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The Nepal Digest Tuesday 18 Oct 94: Kartik 15 2051 BkSm Volume 32 Issue 3
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From: "Ganesh Pandey" <GANESHP@CIVIL.Lan.McGill.CA>
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Date: Thu, 6 Oct 1994 09:40:36 EST5EDT
Subject: Cost of power plants in South Asia
The following article was taken from Pakistan News Service, Vol. 7, No. Z004,
Oct 5, 1994 (copied without prior permission).
- On Saturday, US businessmen signed $4 billion worth of energy deals.
These include $880 million 800 MW power plant in Sindh and $850
million 760 MW plant in Punjab. Another $650 million 760 MW plant is
planned for Baluchistan. Two thermal power plants of 360 MW
each will be built in Lal Pir and Sidhnai by AES corp. of Arlington Va.
for $700 million. Ms Bhutto took credit of these agreements
saying that they were the result of the tough economic management of
her 11 month old govt. and hailed the $4 billion dollar commitment
for the current year as a record. Visiting US Energy Secretary Hazel
O' Leary said that the energy deals were a recognition of Islamabad's
"revolutionary and profoundly deep" economic reforms. Eight of the 16
agreements signed were for power generation and are worth $3.33 billion.
From the above, it seems that, the cost of construction of a power
plant is in the rance of $1,000/KW. Let us see the cost of mega project Arun
III.
Installed Capacity, 402 MW., Total Cost $756 million and up. It means
construction cost will be in the range of $2,000/KW, which is twice the
amount than what our neighbours are paying. Who can says we are poor?
Ganesh
*********************************************************************
Date: 06 Oct 94 22:08:42 EDT
From: Rajendra.P.Shrestha@Dartmouth.EDU (Rajendra P. Shrestha)
Subject: News10/3-4
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
HEADLINE: INTERNAL AFFAIRS;
Premier warns that unconstitutional behaviour may create state of anarchy
SOURCE: Radio Nepal, Kathmandu, in English 1415 gmt 2 Oct 94
BODY:
Excerpt from report
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has said that if anyone tries
to act transcending the bounds of the constitution this will create a
state of anarchy, instability and uncertainty. He said an election
board is being held in the country bearing in mind the need to end
such a situation building up within the country. Prime Minister
Koirala was addressing a meeting of regional, zonal and district-level
office (?chiefs), organized by (?Muran) District Administration in
Biratnagar today [2nd October]. The prime minister added he was firmly
resolved to ensure free and fair polls as success achieved in this
task would help impress himself upon the people as a successful prime
minister...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
HEADLINE: INTERNAL AFFAIRS;
Vice-chairman of planning commission resigns to stand in elections
SOURCE: Radio Nepal, Kathmandu, in English 1415 gmt 29 Sep 94
BODY:
Text of report
His Majesty's government has accepted the resignation submitted by
Dr Ramsharan Mahat from the post of vice-chairman of
the National Planning Commission with effect from tomorrow [30th
September], according to the National Planning Commission secretariat
. Mr Mahat has decided to contest the forthcoming parliament
elections from constituency number two, [name indistinct], with a
Nepali Congress ticket.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: AFP
LENGTH: 254 words
HEADLINE: Nepal closes a border crossing with India
DATELINE: KATHMANDU, Oct 3
BODY:
The Nepalese authorities have closed off a border crossing with an
Indian state and hospitalised three Nepalese who returned from India
with suspected plague symptoms, officials said Monday.
Home ministry spokesman Shree Kant Regmi said the three had been
placed in hospitals in different parts of Nepal, but stressed that the
country had no confirmed case of the plague.
The government on Saturday also closed the border to foreign
nationals at Kankarvitta in Jhapa district, southeast of Kathmandu,
which adjoins the Indian state of West Bengal, officials said.
The government last week suspended flights to Bombay and Patna
until the plague outbreak in India is brought under control.
The Federation of Nepalese Transport Entreprenuers (FNTE) has
appealed to the government not to allow any Indian vehicles into Nepal
and to stop all Indians from entering the country without an health
inspection.
The Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) has reported that 60 percent
of tour packages combining India and Nepal have been cancelled this
month owing to the outbreak.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: DPA
HEADLINE: 3 suspected plague cases in Nepal
DATELINE: Kathmandu, Oct 3
BODY:
At least three suspected plague victims were admitted to hospitals
in eastern and western Nepal Sunday, a newspaper report said in
Kathmandu Monday.
