EC STARTS CAMPAIGN TO DISRIBUTE VOTER ID CARDS

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 13 Sept.: Election Commission (EC) Monday started a national campaign to issue voter ID cards with photographs by mid-July 2011 and prepare a national ID card of all citizens.
The programme was launched from the private home of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal who provided personal and family data to emulators from the EU.
‘The two efforts are being coordinated,” Nepal said
In the first phase, the cards will be distributed in 58 municipalities of 43 districts by 18 November.
The second phase campaign will cover all VDCs of 56 districts in 19 hill districts will be covered by mid-July 2011.
Data collectors of the EC are being assisted by government.
Sixteen-year-old citizens have been asked to cooperate with collectors by presenting citizenship certificates, migration information with certificates, marriage certificate and residence documents.
Finger prints of voters will taken at places specified by collectors.
“The data will help prepare voters’ list of those citizens who have reached 18 years. With a programme to prepare a national ID card of all citizens. all those who have reached 16 years of age are asked to give data,” the EC said in an appeal.
The voter ID plan was conceived after the April 2008 constituent assembly election in which Maoists emerged as the largest party bypassing Nepali Congress.
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NO NATIONAL GOVT. WITHOUT NC AND UML

Kathmandu, 13 Sept.: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said Monday there can’t be a national government without NC and UML.
He said NC and UML must be included din any future government.
‘You can’t minus the two parties in government formation,” he told visitors at his official residence.
He warned a government without the two parties will usher in a ‘new phase of instability’.
Nepal made the comments after he called Maoists fascists Sunday and said the main opposition can’t lead a government.
He urged the present ruling coalition should be revived.
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PRESIDENT TO MEET LAWYERS

Kathmandu, 13 Sept.: A concerned President Dr Ram Baran Yadav is holding consultations with a group of prominent lawyers Monday amid a protracted political deadlock.
The president will seek their advice on whether a caretaker government can present a delayed annual budget protested by Maoists, presidential palace sources said.
Yadav is also concerned with repeated failed attempts to elect a successor government of Madhav Kumar Nepal.
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CHILD SHOT DEAD IN RAUTAHAT

Kathmandu, 13 Sept.: A five-year-old child was shot dead in his sleep at a village in Rautahat overnight by unknown group.
The assailants fled.
Rautahat along with Bara, Parsa,Saptari and Sarlahi are the most lawless terai districts.
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UNMIN MAY NOT WITHDRAW FROM NEPAL

Kathmandu, 13 Sept.: British Ambassador to Nepal John Tucknott Monday hinted UNMIN could continue in a desired joint letter of government and Maoists isn’t sent to the UN to extend the tenure of the political arm of the world body that ends Wednesday.
“UNMIN will do what is has been mandated to do. The central issue is of completing the peace process,” he told The Kathmandu Post in an interview.
Tucknott said a government letter sent to UN suggesting Nepal Army be taken off the UNMIN watch is ambiguous.
“.. CPA says that the UNMIN will monitor both the Nepal army and the Maoist cantonments. This is a problem before the Security Council. It is being asked to renew a mandate for UNMIN which is not in line with the accord which says that the UNMIN will monitor both the Nepal Army and Maoist combatants.”
“But now we have letter sent by the government, which somewhat ambiguously say that the Nepal Army be removed from the monitoring of the UNMIN. We were perplexed by the request sent to us as it has ambiguities in it,” Tucknott added.
“Also when one of the parties to the agreement—the Maoists in this case, does not agree to the request, there is confusion. So we urge both the government and the Maoist to find a consensus, which can be presented to the Secretary General.
The new British envoy revealed all permanent members of the security council and Japan have asked government and Maoists to present a consensus request.
‘And I think this is also he view of the international community,” he added.
It’s becoming clear UNMIN won’t withdraw from Nepal even though it’s clear it will no longer be effective to pursue its mandate to monitor a peace process that was to be completed in six months but hasn’t been seen through even in four years.
If a joint letter isn’t sent by government and Maoists to the UN and the as the security council considers a rollover, UNMIN will be working in Nepal without government approval.
It will be the guest of Maoists only.
Ruling parties see the UNMIN as a tail of Maoists.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

