CABINET EMPOWERS SPECIAL COMMITTEE

Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: The cabinet Thursday empowered a special committee headed by the prime minister to monitor and maintain Maoist weapons and 19,000 plus former combatants at 28 cantonments and satellite camps after UNMIN tenure ends midnight Friday.
The cabinet said the special committee will implement a decision of the then government led by Maoist Chairman Prachanda.
‘The government will implement a decision of taken by the government headed by Prime Minister Prachanda,” Finance Minister Surendra Pandey said.
UNMN has urged ’an eleventh hour’ agreement between players to at lest form a mechanism to monitor the weapons in containers and the army.
UNMIN says the weapons under its watch belong to Maoists and Nepal Army,
UNMIN Chief Karin Landgren held a farewell meeting with Army Chief Gen. Chatraman Singh Gurung Friday.
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COMMITTEE FORMED TO AMEND PARLIAMENT REGULATIONS

Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: Parliament Thursday unanimously approved
names of five persons to prepare a draft to amend parliamentary
regulations.
Maoist Vice-chairman Narayan Kazi Shrestha proposed the names of
Ek Raj Bhandari of UCPN (Maoist), Radheshyam Adhikari (NC), Agni Kharel of UML, Anil Kumar Jha from NSP and Fayatri Sah of Nepali Janata Dal.
The panel will propose amendments in regulations for election of prime minister.
A successor of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal couldn’t elect
His successor even after 16 round of elections after his resignation 30June 2010.
The sole candidate Ram Chandra Paudel withdrew his candidacy this week before the scheduled 17th round vote in parliament,
A draft of the report will be presented to parliament when it meets Monday.
A prime minister will be elected after the regulations are amended,
Meanwhile, Maoist Vice-chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai said Thuirsday a prime minister elected by majority from other parties won’t be acceptable to his party.
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US WARNS CITIZENS TO BE ALERT AS NEPAL LAUNCHES
NEPAL TOURISM YEAR 2011

Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: US government Thursday warned its citizens to
be alert while visiting Nepal as President Dr Ram Baran Yadav launches Nepal Tourism Year 2011 from Dashrath Rangashala Friday noon.
A holiday was announced for Valley schools to mark the event.
Nepal hopes to attract one million visitors in 2011 doubling the
annual arrival.
Advising citizens to be cautious while visiting Nepal, the advisory
says ‘even as peace and security has improved’ there wee risks in traveling to Nepal where spontaneous demonstrations and political unrest
could escalate into violence.
The US State Department said Maoists continue to be on the government’s terrorist list.
A meeting of eight tourism ministers of SAARC was held in the capital coinciding with the launch of the tourism year.
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39 PERCENT PASS

Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: Altogether 39 percent of of 293,166 students
who appeared for this year’s class 11 examination have passed.
Results were announced Thursday by Higher Secondary Education
Council.
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NEPALI SOLDIER IN INDIAN ARMY TO BE HONOURED

Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: Government Thursday decided to honour
Bishnu Shrestha of the Indian Gurkhas for his bravery.
He stabbed to death three thugs with his khukri and fought off
more than three dozen robbers when they raided a train in West Bengal.
Shrestha, a Pokhara, was returning home after retiring from the
Indian army.
He rescued an Indian medical student before she could
be raped by the thugs.
Government didn’t specify the honour.
Shrestha is being honoured by the Indian government on republic
day 26 January in New Delhi.
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LOAD-SHEDDNG EXTENDED

Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: Load-shedding has been extended from 74 to
84 hours a week from Sunday.
Nepal Electricity Authority can’t meet demand as winter peaks.
Minpachas ends in another 10 days.
It’s believed even fish feel the winter’s bite in 50 days of extreme
cold.
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FRENCH WOMAN ARRESTED

Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: Nathaliea Yaleman, 50, was nabbed by police Thursday.
Police recovered 25 kg hashish from her apartment in a raid in the city outskirt.
She had gone missing.
Police conducted the raid on complaint of the landlord.
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KOIRALA ON LONG FOREIGN TOUR





Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sujata Koirala Thursday left for an extended 10-day visit of United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar.
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Koirala s scheduled to participate in a regional conference of Non Resident Nepalese Association.
In Kuwait, where she will meet the Emir and other officiald onthe40th annivrsaryof the estabaliohsment of lldiplomatic relations between nepall and Kuwait.
An agreement of establishment of a Nepal-Kuwait joint commission will be signed.
Koirala will participate in BIMSTEC meeting in Myanmar before returning home.
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Civil SOCITY ASKED TO HELP





Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: - Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Thursday said that the present state of impunity was a result of prolonged transition, The Rising Nepal reports.
He urged human rights activists to play their role to end impunity.
Nepal said that the transition period created challenges to maintain the law and order in the nation and added that the government was serious to face them.
Speaking at a programme organised by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the role of stakeholders in ending impunity in Nepal, he said that the government had given the priority to end impunity and stakeholders should support the government and its agencies to manage the law and order situation.
"After concluding the peace and constitution drafting processes, all forms of impunity will end," he said.
The public, civil society and private sectors would need to work together with the government to end the state of impunity during the transitional period, he said.
NHRC Chairman Kedar Nath Upadhaya charged that the political parties had given protection to criminals and added that the criminals went free due to lack of commitment of political parties.
He said that if political parties helped to end impunity, it would be easy to manage the law and order in the nation.
Member of NHRC Ram Nagina Singh said that cases of human rights violation were increasing in Tarai districts due to political protection.
Chairman of Human Rights Protection Forum Padma Ratna Tuladhar said the government and parties were not serious towards ending impunity.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal stressed that the nations of South Asia should work with unity to manage climate change effects.
He said that Nepal had played a role to minimize the impacts of climate change and added that the government had given the priority to promote awareness through various programmes to the new generation.
He made these remarks while receiving students of Budhanilakhantha School who handed him signatures from across the nation.
He said that Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Pakistan were highly affected from climate change.
He said that South Asian countries should develop integrated projects to control climate change.

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INDIAN THREAT TO CUTOFF FUEL SUPPLY

Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: Serpentine queues in front of fuel stations in Kathmandu, it appears, are inevitable with Indian Oil Corporation, the sole supplier of petroleum products to Nepal Oil Corporation, caveat that it ‘will curtail supply if NOC fails to clear its dues by tomorrow’ [Friday], The Himalayan Times reports.

The state-owned oil monopoly’s outstanding dues to IOC currently stand to the tune of Rs 450 million.

“If we fail to settle our dues by tomorrow evening, IOC will supply less fuel to us,” said a source at NOC.

The market that has witnessed shortage of petroleum products four times in recent past might face yet another crisis in the wake of reduced supply of the products.

NOC has recently paid less to IOC, only Rs 1.97 billion, than the amount of petroleum products it imported this month. “The payment was less by Rs 240 million,” according to the source. NOC receives a new rate list on the first and 16th of every month according to the Gregorian calendar.

The difference between the January 1 import rates and existing retail prices has incurred huge losses to NOC, said the source, adding that the loss might cross Rs 650 million by the end of January.

NOC imported an all-time high volume of 112,000 kilolitres in December. “The bills totalled to Rs 7.84 billion that sharply raised our outstanding dues,” he added.

The petroleum monopoly earlier had requested the government — either to inject Rs 600 million as grant or let it hike the price to adjust its balance sheet depending on the import price. But the government refused. One of the main reasons behind the government refusal to let NOC hike the price was potential protests.

It’s ironical that the state oil monopoly has been incurring losses in recent months due to increasing international prices but it has been providing petroleum products to the leaders for free, for which the customers are bearing the brunt.

The country has imported petroleum products worth Rs 53.24 billion — the highest among commodities imported in Nepal — in fiscal year 2009-10.
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MAOISTS WANT ROLLOVER

Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: Two days ahead of the scheduled departure of UNMIN, the main opposition—UCPN (Maoist)—on Thursday asked the government to request the UN Security Council for a “technical rollover” until a new agreement among parties on the future monitoring mechanism is had, The Kathmandu Post reports.

The Security Council can extend the tenure of the UN mission within the original mandate for some weeks to give time to the parties to forge consensus and if there is such a request from the government.