The Nepali language daily Kantipur reported that a suspected
plague victim was brought to Koshi Zonal Hospital in Biratnagar, an
industrial township about 400 kilometres south east of the capital.
The suspected plague victim was identified as 25-year-old Shiva
Adhikari, who had just returned from New Delhi.
He was not kept at the hospital building but in the open field
because the hospital staff did not have adequate equipment, including
masks, to deal with the problem.
The newspaper also said that one plague suspect had been admitted
to Mechi Zonal Hospital in Bhadrapur in eastern Nepal and another one
to Bheri Zonal Hospital in the western Nepalese town of Nepalgunj.
The Nepalese government continued Monday to maintain there were no
plague cases in Nepal. Both the home and health ministries denied
reports that the plague had been brought to Nepal by people arriving
from India.
Nepal is a high risk area because of its open border with India
and because thousands of people cross the border each day.
The government has belatedly began examining people crossing the
border at major points. People can cross at any point along the 1,280
kilometre long border with India and the government is not equipped to
check the whole stretch.
As large scale cancellations of travel to Nepal by tourists for
October, one of the kingdom's peak tourist seasons, poured in,
tourist-related businesses have called on the government to initiate
necessary measures to prevent plague from "entering" Nepal.
They have called for the immediate clean up of Kathmandu, banning
of flights from India and fumigating all vehicles at the border.
They have also called on the government to examine all Nepalese
returning home from India free of cost by setting up medical camps
along the border. dpa jp
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: DPA
HEADLINE: More than 1,700 in race for 205 seats in Nepal
DATELINE: Kathmandu, Oct 3
BODY:
Some 1,745 people have filed nomination papers to contest the
November 13 parliamentary elections, Nepal's Election Commission said
Monday.
At stake are 205 parliamentary seats. The poll was ordered on July
11 following the defeat of the ruling Nepali Congress government after
a crucial vote on July 10.
More than 66 political parties, including five recognised by the
election commission as national parties, are taking part in the
elections.
The Nepali Congress, the Nepal Communist Party (United
Marxist-Leninists - UML) and the National Democratic Party, all three
national parties, are putting up candidates in all 205 parliamentary
constituencies.
Nepali Congress had 113 seats in the dissolved house with UML at
68 and the National Democratic four.
The political equation is expected to change after the mid-term
polls as almost all national parties are having to deal with
intraparty conflicts and differences.
The worst hit is the Nepali Congress, supposedly the largest in
the country, with party leader Ganesh Man Singh publicly going against
the prime minister, Girija Prasad Koirala.
Koirala, reneging on his earlier stand not to contest the
elections, is contesting from two constituencies and in both he faces
competition from "rebel" congress candidates.
"Rebel" candidates have been put up in most constituencies to
oppose the official Nepali Congress candidates. dpa jp
------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: plague prevention committee formed in east nepal
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 3; ITEM NO: 1003194
BODY:
a plague control and prevention committee has been formed in jhapa
district of eastern nepal to prevent the dreadful disease from
entering nepal. the committee was formed today at a meeting of the
mechi zonal hospital development committee. the new body will take
preventive measures, promote public awareness and maintain a
coordination between various units concerned and social organizations
as a precautionary step against the plague that has spread in india
since september 21. in the meeting, the participants suggested that
the name lists of those coming to nepal from surat and other
plague-hit areas in india should be prepared, and their health should
be checked to find out whether they have been infected or not. they
also suggested that adequate medicines be stocked for treatment of the
disease, pamphlets be circulated to promote public awareness and
24-hour medical service be arranged. several plague victims have been
found in the mid-western and eastern parts of nepal, and various
organizations have urged the government to take necessary measures to
check the disease.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: nepal to send doctors to areas bordering india
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 3; ITEM NO: 1003196
BODY:
nepal has decided to field health teams including doctors in
various areasbordering india as part of the plague prevention and
control measures. the teams, supplied with necessary equipment, will
examine the people entering nepal who are suspected of being carriers
of the pneumonic plague. a decision to this effect was taken at a
meeting on the plague prevention and control which was held at the
health ministry today. the meeting decided that medical teams with
medical officers will remain on duty at all hospitals in the kathmandu
valley while all regional, zonal and district hospitals will open a
