News update from Nepal, June 9, 2005 target the under 18s suspected to be members of armed groups.” It also expressed con­cern over alarming reports of disappearances and arbitrary detention and use of children as spies and messengers by government forces.” On June 4 a national conference of lawyers expressed serious concern over the eroding supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in Ne­pal. Article 127 of the Constitution has been misused to curtail human rights, to destroy the constitution and to derail the democratic and political process in the country. They also blamed that the present government has no constitutional ground. A 17-point reso­lution passed by the Bar said,“The act and announcement of the assumption of power by the king on February 1 and the subsequent formation of the government under the monarch’s chairmanship are completely unconstitutional and this assembly strongly con­demns the continuation of such a government which should be scrapped immediately.” Politics of Corruption On May 16 the RCCC filed a charge sheet against former premier Sher B. Deuba and ex-minister Prakash M. Singh for allegedly embezzling Rs 376 million while granting the contract for the construction of the access road of the Melamchi Project. It charged a collective fine equivalent to the“amassed” amount from all the six people accused of scam and 13 years of jail for them. On May 17 Chairman of RCCC Bhakta Bahadur Koirala advised Deuba and Singh to give their statements before the court. Both of them had maintained that they would not speak before the RCCC considering it illegal. The government suspended secretary Tika Datta Niraula from his post in the same cases. On May 31 the RCCC issued orders to release Deuba, Singh, three officials and a con­tractor, on bail amounting Rs 5million each. It has launched a probe into the nine-year old government decision to privatize 16-state owned companies during the G. P. Koirala regime. Complaints claimed that the government had acted beyond the privatization pol­icy passed by the Cabinet in 1996. Contact: Marei.John@fes.de, Tel.: 030 – 26 935 915 Ulrike.Ehnes@fes.de, Tel.: 0228 – 883 508