GURUNGS CELEBRATE NEW YEAR

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: Gurungs celebrated Tamur Loshar or their new year Thursday.
Government announced a public holiday.
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PM DIRECTS BELEAGURED NEPALI PEACEKEEPERS IN SUDAAB BE SUPPLIED

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Sunday
directed logistic support be sent immediately to beleaguered Nepal Police peacekeepers with the UN in Darfur, Sudan.
The premier issued the directive in discussions with members of the public accounts committee of parliament, concerned and police officers.
Nepal directed money be released for purchase of logistics, including armed personnel carriers, by the home ministry and Nepal Police Welfare Trust.
The public accounts committee had earlier directed CIAA and government to initiate action against persons misappropriating more than Rs.300 million while supplying Nepali peacekeepers in Sudan.
Rebel Chaudhary, Bangladeshi son-in-law of Deputy Prime Minister lSujata Koirala, has bee dragged into the controversy.
The PM’s intervention comes at a time when reports said UN may be sending back the peacekeepers.
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FOUR INJURED IN NEPALGUNJ BLAST

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: Four persons were injured Wednesday in a blast in front of hardware shop in Nepalgunj.
The shop owner and three customers were injured in the bomb blast.
Two injured have been rushed to the capital for treatment.
Violence continues in the terai unabated.
Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha claimed responsibility.
Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of MJFL Bijaya Kumar
Gachedhar Wednesday urged in Rajbiraj violence in terai should stop immediately.
He was speaking at a funeral service of a retired government official and brother of a top MJFL party official.
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MAOSIT STANDING COMMITTEE MEETS SATURDAY

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: A rescheduled Maoist standing committee meets Saturday, standing committee member Top Bahadur Rayamajhi said.
The meeting was scheduled Wednesday.
It was rescheduled for homework for Saturday’s meet.
The main opposition has been discussing preparations for anti-government protests, distribution of organizational responsibilities, preparations for a political training camp that was scheduled to begin Friday and other issues.
Deep differences have surfaced inside the party after the just concluded inconclusive Gorkha plenum.
A central committee empowered to settle differences didn’t succeed in
resolving differences.
Chairman Prachanda is pushing a renewed people’s war while Vice-chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai is advocating completion of the peace process and constitution drafting.
Prachanda has also demanded disciplinary action against Bhattarai for spilling out beans in public on intra-party differences.
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UML GENERAL SECRETAY ISHWAR POKHREL JAPAN BOUND

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel left for a week-long visit of Japan Wednesday.
He will interact with political party leaders, government officials and the Nepali community there, the party said.
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INDIA DENIES TRAINING MAOISTS

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: Indian foreign ministry Bishnu Prakash Wednesday denied a claim India trained Maoists at a facility in Dehra Dun.
‘The reports are baseless and unfounded. We have seen some media reports regarding training Maoists in India’” he said according to reports from New Delhi.
The denial came as Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao prepares to visit Nepal after UNMIN quits from Nepal 15 January 2011 after a failed three-year mission.
Retired ADC and Military Secretary Bibek Shah made the claim in a book released Wednesday on the 67th birthday of King Birendra.
Shah says India pressurized Narayanhiti Royal Place to sack him
after New Delhi came to know the secretary had detailed knowledge on India training Maoists.
Shah recounts in detail in the 599 page book events in the royal place, including the Narayanhiti Palace Royal Massacre in which the entire
family of Birendra was assassinated by son Crown Prince Dipendra
who pulled the trigger on himself.
The book will be a bestseller.
The military aide of both Kings Birendra and Gyanendra claimed India trained Nepal’s Maoists, as it did Tibetan Khampas fighting for an independent Tibet, Sri Lankan Tamils and rebels who fought Pakistan Army to launch Bangladesh.
The denial comes even as Chairman Prachanda said he spent eight of the 10-year insurgency not in the jungles of Nepal but in India.
India’s nurturing of Nepal’s Maoists in across the border in India is well-documented.
Nepali political party leaders have said on record they couldn’t have met exiled Maoists, including Chairman, in Noida, New Delhi’s outskirts, without Indian approval.
Home Minister Kamal Thapa of the ousted royal regime even
charged Maoist insurgents were being armed with arms
manufactured from Indian government ordinance factories.
Shah’s revelations have come at a time when the peace process and constitution drafting have hit roadblocks and New Delhi’s
previously warm relations with Maoists have now soured.
The military aide sacked by King Gyanendra said India trained
Maoists and Nepal’s Armed Police Force personnel separately at athe same training facility USA helped India construct.
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SECRETARY SHANKER KOIRALA TRANSFERRED

