ARMY CHIEF LOBBIES FOR TOP UN JOBS FOR COLLEAGUES

LIGHTNING INJURES 20 IN KAVRE

Kathmandu, 10April: A lightning injured 20persons, including five seriously, at Dhunkharka-6 in Kavre Sunday afternoon.
Some domestic animals were also killed.
This is the season of fires, storms and lightning.
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PM ASKS FOR CLARITY OF NATIONAL DAY


Kathmandu, 10 April: Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal Sunday asked for clarity on the country’s national day celebrated traditionally 7 Falgun to mark down falloff the 104 Rana dynasty and attempt top install party democracy on Prajatantra Divas.
Khanal said this while chairing a main committee meeting Sunday to celebrate Loktantra Day coming Sunday.
Loktantra and Prajatantra is democracy as translated in English even as political parties and leaders avoid mentioning the word ‘prajatantra’ in the last four years.
No explanation has been forwarded on the hesitation and reluctance.
People are aware of the misuse of the word by parties and leaders for personal gins of party leaders who abused democracy in five decades without attempting to institutionalize it.
The main committee headed by Khanal decided to celebrate Lpktantra Divas in a grand manner as attempts to institutionalize a republic have hit hurdles.
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KIRAT WORKERS’ PARTY ACTIVE IN UDAIPUR

Kathmandu, 10 April: Activists of Kirat Workers’ Party Sunday assaulted a wood trader at a village in Udaipur.
The attacker fled by jumping into sun Kosi river when confronted by police as another activist was overpowered and handed over to police.
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ARMY CHIEF LOBBIES FOR COLLEAGUES IN TOP UN JOBS

Kathmandu, 10 April: Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Chhatra Man Singh Gurung has conveyed his concerns over the potential existence of a glass ceiling while considering Nepal Army officers for leadership positions in UN peacekeeping missions. Gurung’s complaint gives credence to growing perception among NA officers that they are being deprived of senior positions, Phanindra Dahal writes in The Kathmandu Post. .

“As one of the oldest and largest troop contributing countries to the UN, Nepal Army should not be deprived of senior level positions including force commander of the UN peacekeeping missions,” a source at Nepal’s mission in New York told the Post quoting Gen Gurung. Nepal, which has currently deployed 4,355 peacekeepers (3487 soldiers, 814 police and 54 Military Experts on Missions as of 31 March), is the sixth largest troop contributor among 114 nations of the UN peacekeeping operations.

Gen Gurung met with Under Secretary General for Political Affairs B Lynn Pascoe on March 31 and Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Alian Le Roy and Military Adviser for UN Peacekeeping Operations Lt Gen Babacar Gaye on April 1.

The UN has not entrusted commanding responsibilities to Nepal Army officials ever since the appointment of Maj Gen Paban Jung Thapa as Force Commander of the UN Mission in Sudan in May 2008. Following Thapa’s return after his two year tenure last May, no Nepal Army general has been elevated to a senior post in UN peacekeeping operations.

Last year, UN Headquarters didn’t select Maj Gen Netra Bahadur Thapa and Maj Gen Nepal Bhusan Chand who vied for the post of force commander for the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon and in the western Sahara, respectively. Currently, Maj Gen Pawan Bahadur Pande is awaiting results of the appointment at the UN Mission for the referendum in western Sahara.

Appointment of Nepal Army personnel to key military positions in the UN is not in proportion to the army’s contribution. “The appointment is a purely political decision and New York is a place where the world engages in politics,” said retired Lt Gen Balananda Sharma, who served as force commander in the UN Disengagement Observer Force on Golan Heights, Syria, from 2004 to 2007. “We are being ignored for key positions because we are not politically stable at home and also because we failed to show our presence in international politics.”

Maj Gen Krishna Narayan Singh Thapa was the first Nepali senior army officer given the post of force commander in the UN Truce and Supervision Organization in the early 1990’s and later shifted to command the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission a year after. Apart from Sharma and Paban Jung Thapa, Maj Gen Victory Rana served as force commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus and Lt Gen C B Gurung served as deputy military advisor to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Nepal Army’s engagement with the UN dates to 1958 and it is the first troop contributing country from Saarc. Till this March, Bangladesh with 10,600, Pakistan 10,580 and India 8,675 are the top three troop contributors to the UN.

“These three nations get key military positions in different peacekeeping missions on most occasions because they have strong influence with UN Headquarters. Other wealthy nations like South Korea, Spain and Japan also get coveted posts,” said retired General Sharma. Last year, an Indian general was appointed the force commander of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while a Pakistani General was posted at the UN Mission in Liberia and a Bangladeshi General was sent to the UN Mission in

Gen Gurung has taken the right intitiative, said a senior serving Army officer. “Many of us feel that UNMIN-bashing could have played a role in NA officers not being considered for leadership positions.”

