One more attraction to beautify Lumbini

BY THIRA L BHUSAL
KATHMANDU, May 14

Pilgrims and tourists will find one more attraction at Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha.
The sacred site will have a park with a monument of Little Buddha and three ponds will be constructed there. Likewise, there will be one structure to showcase Korean culture inside the park that spreads in 12 ropani land at the South Pond inside the Lumbini Master Plan.

The park is scheduled to be inaugurated on the occasion of Buddha Purnima (full moon night), is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is expected to lay the foundation stone on May 20.

The construction of the park will cost around 30 million rupees, according to Yeom Sun Jung, Director of Korea Cultural Center (KCC). The Lumbini Development Fund has given 18 months period to complete the construction of the whole park.

The project was initiated as a part of several activities to promote Buddha's birthplace, said members of KCC.
The group led by one of the most prominent religious leaders in Korea, Reverend Sun Mook Hye Ja, is providing support to the park construction project and has planned to bring in over 7,000 Buddhist religious leaders to Nepal from Korea within a few years, according to Saroj Khanal, Director of Sun Hype Peace Academy. The Academy, KCC, and Service for Peace headed by senior political leader Ram Hari Joshi have taken initiatives to construct the park and to arrange pilgrimage in the country with support of the religious leader Hye Ja.

A pilgrimage of 300 Buddhist monks led by Hye Ja arrived on a five-day visit to Nepal on February 23 in course of their visit to 108 Buddhist Temples of the world. Joshi headed the pilgrimage organizing committee. This was the beginning of the campaign in Nepal.
The park construction project was initiated by the group as requested by PM Koirala during a meeting with its members.

Likewise, another pilgrimage of 108 monks led by Hye Ja himself is arriving in Nepal for the Buddha anniversary. The pilgrims will visit Lumbini and several other Buddhist shrines in the country.

"We want to inform more and more Koreans that Lord Buddha was born at Lumbini in Nepal," Jung said. Many Koreans still think that Buddha was born in India, according to him.
"We want to give them true information about Buddha because Koreans greatly revere Gautam Buddha, but sadly have misconception about buddha's place of birth," he added.

Many Koreans visit Nepal to view the Himalayas and other natural sights because they do not know about Lumbini and its importance, he informed. "Once Koreans know that Nepal is Buddha's birthplace, majority of them will certainly not miss a visit to Lumbini," he said. He claimed that many Koreans have shown interest in visiting Lumbini after the Korean media gave good publicity of Lumbini during the "108 temple visit" pilgrimage last February.

Tarai violence surges post election

Use of arms becoming chronic: Police

BY THIRA L BHUSAL

KATHMANDU, May 10 - Incidents of murder, kidnapping, looting and other criminal activity have seen a resurgence in the eastern and central tarai districts after a brief hiatus during the Constituent Assembly elections.

The trend comes with a clear escalation of violence by various armed groups operating in the tarai in the post-CA election period. The government had mobilized special task forces in the tarai districts and security agencies in Nepal and India worked hand in hand to curb violence and criminal activity along the border areas during the CA poll. The Nepal-India border was also sealed for a few days during the poll.

Following relaxation in security after the election, at least 14 persons have been killed, more than 30 abducted and scores of other sustained injuries in separate incidents in the 13 eastern and central tarai districts. Fifteen incidents of bomb blast also took place in these districts.

In the eastern region alone, and mainly in Siraha and Saptari, nine people were killed, 18 abducted and a bank robbed after April 10. Ten persons sustained bullet and other injuries and four bomb explosions took place, according to police records. Similarly, two other cases of robbery and 14 incidents of looting were reported in these districts during the same period. Police in the region seized three weapons in connection with the incidents.

Likewise, in the central region, at least three people were shot dead in separate incidents after the CA poll. Nepal Police in the region recorded 11 cases of abduction, 14 incidents of bomb explosion and four bomb disposals. At least four of the abducted persons were rescued by police. Several people were injured in six other separate attacks in several of the districts.

In Janakpur, an accountant at Janakpur Cigarette Factory, Shrawan Kumar Shrestha, was found shot dead Wednesday morning at Icchyapur along a river bank. Shrestha, 52, had been abducted four days ago. Abinash Mukti of Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (Rajan Mukti Group) has owned up to the killing. In Rupandehi, a group of armed and unidentified assailants shot and killed a construction worker at Bodhbar-1 Bishnupura, Wednesday midnight. The deceased has been identified as 38-year-old Arjun Bohara of Krishnapur, Chitwan.

Deputy Inspector General Ravindra Pratap Shah informed that criminal elements have begun to rear their head again in Siraha and Saptari. "The present situation is comparable to what it was till a week before the election," Shah said.

According to DIG Kiran Gautam, the Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) and other armed groups have begun creating trouble lately. "It is mainly the issuing of threats over the phone to exact money that is increasing," he informed.

Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Nepal Police, Keshav Baral, said small arms imported from India are being used in killings, kidnappings, looting and other criminal activity.

"People have learnt to make improvised bombs and other homemade weapons and the use of these is increasing," said Baral, adding, "Our society will suffer for a long time from this chronic problem." AIG Baral said that a political decision is needed and the government should come up with concrete policies and legal provisions to resolve the problem for good.

Posted on: 2008-05-09 19:00:13 (Server Time)