PM Nepal leaves on official China visit

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 26 Dec.: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal left Saturday for a six-day official, goodwill visit of China via Lhasa.
He is visiting the northern neighbour after Sher Bahadur Dueba for an official visit.
Nepal consulted ruling coalition partners before emplaning.
Prachanda couldn’t visit China as a government head for an official trip after he was ousted by the present ruling coalitional though as prime minister he attended the Beijing Olympics.
Agreements on a 1.500 yuan grant and youth exchange programme are being signed during the visit.
The government chief will hold discussions with President Hu Jintao.
Nepal is accompanied by Deputy Prime Mininister Sujata Koirala, Finance Minister Surendra Pandey, and Energy Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat.
Nepal will seek Chinese help is infrastructure, hydro power and tourism sector development.
The China visit is Nepal’s fifth foreign trip.
Nepal first attended a non-aligned summit in Egypt; he hen visited India, addressed a UN general session in New York and participated in the climate change summit in Denmark.
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Release of Maoist child soldiers delayed

Kathmandu, 26 Dec.: The release of 3,000 Maoist child soldiers from camps sunder UN watch has been delayed by five days.
The release was to begin Sunday.
The programme has been rescheduled at Maoist request and will now begin Friday.
The child soldiers were put in camps even after verification by the UN.
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Four killed in landslide near Butwal

Kathmandu, 26 Dec.: Four persons were buried by a landslide Saturday morning near Butwal.
Work is continuing to clear the road between Butwal and Palpa.
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RPP-Nepal leader killed

Kathmandu, 26 Dec.: Saukat Beg, 40, RPP-Nepal Kapilvastu district committee member, was shot dead Friday evening by an unknown group.
Sitaram Yadav was shot and injured in Bara Friday.
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Memorandum to PM to celebrate Prathvi jayanti

Kathmandu, 26 Dec.: A memorandum was delivered to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Friday asking him to continue tradition to celebrate the birthday of Pritihivi Narayan Shah, the founder of modern Nepal, as national unity day.
He unified the nation.
The government of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala discontinued celebrations after King Gyanendra through a ‘political decision’ restored parliament dissolved by Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The memorandum was delivered by a delegation led by Modhnath Prashsit, who is a UML activist.
A statement said the ‘the glorious role of Prithvi Narayan Shah has been forgotten’.
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One step forward to complete a constitution draft

Kathmandu, 26 Dec.: The main constitution drafting committee Friday moved one step ahead to present its report to the constituent assembly.
The committee decided by vote subjects to be incorporated by vote when there was no consensus following prolonged discussions.
The name of the proposed constitution will be ‘Constitution of Nepal 2067’.
Maoist proposal to include words ‘people’s war’ in the preamble was rejected by majority vote although Maoists voted in favour of mentioning ‘Madesh protest’ in the preamble; the word ‘right to self-determination’ will be incorporated in the preamble.
Voting was held Friday night on 98 topics.
Fifty-eight of 63 committee members participated in the vote, including Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and his cabinet colleagues.
Most Maoist proposals were rejected while major suggestions of Congress, UML and Madesh parties were accepted.
Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala, Chairmen Prachanda and Jhalanath Khanal didn’t participate in the division.
The topics were put to vote following differences on the topics.
The two triangle flag will remain and no national emblem will be mentioned in the basic law.
Parliament’s power will be entrusted to the constituent assembly until next elections.
Mention of ‘remains and all forms of feudalism and foreign interference’ was rejected.
The meeting also rejected communist reference to ‘Nepali people remember the struggle against imperialism and expansion’.
Chairman Nilambar Acharya declared the preliminary concept of the committee has been approved by majority becoming the ninth committee of the (CA) to complete its concept.
Two more committees of the CA now have to submit their concepts to the CA.
The draft will now be sent to the CA for discussion.
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Maoists launch fourth phase of anti-govt., anti-president protest

Kathmandu, 26 Dec.: Maoists Friday launched the fourth-phase of their month-long anti-government and anti-president.
Maoists said they will highlight Indian interference during the campaign.
Leaders will address rallies in areas where India has encroached the border.
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Friday told rally in Charikot Prachanda’s call for direct talks with India to end his call for restoration of civilian conspiracy was ‘anti-national’.
Prachanda said in a statement,” The main focus of the movement will be to protest foreign interference and defend national sovereignty. The main slogan of the movement is: Let all patriotic and republican forces come together to defend national sovereignty.”
Maoists said India is a hurdle to the peace process.
“To seek the help of foreign lords is anti-national. Nepalis are capable of determining their future themselves,” Nepal added.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“The mistake won’t be made now to go for elections while putting Maoist combatants in camps.”

(Premier Nepal, Nagarik, 26 Dec.)
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“191 days strike in one year”

(Headline in Rajdhani, 26 Dec.)
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