Earthquake research:

This is in response to the news brief “Snakes can ‘predict quakes’” (THT, Jan 6). Researchers in Nepal have also been conducting research on the ability of the snakes to predict earthquakes under the Centre for Disaster Studies, Institute of Engineering, since last August and a concept paper in this regard was presented at an international meeting held in Kathmandu in November. The government has pledged to make available to the research adequate resources and land for a snake farm. This kind of research is especially relevant to Nepal as it is one of the most quake-prone countries in the region.

Dr.Jibaraj Pokhrel and Pralhad Uprety, Researchers, Centre for Disaster Studies

Protect them:

The news report “Maoists, forest guards team up to save rhinos” (THT, Jan 5) exposes the government’s total inability to protect the rhinos. It is important that the sentries keep vigil at night too. The decreasing rhino population also reflects the decreasing prestige of Nepal in the world. Unless emergency measures are taken to protect them, the rhinos will soon disappear. We should not allow a situation to develop where future generations will only hear of rhinos that once existed in Nepal in textbooks.

Gita Pandey, Saraswati Campus

Get tough:

There is sense in the demand of some MPs that rhino poachers should be imprisoned for life. For its part, the government should discourage poachers by not releasing them through a special decision. If need be, the anti-poaching law should be made tougher, but rhino preservation depends mainly on its strict implementation.

Sajjan Pandey, via e-mail

Cold wave :

The number of deaths due to the cold wave in the Terai continues to go up with the decrease in temperature. Most of the victims belong to poor families, who should be provided with warm clothes and firewood.

Shiva Neupane, Golfutar

Suspicion:

The conspicuous delay by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to move the Supreme Court against the recent verdicts of the Special Court in some corruption cases raises doubts about the CIAA’s commitment to fight corruption. As Nepal ranks among the most corrupt nations, the CIAA owes the Nepali people an explanation. Failure to act against the corrupt will only encourage them further.

Ramesh B Shrestha, Lalitpur

Confusion:

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is creating confusion in the public mind with his unclear and sometimes mysterious remarks, at a time when the country urgently needs to get out of the present state of uncertainty and chaos. The most important quality of a people’s leader is to give priority to the broader interests of the country and the people. But Koirala and some other important leaders seem to be involved in petty calculations of profit and loss in almost everything, including important appointments, for example, to the various universities.

Ishwari Pradhan, via e-mail