SEPARATE SECURITY FORCE OF MAOISTS OPPOSED

MAOIST STANDING COMMITTEE MEETS THURSDAY

Kathmandu, 31 March: Maoist standing committee meets Thursday after it disbanded three rival trade unions loyal to three party leaders—Chairman Prachanda and Vice-chairmen Mohan Baidya and Dr. Baburam Bhattarai.
Spokesman Dinanath Sharma said the dispute in the Maoist-affiliated trade union has ended with the decision to disband the rival unions and hold a general convention to form a new union.
The emergence of the three factions reflects deep divisions in the largest party and the mainstream communist party amid open talk of a split.
The standing committee has to nominate remaining members of its government team.
UCPN (Maoist) has been allotted 11 ministries in the government headed by UML but has sent only four members to government headed by Deputy Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal.
‘Pressure cooker will explode if wind has no outlet. The party will meet the same fate if there’s no outlet for expressing views,” Bhattarai warned in Charikot Wednesday opposing an attempted gag order against him.
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POSITIONS IN SC SECRETARIAT TO BE FILLED

Kathmandu, 31 March: Cabinet Wednesday decided to fill positions in the secretariat of the special committee (SC) on integration, resettlement and supervision of former Maoist combatants headed by Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal.
Altogether 421 positions have been created following approval of a proposal by the secretariat to the CA.
Without human resources, the secretariat couldn’t monitor 19,000 plus former fighters in 28 cantonments and camps after UNMIN quit 15 January.
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NEPAL TO HOST AFC U-16 QUALIFIERS

Kathmandu, 31 March: Nepal will host the 2012 Group D qualifiers of AFC U-16 from 10 to 25 September.
Syria, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon are also in the group.
Nepal is in Group A of the AFC U-19 championship qualifiers along with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Bangladesh and Maldives; matches will be played 28 October to 12 November.
Meanwhile, Nepal will play Timor Leste in the FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifiers.
The first leg of the Asian qualifiers will be held in Kathmandu on 29 June; the return leg will be played in Timor Leste 3 July.
Nepal will meet Jordan in July if it wins the first round match.
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PAC DIRECTS GOVT. TO IMMEDIATELY RECLAIM ITS VEHICLES ALLOTTED TO THE HIGH AND MIGHTY

Kathmandu, 31 March: The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee ((PAC) today [Wednesday] directed the Council of Ministers and Ministry of Home Affairs to reclaim government vehicles and personal security officers provided to ‘unauthorized persons’ within seven days, saying such practices were in violation of prevailing laws, The Himalayan Times repots.
PAC also directed the government to work in tanden with the CIAA to initiate action against those defying its orders. It has asked the government to bring such ill practices—of employing low-ranked police personnel and others as ‘domestic help’ at their residences to an end.
The PAC meeting chaired by committee chairman Ram Krishna Yadav directed MoHA to review the rules and norms within a week and replace them with ‘clear and transparent ones’. Officiating Home Secretary Jaya Mukunda Khanal was present at the meeting.
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DEFENCE MINISTER OPPOSES SEPARATE SECURITY FORCE

Kathmandu, 31 March: Defence Minister Bishnu Paudel said a separate security force can’t be created for integration, Annapurna Post reports.
He told Annapurna Post: “The meaning of integration isn’t creation of a separate security force.”
There was an agreement between Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, who is also UML, and Maoist Chairman Prachanda for the creation of such a force with Maoists and security personnel of government security agencies.
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