PM NEPAL OPPOSES MAOIST-LED GOVT.

Kathmandu, 8 Jan. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said Saturday he can’t even conceive of a government led by Maoists who are still preparing for a revolt.
He said a party with an army and still holding weapons can’t lead a government.
‘Such a government will be suicidal for the country,” he said.
He advocated a government ‘with democratic forces’ while talking to reporters in Kaski Saturday.
Speaking publicly for the first on Wednesday’s report of UNMIN Chief Karin Landgren saying there was possibility of presidential rule, Nepal dismissed such a possibility.
Nepal also charged the UN analysis was an attempt to hide facts dismissing the report as baseless.
The suggestion, he said, was based on ‘bazaar rumour’.
The government has earlier protested the contents of what it called an ‘analysis’ as UNMN quits Nepal without completion of the peace process and integration and resettlement of 19,000 plus Maoist combatants.
The premier also dismissed possibility of army rule as Nepal Army (NA) was under government.
Nepal hoped the winter session beginning Sunday will succeed in electing a government though consensus.
Government and leaders have come out almost with hysterical comments of the UN perspective of the current situation in Nepal.
It’s a fact Maoists are threatening a popular revolt, peace process
hasn’t been concluded and a constitution may not be promulgated for the second time within a new deadline of 28 May 2011.
A crisis is certainly looming for which ruling parties and Maoists are equally responsible.
They have to account for their actions of the last four years to Nepal and Nepalis—the actual sufferers.
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TMLP WITHDRAWS FROM GOVT.; SUPPORT CONTINUES

Kathmandu, 8 Jan. TKLP Chairman Mahanta Thakur Saturday presented the resignations of four remaining ministers, including to cabinet ministers, to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Saturday.
Thakur surmitted the resignations of Education Minister Sarbinda Nath Sukla and Sports Minister Ganesh Nepali Tiwar.
Two junior ministers are Gobinda Chaudhary and Chada Chaudhary,
The party said its support for the government will continue because of ‘the serious political situation’.
The party blamed UML for a split.
Nine of the party’s 20 lawmakers defected and formed TMLP (Nepal).
TMLP ministers withdrew from government after Nepal didn’t expel two dissident cabinet members from government after defecting.
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BABURAM BHATTARAI SAYS INDIA HAS NO OBJECTION TO MAOIST-LED GOVT.

Kathmandu, 8 Jan.: Maoist Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhatarai said he found India had no objection to a Maoist-led government formed though consensus with political parties.
Bhattarai said this after a four-day New Delhi visit.
He said his visit was a good beginning to improve his party’s ties with India.
The third-ranking Maoist leader termed his India visit useful.
He met political and administrative leaders in New Delhi in the sidelines of a Nepal seminar on the current political situation.
Bhattarai repeated the cliche and quoted Indian leaders as saying Nepal’s solution should be resolved by Nepalis.
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KAMAL THAPA CALLS FOR ELECTION

Kathmandu, 8 Jan. RPP-Nepal Chairman Kamal Thapa said the government can’t promulgate a constitution and there was no alternative to an election.
Thapa described the Maoist threat of a popular revolt as ‘outdated medicine’.
He reiterated a demand for a referendum on constitutional monarchy
and a Hindu state.
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THREE MORE DEAD IN CENTRAL TERAI COLD WAVE

Kathmandu, 8 Jan.: Three more persons, mostly poor, died Friday
In the central terai districts of Bara, Parsa and Rautahat where the
death toll in the current cold wave has reached nine.
Schools and campuses have been closed for 10 days.
Parsa district is providing firewood to people to light bonfire for
warmth.
A cold wave has hit the terai from the east to west and the hills.
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THREE MORE MAOISTS ARESTED WITH WEAPONS

