Maoists not serious, Minister Pokhrel charges

Kathmandu, 12 March: Government Spokesman and Communications Minister Shanker Pokhrel charged Friday Maoists weren’t serious towards the pace process and drafting of a constitution within the 28May deadline.
He said Maoists weren’t cooperating withholding information on the number of combatants in camps while saying UNMIN’s role was also wrong in not furnishing details directly to government.
He said government dole was being misused and many combatants had deserted camps and government won’t finance deserters.
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Pascoe meets defence minister, army chief before departure

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 12 March: UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe held discussions separately with Defence Minister Bidya Bhandari and Army Chief Gen Chatraman Singh Gurung before flying for New York at the end of a three-day visit Friday.
Pascoe held discussions with Bhandari who earlier has critical of UN role in sending a Nepali peacekeeper form Chan without consulting the country supplying peacekeeping troops to the UN.
Bhandari also refused a UN request to handover to an officer sent back form
Chad for alleged rights abuse in Nepal to a civilian court; the officer was only involved in the arrest of a woman during th insurgency.
She died in a military barrack.
He Thursday undiplomatically called criticism of UNMIN activities ,especially by senior government ministers ‘cheap shots’.
“But certainly the cheap shots, if that is the word I can use, at UNMIN will strongly affect the security council’s view on UNMIN’s stay,” he told an interaction organized by Nepal Institute for Policy Studies.
UNMIN’s fresh tenure ends 15May nearly a fortnight before a deadline to promulgate a constitution—a schedule unlikely to be met.
Ministers charged UMNIN for being partial while withholding information from the government on the exact headcount of combatants in 28 cantonments and satellite camps.
Government says a fresh headcount is needed to distribute monthly allowances to 19,000 plus combatants so that money goes to proper persons.
Government called for fresh figures after 40 percent of 4,000 disqualified combatants under UN watch deserted before their official discharge this month.
While UNMIN has come under fire from the government, it has been praised by main opposition Maoists who want the UN presence in Nepal until the peace process is completed.
The top UN diplomat said UNMIN ‘has been given no mandate or capacity to police cantonments”.
An Angry and frustrated Pascoe said: “We are dismayed that some commentators try to hold the mission responsible for situations and shortcomings that by the very insistence of the parties themselves, the mission has little or no capacity to control. This is absurd and should end.”
He was referring to the murder of a Kathmandu trader by Maoists in a cantonment in Chitwan and frequent free movement of armed combatants
in and out of camps.
“Why should we stay if we are going to be criticized for things that he were not doing and are never supposed to do,” Pascoe said as western donors demand repeated government extensions of two UN bodies in Nepal after expiry of their mandates.
The donors demand the extensions.
The UN diplomat charged Nepalis are not doing their own work.
“It basically means that people are not doing their own work and looking around for somebody else to blame.”
The fact remains, the government has UNMIN is partial and it’ll be difficult for it to continue despite not of donors, especially the EU member states, UN presence in Nepal should continue.
The donors fund the UNMIN.
At a time when the peace process and constitution drafting have hit roadblocks, the UN diplomat said UNMIN has only a ‘limited’ role.
Well, this is now how Ian Martin behaved when the mission first started work here.
He was meddling everywhere and was seeking roles even beyond the mandate.
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Indefinite transport strike in Mechi anchal strike

Kathmandu, 12 March: Thousands of passengers were stranded in Mechi anchal Friday after transporters went on an indefinite strike demanding compensation and action against persons who killed a driver Wednesday.
They are pressing seven demands, including maintaining peace along highways.
The strike has affected neighbouring Sunsari and Morang districts as Movement of people across the Indo-Nepal has come to a halt and businesses have been affected..
Driver Sher Bahadur Magar was killed Wednesday.
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Girija moves to daughter’s house

Kathmandu, 12 March: Ailing Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala, 86, Friday moved out of a rented house to daughter Sujata Koirala’s residence in Mandikatar.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata cut short her Europe visit and returned home Thursday after her father’s health condition worsened.
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Prachanda, US diplomat hold discussions

Kathmandu, 12 March: Maoist Chairman Prachanda held discussions with UN embassy charge de’ affaires Donald Kemp Friday.
They discussed current political situation.
Discussions also centered around Maoist US relations as Washington still keeps Maoists on its terrorist list.
USA demands Maoists meet several pre-conditions to remove the main opposition from its terrorist list.
USA maintains links and holds dialogue with Maoists; the direct like began after Maoists emerged as the country’s largest party following the constituent assembly elections in April 2008 and formed a government.
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Youth Force closes down in Morang


Kathmandu, 12 March: Youth Force affiliated with ruling UML closed down Morang district Friday after two members were shot and injured in the eastern terai district overnight.
Two motorcyclists shot and injured Youth Force Coordinator Parshuram Basnet and a colleague.
Youth Force is demanding action against the attempted killers.
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Three poachers killed

Kathmandu, 12 March: Three poaches were killed and one was injured by Nepal Army patrolling Bardiya National Park in the far-west Thursday, the army said.
They died in return firing after a patrol was attacked, the army added.
Four poachers fled, while one has been arrested.
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DPM Gachedhar meets Pranab Mukherjee

Kathmandu, 12 March: Continuing his discussions with Indian leaders, Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of MJFL Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar held separate discussions with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Indian National Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh.
He will hold discussions with other leaders before returning home Saturday.
Gachedhar is holding political discussions in the Indian capital at a crucial time of an emerging political crisis.
Mukherjee was a former pointman of the India government for Nepal during the transition from monarchy to a republic.
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