separate ward each for plague patients. the meeting also decided to
launch a campaign through the ministry of local development for
keeping environment clean mainly in kathmandu and other municipalities
by removing dumping garbage.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: nepali congress rebel candidates urged to withdraw
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 3; ITEM NO: 1003059
BODY:
nepali congress (nc) president krishna prasad bhattarai has called
on all nc cadres who have filed counter nominations to withdraw their
names and initiate work in favor of the official candidates of the
party. in a signed statement released here late sunday, bhattarai
said the party leadership does realize that long-serving party workers
have, in some cases, been bypassed for others when handing out
candidacy tickets. "but this does not mean your contributions have not
been recognized," he said. "therefore, i personally request all of
you who filed counter nominations, to withdraw in favor of the party's
official candidates," the party president said. despite the party
president's appeal, nc rebel candidate in eastern nepal's morang no. 1
constituency durga subedi reiterated sunday that he would forge an
all-party alliance to defeat prime minister girija prasad koirala. he
stressed, "my candidacy is for the defeat of koirala and for
development of the nation." prime minister koirala would contest
simultaneously in morang no.1 constituency and sunsari no. 5
constituency. two other rebel nc members filed their nominations
against the prime minister in sunsari no. 5 constituency. in some
other places, nc official candidates were reportedly not able to file
their nomination papers to local offices of the election officer due
to strong opposition from nc rebel workers.
***********************************************************************************************
***********************************************************************************************
SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: nepali garment industry on decline
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 3; ITEM NO: 1003065
BODY:
ninety percent of the ready-made garment factories have closed down
while the rest are keeping only 25 percent of their production
capacity. it was disclosed by president of the nepal ready-made
garment industry association kedar man amatya at the association's
annual general meeting here sunday. the major reason for the decline
is that the considerably high production cost as compared to its
neighbors leads to the lack of competitiveness for its products on the
world market. former president of the association chiranjibi nidhi
tiwari said that another problem the ready-made garment industry is
facing is the transportation while exporting the products. commerce
secretary durga prakash pandey observed that the ready-made garment
industrialists should shun the tendency to export their products only
on the basis of incentives, suggesting that they should promote the
quality of their products to increase their competitiveness. the
ready-made garment industry is the second industry in the country's
export trade and provides employment to about 60,000 people in nepal.
in 1993, the ready-made garment export in nepal was equivalent to 74.4
million u.s. dollars.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: suspected plague cases found in nepal
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 3; ITEM NO: 1003054
BODY:
several plague victims have been found in eastern, mid-western
nepal, local press reported today. a 25-year-old man, who entered
nepal via the eastern border from new delhi a few days ago, was
brought to hospital for treatment sunday. but the victim was left in
an open field under the supervision of the police because the nurses
did not have masks to wear, doctors said. meanwhile, other plague
cases have been reported in bhadrapur, jhapa of eastern nepal and
nepalgunj of mid-western nepal. but the home ministry said no plague
cases have been confirmed in nepal, adding that they sent a special
technical team to nepalgunj to deal with plague cases. medical teams
have been dispatched to all border entry points, said the home
ministry. in kathmandu, the federation of nepalese transport
entrepreneurs urged the government to stop entry of all indians
without health checkups and asked all nepalese to take caution while
traveling from or to india. at the same time, nepal association of
travel agents also urged the government to initiate all necessary
actions to prevent the spread of the terrible plague. more than 60
percent of the indo- nepal tour packages for october have been
canceled due to the disease. every year, thousands of nepali people
go to india to seek jobs and they are coming back for dashain
festival, the most important festival for hindus.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Reuters
HEADLINE: Five detained after U.S. envoy's car stoned
DATELINE: KATHMANDU, Nepal October 3
BODY:
Nepalese police detained five people after the U.S. ambassador's
car was stoned, Nepalese and U.S. officials said Monday.
Ambassador Sandra Vogelgesang was not in the car when it was
attacked. It was being driven to pick up American officials arriving
at Kathmandu's airport Sunday evening, a Home Ministry official said.
There was no indication of intent to harm U.S. diplomats, he said.
