Punish the corrupt:

I would request civil society groups which are organising sit-ins at various places for restoring democracy and peace to include in their agenda the names of those responsible for corruption and bad governance. Such past or present holders of public office must be made to face corruption charges so that they can come clean before the public. Such people should not be allowed to escape under flimsy pretexts. Power has been blatantly misused during the democratic as well as in the pre-democratic era. Wide allegations of abuse of power have come up against the present holders of office, too. Those in power have generally cared little for the people and for the cause for which the martyrs had laid down their lives. Democracy cannot be strong without strenthening the foundations of democracy. This task, in turn, demands,among other things, dealing with the corrupt with an iron hand, howsoever high they may be. In this task, the civil society can play an important role.

Ramesh B Shrestha, Lalitpur

Not useful:

I was disappointed to read the news “Epileptics still writhing under social bias” published in THT on September 4. I have been living with an epileptic patient for the past 14 years. I know much more about this disease than any doctor. The news did not provide any answer to the causes and medicine for epilepsy. Also, it takes a long time to understand this disease and find an appropriate treatment. Dr Rajbhandari is free to claim anything. He should prove how and when he has cured a single patient. I would request you to do a thorough research on this disease by talking to epilepsy patients.

Suruchi Shrestha, Naya Bazaar

Ceasefire:

One must congratulate those, including Ian Martin, chief of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal, for actually working behind the scenes for the last few months to allow some breather for the Maoists and the political parties to create an environment for peace and hence the unilateral ceasefire. It is time for the Maoist leaders to resolve the political crisis, which has led to a civil conflict for the past 10 years. It is time time for India, too, to help Nepal more sincerely to find a lasting peace. The traditional friendship between the two countries must not be overshadowed by short-term bottlenecks. King Gyanendra should also pave the way by sticking to his commitments to democracy more seriously than by resorting to mere rhetoric. Let the three-month ceasefire be turned into a permanent one and let everyone live in peace, not suspicion.

Sanu Bhakta Maharjan, Lainchaur

Unfit:

It is unfortunate that the majority of the contests for Dabar Batika Miss Nepal 2005 title do not have a single Nepali as their role model. All their favourite ones are foreign stars. What a shame? It seems that they have never read Nepali literature. What can be expected from those girls who have no idea of their own literature? I doubt if they can truly represent the country, given their scant knowledge of Nepal.

Krishna Thapa, Kathmandu