Meanwhile, Gen Gurung has requested diplomats in New York to increase basic allowances of UN peacekeepers. Currently, soldiers serving in peacekeeping operations are given over US$ 1,000 per month, of which NA deducts 22 percent for its welfare fund and distributes US$ 801 to each peacekeeper. “The allowance to peacekeepers from all countries is the same. But, someone has to take the lead in calling for an increment. Thus, Gen. Gurung raised this issue,” added the source.
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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TALKS ON BEHALF OF TIBET REFUGEES

Kathmandu, 10 April: Concerned over the Nepal government’s refusal to allow the Tibetan refugees to take part in an election to choose a new “government-in-exile”, the European Parliament (EP) has called on the government to uphold the democratic rights of the Tibetan people and refrain from bowing down to Chinese pressure, The Kathmandu Post reports.

Issuing a resolution on Thursday in Strasbourg, France, the parliament stressed on the right of the Tibetans to participate in democratic elections as a fundamental right of all citizens that must be upheld, protected and guaranteed in every democratic state. The Nepali government, under intense pressure from the Chinese government, has restricted the Tibetan community from taking part in the election to elect a new prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile. The parliament described the internal election process as important for strengthening and preservation of the Tibetan identity both inside and outside Tibet.

It also called on the Nepali authorities to refrain from preventive arrests and restrictions on demonstrations

and freedom of speech that deny the right to legitimate peaceful expression and assembly during all activities undertaken by the Tibetan community in the country.

In this connection, the parliament also asked the Nepali government to include such rights and to ensure religious freedom within Nepal’s new constitution, due to be enacted by 28 May 2011. In addition, the EP called on the Nepali authorities to abide by their international human rights obligations and their own domestic laws in their treatment of the Tibetan community. It has asked the European External Action Service through its delegation in Kathmandu to monitor closely the political situation in Nepal, especially the treatment of the Tibetan refugees and respect for their constitutionally and internationally enshrined rights.

Nepali officials maintain that allowing demonstrations and election by Tibetans on Nepal’s soil violates its ‘One China’ policy
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LEADERS SKEPTICAL ON TIMELY CONSTITUTION PROMULGATION





Kathmandu, 10 April: Leaders and lawmakers Saturday said that the constitution could not be promulgated within the May 28 deadline, The Rising Nepal reports.
Speaking at the Reporters Club Saturday, they said political parties were not serious about the work.
UCPN-Maoist leader Devendra Poudel said the constitution could not be promulgated within the stipulated time given the present situation.
But, he demanded the constitution should be promulgated within the deadline.
"Some forces are playing against the constitution," he said. He also said that the present government was not working on basis of the seven point pact.
"If the government ignores the pact, Maoists can pull out its support to it," he warned.
Nepali Congress leader and lawmaker Suprabha Ghimire suggested that the draft of the constitution should be published in the stipulated timeframe and then the Constitutional Assembly tenure could be expanded.
"The draft can be finalized if parties settle the contentious issues of the constitution," she said.
CPN-UML lawmaker Sapana Pradhan Malla also said that the constitution was not possible within the stipulated time.
She stressed preparing the draft of constitution within the timeframe.
Rastriya Prajatantar Party-Nepal lawmaker Chandra Bahadur Gurung demanded fresh elections if the constitution was not written in time.
Dalit Janajati Party lawmaker Biswendra Paswan informed that the Constitutional Assembly, Parliament and Constitutional Committee (CC) meetings could not run until dalit demands were addressed.
"Our stir would be more effective from Sunday," he warned.
Independent lawmaker Sadarul Hak Miya said the big parties were ignoring small parties’ voices.
Nepa Rastriya Party lawmaker Buddh Ratna Manandhar said the constitution could not be promulgated on May 28 because small parties had reservations on some matters.
Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch lawmaker Rukmani Choudhari also blamed the big parties that they were not serious about their tasks.
Meanwhile, CPN-UML Standing Committee member KP Sharma Oli has said that peace process and constitution making process can be completed only if the Maoists give up violence.
Addressing a mass meeting organized by the party here on Saturday, leader Oli accused the Maoists of trying to force a one-party ‘Polpot’-style rule by maintaining violence.
He also said the Maoist supported a government led by the UML out of compulsion.
At the program, Defense Minister Bishnu Poudel said though national consensus was inevitable for peace and constitution, it had not been possible due to the stubbornness of the Maoists.

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