MORE NEPALI WORKERS RETURN FROM LIBYA

35 MORE NEPALI WORKERS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE HOME MONDAY

Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: The third batch of 35 Nepali workers are expected to fly back home from Libya Monday, manpower agents who recruited them there said.
The first batch of 62 workers who fled the north African state arrived Saturday ad a second batch of 84 workers returned Sunday.
A group of 150 labourers have reached China from the oil rich state en route home.
Workers said they fled Libya they were looted and their lodges were attacked during anti-government protests.
Many returnees said they went without food and water for nine days reporting their first meal was onboard a chartered flight home from Egypt.
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FORMER NAC CEO JAILED

Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: Former CEO of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) was sent to jail Sunday after he failed to par a surety of Rs. 60 million slapped by a special court.
CIAA has charged him for financial irregularity in releasing Rs 57.3 million advance payment for purchase of two Airbuses from the European aircraft manufacturer.
Nepal’s state airline chose Airbus sidelining Boeing pushed by the US embassy in the capital, according to Wikileaks account.
Nepal Airlines hasn’t provided its bank account to Airbus which decided to refund the advance payment.
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DR. HRISHIKESH UPADHAYA DEAD

Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: Dr. Hrishikesh Upadhaya,60, died Sunday.
He was central member of CPN (Samyukta) and was a progressive writer hailing from Bhadrapur.
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MAOIST TRADE UNION WOKING COMMITTEE DISSOLVED

Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: The central working of the Maoist a trade union led by Salikram Jamarkattel has been disbanded and a general convention organizing committee under his leadership has been formed, Nagarik reports.
Maoists have directed a parallel body formed by Vice-Chairman Badri Bajgain also be dissolved amid the group’s charges Jamarkattel sided with management to exploit workers.
Maoist standing committee ordered the dissolution and called for fresh election by Chaitra.
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MAOISTS FORMING VOLUNTEER FORCE

Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: Politburo member and Chief of Youth Mobilization Department Netra Bikram Chand said Maoists are forming a ’broader organization than YCL” to send volunteers to villages, Nagarik reports.
A people’s mobilization bureau will start a campaign 19 March as political training is being given.
The volunteers will be mobilized for construction and positive work.
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SC QUESTIONS PERKS FOR FORMER PMs
Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: The Supreme Court today issued a notice to the government and the

Parliament asking for a written reply within 15 days on a petition filed against the perks provided to former prime ministers and home ministers, The Himalayan Times reports.

The single bench of Chief Justice Ram Prasad Shrestha issued the notice and asked the court administration to give it priority. SC’s ruling came after the preliminary hearing held today on the petition filed by advocate Ram Chandra Paudel.

Paudel had filed the petition on Friday demanding a ruling against the government decision to provide perks such as vehicles, drivers and maintenance

expenses to former ministers. The petitioner argues that the government’s decision has given rise to leaders buying expensive vehicles and other amenities at the tax payers’ expense, use them while in power and

retain them even after they resign. “Such decisions

lead to bankruptcy,” warned the writ.

The petition states that the government took the decision arbitrarily although there were no such legal provisions.

The apex court, therefore, should intervene and

scrap the cabinet decision, the petition adds.

Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government, on 6 December 2004, had decided to provide such perks to

former PMs and home

ministers.

The petitioner said the government was spending millions for former ministers and it was against the people’s right to equality. The petitioner pointed out that former home minister Bhim Rawal was using a vehicle worth Rs 10 million even after he left office.