NCCCI, CCPIT SIGN MoU TO ATTRACT INVESTMENTS

Kathmandu, 13 Sept.: Nepal-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCCI) President Rajesh Kazi Shrestha and Chairman of China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Taizhou Sunday to promote business and investment.
The two discussed developing an environment to attract Chinese investment in hydropower, cement, banking, technology and tourism in Nepal.
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NEPSE, CMC LTD. ACCORD TO DEVELOP NETWORK

Kathmandu, 13 Sept.: Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) and India’s CMC Ltd Sunday signed an agreement to development software and implement the central depository system (CMC) and Clearing & Settlement System for Nepse.
India has extended a Rs 80 million assistance for the software development.
CMC will develop, implement and handover the system by January 2011.
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SpiceJet STARTS TAKING BOOKINGS FOR KATHMANDU DELHI FLIGHTS

Kathmandu, 13 Sept. Low-fare airline SpiceJet started accepting bookings for flights between Kathmandu, Delhi offering starting fares of Rs 2399.
The airline has a fleet of 22 Boring 737s and flies to 20 destinations in India and 13 onward connections from New Delhi.
The flight departs Kathmandu at 10.05 in the morning and arrives in New Delhi at 11.20.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

‘It may be genuine, and may not be. But the episode reveals the status of our security and individual’s right to secrecy. It is a serious issue as the phone tapping incident has highlighted the extent of the direct interference in our internal national security by foreign powers.’?

(Maoist Spokesman Dinanath Sharma, Republica, 13 Sept.)

“It’s come to our knowledge, intelligence gathering endangering national security emanates from three centers [embassies of India, USA and Nepal Army]. This very serious and objectionable.”

(Dinanath Sharma, Annapurna Post, 13 Sept.)


Without comment, a surprised former King Gyanendra offering prayer at a temple, watches a sinking Republic Nepal ship.

(Cartoon in Kantipur, 13 Sept.)
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GOVT., MAOISTS AGREE TO SEND JOINT LETTER

Kathmandu, 13 Sept.: The government and UCPN-Maoist have reached an understanding to send a common letter regarding UN Mission in Nepal’s tenure and jurisdiction to the UN Security Council by tomorrow [Monday], The Himalayan Times reports.

A meeting held between Maoist leaders and government ministers at former’s Parliamentary Party office today [Sunday] concluded with a decision to send a joint letter to United Nations on Monday, a source privy to the discussion told The Himalayan Times.

Minister for Home Affairs Bhim Rawal and Minister for Culture Minendra Rijal had represented the government side, whereas Vice-chair Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Steering Committee ember

Barsha Man Pun and politburo member Janardhan Sharma represented the UCPN-M.

Emerging form an hour-long talk, Shrestha told reporters that the two sides had agreed in principle to forward a common letter clearly mentioning UNMIN’s future presence with existing mandate — monitoring both UCPN-M combatants and Nepali Army — for another six months.

Rawal, however, told mediapersons that they were yet to reach a final agreement on how to address the woes of the Nepali Army stemming from UNMIN supervision.

Last week, the government and UCPN-M had sent separate letters to the UN Security Council regarding UNMIN’s jurisdiction. This forced international communities and diplomats to pressure both parties to send a joint letter.

Taking to THT, Rijal confirmed that they had agreed to send a joint letter but were yet to reach an agreement on the content of the letter. “We have left it on Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to decide,” he said, adding they were yet to decide whether UNMIN will remain here for four or six month.

PM’s Chief Political Adviser Raghuji Panta said the government had sought written commitment from UCPN-M on five points regarding the problems facing national army, if the current mandate remains intact. They include supply of logistic support to the Nepali Army, fresh recruitment against NA vacancies, supply of arms and ammunition to NA for regular training and time-bound implementation of all component of the peace process.

