People have also been boarding queue-free buses for which they don&t have to book tickets. Those leaving the valley for Dashain included migrant workers, students, civil servants, and employees of private enterprises. According to MTPD, around 2.5 million people were expected to head for their hometowns via road and air.

It said traffic police personnel were mobilised to manage and regulate vehicular traffic to ensure passengers& safety and facilitate them. Passenger help desks have been set up in 14 places of the valley. Equipment have been mobilised on the Naubise-Nagdhunga stretch to remove vehicles with mechanical breakdown causing traffic congestion on the busy highway.

Special security arrangements have been put in place to prevent and control road accidents on thehighways. Speed limit has been kept at 35 km/hr for tippers.

The Department of Transport Management has imposed a ban on lorries, cargo trucks, multi-axle tractors and trailers on the Kathmandu-Narayangadh road section during Dashain, as the vehicles were likely to cause traffic congestion and accidents.

MTPD said it had stepped up action against rule violators. It has booked 15 transport entrepreneurs of long-route vehicles for not hiring two drivers. As many as 232 travel entrepreneurs have faced action for overcharging passengers.

Traffic police have also been conducting mechanical test ofthe vehicles leaving the valley. They said as many as14,848 persons were booked for violating traffic rule.

The post Over a million people leave valley for Dashain appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

Kathmandu, October 2

Nepal-New Zealand first Bilateral Foreign Ministry Consultation meeting was held in Kathmandu today.

Tapas Adhikari, joint secretary, South East Asia and the Pacific Division of MoFA, and Andrew Needs, Additional Secretary, South and South East Asia Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, led their respective delegations to the meeting. The two sides discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and exchanged views to promote cooperation through economic engagement.

The meeting also discussed climate change and New Zealandparticipation in the forthcoming Sagarmatha Sambaad, an international event to be held in Kathmandu next year, said a press release issued by the MoFA.

The New Zealand delegation comprised Her Excellency Joanna Kempers Ambassador of New Zealand to Nepal and Daniel Thompson Second Secretary, New Zealand Embassy, New Delhi.

The Nepali delegation included Surendra Kumar Yadav, under secretary, MoFA and Srijana Tiwari, under secretary Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, among others.

The post New Zealand, Nepal secys meet appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

Kathmandu, October 2

The Government of Nepal should make public, as pledged, the report of the commission that investigated deadly violence involving police and protesters in 2015, Human Rights Watch said today.

Donors, including the United Kingdom and United States, which provide training and other security assistance to Nepal, and the United Nations which uses Nepal police on field missions, need to ensure that the government upholds the reportrecommendations on transparency and accountability in law enforcement, the New York-based rights body said in a press release.

The report covered several weeks of violence in the southern part of the country during the final stage of drafting Nepalnew constitution. The report contained crucial information to provide justice to the victims and could help prevent incidents of violencein the future. When he presented the report to the government in December 2017, the commission Chair, Girish Chandra Lal, a retired Supreme Court justice had said that it included the cases of 66 people killed during the violence, including 10 policemen.

&Selective leaks in the media are causing confusion about the findings. The government should instead release the full report and explain how it will respond to the recommendations,& said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at HRW. &Victims and their families placed their faith on the governmentcommitments to an independent investigation, and there can be no possiblejustification for keeping the findings under wraps.&

The commission investigated incidents across the Tarai, including the actions of the protesters and responses of the security force. Trials have been conducted for the killings of police officials, although witnesses told the commissioners that the real culprits were yet to be arrested. Security force did not fully cooperate with the commission. Based on media reports describing leaked material, the commission found that the police ‘did not fulfill their duty& to protect members of the indigenous Tharu community from mob attacks. It also concluded that the use of lethal force against protesters in the eastern Tarai region could not have occurred ‘without the direction of the local administration.& The commission said the killing of bystanders and protesters involved excessive use of force by the police.

HRW investigated 25 of the killings documented in the commissionreport, with similar findings. HRW found that during protests in Tikapur of Kailali district, eight police officers were beaten and burnt to death on 24 August 2015. Another police officer was dragged from an ambulance and killed in Mahottari district on 11 September 2015. HRW also documented numerous instances in which police opened fire indiscriminately or without justification, killing protesters and bystanders.

In Kalaiya of Bara district, witnesses described watching a senior police officer shoot dead an injured protester, Hifajat Miya, 19, on 1 September 2015. The incident was also recorded on video, obtained by Human Rights Watch. In the nearby city of Birgunj, on the same day, police opened fire into a hospital. Witnesses said police in Janakpur also opened fire, using live ammunition on protesters. Police dragged Nitu Yadav, 14, who was hiding in the bushes and shot him dead while the neighbours watched from nearby buildings.

The post Govt told to release report on 2015 Tarai violence appeared first on The Himalayan Times.