CONSPIRACY BEING HATCHED IN INDIA TO TOPPLE GOVT.: MAOISTS

CONSPIRACY HATCHED IN NEW DELHI TO TOPPLE INFANT GOVT.: MAOISTS
Kathmandu, 20 March: Maoist Vice-chairman Mohan Vaidya accused three top Madeshdadi leaders for flying to New Delhi to conspire and topple the infant government.
“A race to go to Delhi has started to bring down government,” Baidya said in Lalitpur Saturday.
He warned maltreatment of Maoist PLA won’t be acceptable and a new form of people’s war, already underway, will be launched.
MJF Chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar, TMLP Chairman Mahanta Thakur and NSP Chairman Rajendra Mahoto are scheduled to retun home Sunday after high-level political consultations with Indian party and government leaders.
Government expansion has been delayed because of attempts to give government a national character, another Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai said in Dangadi the same day Saturday.
“Certainly, there’s been a delay [to expand govt.]. To say clearly, NC and other parties should join govt. This is our effort,” Ishwor Pokhrel, UML General Secretary and member of the five-member UML dialogue team said.
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UML DIALOGUE TEAM , MAOISTS HOLD TALKS SUNDAY
Kathmandu, 20 March: A five-member UML dialogue team headed by former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal empowered to conduct dialogue with parties to expand government is holding consultations with Maoists Sunday.
Maoists are in government with UML but intra-party differences have surfaced on controlling the home ministry. Maoists have demanded control opposed by a section in the UML led by Nepal and KP Sharma Oli.
Nepal/Oli faction argue the home ministry- described as a security related ministry—shouldn’t be handed over to Maoists.
But Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal has assured the home ministry to Maoists.
Main opposition NC Saturday rejected Nepal’s invitation to join government and lead government of rotational basis.
NC President Sushil Koirala rejected the proposal reiterating a party position a secret and controversial 7-point agreement between Prime Minister Khanal and Maoist Chairman Prachanda should be scrapped.
Nepal team was empowered by the party standing committee to conduct talks for delayed government expansion.
Only eight members in the council of ministers—four each from UML and UCPN (Maoist)—have joined the government so far.
Khanal was elected 3 February with Maoist support.
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NEPAL TOP RECIPIENT OF FINNISH AID
Kathmandu, 20 March: Nepal is now the biggest recipient of Finnish development assistance, Kantipur reports
Vietnam, previously the biggest recipient, has been upgraded to developed status.
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FAGU CELEBRATION IN TERAI

Kathmandu, 20 March: Fagu is being celebrated in terai Sunday where
a public holiday has been declared.
The festival was celebrated n the hills Saturday.
It ended with the burning of the chir at Tundikhel in the evening.
More than 600 revelers, including children, were arrested in the capital Saturday for excesses during celebrations.
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THREE, INCLUDING TWO STUDENTS. BURIED ALIVE IN STONE QUARRY IN JAJARKOT

Kathmandu, 20 March: Three persons were buried at a stone quarry at remote Swan VDC village in Jajarkot Friday.
Among the dead were two students.
Two injured are undergoing treatment at a hospital.
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SPORTS
BHUTAN SUFFERS SECOND SUCCESSIVE DEFEAT AGAINST NEPAL

Kathmandu, 20 March: Nepal beat Bhutan 2-1 in the second friendly soccer match in the resort town of Pokhara Saturday.
Bikash Singh Chhetri and Anil Gurung scored thegoals.


Nepal beat the Bhutanese national visitors 1-0 in the first match Friday ; Santosh Shahukhala scored the solitary goal.

The Bhutanese is in Nepal to prepare for a AFC Challenge Cup play-off matches against Afghanistan in New Delhi 23 to 25 March..

The winner will qualify for the Group D qualifiers being hosted by Nepal 7 to 11 April. Nepal, North Korea and Sri Lanka have qualified for the qualifying match of Group D.
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49 NEPALI WORKERS DUMPED IN KUWAIT DESERT

Kathmandu, 20 March: Fifty-nine Nepali drivers in Kuwait with Kuwait Regional Gate Companyn in Subiya-have been stranded, Nagarik reports.
They were forcibly dumped into a bus one week and dumped in a desert.
The drivers were sent by manpower companies.
The workers reached there two to seven months ago on visitors’ visa.
They were employed by the company illegally in visitors’ visa.
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15 PROTECTED VULTURES DIE IN DANG
Kathmandu, 20 March: Fifteen protected vultures shave died en masse in the district because of negligence, Nagarik reports quoting conservationists from Dang.
They died after feeding on carcass of poisoned dogs at Hapur-6 Hikmatpur.
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AMERICAN PARAGLIDERS OVERFLY NEPAL, IN SOUP IN SIKKIM
Kathmandu, 20 March: Call it a bizarre American misadventure — two US paragliders sailed past the Nepali Himalayas on their trip of a lifetime, only to land into trouble in the Indian state of Sikkim, Rajan Pokhrels reports in The Himalayan Times. .

