News update from Nepal, 1 September 2008 News Update from Nepal 10 September 2008 Human Security Systemic crisis continues to grip Nepal due to security, authority and basic needs deficits, poor service delivery, ongoing political conflicts and culture of impunity. Within six months 50 persons were killed in the country while 150 persons became victim of human rights violations. Shortages of essential public goods, such as food, cooking gas, petroleum prod­ucts and school books have compounded the crisis further. The flood of Saptakoshi River damaged the Koshi dam and rendered 30,000 homeless, affected 1,000 villages, killed 7,000 livestock and put 13 Village Development Committees at high risk. Crop worth Rs. 300 million washed away. Experts argued that the non-maintenance of the dam by India under the agreement led to the flood havoc. Local administration, Nepal Army and interna­tional organizations are involved in humanitarian operations. The US provided$50,000 for flood victims, the EU$1.5 million, China$300,000 and the World Food Program mobilized emergency food aid to feed 50,000 flood victims. The World Food Program has identified Nepal as"hunger hotspots." Nearly 4.2 million people of Nepal are facing a food deficit. Law and Order Death of three persons in a road incident in Nawalparasi district caused the torching of a police post. Non-state armed actors, such as Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha(JTMM-Singh) detonated a powerful bomb at the land revenue office in Jaleshwor and Gaur and District Development Committee and District Land Revenue Office at Rajbiraj. Bombs exploded in Pokhara. JTMM(Rajan) abducted two persons in Mahottari. Various Tarai parties also threatened Nepali weeklies published from the district to stop publishing news in Nepali. The daughter of a noted surgeon, Dr. Upendra Devkota, Megha was kidnapped in Kath­mandu and was released after he paid Rs. 100 million. Police operation arrested one of the five persons. The police and workers of Narayani Rolling Mill at Bara strike killed one worker and injured 50. In Sirha, a medical student and an old lady were killed by an uniden­tified group. The death of a bus driver by robbers in Sarlahi district caused one week-long transport strike in the eastern part of Nepal. The strikes of transporters in the west against the syndi­cate system lasted about a month causing the dearth of supply of essential goods in hills. On August 11, Youth Force of CPN-UML and Young Communist League(YCL) of CPN (Maoist) clashed at Casino Anna over the dispute on their respective unions. They also clashed at Dhanakuta over collecting donations injuring 14 persons. To prevent further clashes, the local administration clamped a curfew. On August 13, fifty-four prisoners broke out of the jail in Sirha and freed themselves after taking two policemen under their control. Police killed one prisoner. On August 17, one army person was injured when an unidenti­1