Maoists to launch protests Friday

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 7 Aug: Maoists will resume street protests and obstruct sessions of parliament Friday charging government ignored to demands to correct what they called unconstitutional presidential intervention to retain sacked Army Chief Gen Rukamgud Katawal who has proceeded on one month’s leave prior to retirement.
A one-month ultimatum expired Thursday.
Maoists and government has reached a four-point agreement to implement demands in one month.
Government charged Maoists for renegading on a commitment not to obstruct sessions of parliament which is scheduled to meet later Friday.
Dr Baburam Bhattarai leads a three-member protest steering committee.
Last ditch efforts to resolve Maoist demands were unsuccessful Thursday; talks between Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Narayan Kazi Shrestha were inconclusive.
A meeting of 22 parties Thursday night backed the government.
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Police present Biplab Man Singh

Kathmandu, 7 Aug: Police Thursday presented Biplab Man Singh, 20, before the media after he surrendered; he was wanted in a hit and run case in which six pedestrians- five Indians and one Nepali, were killed in a car crash in the capital.
One Indian is undergoing treatment for serious injuries.
Singh reportedly confessed to driving under the influence of alcohol.
Four car occupants survived with minor injuries only.
Published reports said Singh has no driving license.
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Youth Force activist killed

Kathmandu, 7 Aug: Jayaram Malla, an activist of Youth Force, a wing of ruling CPN-UML, was killed by an unknown group in Rukum Wednesday.
He was a district member of the group.
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Obstruction in integration of disqualifies Maoist combatants

Kathmandu, 7 Aug: The eviction and integration of disqualified Maoist combatants from camps have been disrupted, Annapurna Post reports.
Government has launched a programme to evict and integrate them in three months on 17 July.
The combatants were disqualified by UNMIN.
A team of UNMIN and government representatives visited the fourth division camp at Shaktikhor, Nawalparasi, and interviewed the combatants.
The combatants demanded integration in state security agencies.
The processes then stalled.
A source ad the ministry of peace and reconstruction said the process were stalled because Maoists didn’t agree with the government plan.
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Saptari inundated

Kathmandu, 7 Aug: District headquarters Rajbiraj and dozens of villages in Saptari have been inundated by flood waters following continuous rains.
Monsoon rain has flooded other terai districts as well.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“Madesh Janaadhikar Forum now has become democratic.; it won’t move ahead with a demand for autonomous one Madesh province. This isn’t the time to raise small issues; the party should be pushed as a national party,”

(Deputy Prime Minister and leader of MJF Nepal (Loktantrik) Bijaya Gachedhar, Annapurna Post, 7 Aug.)

“There has been no agreement on bringing weapons or other military equipment immediately. But they [India] are ready to continue the support they suspended four years ago whenever we make a demand for it.”

(Defence Minister Bidya Bhandari, The Kathmandu Post, 7 Aug.)
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