Kathmandu, 8 Jan. Three more Maoist combatants were arrested Friday with two pistols and bullets Maoists in Damak area in Jhapa.
Bir Bahadur Tamang, Suman Tamang and Bipin were arrested, according to district police.
Suraj Tudu of Shivagunj and Dipen Koirala of Danabari with nabbed with two pistols and bullets.
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67 INSPECTORS PROMOTED

Kathmandu, 8 Jan. Sixty-seven inspectors of Nepal Police to DSP rank Friday.
The home ministry approved the promotions.
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UN TO PROBE HAITI CHOLERA OUTBREAK


Kathmandu, 8 Jan.: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has formed a four-member panel of experts from Latin America, the US and India to trace the source of the cholera outbreak in Haiti. Over 3,400 people died after cholera broke out last October. The UN has denied Haitian claims that Nepali peacekeepers stationed there caused the outbreak, The Kathmandu Post reports.

French cholera expert Renaud Piarroux had concluded in December that the outbreak originated from at Mirebalis along Artibonite River in central Haiti where Nepali peacekeepers are based. The finding was challenged a week later by researchers from Harvard Medical School, who concluded the that the bacterial samples matched the strains from South Asia, particularly the strain recorded in Bangladesh in 2002 and 2008.

The panel formed on Thursday will be chaired by Dr. Alejandro Cravioto (Mexico) of the International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. The other three members are Dr. Claudio Lanata (Peru) of the Instituto de Investigacion Nutritional (IIN) in Peru, Dr. Danielle Lantagne (USA) of Harvard University in the United States and Dr. Balakrishnan Nair (India) of the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in India. KATHMANDU, JAN 07 -
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has formed a four-member panel of experts from Latin America, the US and India to trace the source of the cholera outbreak in Haiti. Over 3,400 people died after cholera broke out last October. The UN has denied Haitian claims that Nepali peacekeepers stationed there caused the outbreak..

French cholera expert Renaud Piarroux had concluded in December that the outbreak originated from at Mirebalis along Artibonite River in central Haiti where Nepali peacekeepers are based. The finding was challenged a week later by researchers from Harvard Medical School, who concluded the that the bacterial samples matched the strains from South Asia, particularly the strain recorded in Bangladesh in 2002 and 2008.

The panel formed on Thursday will be chaired by Dr. Alejandro Cravioto (Mexico) of the International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. The other three members are Dr. Claudio Lanata (Peru) of the Instituto de Investigacion Nutritional (IIN) in Peru, Dr. Danielle Lantagne (USA) of Harvard University in the United States and Dr. Balakrishnan Nair (India) of the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in India.v
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PRESIDENT HURT BY UN STATEMENT

Kathmandu, 8 Jan.: President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav has voiced serious concern over UNMIN Chief Karin Landgren’s statement to the UN Security Council about the risk of presidential takeover in Nepal. He said the UN representative’s assessment was an “extreme form of negligence.”, The Kathmandu Post repors.

Dr. Yadav separately met UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Speaker Subas Nembang on Friday evening and expressed the hope that the government and the parties would take steps to counter the damage caused by the statement.

“The president has dedicated his life to democracy.

He has taken the views expressed in the briefing as personal allegations against him,” said his Press Advisor Rajendra Dahal. “He thinks it is extreme negligence on part of the UN diplomat to blame an innocent institution (President’s Office) at such a high stakes forum.”

On Thursday, Landgren told the Security Council that risks to Nepal’s peace process have grown and there are fears of three prospects: a people’s revolt, a presidential takeover or a Nepal Army coup. Talking to reporters, Maoist Chairman Dahal said he was confident that the president has never even dreamt of a takeover. “I believe he is committed to institutionalising the political achievements gained so far,” said Dahal. He said the Maoist party is not rooting for a line of revolt but has only been saying that there will be no alternative to people’s revolt if conspiracies are hatched to negate political achievements.

Speaker Nembang said that the President expressed deep grief and worry over Landgren’s statement. “He expressed commitment to democracy and the rule of law and reiterated that he is in favour of strengthening the institutions elected by the people, including the Constituent Assembly,” said the Speaker.

