Three parties invited by 12 smaller parties; other details

Kathmandu, 19 May: Three big parties Wednesday were invited by 12 smaller parties to parliament Thursday to discuss an end to the prolonged deadlock.
The invitation was extended after a meeting of 12 small parties.
Rashtriya Janasakti Party Vice-chairman Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani said an outlet to the deadlock should be discussed in the constituent assembly and not in big hotels.
An informal meeting of top NC leaders Wednesday agreed there was no need to amend the interim constitution as there’s provision for consensus as well as majority politics.
Nepal is heading towards a political emergency as parties have failed to promulgate a constitution to institutionalize a republic within the two-year tenure.
The vague comprehensive peace agreement between seven political parties and Maoists adopted such a broad agendas, it was almost impossible to meet the deadline especially after Maoists emerged as the dominant party in the 10 April 2008 constituent assembly elections.
The agreement on a paper in pencil was handed over to Nepali Congress by India, former minister and ambassador to India Chakra Prasad Bastola said,
This was revealed by Bastola following the death of Girija Prasad Koirala.
‘I am a witness,” Bastola wrote.
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Maoist combatants get four month allowance

Kathmandu, 19 May: Altogether 566 former Maoist fighters of the 1st division received their four-month allowance by cheque at the Chulachilo camp in Jhapa Wednesday.
The allowances will henceforth be distributed every two months.
Peace Minister Rakam Chemgung witnessed the distribution.
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Nawals kill four more Indian policemen

Kathmandu, 19 May: Naxalites killed four more Indian policemen and injured two others Wednesday in a village in west Bengal in a landmine explosion of the second day of a state-side strike called by rebels, radio reports said.
The strike comes one day after a call by Federal Home Minister P. Chidambaran for a 72-hour ceasefire to begin negotiations to end the insurgency that has spread of 20 of 28 states.
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Intelligence gathering in name of human rights

Kathmandu, 19 May: Although OHCHR did commendable work in the beginning in human rights, its work now is controversial, ineffective and isn’t farsighted, Dhristi reports.
This is an excerpt of a letter National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sent to the government a few days ago. The Commission has written to the government at a time there deep differences on whether the tenure of the OHCHR should when its role has become controversial.
Nepali Congress is pressurizing the government to lose down its regional offices.
There’ve been allegations OHCHR is now involved in intelligence gathering .when it came for monitoring and supervising human rights. After it started interfering in the country’s internal politics, political parties have become cautious.
The statements of OHCHR Chief Richard Bennet are controversial.
OHCHR in a statement said the Maoist 1 May was peaceful when people were forcibly brought to the capital from villages. Why did the OCCHR which was highly critical of Maoists in the past say the strike was peaceful when terror was spread by giving weapons training and wielding khukris?
A human rights activist said the statement was issued expecting the surrender of government and formation of a government by Maoists. But that didn’t happen.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“ It is surprising to hear from PM Nepal, who always looks accommodative to foreign friends, making caustic comments like: If they want to teach us, or to some extent instruct us, this is not acceptable to us. ”

(Mukti Rijal, The Rising Nepal , 19 May)