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Nepal
Kathmandu, September 17
The International Federation of Journalists has condemned governmentact of arresting nine journalists, who were protesting the sacking of three journalists of state-owned Radio Nepal in Doti.
Office-bearers from the Federation of Nepali Journalists and Nepal Press Union were among nine journalists arrested by police as they protested in Kathmandu against job loss of their fellow journalists.
The IFJ said it joined NPU, its affiliate, in deploring the arrests and demanded an immediate investigation into the incident. It alleged that the three journalists were dismissed without any prior notice or administrative work.
FNJ and NPU were demanding the reinstatement of the journalists during the protest. Those arrested included FNJ Secretary Ram Prasad Dahal, NPU General Secretary Ajaya Babu Shiwakoti, FNJ central committee members Janmadev Jaisi, Yam Birahi and Min Bam, NPU central committee member Dilip Paudel, NPU Doti Branch Vice-president Chakra Kuwar, FNJ Doti branch President Yogendra Balayar and NPU Doti branch President Prakash Bam. They were detained for three hours and released in the evening.
NPU General secretary Shiwakoti said, &NPU condemns the removal of three journalists from their job and demands their immediate reinstatement. We also demand that government creates an environment conducive to the freedom of expression, a provision guaranteed by the constitution.& The government was dealing harshly with working journalists, threatening them not to report against its activities, according to Shiwakoti. The IFJ said, &The arrest of nine journalists for simply protesting the sacking of their colleagues is a deplorable act by Nepali authorities and threatens press freedom in the country.&
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Write comment (95 Comments)Kathmandu, September 17
The National Assembly today unanimously endorsed the Passport Bill, which was sent back by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari for revision.
Though there was no clear statement or direction from the Presidentoffice to revise particular provisions in the bill, there was concern regarding a provision which stated that the government bodies could issue order asking concerned authorities not to issue passport for a citizen, for no reasonable ground.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali adresses the meeting of National Assembly in New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, on Tuesday, September 17, 2019. Photo: Screenshot of National Assembly live broadcast/Youtube
According to a NA source, President Bhandari was against the provision that allowed government authorities not to issue passport for Nepali citizens without any legal grounds. So, the bill was sent back to the NA for its reconsideration. The NA amended the bill as per the sentiment of President Bhandari.
The amendment proposal endorsed by the NA stated that concerned authority could deny passport to Nepali citizens only on reasonable grounds. &The citizen in question is entitled to know the reason why he or she was denied passport,& the bill stated.
The bill amended by the National Assembly, however, gave government the power to suspend, revoke or deny passport to a citizen, when investigation of a case filed against him or her, under immigration, corruption, money laundering, human trafficking, narcotics drugs and illegal arms law, was underway.
Section 12 of the bill, which was passed by the HoR and sent back by the president on this provision stated, &The passport issuing authority shall deny passport to those against whom the Government of Nepal or a court of law has issued order telling the government authorities not to issue passport for them.& Section 12 of the bill, which was endorsed by the NA today stipulated that the government could deny passport to a person, if a case of the person in question for defaulting loan was sub-judice.
As per the provision in the bill, such restriction also applied to those who faced cases under laws that deal with crimes of human trafficking, abduction, narcotic drugs, organised crime, and terrorism. Restriction also applied to those persons against whom concerned bodies wrote to the passport issuing authorities, saying that the persons in question were indulged in acts detrimental to Nepalsovereignty, integrity and unity, according to the amended bill.
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Write comment (98 Comments)Kathmandu, September 17
The Motor Vehicle and Transport Management Act-2019, recently enacted by the municipal assembly of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, aims at making drivers, helpers and passengers more disciplined.
Section 11 of the act states that any passenger, who occupies a seat reserved for women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities, or produces expired or fake student ID card to get concession for transportation fair shall be liable to a fine of Rs 1,000 for the first instance and Rs 2,000 from the second time onwards. A passenger, who throws waste from a moving vehicle or is drunk or uses tobacco products in public vehicles, shall be punished with a fine of Rs 1,000 for the first instance and Rs 2,500 from the second time onwards.
Passengers involved in sexual harassment or pick-pocketing in public vehicles shall be handed over to the nearest police office for legal action, by imposing a fine of Rs 5,000. The act also stipulates a provision of stringent action against drivers and helpers. &If a driver uses foul words, doesn&t give priority to pedestrians at zebra-crossings, drives vehicle under the influence or consumes tobacco products and pastes obscene pictures in the vehicle, he/she shall be liable to a fine ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 for the first instance,& states the act. Helpers of public vehicles will also be liable to fine ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 for using foul words and working under the influence of alcohol or consuming tobacco products.
