UML PARLIAMENTARY PARTY MEET

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: UML parliamentary party is meeting Wednesday to discuss power sharing, recent decisions of its central committee and other contemporary issues.
Leaders of the Big Three are also continuing discussions for the second consecutive day Wednesday to discuss power sharing, UNMIN withdrawal from Nepal 15 January 2011 and other topics.
UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and his Maoist counterpart Prachanda discussed government formation Tuesday.
Maoists are pushing a national government under their leadership while NC continued its claim to lead a government to succeed the administration led by Caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Maoists Tuesday proposed UNMIN tenure be extended until 28 May 2011 when a constitution should be promulgated.
UN security council has already decided to withdraw from Nepal; the government and Maoists had already agreed to the UN withdrawal date.
NC put a condition saying Nepal Army should not be put under UN watch.
Nnnn

TUESDAY COLDEST DAY OF WINTER

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: Tuesday was the coldest day this winter.
The temperature recorded in the capital on winter solstice was one
degree Celsius.
Nnnn

MJFL SPLITS

Kathmandu, 22 Dec,: MJFL led by Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar has split.
Sanjay Kumar Sah, state minister for physical planning led the revolt and announced the formation Tuesday of Madesh Kranti Forum.
Nnnn

CHINESE SECURITY TEAM IN TOWN

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: A six-member lean led by Li Zhao, director of Public Security Department, Tibet, arrived Tuesday for discussions with Nepali officials.
Security talks are being held with home ministry officials Wednesday,
China is attempting to curb cross-border anti-China activities from Nepal.
nnnn



BODY OF GIRL FOUND

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: The body of Januka Neupane, a 12th grader of NR College of Nepaltar was found along the Bishnumati river bank near Gongabu.
She was missing since 18 December.
Neupane was probably murdered.
Nnnn

NEPAL MEETS INDIA IN WOMEN’S SOCCER FINAL

Kathmandu, 22 Dec,: Nepal will meet India in the final of the first SAFF Women’s Championship.
Nepal beat Bangladesh 3-0 in a semi-final Tuesday at Cox’s Bazzar in Bangladesh.
Nepal topped Group B beating Maldives, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Nnnn

LAST RITES OF LACHHMAN GURUNG WEDNESDAY

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: The last rites of Lachhman Gurung, a recipient
of Victoria Cross, Great Britain’s highest gallantry award, will be held in London Wednesday.
Gurung, 92, died 12 December.
He was awarded the medal for fighting the invading Japanese forces in the Burma front.
Nnnn
CLEAN CHIT FOR PARAS
Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: A report submitted by the three-member probe panel led by DIG Ganga Prasad Pandey has given former crown prince Paras Shah a clean chit in connection with alleged attempt to murder and possession of illegal arms, said a source.

“In a situation wherein the weapon, allegedly fired in the air as well as the bullet shells have not been found at the incident site, the panel did not find any basis to recommend that the government charge the former crown prince under the Arms and Ammunition Act and Attempt to Murder,” said a Home Ministry source.

The panel comprising SSP Rana Bahadur Chand and Assistant Investigation Director Arjun KC had submitted a 35-page report to the ministry yesterday. “The panel lacks evidences to bring a charge under the Arms and Ammunition Act and Attempt to Murder, leading to government action against him under Some Public Offences Act. In this case, Paras has been given a clean chit”.

Earlier, the ministry had shown serious concern about the alleged firing during an argument between Paras and Rubel Choudhary, the son-in-law of Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala on the premises of Chitwan-based Tiger Tops Lodge Pvt Ltd on December 11.
nnnn