Meanwhile, a Home Ministry source revealed that the government was providing a vehicle, 200 litres of petrol per month, a driver and maintenance expenses to each former PM and home minister. In addition, the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government had decided to provide house rent, electricity, water and telephone expenses to former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Former PMs Surya Bahadur Thapa, Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and former home ministers Bam Dev Gautam, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Khum Bahadur Khadka, Purna Bahadur Khadka and Ram Chandra Paudel are also

enjoying government vehicles and other facilities. Even Girija Prasad Koirala enjoyed the perks while

he was PM.
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NEPAL FACES ANOTHER DEFEAT

Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: The Mountain Alliance Initiative for Climate Change — Nepal’s bid to bring mountainous countries under one roof to tackle climate change issues — has hit a snag after it failed to get their support for a second time, Ramesh Prasad Bhusal writes in The Himalayan Times.

In June 2010, the Cabinet had decided to host a ministerial meeting of the mountainous countries from September 27-28. It was then postponed to October 5-6.

But the government had to cancel the move after it received poor response from invited countries. A decision was taken to host the meet in March this year.

According to officials at the Ministry of Environment, it is unlikely that the meeting would be held.

“It’s unlikely that we will host the meeting amid political instability,” said MoE Secretary Dr Ganesh Raj Joshi.

Former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal had made an announcement to hold the meeting at the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change in December 2009.

He had also urged the SAARC executive heads to support Nepal’s initiative during a meeting in Thimphu, Bhutan, in April last year.

The government had endorsed the initiative in May and designated the MoE to carry out

the task. A secretariat has also been established to coordinate the activities.

Following the Cabinet decision, the MoE had invited ministers from 50 mountainous countries to attend the meeting slated for October, but failed to receive confirmation from most of the countries, which led to the postponement.

Experts say Nepal cannot lead a group of countries with vested interests.

The officials in the ministry are also divided — for and against the alliance.
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NA OPPOSES PLA GROUP INTEGRATION

Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: Nepal Army (NA) has proposed setting up a separate directorate inside the Army for the integration of former Maoist combatants, according to highly placed sources, writes Phanindra Dahal in The Kathmandu Post.

The plan was conveyed to the political leadership including former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and senior leaders of Nepali Congress and CPN-UML by Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Chhatra Man Singh Gurung last month.

Nepal, in his capacity as caretaker prime minister had invited Gen. Gurung to Baluwatar on Jan. 30 and asked him to brief on the technical aspects and standard norms to be applied while determining the integration modality.

The proposal regarding the formation of a separate directorate for combatants was pitched in that meeting, confirmed a source at Nepal Army headquarters. The directorate will have four mandates: a) disaster preparedness, b) construction of road and development infrastructure, c) industrial security, d) nature conservation but not wildlife protection in national parks and wildlife reserves.

“We had stressed there be individual entry of combatants and that former fighters shouldn’t be entrusted with commanding responsibilities,” said the source. While agreeing on integration modality NA brass has urged NC and UML leaders to ensure that integrated fighters do not get access to weapons.

“Even if we induct them (combatants) in the new directorate, officers from the Nepal Army will command each unit and will have direct control of the weapons. We don’t want to risk misuse of our artillery,” added the source. The Army leadership is opposed to bulk integration of combatants saying that the time-honoured “honesty, impartiality and organisational integrity” of NA could be compromised by “politically motivated individuals.”

The new proposal from the Nepal Army comes following the official handover of Maoist combatants to the cross-party Special Committee effective from Jan. 23. Gen. Gurung along with heads of Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force had attended the special handover ceremony organised at the third division cantonment site located at Shaktikhor Chitwan.

In a press meet on Jan. 28, Nepal Army Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ramindra Chhetri had said the handover of Maoist combatants to the prime minister-headed Special Committee was an important step in the integration process.

Gen. Gurung had then said that the Army would abide by the decision taken by the political actors in regard to the integration and rehabilitation of combatants and always stand in favour of “solution” of the four-year old commitment.

The Army’s new proposal is yet to be referred to the Special Committee for discussion between Maoists and non-Maoist parties.

The integration debate going between three major parties has been stalled due to delay over Cabinet expansion.

Meanwhile, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal signed a seven-point deal ahead of the prime ministerial election on Feb. 3.