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: After a protracted struggle with Energy Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat, Energy Secretary Shanker Koirala was
transferred Sunday to the Nepal Trust by the cabinet.
Nepal Trust oversees the seized assets of King Birendra and his
family.
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ADDITIONAL EXPULSION IN MJFL

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: Vice-chairman Keshab Jha of MJFL was expelled from ordinary membership of the ruling party Wednesday, an announcement said.
He was expelled for working against party interest, according to the party.
The move follows the dismissal of a minister of state who launched a splinter group.
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SAARC TO HAVE FIRST WOMAN SG

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: Maldives’ former attorney general Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed is likely to be appointed general secretary of SAARC from 1
March after the three-year term of incumbent Sheel Kant Sharma
Expires Feb.28, 2011, Republica reports.
She will be the first woman chief of the regional grouping in its 26 years existence.
She is former parliamentarian and attorney general in her 30s, will alsobe the youngest chief of the regional block.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

BOP DEFICIT NARROWS

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: Balance of payment (BoP) deficit drastically fell to
Rs. 5.03 billion in the first four months of the current fiscal year
2010/11 compared to the same period the previous year when the deficit was Rs. 15.78 billion, Nepal Rashtra Bank (NRB) said.
Merchandise exports increased 8.3 percent to Rs. 21.64 billion
in the review period, according to a current microeconomic report released by the central bank.
Exports increased from Rs. 19.97 billion during the same period the previous year.
Exports to India increased in the review period 10.7 percent after falling 18.9 percent in the previous year quarter while export to other
Countries jumped to 4.6 percent after declining 28.5 percent in the
quarter the previous year.
Overseas exports rose with increased demands for woolen carpets, readymade garments tanned hides, leather goods and other products.
Merchandise imports increased 2 percent to Rs. 121.35 billion.
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NEPSE INDEX DECLINES MARGINALLY

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: Nepse index fell marginally 0.12 points
Wednesday on the last day of weekly trading and closed at 404.06 points.
There’ll be no trading Thursday because of a public holiday.
The index slipped 3.54 points Tuesday.
Altogether 55, 025 shares were traded in 2,118 transactions for
Rs.30.9 million.
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INDIA RESTRICTS GARLIC EXPORTS FROM NEPAL

Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: India has restricted the exports of garlic from Nepal, Nagarik reports.
‘Indian customs officials have restricted exports for seven days
saying Chinese garlic was being exported,” exporter Tej Prasad
Kandel of Hariom Enterprises said.
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PREDENTIAL HIV/AIDS RELIEF FUND








Kathmandu, Dec 29 - The government is all set to introduce the concept of Presidential Funds with a view to addressing the plight of innocent children, single women and women living with HIV/AIDS, Gita Sapkota writes in The Rising Nepal.
The concept is expected to alleviate the woes of the children and women who mostly receive HIV/AIDS transmission with no fault of theirs.
Umakanta Chaudhari, Minister for Health and Population, developed the idea of creating such a fund.
In the initial stage, it will be an emergency relief fund for HIV infected children, the Health Ministry sources said.
Several donor agencies as well as the private sector have shown willingness to support the HIV/AIDS sector. Various funds have already been mobilized in the sector but several programmes lack sustainability.
The target groups, especially, children and single women, could not benefit as desired. The presidential fund will pool all support for the sustainability of the social security programme, Dr. Shyam Sundar Mishra, vice chairman of HIV/AIDS and STI Control Board said.
Presently, different donor agencies, private sectors, NGOs and INGOs are working for HIV infected and affected people. However, they work with a certain target and duration. After the end of their