"It appears to be a case of nuisance by some drunkards," a
U.S. Embassy official said. The car was slightly damaged.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: UPI
HEADLINE: First suspected plague cases in Nepal
DATELINE: KATMANDU, OCT. 3
BODY:
Nepal's first suspected plague victim was brought to a hospital in
the industrial town of Biratnagar, about 225 miles (360 km) southeast
of the capital, the Katmandu Post reported Monday. The suspected
victim, Shiva Adhikari, 25, who entered Nepal from plague-wracked New
Delhi, was turned away from the hospital Sunday and instead kept in an
open field under police supervision, the newspaper said. ''He was not
admitted to the hospital because nurses had no masks to wear,'' the
newspaper quoted an unidentified doctor saying. The newspaper said
other possible cases have been reported in Nepal. Three suspected
cases were reported in three towns on Nepal's southern border with
India last week, the Katmandu Post said, but it was unclear whether
they were admitted to hospitals. One case was reported in Biratnagar
and one case each was reported from Bhadrapur, which was sealed to
foreigners, and the town of Nepalgunj 300 miles (480 km) west of
Katmandu. But the Home Ministry and the Health Ministry said no cases
have been confirmed so far.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: DPA
HEADLINE: Samaranch sends condolences over death of Nepal's chief delegate
DATELINE: H1roshima, Oct 4
BODY:
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonia
Samaranch has expressed his deep condolences over the death of the
chief of Nepal's athletic delegation to the 12th Asian Games.
In a letter addressed to Nepal Olympic Committee President Govinda
Raj Hoshi, Samaranch said, "It is with deep sorrow that I learned of
the sudden death of Mr. Naresh K. Adhikari, head of the Nepal's team
to Asiad."
Adhikari collapsed Sunday with severe breathing difficulties in
his room at the athletes village and died shortly after a nearby
hospital.
"On behalf of the Olympic movement, I extend to the Nepal Olympic
Committee and the family of Mr Adhikari my sincere condolences," the
IOC head said. dpa jp
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: free education for helpless child workers in nepal
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 4; ITEM NO: 1004075
BODY:
free primary education and boarding facility will be provided for
the helpless child workers who are displaced from the carpet factories
due to the strict government action against child labor. the program
was launched by the underprivileged children's educational program for
nepal and the asian-american free labor institute, local press
reported today. according to the joint statement issued by the two
organizations after signing an agreement monday, the education program
consists of non-formal education and vocational training. it is
expected that the displaced child laborers will become independent and
responsible through the vocational training and non-formal education
program. the program is only a pilot project which may be turned into
a national scheme if it becomes successful since there are over 50,000
displaced child workers in the country after the government carried
out child-labor free policy in the carpet industry, according to
chairman of the underprivileged children's educational program for
nepal shiva raj lohani.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: nepali pm asks nc dissidents to withdraw candidacy
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 4; ITEM NO: 1004068
BODY:
prime minister girija prasad koirala has requested all colleagues
of nepali congress (nc) who have independently filed their candidacy
against the party official candidates to withdraw their nominations.
in a statement published here monday, the prime minister said, "a
grave and decisive moment has arrived not only for the party but also
for democracy and the country and under this circumstance all nepali
congress colleagues have to dispel all kinds of illusions and
confusion, uphold the party's political tradition and culture with
patience and unitedly go to the people for their votes in favor of the
party's official candidates." koirala expressed his confidence that
the fresh popular mandate to be received through the general elections
due in about one and a half months will be crucial to the settlement
of all the problems "we are faced with at present." he said that being
a large party with a long political tradition, nepali congress could
not provide election tickets to all its dedicated and loyal members at
the same time and obtaining the party ticket is not the only basis for
the evaluation of the party colleagues. nc president krishna prasad
bhattarai had also issued a similar statement urging all nc cadres who
filed counter nominations to withdraw their names and initiate work in
favor of the official party candidates so as to make sure victory of
the party in the polls. it was reported that some nc dissident
workers have filed to the election offices as independent candidates
in the upcoming elections to compete against nc party official
candidates including the prime minister who is to contest in eastern
nepal's morang and sunsari districts simultaneously.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: UPI
HEADLINE: Koirala asks rebels to withdraw nominations
DATELINE: KATMANDU, Oct. 4
BODY:
Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala appealed Tuesday to
''rebels'' within his ruling Nepali Congress Party to withdraw their
own electoral nominations and support official party candidates in
upcoming mid-term elections. In a statement, the second issued by the
Congress Party hierarchy in three days, Koirala asked dissatisfied
party candidates to withdraw their own nominations for parliamentary
seats ''in the face of a grave and decisive moment facing the party,
democracy and country.'' Earlier this week, Congress Party President
Krishna Prasad Bhattarai issued a similar statement. Ganesh Man
Singh, the party's ''supreme leader,'' had earlier asked supporters of
the Congress Party to rebel against Koirala and his supporters, and
defeat the prime minister in the November elections. Singh claims
Koirala is leading Nepal toward dictatorship. Koirala ordered the
mid-term polls to be held on Nov. 15, months ahead of schedule, ''to
end ( Nepal's) political confusion and directionlessness through a
constitutional process.'' In July, Koirala recommended the mid-term
polls to Nepal's King Birendra, after 36 rebels in the Congress Party
sided with the Parliament's communist opposition to defeat an
important government motion. The rebels have fielded 160 candidates
in 205 parliamentary constituencies for the vote, which will be held
Nov. 13 or 15, depending on a finla parliamentary ruling. The 1,745
candididates have until Thursday to withdraw their nominations. The
Congress Party is contesting all 205 parliamentary seats. Its main
opposition, the Nepalese Communist Party is contesting 200, and the
conservative Rashtriya Prajatantra Party is contesting 204, according
to the Nepalese election commission. Many Nepalese political analysts
have predicted a defeat for the Congress Party in the November
elections.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, October 3
HEADLINE: Saving Nepalese Girls From Slavery
S.F. woman's group wants to educate young prostitutes
BYLINE: Catherine Bowman, Chronicle Staff Writer
BODY:
Every year, thousands of teenage girls leave the villages of Nepal
for the big cities of India, often seduced by promises of money,
marriage or a visit to the holy shrines.
The trip is a cruel joke.
q Often sold by relatives, the girls wind up in the hands of
prostitution traffickers, turning tricks in the grimy brothels of
Bombay and other cities. As they become infected with the human
immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS, they may work until they
die -- or carry the disease home.
With AIDS on the rise, a small foundation headed by a San Francisco
woman has joined the fight against the disease by starting a program
to rescue Nepalese girls before they are sold.
The Bahini Foundation's work in Nepal is headed by Kristina
Carlson, a meditation teacher and former opera singer who moved to the
mountain kingdom two years ago. Her goal: to open a safe house where
children at risk of becoming prostitutes can go to school.
''Virtually no girl is safe (from traffickers),'' said Carlson,
54. ''It's really the darkest side of human nature. Their childhood is
robbed and their future is stolen.''
AIDS threatens to devastate Nepal, which for all its picturesque
beauty is one of the poorest countries in the world. Girls have little
status in society, and often a family sees the sale of a daughter or
two as the only way to resolve its economic plight.
For health educators, poverty is not the only challenge. The
country has a high illiteracy rate, many isolated mountain hamlets and
a traditional society in which sex is rarely discussed. Add to that
thousands of Nepalese men who work in Bombay and are potential
carriers of the AIDS virus and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Carlson said a prostitution trafficker will pay anywhere from $ 60
to $ 200 for a Nepalese girl -- enough to put a new roof on the house
or feed a family for a year. Some villages, Carlson said, are
virtually empty of teenage girls, who now work in the brothels.
Families are not always aware that they are selling their
daughters, which is illegal, said the Rev. Margaret Reinfeld, director
of social and behavioral research for the American Foundation for AIDS
Research.
Reinfeld said it is not unusual for parents to receive a child's
wages for the first year of any job.
''Because of their own isolation, they may not be aware of what
really will happen,'' she said.
Not all girls or young women who end up as sex workers are sold by
relatives. Some go willingly, lured by false promises of a
well-paying job; some are kidnaped.
Once they arrive in Bombay, Carlson said, they are abused to break
their spirits. Some are as young as 11 or 12.
''When they get there, they are raped and tortured by the brothel
owners and their henchmen,'' she said. ''They blow chili powder in
their eyes, extinguish cigarets on them . . . all kinds of stuff.''
According to some estimates, 200,000 Nepalese women work in India's
brothels. In Bombay alone, more than 60 percent of all sex workers
are believed to be infected with HIV.
''You should see (their) faces,'' Carlson said. ''They're dead --
or they're beyond fear. Their only personal possession is their makeup
box.''
Carlson hopes the planned safe house in Kathmandu will house as
many as 200 children.
''We don't ever expect to be the Red Cross,'' she said. ''We just
want to provide a life for the kids that we find.''