The PM also held discussions with the leaders of the Tarai-based parties supporting the government regarding a joint letter to the United Nations pertaining to UNMIN’s terms of reference on the basis of consensus. During the meeting at his official residence, management of the Nepali Army and purchasing logistics for the NA also figured.

Meanwhile, the government is all set to send a strong objection letter to the statement given by UNMIN Chief Karin Landgren during her briefing to the UN Security Council meeting on September 7.

A source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they were working on the draft of the letter. The PM had discussed in detail Landgren’s statement on Thursday with senior officials from MoFA and concluded it as objectionable.

In the second paragraph of her statement to the Security Council, Landgren had mentioned that the term of the CA was extended for a year due to ‘an 11th –hour threat of revolt within the third largest party, the CPN-UMML.”
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3 HUMAN REMAINS FOUND IN 7 DAYS

Kathmandu, 13 Sept.: A team involved in the exhumation of the remains of five youths believed o have been buried along the Kamala River in Janakpur by security forces in 2008 managed to detect the remains of the third person Sunday, Republica reports from Janakpur.
The team has sealed and handed over the remains of a person and a bullet to the police.
Of the 23 trenches dug until Sunday, remains of the second person were found on the 22nd trench. The team will be able to recover it by Monday evening, according to Bed Bhattarai, director of National Human Rights Commission (NHRB),
Bhattarai confirmed finding the third body.
“Until Sunday, we found three bodies,” Bhattarai said adding that the third body would be taken out in the next two or three days, after which it will be sealed.
The team has been carrying out exhumation work from 8 am to 5 pm since last Monday.
A member of the exhumation team said there is a possibility that the bodies recovered so far may not be those of the youths the team is looking for.
“Though the bodies were found around the same area pointed our by locals, they were found to have been buried differently from what locals has told us. We see a possibility the bodies may not be the youths made to disappear on October 2, 2008,” he said.
According to locals, three of the youth were buried in one grave, and two in another area adjoining the first. However, the bodies that the exhumation team found were found in separate graves, The second body was found 15 meters east of the first, and the third 12 meters north of the second.
The team will stop excavation work after finding five bodies.
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Nepal’s int’l image ‘tarnished’

Kathmandu, 13 Sept.: The recent comments from the government and the political parties on UNMIN have ‘tarnished’ the image of Nepal in the eyes of the international community, Mahesh Acharya writes in The Kathmandu Post from New York..

Does that mean United Nations is no more concerned about Nepal’s fragile peace process?

“No” said an informed source, “The United Nations is concerned about Nepal but the diplomatic immaturity shown repeatedly by the Nepali side has led nobody to take Nepal’s issues seriously.”

Whilst the peace process still has a long way to go, the ‘tarnished’ international image could be detrimental to Nepal. “Criticizing the UN beyond the diplomatic line, accusing UNMIN of being pro-Maoist and other vexing issues has exacerbated the situation,” the source said. “If this continues, after the completion of the UN mission this week, Nepali political parties should be ready to monitor the combatants themselves.”

The government’s letter requesting the curtailment of UNMIN’s mandate without incorporating the consent of the other party to the peace process has also not been received positively here. “It was childish of the government to write individually to reduce the mandate of the mission which was established after the request from the two parties to the peace process,” a diplomatic source said.

According to the sources, officials from the United Kingdom which is the lead country regarding UNMIN’s issue in the Security Council, expressed their dissatisfaction formally with Nepali officials, the first time that UNSC members have done so with Nepal.

Nepali officials from the Permanent Representative Office had distributed copies of the government letter to the UNSC as soon as UNMIN chief Karin Landgren finished her briefing on Tuesday. According to the provision in Rule 8 of UNSC Rules of Procedure, the agenda to be adopted and discussed need to be communicated to the member-countries via the Secretary General

at least three days in advance.

There is an time-honoured informal understanding in UN that such agenda be communicated usually a week before the meeting. Although Rule 8 also allows communicating the matter at a short notice under urgent circumstances, the source said, it wasn’t appropriate to distribute the official letter without prior notice.
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