Eric Reed, crowned national paragliding champion in 2003, is in police custody in Sikkim with paraglider Brad Sander since both were arrested on March 16 while roaming around a market in Uttarey, a town on the western rim of Sikkim. They had landed on the flat terrain of Dhaap.

Reed and Sander have violated the airsports rules in Nepal, according to Nepal Airsports Association. NAA chairman Rajesh Bumjan said neither had been allowed to fly in Nepal, particularly the airspace between Taplejung and Sankhuwasabha. Officials at the Immigration Department in Kathmandu said they didn’t find the ‘high fliers’ names on their record, meaning they had entered the country illegally.

In India, they face serious charges, including unauthorised travel to the strategically-located state of Sikkim without “inner-line permits mandatory for the foreigners.”

“Essentially, it’s been a misunderstanding,” Brad told the Cross Country News Service over the phone. The plan to fly from Pokhara to the end of the Himalayan chain was going well until the red-tape glitch. “Our first three days out of Pokhara saw us fly 75km, 75km and 86km,” Brad, who has been arrested with GPRS to map route and advanced equipment, said.

Sikkim police is expected to interrogate the two during their five-day remand ending on March 21. The parapilots were produced before a local court today [Satiurday].

The Amercians are said to have flown out of Pokhara to Chyangthapu of Taplejung, before entering Sikkim, the live tracking web tool SPOT, which has recorded their five days’ activities starting from March 11, shows Brad had glided in the skies of Sankhuwasbha and Taplejung while Eric had flown over the Taplejung skies.

In a world first, they hope to complete the adventure that they started last year, where they flew 1,200 km from Bir in Himachal Pradesh, India, to east of Kathmandu. At the beginning of this month, they started in Pokhara, and flew east (Sankhuwasabha and Taplejung).

Deputy inspector-general of Sikkim police N Sridhar Rao said the foreigners must take the permits from checkposts at Rangpo and Melli. If convicted, they could be jailed between two and eight years and/or fined IRs 10,000 to 50,000 for flouting immigration rules.
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VOTER REGISRATION AGAIN IN ALL DISTRICTS

Kathmandu, 20 March : Revising its previous strategy, the Election Commission (EC) has decided to commence voter registration in all the 75 districts this week. Earlier, the EC had decided to carry out voter registration only in 43 districts in the second phase, Bimal Gautam writes in Republica.
“We are launching voter registration process in all the 75 districts, except 31 VDCs in the hilly districts,” Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety informed Republica, adding, “The EC officials will meet all eligible voters during the process.” The EC will carry out voter registration in the 31 VDCs in mid May.
According to Uprety, this would be the first time in EC´s history that officials would meet every adult citizen before registering them as voters.
The registration process had been obstructed for the last six months after Madhes-based parties objected to registration in the voter list on the basis of citizenship.
The Supreme Court ruling on February 9, which ended the longstanding dispute over whether or not to accept other forms of identification documents, had paved the way for EC to collect new electoral roll only on the basis of citizenship.
Uprety informed that EC would train and deploy 91,000 officials for the purpose.
“Our officials will meet all eligible voters during the process because we want to ensure their right to vote. Meeting every citizen, taking their photograph, finger print and personal details will help develop an authentic and reliable electoral roll for free and fair election in the country,” he added.
According to Uprety, nearly Rs 2 billion will be spent for the voter registration process.
“Our aim to complete voter registration in the second phase can only be achieved if political parties, civil society and all stakeholders concerned support us,” Uprety said.
Recently, the EC conducted trainings for master trainers at the central level. The EC will also train officials at the regional level. The central and regional level officials would then train enumerators and computer operators at the district level.
Uprety also informed that it has started sending necessary logistics for voter registration. On Friday alone, the EC dispatched eight fully loaded trucks. “We are using 36 Armed Police Force trucks to dispatch logistics all over the country,” he informed.
Asked about the progress in Tarai districts where EC´s program was obstructed in first phase, Uprety said, “Tarai districts have not witnessed protests recently,” he said. “However, the possibility of protests cannot be completely ruled out.”
Uprety also urged the government to implement the SC´s verdict at the earliest so that their program can move smoothly. “We have already sent a formal letter to the prime minister asking him to implement the SC verdict,” he added.
The Limbuwan, an armed outfit operating in eastern hill districts, has already warned that it would disrupt EC´s program in 12 districts.
“Political problems must be resolved at the political level. We will also meet the prime minister personally to draw his attention to our problems,” Uprety informed.
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