Special army integration meets Thursday; Maoist charge against India, USA

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 5 Feb: A special army integration committee chaired by PM Prachanda meets later Thursday to discuss the controversial integration of PLA in Nepal Army.
The expanded committee was previously chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Bamdeb Gautam who is returning home Friday after undergoing medical treatment at a hospital in Bangkok.
The committee now consists of two representatives of Maoists, CPN-UML MJF and main opposition Nepali Congress.
Except Maoists, three other political parties have opposed mass integration of PLA combatants in the state army.
Maoist leaders threatened the peace process will be derailed without integration.
Nepal Army has opposed mass integration of former rebels as well.
The committee hasn’t recorded any progress in integration for which Maoist leader Mohan Baidya Kiran Thursday blamed ‘domestic reactionaries’ for conspiring.
Indian and USA were interfering in Nepal’s internal affairs, Baidya charged.
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Conditional Finnish aid to Nepal

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 5 Feb: Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade Dr Paavo Vayrnnen Wednesday pledged to double Finnish assistance on condition ‘everything goes will in Nepal’.
“The current inflow of aid may double if everything goes will in Nepal.
“Worst thing in Nepal is lack of security, he told reporters at the end of a three-day visit.
Current annual Finnish aid stands at 10 million euros.
The minister renewed an invitation to Prime Minister Prachanda to visit Finland.
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Rautahat hooch tragedy climbs to seven

Kathmandu, 5 Feb: With the death Thursday of one more person while undergoing treatment after drinking spurious liquor at a market in Rautahat, the death toll in the southwest terai district has climbed to seven in three days.
Thirteen others are undergoing treatment, many suffering blindness.
Three persons also died in the capital.
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Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai filed for Tokyo

Kathmandu, 5 Feb: Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai flew for Tokyo Thursday where he’ll be a guest of the Japanese government.
Japan is Nepal’s largest aid donor.
Bhattarai is on his second foreign trip after assuming office five months ago.
He earlier attended an annual meeting of the World Bank/IMF in Washington DC.
The finance minister flew for Japan after visiting World Bank Managing Director Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Wednesday assured the Maoist-led government the bank’s investment in education, health and infrastructure development sectors.
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Ramesh Nath Pandey undergoes angioplasty

Kathmandu, 5 Feb: Ramesh Nath Pandey, Foreign Minister in the royal regime, Wednesday underwent angioplasty and stent transplant procedure at a hospital in the capital to remove blockage of his right and arteries.
Pandey is 68.
He is recovering at the ISU in the hospital.
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Only limited ban of Nepali workers in Malaysia

Kathmandu, 5 Feb: Foreign workers, including Nepalis, have been banned only in the service and manufacturing sectors, the Malaysian embassy said in the capital.
Nepalese workers are free to work in other sector, the embassy said.
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First lot of 160 Bhutanese in Denmark

Kathmandu, 5 Feb: The first group of 160 Bhutanese refugees flew for Denmark Tuesday for resettlement from camps in Jhapa, Bhutan News Service said.
Denmark is absorbing 150 refugees every year.
Most of the refugees have been resettled in the USA under a scheme to transfer Bhutanese refugees to western countries.
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MEDIA GOOGLE


“If India thought it would woo the Maoists by freeing Mohan Baidya and Chandra Prakash Gajurel in 2006, then the wait is proving excruciatingly long. What is clear is that the anti-Indian tirade has begun to energize influential Indians.”


(Maila Baje, People’s Review, 5 Feb.)


“Martin [Ian] maintained UNMIN”s unbiased, non-aligned and neutral role on major agenda such as Army Integration, management of Arms and taking the Peace Process to its logical end.”

(Maoist leader Dina Nath Sharma, The Kathmandu Post, 5 Feb.”

“Despite UML’s policy of forging alliance with the Maoists, they have been continuing with their anarchist activitie4s against us. But we will encounter their wrong behaviours.”

(UML leader Ishwor Pokhrel, The Rising Nepal, 5 Feb.)
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