support, HIV infected people become powerless. The presidential fund (PF) will address all these challenges, Dr. Mishra added.
The concept of presidential fund for HIV infected people has been implemented in the US now, Dr. Mishra added.
After developing modalities of the PF, an interaction will be held with President Ram Baran Yadav, Dr. K.K Rai, chairman of National Centre of AIDS and STD Control, said. The proposal should be passed by the cabinet, he added.
At first, the government will set aside certain money for the fund. Businesses and interested people and organizations will be included in the fund later, Dr. Rai said.
Some four months ago, the Supreme Court had ordered the government to present a formal response about the current status of HIV infected children, single and other women.
Similarly, the National Planning Commission has also formed a task force to recommend to the government what type of programme is needed to address the HIV infected children and women.
Amidst these steps on social security, the Ministry of Health and Population has come up with PF, Rajeev Kafle, chairman of National Association for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nepal said.
HIV-infected children are among the most victimized. Although, they are innocent about the transmission of disease and they are victimized, Kafle said, adding the government should be protecting them.
Kafle has been working for infected kids for a long time.
The NAPN last year proposed 3,000 rupees allowances for infected kids, single women and other women. The government rejected the proposal saying that it would create a high burden.
The 10th round Global Fund has approved 1,500 rupees as allowance for every child. The government should add 1,500 rupees more, he said.
According to a UNICEF estimate, around 21,000 children are HIV affected. Of them, 1,100 have tested positive.

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NEW ARRANGEMENT FOR PRIVATE ZOOS





Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: - Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Dipak Bohara has said that the government was working to introduce a new law to systematize the practice of running a zoo individually, RSS reports.
Speaking at the 15th anniversary programme of National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) here on Wednesday, Minister Bohara stressed on the need for a legal provision to stop poaching of animals as the demand for animals could rise if individuals were to tame the animals.
He said construction of the zoo in 300 hectars of land at Suryabinayak of Bhaktapur district was underway to ease congestion at the Central Zoo. The NTNC should take responsibility of that too and manage it, he added.
Minister Bohara also said that the government was thinking to amend the Community Forest Act, not for curtailing the rights of the consumers rather to systematize it.
Director General of the Department of National Park and Wildlife Reserve, Krishna Prasad Acharya said the zoo administration should expedite the awareness raising programme on wildlife conservation.
On the occasion, winners of the short story competition on bio-diversity and school-level drawing competition were honoured with prizes. Likewise, different organizations providing financial assistance to the zoo were also honored.

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SOME PROGRESS IN CONSTITUTION DRAFTING





Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: - A meeting of the 27 parties represented in the Constituent Assembly (CA) Wednesday endorsed the progress made by the High Level Taskforce regarding the report of the CA thematic committees on Determination of the form of the Government and Determination of the form of the Legislative Organs, The Rising Nepal reports.
The 27-party meeting held under the chair of the CA chairperson Subash Nembang approved the decision of the Taskforce to make the independent and accountable judiciary and appointment of the judges of the Supreme Court by an independent body.
Jay Prakash Gupta, a leader of Madheshi Janaadhikar Forum, said that approval was a part of the process to endorse all the 127 points that the Taskforce had agreed.
He said that the process to endorse the decisions made by the Taskforce will go hand in hand with the efforts to narrow down differences on the remaining contended issues related to the new constitution.
"Today’s meeting upheld the decision on the forms of the government and legislative bodies made by the Taskforce without any changes," UCPN-Maoist vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said after the meeting.
CA member Sarita Giri said that there was still a question related to judiciary. "We have yet to decide regarding to whom the judiciary will be responsible, to the parliament or any others."
Another CA member Pari Thapa said that he decisions made by the Taskforce were not as unanimous as claimed. "There are certain issues which need to be agreed upon again."
The 27-party mechanism to approve the already decided points and resolve other remaining 83 contentious issues related to new constitution was formed the other day following the expiry of the tenure of the Taskforce a couple of weeks back.
The next meeting of the mechanism is schedule for January 2.
Meanwhile, Speaker Subash Chandra Nembang Wednesday said that the

