Another Maoist activist shot dead in Bara

Kathmandu, 13 Jan.: Amid renewed escalating violence in terai, Maoist leader Rajesh Mandal shot and killed in Bara over night as he was sipping ea at a stall in a village in the central terai district.
Mandal was member of recently declared Bhojpur state committee opposed by major parties.
Maoists Wednesday held protests in Parsa, from where Mandal hailed, charging government for inability to stop slayings of party workers.
The violent Jwala Singh group of the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha claimed responsibility.
Reacting immediately, Maoists vandalized two vehicles in Birgunj.
Mandal was shot as three Maoists were also shot and killed and two others were injured in a shooting in neighbouring Parsa one wee ago.
Another rebel group claimed responsibility.
Assistant CDO of Parsa was shot and injured while his guard was killed this week in Birgunj.
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Protests against federalism in the eastern region

Kathmandu, 13 Jan.: Rashtriya Janamorcha closed down eastern anchals Wednesday protesting a federal structure saying it will disintegrate the nation.
Activists demanding Limbuwans and Kirat provinces in the region said thy will break the strike.
The main opposition communist party which supports has been holding phased protests nation-wide against a federation.
Maoists also opposed the Janamorcha protest in the Valley Sunday.
Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala called for a referendum to decide a federation which has been incorporated in principle in the interim constitution.
But major parties haven’t agreed on the final form and structure.
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Prachanda doesn’t want PM Nepal in HLPM

Kathmandu, 13 Jan.: Chairman Prachanda opposed the inclusion of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar in a high-level political mechanism (HLPM) he launched with Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala and UNM Chairman Jhalanath Khanal.
“It’s wrong to include the prime minister in the HLPM as the PM’s chairman Jhalanath Khanal has already become the member of the Mechanism which his to break an impasse,” the Maoist told reporters in Dhangadi Tuesday.
“There will be no way out of the present political impasse if we include the main cause of the political impasse,” he added.,
The HLPM, called an extra-constitutional body by some critics, has been dragged into a controversy immediately after launch especially for not including the government chief in it.
“Those who don’t want to take the peace process to its logical conclusion and draft a new constitution in time are unnecessarily commenting on the mechanism,” Prachanda further said.
Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Paudel said a mechanism without a prime minister in meaningless.
Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar also called for the inclusion of the premier and Madesh parties.
‘The mechanism has no constitutional basis. It’s a mechanism not of three parties but of three leaders,” UML leader KP Sharma Oli said.
Despite the controversy, the mechanism has been welcomed by UNMIN and ambassadors of the EU in the capital.
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Schedule to be amended again

Katmandu, 13 Jan. The schedule to summit suggestions by 21 January will likely be amended for the ninth time
Debate on the concept paper of a proposed constitution began in the constituent assembly (CA) Tuesday.
But an assembly committee on governance forms hasn’t finalized its concept due to differences between parties.
The committee Tuesday decided to present a document with three separate suggestions of Maoists, TMLP and a joint Nepali Congress and UML
18 January to Chairman Subash Nemwang.
No party proposal got the required majority in a vote at the committee 1 December.
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Maoists intensify anti-India campaign

Kathmandu, 13 Jan.: Maoists have launched a village-level campaign in Dang, far-West to highlight ‘foreign interference’ in Nepal.

Chairman Prachanda started the campaign from Tanakpur in Kanchanpur this week.
Indian SSB personnel Tuesday stopped Maoist General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa from inspecting the Khuorlatan dam entering India.
Indian paramilitary personnel mistreated Nepali media personnel accompanying Thapa.
Thapa returned from the border and carried out the inspection from Nepal.
Vice-Chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai said India has encroached 21,000 bighas in Suata, Nawalparasi.
Bhattarai visited Susta as part of a fourth phase Maoist campaign against the government and president.
Maoists shave been highlighting what they call foreign interference in Nepal’s internal affairs during the fresh campaign.
‘National unity won’t be fortified only by running in Kalapani and Susta,” UML Chairman Jhananath Khanal said sarcastically.
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Charges against Rishi Dhamala withdrawn

Kathmandu, 13 Jan.: Kathmandu district court (KDC) Tuesday allowed government to withdraw terrorism and extortion charges against Reporters’ Club Chairman Rishi Dhamala and three others.
The court earlier objected the 23 October government decision to withdraw the charges leveled by the government of Prachanda.
Dhamala was included in the entourage of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar to the annual UN general assembly session after the charges were first withdrawn.
Dhamala was charged for involvement in a bomb blast in the capital carries out by a terai group.
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Democratic panel leads in NBA elections

Kathmandu, 13 Jan. A democratic panel leads in elections for office bearers of Nepal Bar Association (MBA) held Saturday.
Purna Bahadur Khadka of the democratic panel contesting the chairmanship, collected 932 votes when vote counting ended Tuesday night.
Harikrishna Karki of progressives supported by UML and Ramnath Mainali supported by Maoists got 629 and 215 votes respectively.
Counting of votes began Wednesday.
One-third of 5921 votes have been counted so far.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

Kathmandu, 13 Jan.: A meeting of National Planning Commission (NPC) Tuesday chaired by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal decided to launch a three-year plan from next fiscal year.
Infrastructure, agriculture, communication and tourism development in a federal structure will be priorized.
The prime minister was chairing a mid-perm review of the current plan.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“Individual soldiers or party cadre shouldn’t be held accountable for activities mandated to them during the emergency. The political leadership is responsible for those events, so victimizing individuals would make the situation worse.

(Maoist Commander Barsha Man Pun, The Kathmandu Post, 13 Jan.)

“A minister assaults a CDO and a criminal shoots at the district security chief when the government is weak.”

(MJF Chairman Upendra Yadav, The Himalayan Times, 13 Jan.)

“The statement of the chairman [Babauram Bhattarai is India’s candidate for prime minister] created a confusion which has now been resolved.”

(Baburam Bhattarai, Annapurna Post, 13 Jan.)

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