Maj. Gen Toran Bahadur Singh promoted

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 24 Dec.: Despite western government and human rights group pressures, Maj. Gen Toran Bahadur Singh was promoted to maj. gen.—the second ranking officer in Nepal Army (NA) by the cabinet Thursday.
Defence ministry has recommended his promotion three months ago and Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal was sitting on the file amid protests from Bidya Bhandari, who as defence minister has firmly been behind the NA.
Singh has been cleared by a military for charges he was involved in human rights abuses while serving at the Bhairabnath Battalion where 49 Maoists went missing.
The charges were false as some of the missing were later found alive.
The government has finally resisted foreign pressure amid threats from a US senator to stop US military assistance to the army.
The promotion comes at a time when the government is also being pressurized by some western governments, UN and some human rights organizations to act against Maj. Niranjan Basnet for human rights abuse and involvement in the killing of a girl during the people’s war in Kavre.
The UN sent him back from Chad this month even as he served in another UN peacekeeping in another African state after being cleared by a military court in 2005.
The decision to promote Singh has come at a time when India has decided to resume suspended weapon supplies after five years.
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Govt. decided to extend UNMIN mandate

Kathmandu, 24 Dec.: Government Thursday decided to extend the mandate of UNMIN for the fifth time from 23 January 2010.
The government decision will be sent to the UN.
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Govt. decides to recommend Girija for Nobel peace prize

Kathmandu, 24 Dec.: The cabinet Thursday decided to recommend Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala for the Nobel peace prize.
The government said Koirala has made a contribution peace by negotiating a peace agreement with Maoists.
At what cost? Has peace prevailed after the accord was signed?
Look at the state of the nation.
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Jhalanath Khanal’s resignation demanded

Kathmandu, 24 Dec.: The resignation of UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanlal has been demanded at a politburo meeting Wednesday at party headquarters, Annapurna Post reports.
A meeting source said politburo members demanded resignation charging him for not resolving the issue of parallel committee being formed in the party.
Keshab Bahal criticized the party leadership for not resolving an internal party dispute through discussion.
“Either leave the leadership or immediately resolve an internal party problem,” Badal said.
(Note: The meeting ends Thursday.)
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CHATTER

“Bureaucrats and especially politicians enter Singha Durbar with empty bags and six later leave the central secretariat with gold plates.”

(Student Toran Singh)

MEDIA GOOGLE

“Throughout the civil war [Maoist insurgency], activists, often sided with INGOs and certain EU embassies, liked up in opposition to the old order and the military. As the conflict dragged on, a central weapon was to tar the security forces as those who were systematically engaged in war crimes while the Maoists were simply given a pass.”

(Thomas A. Marks, The Kathmandu Post, 24 Dec.)
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