GHARIAL ENDANGERED





Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: - A sharp decline in fish population at rivers has put the survival of the ghariyal crocodiles at risk, The Rising Nepal reports from Chitwan.
Many crocodiles were freed in several rivers in different phases but the physical development of crocodile could not take place owing to lack of their nutritious fishes, informed Bed Bahadur Khadha, officer at the National Park of Chitwan and chief of the crocodile production center.
Fish is the main foods for crocodiles. But the number of fishes at the surrounding rivers, lakes and ponds has gone down owing to the increasing water pollution. It has directly affected the crocodiles freed at different rivers by the center, said Khadka.
According to him, the reasons for the decrease in the number of ghariyals at the rivers and ponds of the National Park are the use of poison by fishermen to catch fishes from these places which led to the increase in water pollution and decrease the fishes
A total of 700 crocodiles were freed at several rivers of the nation after establishment of the center but hardly 100 crocodiles are found at the rivers, according to the office. To preserve these crocodiles and to save the environment, the rivers and ponds should be made pollution free, he added.The center has freed crocodile in different rivers like Narayani, Kaliagandaki, Koshi, Karnali, Babai and Mahakali for several times.
The endangered Ghariyal crocodiles are only found at two nations- Nepal and India. To preserve these rare species of crocodiles, the number of fishes at the rivers must be increases, said the ghariyal protection activists.
The fishermen while using nets to catch fish kill the ghariyals too, which are another reason for the decrease in the population of these amphibians, said Khadka.
One young crocodile needed 40 kilograms of fishes per month. In search of this amount of fishes, many of the freed crocodiles travel down to the Ganga River of India.

Some crocodiles freed in the Narayani River reach at the Triveni dam of India. Thesse crocodiles could not return to same place because the crocodile is an amphibian species by nature.
To protect the Ghariyal crocodiles, the production and preservation center was set up in 1968 B.S. At that time, 53 crocodile were located at Narayani River during that time. Only 65 crocodiles were found at this river in 2008. Many Ghariyals were freed in the 40 years period at the Narayani and Rapti River.
The center has been preparing to free 100 crocodiles after some days at Narayani and other rivers, according to Khadka.
A report of 1978, only 200 crocodiles were found around the world. The Ghariyals were then found at Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Barma, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. But now they are found at Nepal and India only.
About 452 crocodiles of different ages have been kept at the ghariyal production center of Kasara. At this centre, two male with 13 females crocodiles are involved in hatching activities now.
Nnnn

US RIDER FOR AID TO NA

Kathmandu, 22 Dec 22: The US government, which is second largest supplier of military assistance to the Nepal Army (NA) after India, is considering a set of tough conditions to resume full-fledged military assistance to NA for 2011, KIran Chapagain writes in Republica.

The national army that faces allegations of failing to address the conflict-time human rights abuse incidents allegedly commmitted by its personnel, will have to meet two conditions to be eligible for US military assistance under the Foreign Military Financing Program proposed in the Appropriations Bill of the fiscal year 2011.

The first condition proposed in the bill that is currently under discussion in the US Senate requires the NA to cooperate fully with investigations and prosecutions by civilian authorities of violation of human rights, including the 2004 murder of Maina Sunar.

This latest US condition has echoed widespread concern over the Nepal Army´s reluctance to hand over Major Niranjan Basnet, one of the accused in the 2004 murder of Sunar and warranted by a court, to the Nepal Police for investigation. Despite several atempts made by Nepal Police to grill Basnet into the murder of the 16-year old school girl in Kavrepalanchowk, the army has been protecting him.

Basnet was repatriated to Nepal in December 2009 after Republica disclosed that he was serving in the UN mission in Chad.

The second condition says that Nepal Army should work constructively to redefine its mission and adjust its size accordingly and implement reforms in its organization. Such reforms include strengthening the capacity of the civilian Ministry of Defense to improve transparency and accountability of budget; the army should facilitate the integration of Maoist combatants into security forces, including the army itself; the national army is also required to be consistent with the goals of reconciliation, peace and stability.
Conditions:
• Cooperate fully with investigations and prosecutions by civilian judicial authorities into violations of internally recognized human rights including the 2004 murder of Maina Sunar
• Work constructively to redefine the Nepal Army´s mission and adjust its size accordingly, facilitate the integration of Maoist combatants into the security forces including the Nepal Army.
The US had put similar conditions for the national army even in 2010. But the terms for the next year have some additions. For instance, the 2010 conditions were implicit in mentioning the name of the Nepal Army. National Armed Forces was used to refer to the Nepal Army and other security agencies collectively. But the proposed 2011 conditions have categorically mentioned the name of the Nepal Army.

Similarly, the Maina Sunar case has featured in the 2011 terms. So has been the issue of right-sizing of the national army.

But the proposed conditions say that the US will continue to provide assistance to the Nepal Army for peacekeeping missions, humanitarian relief, and reconstruction operations.