The commitment by the two leaders to form a separate security force for PLA combatants is under fire by Prime Minister Khanal’s own party and the main opposition Nepali Congress.
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• MONEY
OPERATION HUNT FOR POACHERS
POST REPORTKathmandu, 28 Feb.: Concerned over the rampant killing of and trade in wildlife, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police on Sunday declared the launch of ‘Operation Hunt’ to combat the crime. The bureau has recently nabbed five rhino poachers, The Kathmandu Post reports.

A special squad deployed by the CIB apprehended poaching mastermind Kajiman Praja, 32, of Chitwan. He is said to have killed at least seven rhinos, taking away their prized horns, in the past year, according to DIG Rajendra Singh Bhandari. The CIB stated Praja and his henchmen had killed several rhinos for horns that can fetch millions of rupees in black market. Police said Praja, a poor guy from the backward Chepang community, has become a millionaire through the trade in wildlife.

Praja continued to remain on the most wanted list of Nepal Police for the past six years until the police tracked him down along with his two wives—Sanu Maya, 19, and Dil Maya, 30—and two associates from a Syanja guest house. They were subsequently brought to the Capital for an investigation.

DIG Bhandari, director of the recently established and successful CIB, said the bureau has initiated action against well-organised smugglers that have posed a threat to the country’s wildlife. The wildlife population has seen a massive decline of late.

“Most of the wildlife poachers are found to be well-organised and have links with rackets that have made Nepal a transit point for wildlife trade,” said Bhandari. “Our efforts will be concentrated on tracking down these poachers as well as men behind the scene that control the demand and supply of illegal animal parts.” One-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) is an endangered mammal species protected in Chitwan National Park and Bardia National Park in Nepal. The bureau also caught three tiger poachers—Shailendra Basnet and Deependra Chaudhary of Sarlahi and Jarsi Chaudhary of Parsa—with 15 kg tiger bones.
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GOVT. WORRIED BY GULF, LIBYA PROTESTS
Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: As anti-government protests continue to spread like wildfire across Middle East and Gulf countries, the government is worried about the possible scenario when it may be required to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Nepalis working there, Kosh Raj Koirala reports in Republica.
“It would be difficult for the government to handle the situation if an event similar to Libya takes place in other countries where hundreds of thousands of Nepalis are working,” said the prime minister´s foreign relations advisor Milan Tuladhar.

Neither is the government in a position to afford a huge cost involved for evacuation, nor are the poorly-manned Nepali embassies in these countries equipped to handle such an unpleasant situation.

Joint Secretary Purna Chandra Bhattarai, spokesperson at Ministry of Labor and Transport, said the government recently sent US $30,000 from Foreign Employment Welfare Fund to Nepali embassy in Egypt for emergency expenses, including food and lodging. He said the government is also preparing to send additional amount for safe evacuation of some 1,985 Nepali nationals working in the troubled Libya.

“We have already spent over 20 million rupees. And it is likely that we will have to spend several millions more to bring all the workers from Libya to Nepal,” said an MoFA official, asking to be unnamed.

“You can imagine the situation if a similar event takes place in Gulf countries where hundreds of thousands Nepalis are working. Our economy will literally go bankrupt should we require to evacuate them,” added the official. “And do not forget that our economy is heavily reliant on remittance.”

According to rough estimates, there are some 500,000 Nepalis working in Saudi Arabia, 375,000 in Qatar, 30,000 in Kuwait, 25,000 in Oman and 120,000 in United Arab Emirates. While Bahrain has already witnessed trouble, there are fears that other Gulf countries could also witness similar anti-government protests as the wave of democratic movement spreads across the region.

The issue of bringing stranded workers back home is a very delicate one as death of a single Nepali national could trigger violence across the country. “It is the duty of the state to protect the lives of its citizens. But given the resources we have at disposal things will go well beyond our capacity if Libya-incident repeats in Gulf countries,” said a top government official.
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