Prohibited areas declared
By Bhola B Rana
Kathmandu, 25 May: Preparations are afoot for the CA to ask the government to implement a republic when the assembly meets for the first time Wednesday by restricting access to people.
Security presence is expected to be heavy.
Uncertainty prevails as major parties called for the observance of Wednesday as a republic day.
Maoists have asked activists to assemble in the capital while Nepali Congress has asked its student wing Nepal Students’ Union to protest against Maoist excesses.
Congress, CPN-UML and Maoists have parted company cobbled together by India and its western supporters two years ago after the 10 April election when Maoists emerged at the largest political party.
Local administration Sunday evening declared areas around the Birendra International Convention Center, Singha Durbar, Narayanhiti, Nirwal Niwas and Baluwatar prohibited areas indefinitely from Monday banning protests and other meetings.
The CA meets at the Convention Center built by the Chinese as its gift to King Birendra.
Without that Center, it would have been difficult for the government to find a suitable place in the Valley for 600-plus persons to assembly for a lengthy meeting.
Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Maoists and MJF are still disagreed on a common political agenda three days before the assembly meets.
Maoists and MJF said they won’t accept Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala as a ceremonial president after the declaration of a republic and Koirala and CPN-UML aren’t willing to transfer power to Maoists who have staked a claim to a post-election government.
Prachanda Sunday said he should be prime minister and acting head of state like Koirala until a constitution is drafted.
Congress, CPN-UML and Maoists are meeting for the third consecutive day Monday to resolve a deadlock.
Maoists are presenting a draft proposal for an agreement which will be rejected because the two rival parties are demanding proposals already rejected by Maoists.
Congress and CPN-UML accept Maoists in government and even went for elections with the PLA and YCL intact; Congress especially never pressed Maoists to meet pre-conditions for return of seized assets for elections.
With elections over, Congress are renewing the pre-conditions demonstrating unprincipled politics and unconcern for the people and their private property.
Congress never thought it would lose elections and so never bothered about pressing pre-conditions; it is demonstrating belated concern not for the people or democracy but its own last ditch survival after a rout.
Maoists have asked the king to vacate Narayanhiti by Wednesday.
The palace is silent.
The declaration is a republic isn’t sustainable.
Nepalis heading for uncertain days ahead.
India is pushing the agenda with the support of the main political parties without putting monarchy to a popular vote.
The 238-year-old institution wasn’t put to a vote al all in the 10 April CA election.
India, like a colonial power, is pushing a domestic agenda openly.
Indian ambassador Rakesh Sood, acting like a viceroy and ‘brown sahib’
is even dictating who should lead government as parties differ; he said Maoists should head what he called a government of ‘national unity’—a mantra first spelt out by his boss Shyam Saran.
Nnnn


Nepali creates record on Everest
Kathmandu, 25 May: Min Bahadur Serchan, 77, established a world record Sunday to become the oldest person to step on top of the world.
Serchan climbed the 8848 meters high world’s tallest to improve a record of a Japanese who was 71 when he climbed Everest.
Nnnn

Body of Ram Kazi Shrestha recovered
Kathmandu, 25 May: Police Sunday recovered the body of businessman Ram Kazi Shrestha in a decomposed state from under a bridge in Chitwan, and along a highway en route to the capital, police said.
But family, on anti-Maoist protest, refused to take delivery of the body until DNA tests.
Maoists abducted the businessman from the capital to a cantonment at Chitwan under UNMIN observation, tortured and murdered him.
Nnnn