There will be a nine-member monitoring committee led by a member of the municipal executive, designated by KMC mayor to carry out monitoring of transport management in Kathmandu and impose fine on rule violators. The committee also includes representatives from traffic police, city police, organisations working for the rights of consumers and transport entrepreneurs. If any company or organisation violates transport rules put in place by the government, its registration may be revoked, according to the act.
The act also stipulates a provision of travel insurance for passengers. Municipal executive is obliged to ensure travel safety, designate parking areas, issue route permits, prepare and implement gender and disabled-friendly mechanism in public transportation; develop overhead bridges, subways and zebra-crossings, enhance road safety and establish charging stations for electric vehicles.
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Write comment (90 Comments)Kathmandu, Sept 17
As a result of government laxity, almost 700,000 service-seekers have been deprived of smart driving licence.
With limited capacity to print smartcards, the Department of Transport Management has not been able to issue smart driving licences to almost 700,000 service-seekers who had applied for renewal of old licences or had passed vehicle trial more than a year ago.
Even DoTM officials accept that it has not been able to issue smart driving licences as per demand owing to low printing capacity.
Low printing capacity of smart driving permits has plagued DoTM for almost two years, but the department has not been able to address the problem.
While some DoTM officials said the problem could not be addressed due to frequent changes in the leadership of the department, others cite lengthy process of procuring mass printers and lack of resources with DoTM as the cause.
In the last one year, leadership at DoTM has changed thrice.
Gogan Kumar Hamal, who was appointed to the departmenttop post on May 2, is optimistic that the printing and distribution of smart driving licences will become smooth before Dashain.
&It is true that we have not been able to cater to the demand for smart driving licence and a large number of service-seekers have been affected. However, we have procured a mass printer, which will start printing smartcards from next week,& he told THT.
The new mass printer has the capacity to print 400 smartcards per hour, according to Hamal. &We have decided to print smart driving cards for 18 hours a day in three shifts from next week. If everything goes as planned, we will be able to issue smart driving licence to all pending applicants within a few months,& he claimed.
Though DoTM has been printing smart driving cards using a couple of printers in different shifts at present, it is able to print only around 3,000 such cards per day while the daily demand for smart driving licences is more than 5,000 a day.
&Even new service-seekers will be able to get smart driving licences within a week after Dashain,& claimed Hamal.
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Write comment (98 Comments)Kathmandu, September 17
Two years after an international wildlife trade racket was busted, Kathmandu District court has finally handed down jail sentences to five of the 20 accused for smuggling two infant chimpanzees, which were named Chimpu and Champa later.
Police had on 18 October 2017 rescued two chimpanzees, eight monkeys, seven golden pheasants, two ringneck pheasants, 38 pigeons and 65 parrots that were smuggled into Kathmandu through Tribhuvan International Airport.

Two chimpanzees Champa and Chimpu rescued from smugglers are seen basking in the sun, inside the Central Zoo, in Lalitpur, on December 22, 2017. Photo: THT
Six smugglers were arrested in connection with the case. Police had arrested two Nepali citizens, three Indians and a Pakistani national involved in the smuggling of the exotic animals from a forest in Nigeria.
The animals were to reach India via Kathmandu. Police had later arrested additional 15 persons following an investigation, and filed a case in the court in December 2017 against all 20 accused.
A single bench of Justice Pushparaj Thapaliya yesterday slapped five years& jail term on the three Indian nationals Mohammad Usman, 36, Mohammad Faim, 37, and Mohammad Sherif Shaheed, 37, along with one Pakistani national Jawaid Aslam Khan, 57.
Sanjeev Bhari, 42, of Bara district was ordered two-and-a-half years jail time for providing room to hide the smuggled animals.
The court has acquitted other 15 accused. After rescue, the chimpanzees were kept at the countryCentral Zoo at Jawalakhel. The infant chimpanzees, which were less than an year old, were half of their body weight and had pneumonia during their rescue, according to zoo officials.
The court is yet to decide if Chimpu and Champa will stay in Nepal or will be sent back to Nigeria.
The rare and endangered infants were smuggled via Turkey to Nepal from Nigeria.
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