Kathmandu, August 10, 2007

The Supreme Court today wrote to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to strictly implement the SC’s two-month-old verdict that had directed the government to provide compensation to 83 families of forced disappeared and promulgate an Act criminalising forced disappearances.

A section of the Supreme Court which works and monitors the implementation of verdicts wrote to the Office of the Attorney General to immediately implement the landmark verdict. “This would take time as the verdict has called for the promulgation of an Act and to form a commission. However, we have already initiated the process of its implementation,” Yagya Murti Banjade, Attorney General, told this daily.

Citing the verdict, the Monitoring and Implementation Division of the Supreme Court told the OAG to implement the verdict soon and inform about the implementation. “Inform the apex court after providing amount to the families of the victims as per the order,” the letter signed by SC official Prakash Pundit stated.

On June 1, the apex court had issued a mandamus order to the government to prosecute those involved in murder of people in detention centres and to promulgate necessary Act in this regard.

Responding to 83 habeas corpus petitions, a division bench of Justices Khil Raj Regmi and Kalyan Shrestha had passed the verdict directing to prosecute those guilty for forced disappearance of people.

The apex court had directed to provide Rs 2 lakh to the family of Chakra Bahadur Katuwal who was killed in a detention centre.

Flood of int’l aid for flood-hit

Kathmandu, August 10, 2007

Friendly nations and an international agency have decided to help Nepal in her efforts to provide relief assistance to the thousands of people hit by floods in the country.

A statement issued by the Australian embassy today said Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has announced the assistance through two heads. While A$ 500,000 will come to Nepal through the World Food Programme (WFP), an additional amount of A$100,000 will come through the Nepal Red Cross Society.

Australia is also providing A$8.2 million in development assistance to Nepal. Denmark has also decided to contribute Danish Kroner 1 million as “immediate assistance to the flood victims.” A statement issued by the German embassy today said the German government will be extending the assistance through the WFP.

The total German assistance to the WFP has been put at Rs 90 million approximately. The ICRC also announced that it will bring 5,000 pieces of tarpaulin to Nepal to be distributed to the flood victims. “The tarpaulins are arriving in the evening by special flights,” a statement issued by the ICRC quoted Mary Werntz, the Head of the ICRC in Nepal, as saying.