Tourist arrivals up; other details

Kathmandu, 3 Oct: With the onset of the popular autumn season, Thai Airway increased flight frequency between the Nepalese capital and Bangkok by three flights a week from 26 October.
The Thai carrier will now operate 10 weekly flights between the two cities.
Thai Airways is completing 40 years of operations in Nepal.
Altogether 32,502 tourist arrivals were recorded in September, Nepal Tourism Board said; 32,331 arrivals were recorded in the same month the previous year.
Altogether 257,181 arrivals were recorded in the nine months of 2008—a two percent increase compared to 2007.
European arrivals slumped nine percent in 2008 as Indian arrivals increased.
Arrivals from Israel, France and Norway also increased.
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One Nepali abducted in Iraq

Kathmandu, 3 Oct: A Nepali worker in Iraq has been abducted for a ransom of Rs1.1 million, Janadisha reports.
Chandra Bahadur Dangi of Taplejung was abducted 10 days ago.
Family members received a telephone call for the ransom, the newspaper reports from Taplegunj.
Dangi hasn’t been released despite the ransom payment.
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Gurkha recruitment will stop

Kathmandu, 3 Oct: Defence Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal recruitment will be phased out, Janadisha reports.
He pointed a new agreement should be worked out with India and Great Britain scrapping existing treaties with
UK and India.
He said Gurkha recruitment should continue only with a new agreement.
“A new agreement should replace the old agreements,” Badal said and added in the name of recruitment Nepalis suffered for long.

[Note: Recruitment wasn’t discussed during Prime Minister Prachanda’s just concluded India visit.]
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Details of crucial Maoist central committee

Kathmandu, 3 Oct: Maoist central committee meting that starts Friday will decide whether to opt for a people’s republic or loktantrik republic.
The party’s future work plan and direction is being discussed.
Organizational change and performance in government will also be discussed.
The committee