Maoist Standing Committee member Barsha Man Pun proposed the rollover option in a meeting of the Special Committee for the Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.

“We can forge consensus on a new government and set up a new monitoring mechanism if the Security Council gives a technical rollover of four to six weeks,” Pun said. He added that Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal will meet on Friday in an attempt to forge consensus.

The ruling parties have said they don’t see any possibility of UNMIN continuing beyond Saturday midnight. Nepali Congress leader Ram Sharan Mahat said there is no prospect of a technical rollover. “A rollover is not what we have been discussing,” said Mahat. “We should now give up the mindset that the presence of an international body will be instrumental to the peace process.”

The NC has proposed reactivating the prime minister-led special committee by recruiting manpower and arranging logistics required for bringing Maoist fighters under the government’s command and control. The party is firm that NA should be removed from the purview of monitoring in the post-UNMIN period.

Prime Minister’s Foreign Relation Advisor Rajan Bhattarai said there is no possibility of a revision in the decision to terminate UNMIN’s mandate beyond Jan. 15. “The Security Council has already circulated its presidential statement stating the decision to close UNMIN. There is no possibility of any request from the government,” he said. Head of the Asia Pacific Division of the Department of Political Affairs, Tamrat Samuel, is in Kathmandu to attend the flag-down ceremony that will convene before the UN Security Council meeting scheduled in New York on Friday night.

Tamrat and UNMIN Chief Karin Landgren are scheduled to meet Prime Minister Nepal and Maoist Chairman Dahal on Friday.

Meanwhile, UNMIN replied to the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction on Thursday saying that it can only hand over its assets to the government if there is agreement among the political parties on the follow-up monitoring arrangement. The Ministry had sent a fourth letter to UNMIN on Wednesday seeking a transfer of the mission’s equipment to the Special Committee.

In the letter addressed to Joint Secretary Bishnu Nepal, Landgren said the UN Headquarters can consider lending or handing over the UN-owned assets only after there is a clear agreement on the post-UNMIN monitoring arrangement.

Pun said the government’s demand for UNMIN assets is meaningless because parties are still discussing whether UNMIN should continue or not. Officials at UNMIN have said they would start the process of bringing the assets to Kathmandu if the mission does not get a consensual request by Saturday.
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US TO SUPORT PEACE PROCESS AFTER UNMIN DEPARTURE

Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: US Assistant Secretary Robert Blake, in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Maoist Chairman Prachanda Thursday
said Washington will continue to support the peace process after UNMIN leaves.
“He (Blake) told both the leaders that the U.S. government’s commitment to support the peace process will continue after UNMIN leaves on January 15 and urged all parties to continue to respect their own commitments under the Comprehensive Peace Agree-ment,” a statement issued by the US Embassy said.
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DEUBA GROUP AGAINST PAUDEL

Kathmandu, 14 Jan.: At a time when Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala is rooting for Ram Chandra Paudel as prime ministerial candidate under the new process also, the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction in the party has decided not to accept Paudel´s candidacy again.

The Deuba faction argued that it would not be proper to field Paudel again as candidate for prime minister because he failed to secure majority votes even after 16 rounds of voting in parliament.
“It is not necessary to field Paudel again as candidate as the party´s central working committee has decided to withdraw his candidacy,” said Gopal Man Shrestha, a close confidant of Deuba.

An emergency meeting of NC Central Working Committee on Wednesday had decided to withdraw Paudel´s candidacy after the UCPN (Maoist) and CPN-UML decided to vote against Paudel. Paudel failed to garner majority votes in the parliament even after 16 rounds of voting as two major parties stayed neutral purportedly to bring about a consensus government.

Shrestha said Paudel´s chapter is now over and the party should find a new candidate from within the party. “We are not ready to accept Paudel´s candidacy again,” he said. “We voted for Paudel during 16 rounds of elections, but we don´t want to vote for him anymore.”

The Deuba faction has maintained that since the party will have to form a coalition government with the support from other political parties, anyone from the party who could garner support could be the prime ministerial candidate. “Paudel cannot be made prime ministerial candidate just because Sushil Koirala wants it,” Shrestha further said.
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