Parties present closed list; other details

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 2 March: Sixteen parties Sunday presented their closed list of candidates for election under indirect proportional representation for the 10 April list that prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
Altogether 55 of 74 registered parties have now applied.
Three parties of the terai front that forced government into submission after a 16-day blockade, indefinite strike and behind-the scene Indian government pressure submitted their lists.
Conservative Rashtriya Janasakti Party (RJP) led by Surya Bahadur Thapa and RPP_Nepal also submitted their lists; RJP put up 299 candidates and RPP-Nepal is contesting 335.seats.
Election Commission, for the second time, controversially opened
opportunities for parties to submit their lists at government request at what was described for the ‘last time’ by Chief Election Commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokhrel.
The one-time extension gives opportunities parties in the terai that were on protests demanding self-determination and provincial autonomy to present a close list for indirect elections.
Nominations for direct elections have to be filed 6 March.
Meanwhile, Jwala Singh group of the rebel TJMM called those who inked an agreement with government ending a 16-day indefinite last week traitors abandoning Madesh and threatened they will be physically eliminated in an anti-election campaign.
The group called for an independent terai and said it will give provincial to groups in the terai like Tharus, Abadhis, Bhojpuris, Maihthila and other ethnic groups.
The group besides warning physical elimination said it will close down the south bordering India to prevent polls.
Goit group of JTMM shot dead Congress Rupandaehi district representative Gokarna Kandel overnight; the group Sunday renamed itself Akhil Tarai Madesh Morcha or front to give a communist flavour to the organization which is a Maoist offshoot.
Violence continued unabated in the terai after two agreements between two regional groups; attacks against candidates have already started with Nepali Congress activists targeted ; their assets worth six million rupees were destroyed druing the weekend in east and central terai..
Three persons were injured in a bomb explosion at a private home of trader Hari Lal Behta in Sunsari Friday.
A splinter group of the Madesh Janatantrik Forum led by Bhagyanath Gupta walked out of the agreement signed by Federal Republican National Front and announced new protests .
The group said Front compromised with the government on autonomy, sell-determination and full proportional representation.
Peace minister Ram Chandra Paudel admitted there were procedural because of ‘time shortage’ amid charged by three communist constituents of the seven-party alliance the front, government accord wasn’t inked by seven parties as required by the constitution.
Only Congress, CPN-UML and Maoists approved the accord which was presented to the cabinet as a fait accompli.
Amid rejection of the accord by militant groups in the south, home minister Krishna Prasad Shitaula asked critics to support the accord or a face a government crackdown.
‘We will deal sternly,” Shitaula warned.
‘The agreement is a surrender to foreigners. Nepal will turn into a Yugoslavia or Sikkim,” said Narayan Man Bujukakchaya of Nepal Majdoor Kishan Party.
CPN-UML leader and former minister Modhnath Prashit said: Leaders used vague words to deceive people while signing the accord. Congress, CPN-UML and Maoists have committed suicide by inviting future trouble.”
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Chinese national arrested

Kathmandu, 2 March: A Chinese national was arrested Saturday in Sindhupalchowk as he was illegally smuggling a truck-load of banned orchids across the border to Tibet.
This is the second time in recent month Chinese has been arrested for smuggling the rare and highly prized wild flower to Tibet.
The Chinese was identified only as Bi Ding.
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Devastating fire in Bhutanese refugee camp

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 2 March: Government announced a cash relief of three million rupees to victims of an overnight fire that destroyed at least 13,000 house and left10,000 Bhutanese refugees homeless at Gholdap refugees camp in Jhapa.
Some children are missing and four have been injured, Radio Nepal said.
Home minister Krishna Prasad Shitaula who was is the home district inspected the devastated camp and homeless people and assured further assistance.
Self-exiled pro-democracy leader Tek Nath Rijal appealed for immediate international assistance to victims of the biggest fire that engulfed one of seven camps in Jhapa and Morang.
The fire destroyed buildings housing donor agencies.
Fires are regular occurrences at the camps—often started by disgruntled refugees to get compensation.
The which destroyed houses within three hours after it started spread from hit-to-hut was started by a lamp that ignited one thatched hut.
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SAARC has new secretary general