Donations may be sent to the Bahini Foundation in care of: Stuart
Perrin, 80 Fourth Avenue, Fourth Floor, New York 10003.
**************************************************************************
Date: 06 Oct 94 22:08:52 EDT
From: Rajendra.P.Shrestha@Dartmouth.EDU (Rajendra P. Shrestha)
Subject: News10/5-6
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
HEADLINE: Of course losing hurts, says Nepal's German football consultant
BYLINE: By Steve Chadwick
DATELINE: Hiroshima, Oct 5
BODY:
For the past three years Holger Obermann has been Mr Football in
Nepal, whose national team has been ripped apart at each outing in the
Asian Games. "Of course it hurts," he says. But it's all a question of
perspective.
At first glance Nepal appear the joke side of the tournament,
losing 11-0 to South Korea in their first match, then 8-0 to Kuwait,
and destined for another pasting Saturday against Oman, after which
they can pack their bags and leave.
That, says Obermann, is not the point. "We didn't have a chance
against either side - the difference in standards between Nepal and
these countries is just too enormous," he says.
A tiny country beset by political unrest, high unemployment and
epidemic is not going to produce top professional footballers. The
national squad, says Obermann, was put together from a pool of 400
players who do not even train regularly, and whose main concern is
"day-to-day existing".
That said, the disappointment in losing so overwhelmingly is high
for a side that beat big neighbour India to win the South Asia
championship last December - "a major success that gave the entire
country a huge lift".
But the realities of Nepalese life stopped further success. The
squad that beat India disbanded until just eight weeks before the
Asian Games, as lack of funds prevented keeping them together.
Ten weeks of monsoon then hit training, leaving the side with no
one to spar with - and that in a country with no league in which
regularly to test players' mettle.
On top of that came the fact that seven of the squad, including
the regular goalkeeper, were in their sickbeds with fever for the
Korea match, and four for the Kuwait game.
But really, says Obermann, it all comes down to money and how best
to spend it in a land that has so little of it. "What's the point of
promoting 25 top footballers when there's so much else to do in
sport?" he says.
The 57-year-old, a television personality in his homeland, speaks
from the experience of working for the past 20 years in 19 Asian and
African countries as a sport adviser on the payroll of the German
Foreign Ministry.
While his expertise is being used in Hiroshima to help the
national team, his real job "is always from the basic premise of not
working at the top level - I'm not a Zampano running up and down the
touchline".
Since going to Nepal, Obermann has helped set up twelve German
government-funded youth centres which now help a total of 4,000
youngsters develop an interest in football, producing youth sides from
which Obermann hands on players to the national squad.
The tall German, highly articulate and still an active sportsman,
brings an element of missionary zeal to his job, stressing that while
it hurts to lose against sides like Korea, the main thing is to get
Nepalese kids playing football.
"I believe in the social benefits sport conveys," he says. "In a
country like Nepal, where the caste system still dominates and there
are enormous differences within society, football is an excellent
leveller.
"That lads from different castes should play football together -
that's something you don't get in any other social sphere in Nepal.
"Sport also gives these lads what you might call a health
awareness - keeping away a little from influences like beer and drugs
which these days have become part of the system in Nepal, too." dpa jp
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SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: king birendra wishes nepal to preserve sovereignty
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 5; ITEM NO: 1005084
BODY:
king of nepal birendra wished his country and people in the coming
days to lead a prosperous life with dignity and preserve the country's
sovereignty, integrity, identity and unity. the king made the remarks
during an interview given to french magazine "point de vue" after his
recent visit to france, the nepali national news agency rss reported
here today. king birendra paid a state visit to france on september
20-26 at the invitation of french president francois mitterrand. in
answering a question on his wish for his people and for nepal of
tomorrow, the king said that "i wish to see my country and people
prosper and lead a life with dignity preserving our sovereignty,
national integrity, identity and unity, and thereby contributing to
peace and prosperity in our region and the world at large." on the
forthcoming fresh polls to the lower house, birendra said "the general
election scheduled for november this year is in accordance with the
constitution and is expected to contribute to strengthening the
democratic process." on the possibility of naming someone from the
left opposition party to the post of prime minister if they win the
elections, the king said "the constitution of the kingdom of nepal has
laid down the procedure for forming a government inclduing the
appointment of the prime minister."
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