NO SALARY OF MAOIST COMBATANTS IN GORKHA

Kathmandu, 28 Nov.: Deputy Prime Minster Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar said government will stop allowances, salaries and rations of Maoist combatants who attended the party plenum that ended in Gorkha Saturday.
‘Government cannot look after cadres of any political party,” Gachedhar said in Biratnagar Saturday. “Government has told this to Maoists. Government is stopping salaries, allowances and ration of combatants who attended the plenum.”
“The government has to pay their salaries and allowances and they work for the Maoists?
How can the government pay PLA fighters salaries and allowances if the fighters work for Maoists?
How can we integrate those combatants who participate in the party’s meeting as party cadres be integrated in security agencies?” she asked reporters in Biratnagar Saturday.
“What remains is its formal announcement,” she said claiming Maoists had withdrawn from the 12-poin peace agreement between seven parliamentary parties and Maoists four years ago.
‘The day the combatants went to Palungtar, the road has been opened for Nepal Army (NA) to conduct all military activities.
“They have no right to facilities given by the state.
“(NA) also has the right to also resume the recruitment process and other duties if Maoists combatants can be paraded at their plenum venue,” Surya Bahadur Thapa said Saturday Damak while imparting ideological training to activists of Rashtrya Janashakti Party (RJP) in Jhapa.
nnnn

NEPSE SLIPS 5.20 POINTS

Kathmandu, 28 Nov.: Nepse slipped 5.20 points at the end of five-day weekly trading Thursday.
The market opened at 423.36 points Sunday and closed at 416.15 points Thursday.
The announcement of the annual budget for the remaining eight
months of the fiscal year 2010/11 didn’t boost or stabilize stock market prices.
Although 50,235 shares of Nepal SBI Bank were traded for Rs 34.05
million during the week.
In two bulk transactions, 38, 718 and 9,662 shared exchanged
hands.

KIN OF MARTYRED SPEAK
Kathmandu, 28 Nov.: After the sixth UCPN-M plenum concluded, Maoist Chairman Prachanda met jointly with the families of martyrs and disappeared people only to be criticised severely for the leadership’s increasingly luxurious lifestyle and for belittling the contribution of martyrs, The Himalayan Times reports from Palungtar. .

Families of persons disappeared during the bloody conflict criticised Maoist leaders for not paying attention to their plight.

Samudri Gandharva, who received a message about her son’s death some days ago after eleven years, asked Prachanda, “Why has the message about my son’s death reached me so late when he was killed in 2061 BS.” She warned, “My son’s sacrifice should not go in vain.”

She fell unconscious while talking to Prachanda. Before falling unconscious, Samudri asked Prachanda to expedite the process for drafting the constitution and bringing lasting peace in the country. The families of martyrs and persons disappeared during the insurgency asked Prachanda to pay heed to their troubles too. “We wept once on the loss of our family members. Don’t make us burst into tears frequently,” a martyr’s family said.

Samudri’s son Bikash Gandharva was declared martyr by the conclave today at the end of the closed session. Bikash had joined the Maoist armed force around 12 years ago .

According to UCPN-M’s Limbuwan Rajya Samiti in-charge Gopal Kirati, Bikash was wounded severely in the Maoist attack on Bhojpur on Jestha 1, 2061 BS. He died while undergoing treatment in India.

“The message of Bikash’s death was not delivered to his family due to some problem in commutation,” said Lok Prasad Banjara, member of the information and communication sub-committee of the plenum. A letter of self-criticism for not delivering the message of Bikash’s death to Tamuwan Rajya Samiti where Bikash’s family lives, was read out at the end of the closed session. Politburo member Hitkaji Panday said the plenum declared him a martyr of the people’s revolution.

Resham Bahadur Panta, father of disappeared Dipendra, criticised Maoist leaders for not paying attention to finding the whereabouts of his son. “You did nothing while at the helm,” Resham pointed at Prachanda.

Consoling family members of the disappeared and martyrs, Prachanda said the revolution was not complete. “When our revolution succeeds, all your wishes will be fulfilled.”
Nnnn
NEW ELECTORAL PROCESS IN QUANDRY

Kathmandu, 28 Nov An ambitious plan of the government to introduce new electoral roll and use the data collected by Election Commission (EC) for National Identity Card (NID) has been dragged into controversy following a series of disputes, Bimal Gautam writes in Republica..

The plan that hit a snag mainly after the protest from Madhes-based political parties has faced yet another complication with donor agencies raising serious concerns on the matter following the Supreme Court order asking the EC to stop the registration drive.
he SC order apart, the EC´s move to collect new electoral roll without the evidence of citizenship, the government´s plan faces mainly three complications.
First, the donor agencies, who have already decided to invest nearly Rs 120 million in the new voters´ registration process, have expressed serious concern over the SC order; second, the Madhes-based parties´ reaction protesting the court´s order; and third, the government´s seriousness about its commitment to implement the new voters´ registration process.

On Friday, representatives of various donor agencies met Acting Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety and expressed their concern over the matter.
"Donors agencies have shown their serious concern over the matter. They said they will continue their support to EC even if it faces problems due to non-cooperation from various quarters," said Uprety, adding, "They however, want the complications to end at the earliest."

Apart from donor´s support, the government has already decided to invest Rs 200 million from the state coffer for the new voters´ registration process that requires voters´ photograph and fingerprint. For the first time in its history, the commission has decided to introduce new electoral roll with voters´ photograph in a bid to minimize bogus voting in future.
• Donor agencies concerned about the disputes
• We won´t use EC´s data if it collects electoral roll without the evidence of citizenship: MoHA
• We won´t initiate the collection drive until the next decision of SC: EC Chief
The plan faces further complication with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) deciding not to use the EC´s data for National Identity Card. The MoHA has said that it found the commission´s decision to collect new electoral roll even without the evidence of citizenship unacceptable.

"We are alarmed by the EC´s decision to collect voters´ registration without the evidence of citizenship. Even SC has ordered a stay on the EC´s collection drive. We wont accept EC´s data if it collects voters´ registration without citizenship," said an official at the MoHA on condition of anonymity. He, however, clarified that the ministry has adopted a wait and see position on the issue until the next SC decision and the EC´s subsequent move.

The Madhes-based parties, on the other hand, in blatant violation of respect towards independent judiciary, publicly announced that they would protest the Supreme Court order unless it corrects its decision. Madhes-based parities also criticized SC for being influenced by the government and other political parties while issuing the stay order on the matter.

The EC´ stance on compulsory citizenship for voters´ registration was changed following disputes and intermittent disturbances, especially by Madhes-based parties, during the registration process in the Tarai districts.

The SC on Thursday said only Nepali citizens enjoy the right to participate in the voting process, meaning one should have acquired Nepali citizenship to enjoy voting rights.

"We have taken SC´s decision positively and it is our duty to abide by the court´s order," said Acting Chief Election Commissioner Uprety, adding, "We won´t initiate any process in this regard until the final decision of the SC." Uprety also demanded the removal of ambiguous provisions in the law which, according to him, led the commission to take the decision to collect electoral roll without the evidence of citizenship.

The EC on November 3 had decided to accept identification documents other than citizenship certificate for registration in the voters´ list. The EC had decided to accept land ownership certificates and documents issued by academic institutions, among others, as identity citing that the existing laws permitted them to do so.

Data and other particulars collected for the electoral roll are expected to help in developing the NID, which will gradually replace the traditional citizenship card.
nnnn