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Himalayan Daily Ramblings

Nepal Election Special

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 22 Jan: Carter Center has been permitted by
the Election Commission to monitor the improbable 10 April assembly elections as an observer.
The last popular election was held 1999.
The Center is one of three foreign institutions permitted to oversee the country’s first assembly elections.
Former US president Jimmy Carter visited Nepal two times in 2007 to observe preparations of the vote; European nations are funding the Center which has already started preliminary work..
Asian Network for Free Elections based in Thailand and Asia Forum (Thailand) have also been invited as observers.
Analysts said the vote is unlikely without an environment and with spiraling violence.
The violence which was previously limited to the terai has now spread to the hill regions in the north. Supporters of Khumbuwan, also demanding regional autonomy, Tuesday morning overran two police outposts and captured arms, ammunition and police uniforms in the eastern districts of Khotang and Okhaldunga.
Minister of state for home Ram Kumar Chaudhary escaped unhurt when a public meeting he was to address in Rajbiraj was attacked Monday; Chaudhary hails from the terai.
A government bank was shot dead in the town Tuesday.
A cash-strapped government is pushing elections asking for a three billion rupee dole from the international community.
Sushil Koirala, acting President of Nepali Congress of Prime Minister Girija
Prasad Koirala, said Monday the country will be engulfed in civil without elections.
But such a situation has already exists with a separatist movement gaining momentum in the south bordering India.
The movement started with the rise to power of seven parties supported by India, UK and USA; the initial movement for a movement has gone out of hand and swelled into a separatist movement.
Girija is unable to do anything as he lies on his deathbed; for the first time an official medical statement is being issued after hiding his illness.
Once a chain-smoker, Koirala has an irreparable lung condition accompanied by breathing problems.
Meanwhile, Chairman Prachanda clamed CPN (Maoist) will emerge as a strong political force after the April election.
Chief Election Commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokhrel has warned continuing strikes and protests will make the vote impossible for the third time.
Yet ruling party students brought life to a halt nation-wide Tuesday protesting a midnight hike in prices of POL prices for the third time in thre months.
Protestors, including Maoists, boiled water in kettles on public streets in a symbolic protest against hike in the prices.
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Import of chicken banned from India

Kathmandu, 22 Jan: Nepal has banned the import of chicken and related products to stop the spread of bird flu into the kingdom after detention in the neighbouring Indian district of West Bengal.
Bangladesh, which also borders West Bengal, has already banned the import of Indian chicken and chicken products.
Nepal has banned imports into the districts of Ilam, Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari, 250 km southeast of the Nepalese capital.
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Nepal’s another air link with the Gulf

Kathmandu, 22 Jan: Yeti Airlines International, a joint venture between Air Arabia and Yeti Airlines, began thrice-weekly direct flights Tuesday linking the Nepalese capital with Kuala Lumpur and Sharjha.
Air Arabia, a UAE-based low-cost carrier has a 21 percent stake in the $50 million company.
Flights are Yeti Airlines’ first flights outside the kingdom.
While, Nepal was linked with the Gulf by air, a 125 km Rs 250 million optical fiber link was laid linking the town of Dhilikhel with the Friendship Bridge on the Nepal-Tibet border Tuesday.
The Chinese-aided project will be completed in five months.
Nepal and Tibet are linked by road through the Friendship Bridge and another road link is being developed through Rasuwa in the central hill region.
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