Kathmandu, November 8, 2005

The Supreme Court today issued a show cause notice to the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, on the government’s delay in introducing legal provisions or laws to regulate cabin and dance restaurants and massage parlours. Responding to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), a single bench of justice Paramananda Jha directed the Ministry to furnish a written reply within 15 days. Seeking a Supreme Court order to the government to promulgate a law or a legal provision in order to regulate the cabin and dance restaurants and massage parlours, advocate Prakash Mani Sharma had filed the petition on behalf of Pro Public, an NGO, yesterday. Due to lack of of specific legal provisions, women and other workers employed by these parlours have been facing sexual and other types of exploitation, Sharma argued. The petitioner had urged the Supreme Court to issue guidelines till the government promulgates specific legal provisions to stop sexual exploitation in such places. He also called on the government to protect the rights of the workers by enforcing the provisions of Labour Act 1991 and Regulation 993. Accusing the dance restaurants, cabin restaurants and massage parlours of violating the Industrial Business Act 1992, the petitioner also sought the apex court order to the government to shut them if their operation is in contravention of the existing laws.

Korean supports kin of late Nepali mountaineers

Kathmandu, November 8, 2005

Um Hong-Gil, the first Asian and world’s eighth mountaineer to have scaled all fourteen 8,000-metre peaks, yesterday announced scholarships to children of late Nepali mountaineers. Hong-Gil will continue his monthly support to the orphaned children as well as to the widow and mother of late Chuldim Dorjee Sherpa. He gave away the first installment of monthly cash support of Rs 10,000 to five children of late Kami Dorji Sherpa, Rs 7000 to two children of late Ngati Sherpa and Rs 7000 to two children of late Ang Dawa Tamang. Similarly, he handed over Rs 7000 to Lhakpa Diki, widow of late Chuldim Dorjee Sherpa here yesterday. He will also give a monthly allowance of Rs 7000 to late Lakpa’s mother Chuldin Dorjee Sherpa and Rs 3,000 to Kazi Tamang who sustained injuries following an avalanche on Kanchanjunga in 1999. “My gesture is in memory of my climbing friends who lost their lives on the mountains while climbing with me,” he said. Hong-Gil has also announced similar welfare support and scholarship funds to the family and children of Korean climbers who lost their lives while climbing with him.