Chinese foreign minister coming

Kathmandu, 17 Nov: Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Ji Qi is coming on a two-day visit, Annapurna Post reports.
The proposed dates are 5, 6 December.
Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav will leave for China after his Chinese counterpart completes his Nepal visit.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdeb Gautam is also visiting China from 24 November.
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Former Indian president to lecture on transition

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 17 Nov: At a time when Nepal’s CA began preliminary work Sunday on drafting a republican constitution after toppling 238-year-old monarchy, former Indian President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam will give a lecture on “Dynamics of Societal Transformation Monday.
Kamal’s Nepal visit beginning Monday is sponsored by B.P.Koirala India-Nepal Foundation and Kathmandu University.
India was instrumental in toppling monarchy by lending support to political parties who launched a movement against King Gyanendra.
Maoists emerged to capture state power after their 11-year exile in India and the jungle.
The emergence of Maoists through election has become problematic for foreign governments that helped the former rebels to join the political mainstream.
Main opposition who engineered the revolt against the king with foreign help and brought Maoists to the mainstream has turned against the CPN (Maoist) after it emerged as the largest political power in Nepal and captured Singha Durbar after the 10 April CA election.
Aging and sick octogenarian Koirala told an anti-Maoist rally in Birgunj Monday he will fight Maoist dictatorship until his death.
Koirala said he and the Nepali Congress won’t accept a constitution that is authoritarian.
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Crucial Maoist central committee begins Monday

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 17 Nov: A crucial meeting of the CPN (Maoist) central committee begins Monday to prepare an agenda for a national workers’ meet three days later in the capital Thursday, party sources said.
The national meeting that was to be held 5 November was postponed after internal differences to push a people’s republic advocated by Mohan Baidya Kiran faction.
The Baidya faction said people’s republic is inevitable for Nepal; nearly 13,000 lives were loss tin the people’s war for that objective, the group claims.
But a more moderate group led by Prime Minister
Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and Finance Minister Dr Bbauram Bhattarai are advocating a federal democratic republic to consolidate the gain of the declaration of a republic by the CA.
The debate has emerged as work of crafting a constitution began Sunday amid threats from main opposition Nepali Congress and other parties a people’s republic is unacceptable.
Both sides claim they have majority support of national workers which will debate the issue.
A recent meeting of nearly one dozen state committees urged a revolution to complete a people’s war.
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Second Gurkha soldier killed in Afghanistan

Kathmandu, 17 Nov: A second Gurkha soldier with the British Army was killed Saturday in Afghanistan in two weeks.
A soldier with the Gurkha Rifles Second Battalion was killed in a rebel explosion.
A Gurkha rifleman was killed 4 November.
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Advisors of president appointed

Kathmandu, 17 Nov: Dr Surya Dhungel and Rajendra Dahal have been appointed legal and press advisors of President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, an official announcement said.
Hari Sharma and Bidyadhar Mallik have been nominated advisors.
All have status of ministers of state.
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Sarad Singh Bhandari MJF parliamentary party deputy leader

Kathmandu, 17 Nov: Veteran politician Sarad Singh Bhandari has been nominated MJF parliamentary party deputy leader.
Party Chairman and Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav is leader.
Bhandari joined Nepali Congress after the collapse of the panchayat in 1990; Singh defected to MJF from Congress before the 10 April CA election when he didn’t get a ticket from the main opposition.
Bhandari is close to Krishna Prasad Bhandari who housed the former prime minister before the only surviving founding member of Nepali Congress move to a house donated by government.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“Maoist government is like a ripe mango; it will fall anytime.”


(Girija Prasad Koirala, a Radio Nepal news broadcast, 17 Nov.)

‘Why should I go to ministry when I don’t have a place to work from? My officials even don’t have chairs. I won’t go to the ministry until I get a building for my ministry.”

(State Minister for Culture Gopal Kirati who operates from home, Annapurna Post, 17 Nov.)

‘It’s wrong for Maoists to say they will compensate people with government funds by staying in power. The party and its members cannot be given a clean chit for their acts by assuring compensation through the state ‘

(Former CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, Naya Patrika, 17 Nov.)

“We see the kings—both father [Jigme Singhe Wangchuk]
and son [Jigme Keshar Wangchuk]—are neither eager to solve the refugee problem nor ready for democracy.”

(Bhutanese pro-democracy leader Tek Nath Rijal, The Kathmandu Post, 17 Nov.)
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