India, Nepal must cooperate to tackle Maoist threat

Press Trust of India ^ | July 25, 2003

[Tailgunner Joe]

Close co-operation and exchange of information between Nepal and India was the need of the hour to tackle the Maoist threat, Indian Ambassador in Nepal Shyam Saran has said.

Underlining India's stand against terrorism, Saran said India will not allow any activity directed against Nepal in its soil and admitted that the Nepalese Maoists were establishing links with terrorist groups, including PWG and MCC, which are operating in India.

"We have evidence to prove that the Maoists were involved in drawing action plans with terror organisations in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa," the envoy was quoted by The Himalayan Times as saying at a function to honour 50 Nepalese journalists with Indian scholarships for higher studies.

Indian government would provide scholarships amounting to $8,000 to four Nepalese journalists every year to study mass communication in India, the ambassador told reporters on Thursday at Indian Pension Distribution Camp in eastern Nepal town of Dharan.

Since last year, India has provided 50 undergraduate scholarships to Nepalese students studying various subjects within Nepal under the Golden Jubilee of Indo-Nepal Friendship scholar scheme.

From this year, Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship would be given to 500 Nepalese students, who have passed SLC exams, to study ten plus two, Indian Embassy sources said.

Besides, cultural scholarships were also being given to over 100 Nepalese students annually by India for higher studies in various fields including medicine and engineering, they said.

The ambassador also termed as "baseless" the allegation that the embankments constructed in Indo-Nepal border area was affecting Nepal.

He, however, said the technical committees of both the countries were discussing the matter relating to disputed construction of embankments and alleged border encroachments.

[John_11_25]

I am presently in Nepal and it seems that it is just a matter of time before the unrest starts again.

Most Nepali's I speak to expect the violence to resume after the Monsoon. The army is back on the streets stopping vehicles and doing stricter security checks. The army never left the streets, but since the truce, the checks had slowed dramatically, at least in the capital.

Also a Maoist was killed yesterday in Western Nepal by the army, but it did not hit the papers, but made BBC World News, so god knows what is really happening.

So the peak tourist season which is about to begin in a few months, looks like it will be wiped out once again.