mechanism of the 27 political parties in the Constituent Assembly started the process to settle the contentious issues pertaining to the constitution drafting process.
Speaker Nembang made this remark while releasing a book ‘Constitution: The Document of Rights’ published by INHURED International here.
He expressed hope that the political mechanism would resolve the remaining 83 issues and send the documents to Constitutional Committee with suggestions.
"Now the constitution drafting process will move ahead continuously and the mechanism will settle the differences," he said.
Saying that the constitution drafting process through the CA was comparatively expensive, he said that there was no alternative to CA to drafting the new constitution.
The 122-page book contains the chronological development of human rights, international practice, criteria, fundamental rights, directive principles of state and some other topics.
On the occasion, CA members said that the new constitution would end discrimination and ensure human rights.
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ACTION IN ARMY FOR ATTEMPTED LOBBYING
Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: The Nepali Army Headquarters today asked Brig Gen Kiran Bajracharya to furnish a written explanation for ‘lobbying against his senior Maj Gen Naresh Basnet’, Lekhnath Pandey writes in the Himalayan Times.

Brig Gen Bajracharya has been charged with trying to influence high government officials and politicians, including the prime minister, ministers and leaders the UCPN-Maoist.

NA in its history has for the first time initiated such a disciplinary action against any general. NA in the past though had court-martialled a few officers, including one brigadier general, the national army never had come across a case in which one of its officials was involved in ‘political lobbying’.

Maj Gen Basnet, a two-star general, has been entrusted with the task of handling NA’s Directorate General of Development and Construction Wing while Brig Gen Bajracharya, a one-star general, who holds a degree in engineering, is one of the directors of the wing.

A military source confirmed that the NA Headquarters sought a ‘quick explanation’ from Bajracharya on the grounds of ‘violation of military discipline’ after it found him lobbying the politicians of major parties and high-profile officials, including Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Defence Minister Bidhya Devi Bhandari, for stalling the term extension of Maj Gen Basnet.

“The Nepali Army asked him (Brig Gen Bajracharya) to furnish a quick explanation,” the source told The Himalayan Times on condition of anonymity. Brig Gen Bajracharya has been asked to furnish explanation within 24 hours. “If he had any grievances against Maj Gen Basnet, he should have consulted senior officials, not someone out of the army,” he added.

If found guilty, Brig Gen Bajracharya could face a court martial.

It may be mentioned that Sunday’s Cabinet meeting had decided to extend Maj Gen Basnet’s term.
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GRAVES BEING DUG UP IN
PASHUPATI
Kathmandu, 30 Dec.: In a bid to clean up and conserve the Hindu religious site in the vicinity of Pashupatinath, the Pashupati Area Development Trust has decided to remove remains and tombstones of non-Hindus from the Pashupati and surrounding areas, Bishnu Prasad Aryal reports in The Himalayan Times.

“Hundreds of bodies have been buried in the Shleshmantak forest area, and concrete structures are causing deforestation in the area. In addition, bodies of non-Hindus are not allowed to be interred in and around the holy site,” said PADT member secretary Sushil Nahata.

There are around 200 Christian graves in the Sleshmantak forest area.

Non-Hindus started burying bodies in the Pashupatinath forest area after 2006 — the year the country was declared a secular state. However, besides Christians, non-Hindu groups like Kiratis too claim the Pashupati area as their heritage site, and they too started burying the dead in the area about a decade ago. PADT earlier demolished about 67 gravestones.

The government in association with the Department of Archaeology had reached an agreement with Rai-Kiratis about a decade ago in relation to performing final rites of the dead in the area. According to PADT Norms- 2050, non-Hindu activities are restricted in the Pashupati area.

Hindus from Giri, Puri and Dashanami societies and children of Hindus only can be buried in the area. However, there is a restriction on constructing structures on the burial site of any sort. KB Rokaya, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Nepal, said the community didn’t have any other option but to bury the dead in the area as the government failed to allocate land for them for burial. “The government should provide land for the Christians here,” said Rokaya.

However, Nahata informed that today’s [Wednesday’s] meeting of the PADT Council has decided to form a three-member committee to look into the issue.

The committee headed by Nahata includes Kathmandu Chief District Officer and chief of DoA. “The Committee after studying the situation will find a solution,” said PADT Director Bhola Prasad Sitaula.

Culture Minister Minendra Rijal, who is also the Chairman of PADT, said the government will take up the issue seriously considering the gravity of the situation. Concern raised by non-Hindus, especially the Christians, will be discussed to do the needful to address the problem.
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