The Nepal Army also dismissed Landgren’s statement saying that the prospect of a military coup is far from reality. “The Nepal Army is an institution committed to the Interim Constitution and Army Act. The alleged threat of a military takeover is baseless and a wrong perception,” said Nepal Army Spokesperson Ramindra Chhetri.

Meanwhile, UNMIN clarified the prospect of a presidential takeover, military coup or people’s revolt was mentioned by Landgren to explain “people’s perception” of Nepal’s political scenario. “The Representative of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon was stating the people’s perception in order to explain the context. That is not the position of UNMIN or the UN,” said UNMIN Spokesperson Kosmos Biswokarma.
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HOSTELS FOR TB PATIENTS

Kathmandu, 8 Jan: In a bid to prevent tuberculosis (TB) from further spreading in the community, the government is preparing to keep Multi¬-Drug Resistant (MDR) TB patients in separate hostels, Arjun Paudel reports in Republica.

For this, the National Tuberculosis Center (NTC) with support from the Global Fund will build 10 hostels in different parts of the country.

International Nepal Fellowship (INF), a local Non Government Organization (NGO), has already set up such a hostel in Nepalgunj where the number of MDR-TB patients is high.

According to doctors, the condition of MDR implies strains of tuberculosis that resist at least two main first-line TB drugs. Doctors say TB patients develop MDR condition when they stop taking drugs. Likewise, faulty prescription and poor quality of drugs also cause MDR condition.

“The donor agency (GF) has approved the proposal for keeping MDR-TB patients in hostels, away from masses,” Dr Bhawana Shrestha, Chief of German Nepal tuberculosis project (GENETUP), said. “We are now waiting for a nod from National Planning Commission.”

According to Shrestha, of the total TB patients who visit over 4,000 treatment centers across the country, three percent are diagnosed with MDR-TB.

“New MDR-TB patients might have contracted the disease from old patients,” she said. “Once we isolate MDR-TB patients, chances of them transmitting the disease to others would be diminished.”

It is estimated that there are around 300 MDR-TB patients across the country. However, only 180 of them have been traced as of now.

Shrestha said the number of Extensive Drug Resistant (XDR)-TB patients is also increasing by the day.
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OPINION