The US has continued its embargo on the supply of lethal military assistance to the Nepal Army since 2005 following the power seizure by then King Gyanendra and amidst allegation of human rights violations by the Nepal Army, which was at war with the Maoists then. The US used to provide the Nepal Army light weaponry like small arms and grenade launchers.
nnnn

DONATED CHINA FOOD SOLD IN TIBET

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.:: “There is enough in the world for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed,” Frank Buchman said in Remaking the World. Foodstuff management, implementation and monitoring committees of Prok and Bihi VDCs of Gorkha showed their insatiable desire for wealth when they sold the foodstuff donated by the Chinese government for the people of the two VDCs bordering China, Shiva Apriya reports from Gorkha in The Himalayan Tlmes.

The foodstuff was sold a day after the Chinese officials handed it over to the members of the committee. The committees comprising three political parties and the VDC secretaries sold the foodstuff in Komdang city of Tibet, denying the denizens of Prok and Bihi VDCs of something that was rightly theirs. There is little production of food in the area due to the cold weather. The food produced annually lasts only three months.

The Chinese government had provided foodstuff worth Rs 6 million to avoid food shortage in the area. According to District Development Committee, the local committee sold the foodstuff without informing other stakeholders. A team deployed to monitor the irregularities found that 180 quintals rice, 60 quintals of sugar, and 6,000 packets of tea dust meant to fill the bellies of the villagers were sold to fill the pockets of the committee members.

A villager, Samagaun Chhirang Hirachan, who had gone to China’s border to get the foodstuff, told THT that the committees’ members had sold the foodstuff in Tibet itself a day after they received it.

Though the Prok committee divided the money they got after selling foodstuff among the villagers, the members of Bihi committee are yet to part with the money, a member of monitoring committee Chewang Lama said.

Lama added that the foodstuff was provided under Food for Work Programme. He said the members of the committees claimed that they sold the food due to lack of transportation — it takes three days from Komdang city to reach Prok and four days to reach Bihi VDC.

Prok VDC Secretary Toyanath Amgai said, “ We were compelled to sell the foodstuff as we had no means of ferrying food. We had no alternative but to sell the foodstuff. Though it is against the rule.” He claimed that the locals are glad to get the money instead of food.

Secretary of Bihi VDC Bal Bahadur Panth also blamed lack of transportation for what they did.

However, Local Development Officer, CDO and the leaders of political parties concluded that the local committees broke the rule. CDO Kamalmani Kafle said, “I have sought a report on food distribution. Action will be take against the local committees for selling food.’’ LDO Raj Kumar Shrestha said the members should have informed them beforehand. “We’ll take legal action against the guilty.”
nnnn
BRAIN BEHIND BOMB BLAST IN POLICE NET

Kathmandu, 22 Dec.: In a major bust, police arrested the main commander of an underground armed outfit behind the bomb blast at the residence of Vice President Paramananda Jha in 2008 and several other extortion cases in the Capital, Baburam Kharel reports in The Kathmandu Post.

Based on victims' complaints, a police squad under the command of Inspector Krishna Prasad Koirala, in-charge of Durbarmarg Metropolitan Police Sector, nabbed Mohan Karki alias Kiran, 27, from his hideout in the Capital earlier this week.

Karki, who is yet to be made public, is the brain behind Rastriya Mukti Sena or National Liberation Army (NLA) that has been terorrising entrepreneurs, manpower agencies and rich people.

Karki was arrested along with his accessories Tika Raj Magar, 22, Som Bahadur Rai alias Ramesh, 24, Shiva Bahadur Karki, 23, Prabin Dura alias Ashish, 20, following the blast at Jha's residence.

Investigators say Karki was in a process to recruit new members in his outfit that crumbled following his arrest.

Police have a long list of his victims. Among them are reputed entrepreneur and industrialist, Binod Chaudhary, operators of Yak and Yeti Hotel, Hotel Annapurna, Malla Hotel and several others manpower agencies. Karki used to telephone entrepreneurs and affluent people and demand hefty ransom, police said, adding that he threatened them with life if they fail to cough up the demanded ransom.

Karki was in the most wanted list of police after a number of entrepreneurs filed complaints against him.

A preliminary investigation indicate Karki earned more than Rs. 2 million from several victims in the name of NLA. "Karki has masterminded in fooling people and evading police arrest," said Koirala. He was frequently arrested on several charges of extortion before the blast at Jha's residence.
nnnn