26,000 security personnel to be deployed for Saarc Summit

KATHMANDU, NOV 19 - manish gautem,Ekantipur The government will deploy over 26,000 security personnel from Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police and National Intelligence Department inside Kathmandu Valley for the upcoming 18th Saarc Summit. It will be the largest deployment of security forces after the Constituent Assembly election that was conducted in November 2013. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) said that they have finalised the security work-plan for the summit. The security rehearsal began on Tuesday. Nepal Army will coordinate the overall security of the summit while Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation Department will perform supporting duty. The MoHA, however, declined to divulge the breakdown of the deployment among the security agencies due to sensitivity of the matter. Laxmi Dhakal, spokesperson of MoHA, said that they have used all the state mechanisms to ensure security of the guests. Nepal Police has asked 300 personnel from the reserve force in various districts to arrive in the Capital for the summit. According to Dhakal, security has also been heightened around the summit venue, hotels where the guests will be staying and the retreat venue. A separate unit of police has been established to guard the City Hall, the main venue for the summit. CCTVs have also been installed on the premises of Crowne Plaza Soaltee Hotel where the visiting delegates will be staying during the summit. Police have also reviewed and verified the details of the hotel staff. Similar preparations are being made at the retreat site in Dhulikhel, Kavre, said Dhakal. Installation of 203 CCTVs are still underway in various parts of the Capital. It is learnt that 40 CCTVs will keep surveillance of the summit venue at Exhibition Road and its vicinity. With just a couple of days remaining for the summit, police have increased patrols and security inspection around the city and entry points of the Valley. Sniffer dogs are being used to search the luggages of passengers entering the Kathmandu Valley. According to MoHA, around 1,700 security personnel will be deployed in Janakpur and Lumbini. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Janakpur before arriving to Kathmandu for the two-day summit. He will be travelling on road to enter Janakpur from bordering Indian town of Vittamod. Modi will visit Lumbini after the summit. Besides, security in Lalitpur and Bhaktapur has also been increased as the first ladies will be to touring these places. More than 350 guests from the Saarc member states and nine observer countries will be arriving in Kathmandu for the summit. Bhaktapur is ready for VIP tour The first ladies from the Saarc member states are scheduled to take a tour around Bhaktapur on November 27. Chief District Officer (CDO) Anil Kumar Thakur said all security measures been implemented in the district for the planned high-level visit. He added that the security rehearsal will be conducted on November 21. “We have already prepared the lists of our activates concerning the security of the visiting guets. We are planning to rehearse everything as it will make us more confident in the real time,” he said. During the two-hour tour, the first ladies from the Saarc countries will visit different temples around Bhaktapur, including Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Taumadi Square. Three guides from the Department of Archaeology will accompany the guests in their tour. The Camber of Commerce of Bhaktapur and Bhaktapur Industrial Area plan to put up stalls in the area that will display wood carving, pashmina garments, Thanka paintings and items made out of Nepali papers, among others. There will also be a special showcase of cultural dance. Mangala Pradhan, chief of the Durbar Management Office in Bhaktapur, said 90 percent of renovation works have already been completed as part of the Saarc preparation. Bhutanese refugees want to be heard The Bhutanese refugee community has put forth an ‘open letter’ to the Secretary General of the South Asia Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc) and the Prime Minister of Nepal urging them to prioritise the issue of Bhutanese refugees in the forthcoming summit. The letter signed by Bhampa Rai, president of Bhutanese Refugee Representative Repatriation Committee (BRRC) based in Damak, mentions that the promise of Saarc to promote the well-being of people in the region remains an illusion since there is lack of genuine interest in resolving Bhutanese refugees’ problems. The citizens of Bhutan, a member country of SAARC, are living in Nepal and elsewhere since 1991 as refugees after their eviction. “Eviction of its citizens, confiscation of citizenship and property violating our fundamental human rights by our own government are against all canons of international law,” said the statement, adding, “It brings untold suffering to the victims and put unnecessary political, social and economic strain to the host country and the world community.” “We see the upcoming summit as an opportunity to bring the issue of Bhutanese refugee to the forefront and put pressure on the government of Bhutan to unconditionally repatriate genuine Bhutanese refugees, restore their citizenships and allow them to return to their homeland with a guarantee of their livelihood in safety and security.” Oppn decries Nidhi’s remarks The 22-party alliance has objected to the earlier statement of Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Management Bimalendra Nidhi that civic reception of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his public address would be on the premises of Janaki Temple. A meeting of the opposition alliance led by UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Janakpur on Tuesday also decided that both civic reception of Modi and his address should be organised at Barhabigha Maidan. Modi is scheduled to visit Janakpur during his visit to for Saarc Summit on November 26 and 27.