UNMIN AND AFTERMATH





Kathmandu, 8 Jan.: As the January 15 deadline is just a week away, concerns are high as to whether the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) will close down its office or will get another last minute extension. The Maoists are voicing for UNMIN’s continuation until the peace process is completed while the other political parties are prepared to bid adieu to UNMIN next week as they consensually agreed to extend its tenure for the last time in September. The debate is getting hotter as the Maoists have also threatened to go to court to ensure the continuation of UNMIN after mid-January, Pranab Bhattarai writes in The Rising Nepal.
Constitutional experts say that even if they go to court and the judiciary rules in favour of UNMIN, it can’t be held binding on trans-national actors like the UN. Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and the government had jointly signed a four-point agreement before sending a consensus letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC) seeking the final extension of UNMIN in September.
The UNSC may be in a position to grant extension if the political parties in Nepal reach an agreement for retaining this UN body, but the chances are slim that any such agreement will be hammered out at the last minute.
It has been a popular apprehension that Nepal’s peace process may collapse after UNMIN’s exit. This anticipation is not grounded on reality as Nepal’s peace process has not been moderated or negotiated by any third party international organisation but been shaped largely and solely by its own domestic actors. So, as long as the political parties involved in the process are serious and dedicated to building peace wholeheartedly, the presence or absence of a body like UNMIN will not have serious impact on Nepal’s peace process, which is unique in its modality and nature.
The post-UNMIN situation will not slide into a crisis as anticipated, but it will be a real test of the political parties on how they shape up the peace process and conclude the constitution-writing tasks by the deadline.
Defensive Maoists
UNMIN’s role has always been controversial since it opened office in Nepal. Despite being controversial, this UN body has also contributed to Nepal’s peace process by verifying the Maoist combatants, locking up their arms in containers and putting them in cantonments. And without doubt, the Maoists always had "leverage" and a sort of "protection" from the presence of UNMIN, because of which they have been solely advocating for its extension and continued presence. Otherwise, when the other political parties think that they can also carry on the peace process forward even without the UN body, why can’t the Maoists believe that they can do so also?
Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal handed over a letter to UNMIN Chief Karin Landgren last week. The unilateral letter seeking extension of UNMIN till May 28, 2011 is addressed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It is, however, unclear as to what will happen to the Maoists´ unilateral request. The UNSC had earlier failed to deal with the government´s initial, unilateral request, last September also.
And how justifiable will it be for the Maoists to advocate for its extended presence when it had written a letter jointly with other political parities to the UNSC last September for UNMIN’s last extension? A four-point agreement signed by the Maoists and the government clearly mentions that they would do all it requires to complete the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants before UNMIN leaves Nepal on January 15, 2011. Why could they not expedite the integration process by the deadline? And how long can the political parties afford to extend UNMIN’s tenure for their failure to complete the peace process by the deadline?
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that it makes little sense to continually extend the term of UNMIN despite the fact that there have not been optimal conditions for the departure of the UN political mission. In his report lately presented to the UN Security Council, Secretary-General Ban said the optimal conditions for the departure of UNMIN have not yet been attained with the peace process still incomplete and uncertain arrangements for the supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist army personnel.
"But at the same time, it has become quite clear that it makes little sense to extend UNMIN continually without any meaningful progress by the parties on political issues," states the report.
Therefore, being defensive for UNMIN doesn’t mean that the Maoists are more serious about the peace process than the other political parties. And continued and unopposed presence of UNMIN alone will not ensure that Nepal’s shaky peace process will complete without the political parties’ commitment.
One of the strong reasons why the Maoists are defending UNMIN is that its presence has provided them a favourable environment to push their political agenda boldly. The Maoists believe that they will be deprived of this opportunity and leverage for future political bargains if the UN body leaves Nepal prematurely. From the very beginning, UNMIN has given much importance to the Maoists treating the party at par with the state.
Controversial role
UNMIN has drawn flak for its gap between people’s expectation and its ability to deliver with respect to monitoring and supervising the combatants. There is no daily roll call of the combatants under UNMIN’s supervision. They rely on second-hand reports provided by the Maoist commanders without verification. About half of the verified combatants reportedly do not stay in the camps but are collecting the monthly allowance provided by the government. Many of them seem to have left the camps and joined other outfits, about which UNMIN hardly knows.
UNMIN has been showing helplessness whenever the combatants are involved in blatant criminal activities and when the camps are being used for political training and indoctrination by the Maoist leaders. Activities of Kali Bahadur Kham Magar and incidents that happened in Kapilavastu and Nepalgunj were more than enough to show UNMIN’s helplessness. UNMIN’s non-cooperation with the government was reflected when it refused to share information about the updated figure of the inmates.
The Special Committee (SC) that comprises representatives of major political parties should be allowed also to monitor the Maoist combatants besides its supervisory role in the aftermath of UNMIN’s departure. Though the interim constitution of Nepal mandates the SC only to supervise, it can also be given the role of monitoring through political consensus and constitutional amendment if need be.
Even the seven-party agreement of June 25, 2008 had stated that the SC would complete the rehabilitation and integration within six months of the CA election. What is wrong if the political parties mandate the SC to carry on the remaining tasks relating to the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants in the aftermath of UNMIN’s departure?
However, the status of monitoring the arms and armies needs to be resolved consensually by the political parties before UNMIN leaves on January 15. The political parties should also understand that it is not a UN body that builds peace in Nepal but their commitment and good faith that ultimately contributes to building sustainable peace in Nepal.
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