Himalayan Daily Ramblings

Nepal’s UNDP resident representative replaced

Kathmandu, 5 Feb: UNDP has replaced resident representative Matthew Kahane after a controversial statement amid Indian objections, Nepal Samacharatra reports.
Australian Robert Piper replaces the Briton who is completing a four-year tenure.
UN headquarters said Kahane’s statement was unauthorized.
Kahane suggested Indians across Nepal’s 1,700 km Indo-Nepal border have links with Nepalese rebels and Indian assistance to rein them in could help humanitarian work in land-locked Nepal.
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Indian opposition chief visiting Nepal

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 5 Feb: Leader of Indian main opposition BJP Rajnath Singh is visiting Nepal soon after shadow prime minister L K Advani sent his strong support to an embattled King Gyanendra and monarchy.
Singh is coming after strong criticism of the federal Indian government for the rise of Maoists in Nepal where the extreme communists dominate politics with claims to sweep the controversial and unlikely 10 April constituent assembly polls.
BJP accused New Delhi and Congress (I) of Sonia Gandhi for subordinating Indian government interests to communists in the coalition New Delhi government.
A high-powered Congress (I) delegation led by general secretary and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digbijaya Singh is visiting Nepal ahead of the arrival of the BJP delegation to review what has been described as a failed Nepal policy.
The visitors will hold discussions with political party leaders and prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
They Indian ruling party and opposition leaders could also hold discussions with King Gyanedrra who said in his first interview after his direct rule was toppled in April 2006 we won’t go into exile.
The king said he has an undisclosed agreement with ruling party leaders pushing a republic and threatened to make public details of the roadmap worked in that document in April 2006 if an understanding is violated.
Kashmiri and Congress (I) leader Karan Singh helped negotiate that document.
It’s generally believed the king then agreed to restore a dissolved parliament in return for perpetuation of constitutional monarchy.
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Nepal seeks $471 million for reconstruction assistance

Kathmandu, 5 Feb: Nepal has sought $471 million for reconstruction to restore infrastructure damaged during the 11-year Maoist people’s war that CPN (Maoist) abandoned early 2006.
The assistance sought is for short and long-term needs.
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Another Bhutan bomb blast reported

Kathmandu, 5 Feb: After serial bomb blasts last month by opponents of Bhutan’s King Jigme Singhe Wangchuk, a bomb went off in Samste district Monday, The Himalayan Times reported in its Tuesday editions quoting its correspondent in the Bhutanese capital Thimpu.
There were no casualties.
Two bombs were defused ahead of national assembly polls slated for March 24, the newspaper reported.
A Royal Bhutan Police spokesman said the blast occurred behind a government office at Ghmuney village.
Police said officials recovered leaflets off Communist Party of Bhutan based in Nepal from the scene threatening to stop the national assembly polls.
The Bhutanese communist party in exile in Nepal said it opposes the resettlement of 60,000 out of 108,000 Bhutanese refugees in UNHCR-administers camps in east Nepal from March.
The party said the move only helps perpetuate the autocratic rule of the king.
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