Kathmandu, 2 March: India’s Sheel Kant Sharma Saturday has taken over as the ninth secretary-general of the eight-nation SAARC, a South Asian regional organization with headquarters in the Nepalese capital.
Sharma succeeds Bhutan’s Lynpo Chenkyab Dorji who completed a three-year tenure assignment Saturday.
Afghanistan was the last entrant to the original seven-member association.
Sharma was India’s ambassador to Austria before taking up his new assignment.
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Nepali war hero dead

Kathmandu, 2 March: A highly decorated Nepali war hero who fought the Japanese on the Burma front for the Allied forces during World War II died Saturday.
Bhanu Bhakta Gurung, 86, a recipient of Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest military award, died Saturday at his home in Gorkha after a prolonged illness, his family said.
Gurung had been ailing for some time.
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Kamal Thapa stages comeback

Kathmandu, 2 March: Kamal Thapa staged a comeback Sunday and has been appointed chairman of RPP-Nepal.
He replaced Rabindranath Sharma who resigned.
The party fielded 335 nominations for the closed list for elections under proportional representation for the 10 April elections.
Thapa resigned after the April movement in 2007.

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Former speaker Dhungana demands constitution acceptable to all

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 2 March; Former speaker Damanth Dhungaha has demanded the constituent assembly adopt a constitution acceptable to all.
He said this in an exclusive interview with Annapurna Post.
“Congress is seeking some form of monarchy even though the prime minister has told parliament the country has already adopted a republic.
Even a minister very close to the prime minister is advocating monarchy.”
Dhungana said seven parties don’t represent public opinion.
“Seven parties and government have taken arbitrary decisions without serious consideration.
“Decisions before this have no meaning. Only the sovereign people should decide issues that should be taken up by the constituent assembly or the needs of the nation.
‘A constitution should be promulgated that’s acceptable to all. It will assume a permanent status after going to the constituent assembly.”
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Chinese delegation arrives

Kathmandu, 2 March: A nine-member Chinese team headed by assistant minister He Yafei arrived Sunday as a head of team for bilateral talks to discuss future cooperation.
Nepali team will be led by foreign secretary Gyan Chand Acharya,
Talks begin Monday.
He is expected to present equipment to improve service at customs points on the Nepal-Tibet border.
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Gachedhar speak on behald of Bhattarai, against Koirala

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 2 March: Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar, Congress terai leader who is also a Tharu, said he’s not a slave of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and supported Krishna Prasad Bhattarai’s stance in favour of constitutional monarchy.
‘Yes, I was a member of Koirala’s kitchen cabinet. I was his confidante . But, it’s not for me to obey and follow all his irresponsibilities,” Gachedhar told Nepal newsmagazine Sunday.
“We should understand there’s some political significance to what Krishna Prasad Bhattarai said about constitutional monarchy. He has consistently spoken on its behalf for the last 60 to 65 years.
“Even now there’s a big following in the party in its favour,” Gachedhar said angrily pointing out he was not Koirala’s ‘slave’.
He charged Koirala and the establishment side in Nepali Congress for abandoning a traditional conservative policy in favour of constitutional monarchy and surrendering to Maoists.
“Nepali Congress was born with democracy and constitutional monarchy.”
Gachedhar recalled party action was taken against Narahari Acharya and student leader Gagan Thapa for taking a republican stance in the party.
Gachedhar said the party general convention never adopted a republic as its agenda now adopted by the Koirala faction of the party and supported by Sher Bahadur Deuba.
“The general convention has given a mandate which the Congress should follow. The convention decided elected representatives should decide on a republic. It’s not for nominated members to decide.
‘This parliament is supported and okayed by seven parties and not the people. This parliament cannot decide on a republic,” Gachedhar said.
“There are people in the party who have surrendered and hope to be prime minister on that support. Their line to carry Maoists on their shoulders has proved a failure,” the Tharu leader of the Nepali Congress who first withdrew his candidacy for elections until an accord with the terai parties.
He’s now demanding a party ticket after the agreement.
Gachedhar warned Congress won’t cllect even 50 seats in elections if corrections aren’t made in distributing tickets.
“Party candidates haven’t even entered the constituencies,” he said.
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