Party to bring out Maoist disqualified combatants from camps

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 2 Dec: A top Maoist PLA leader said the party will bring out 4,000 plus Maoist combatants put by government and UN inside camps and cantonments after their disqualification by the world body.
Maoist Chairman Prachanda proudly claimed the former rebels had ‘deceived’ the UN into increasing their combatant strength from 9,000 to 19,000 during verification after 2005.
The disqualified combatants were still put in camps and cantonments after their disqualification and recruitment against the spirit of a 12-point comprehensive peace agreement.
“Parties and government didn’t agree to a package agreement, We’ll ourselves deliver them to the party by taking them out of camps,” said PLA spokesman Chandra Prakash Khanal, who is also a politburo member.
Maoists demanded financial assistance for their integration.
Donors and UN also pushed for vacation of camps.r
“Because of Maoist, government has been financially burdened,” Finance Minister Surendra Pandey said revealing World Bank stopped funding Maoist combatants in UNMIN camps and cantonments.
‘The combatants are now government officials,” Pandey argued.
nnnn

Scheduled meet of constitutional council not held

Kathmandu, 2 Dec: A scheduled meeting of the constitutional committee headed by the prime minister couldn’t be held Sunday morning without a quorum.
The meeting to appoint vacancies in constitutional bodies will now be held Sunday.
Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala and Chairman Prachanda absented themselves.
nnnn

Congress general convention to be postponed

Kathmandu, 2 Dec: The Nepali Congress general convention scheduled for the end of Falgun [mid-March] will definitely be postponed, Annapurna Post reports.
The party central committee Monday extended the date to distribute active membership until 28 February.
Nnnn

Nepal to request Indian security assistance; New Delhi ready

Kathmandu, 2 Dec: Nepal will request special security assistance from India at a joint secretary-level security meeting in the Nepali capital from Friday, Nepal Samachaarpatra reports.
‘The agenda for the meeting was set Tuesday. India in a preliminary agreement has already agreed to supply all essential help,” a top source told Nepal Samacharpatra.
India is ready to provide raining to Nepal Army through Integrated Training center of India.
nnnn



Jog Mehar Shrestha hospitalized

Kathmandu, 2 Dec: Former Home Minister Jog Mehar Shrestha, 84, has been hospitalized.
Shrestha is suffering kidney ailment.
Nnnn

TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

Tourist arrivals up

Kathmandu, 2 Dec: Tourist arrivals jumped eight percent in November compared to the same month the previous year, Nepal Tourism Board said.
Altogether 39,784 visitors flew in.
Indian arrivals surged 16.1 percent with 5, 724 visitors from the south’ Chinese arrivals also jumped 68.4 percent.
Nnnn

CNI has director general

Kathmandu, 2 Dec: Jainendra Jeevan Sharma has been appointed director general of Confederation of Nepalese Industry (CNI) effective Tuesday.
Sharma is a retired government officer.
Nnnn

MEDIA GOOGLE

“The way that Westerners (and they are always westerners) pontificate about Nepal, its politics and its culture makes my blood boil and makes me thankful that I live here [in Kathmandu]and do not have to endure their arrogant, imperialist pronouncements every time I step out of the door.”

(Sylvia Wineglass, The Kathmandu Post, 2 Dec.)

“Pradip Nepal, who split the CPN-UML now calling me a Maoist agent?”

(Bamdeb Gautam, Annapurna Post, 2 Dec.)

‘You brought a republic in this nation; we were pulled here; but the king forced us into a republic; you fought for a republic and brought it.”

(President Dr Yadav, according to Maoist leader Narayan Kazi Shrestha, Janaaastha. 2 dec.)
nnnn