NINE NEPALI GOVT.OFFICIALS SCALE EVEREST

PRACHANDA SUB-COMMITTEE TO MEET AGAIN THURSDAY UPDATE

Kathmandu, 18 May: A Prachanda sub-committee discussing resolution of 30 contentious articles to be incorporated in a constitution will meet again Thursday, the Maoist chief said Wednesday.
No business was conduced Wednesday as three of five members weren’t present
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NINE CIVIL SERVANTS CLIMB EVEREST

Kathmandu, 18 May: Nine Nepali civil servants Wednesday morning scaled the 8848 members high Mount Everest, Secretary Lilamani Pokhrel said
They were assisted by 15 guides,
The government assisted the expedition with a Rs.30 million dole.
The team left the capital for base camp 7 April.
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NEPAL, BANGLADESH COOPERATION

Kathmandu, 18 May: Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC) and University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for academic and research collaboration.
‘It will encourage a wide spectrum of activities, including faculty and student exchange, management development, international seminars, research and consultancy services and development of trade and cultural operations,” an announcement said.
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NEPAL BANK LTD. Q3 NET PROFIT RS. 596.75 MILLION

Kathmandu, 18 May: Nepal Bank Ltd, the country’s first commercial bank, earned a Rs 596.75 million net profit in Q3 of the current fiscal year ending 13 April.
The bank earned a Rs.595.79 million net profit in corresponding previous year quarter.
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TWO LAWMAKERS OF CPN (ML SAMAJBADI) SUSPNDED

Kathmandu, 18May: Leader of the parliamentary party of CPN (ML Samadbadi) Yadhubansha Jha and Whip Tilak Bahadur Thapa Magar have been suspended as lawmakers, Kantipur reports.
They have been stripped of their party responsibilities as well.
Jha and Magar alleged action was taken against them to ‘to join the government of Jhalanath Khanal by any means’.
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CRIMINAL CASES AGAINST MAOISTS BEING HASTILY WITHDRAWN

Kathmandu, 18 May: The Ministry of Home Affairs is working in full swing to withdraw registered criminal cases against Maoist cadres charged with various offences—including serious charges dating back to the period of insurgency, Anil Giri reports in The Kathmandu Post..

A senior “uncooperative” bureaucrat has become the first casualty as he refused to sign off on the Maoist request to withdraw a murder case against Maoist lawmaker from Okhaldhunga, Bal Krishna Dhungel.

Former Home Secretary Govinda Kusum was transferred to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) last week after he refused to comply with the request of new Maoist Home Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, a highly-placed government source said. After Kusum’s departure, the Home Ministry has begun putting together a list of cases, including the gravity of the offence involving Maoist cadres from various district administration offices across the country.

Dhungel has been implicated in a murder of one Ujjwal Prasad Shrestha in Okhaldunga district seven years ago during the insurgency. The Supreme Court (SC) had slapped a life sentence on Dhungel, in addition to seizure of his property last September.

The Maoist leadership had also mounted pressure on Kusum to withdraw the case against one of its cadres from Dolpa, who was convicted of illegal drug trafficking. Kusum was also asked to “do the needful” to free others booked on different charges.

Kusum reportedly told Minister Mahara that if the cases were of political nature the charges could be potentially dropped. However, he warned the minister against withdrawing criminal cases, arguing that it would set the wrong precedent, according to the source.

The official at the Home Ministry also reminded Mahara that the SC verdict could not be reversed either in Dhungel’s or in other criminal cases.

According to some senior Home Ministry officials, since taking charge of the Home Ministry, Mahara has been asking them to expedite compilation of a list of cases registered against Maoist cadres from courts across the country.

“The number of cases registered against the Maoists could surpass 300, according to our preliminary findings. Most of these cases were registered during the insurgency. We have been asked to find the status of the cases pending in various courts,” an official said.

Asked to comment on the government preparations on the possible withdrawal of the cases, Home Ministry Spokesperson Sudhir Shah denied any knowledge on the subject.

This is not the first time that the Maoist leadership has tried to get their party workers off the book. In October 2008, the Maoist-led government withdrew 349 criminal cases against its cadres, according to official records.

In February, the newly appointed Attorney General Yub Raj Sangraula went on record saying he would oppose any request from the government for the withdrawal of court cases.



The story so far

Senior ‘uncooperative’ bureaucrat first casualty

Former Home Secy transferred after he refused to comply with request of Home Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara’s request

In Oct 2008, the Maoist-led

government withdrew 349

criminal cases against its cadres
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3,200 KOREAN JOB OFFERS
Kathmandu, 18 May: Nepal has received fresh job contracts for 3,220 individuals under the Employment Permit System (EPS) in South Korea. The contracts are for individuals from the list of 2008 and 2010, The Kathmandu Post reports.

With this, the number of individuals in the waiting list has come down to 1,200. A total of 4,096 EPS aspirants from last year’s list and 300 individuals of 2008 were in the waiting list. Since January, some 2,000 have left for Korea after receiving the contract.

Mahesh Acharya, chief of EPS Nepal Office, said they expect an additional 1,200 job contracts. “Individuals in last year’s list in the job roster have started to leave for Korea since January,” he said.

In the roster list of 2008, there were 6,585 individuals in the waiting list and 6,000 of them have alerady left for Korea. Acharya said if the trend remains same, all workers selected last year will leave the country within 2011.

Earlier, the hiring process of Nepali workers had been hammered due to global financial crisis. “However, now the economic condition has improved and demand for Nepali workers has increased,” said Acharya.

EPS Korea has already started work on hiring Nepali workers under the quota provided for 2011. This time, Korea is taking 7,100 workers from Nepal. A total of 57,751 individuals had applied for the Korean Language Test conducted recently.
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MINSTER SAPKOTA SHEDS LIGHT ON REASONS FOR STRUGGLE IN MAOIST PARTY





Kathmandu, 18 May Minister for Information and Communications Agni Prasad Sapkota has said that the intra-party conflict within the Maoist party has cropped up from ideological debate and differences., The Rising Nepal reports
"However, a revolution proceeds through a complex path like this," he said.
Addressing a gathering organised by Ganatantrik Samparka Manch of the Tamsaling State Committee, Sapkota said that the intra-party discord is demanding an outlet. It is the time to soul search, rather than, to worry about these matters. "Ultimately truth will prevail as triumphant force," he said.
Minister Sapkota said that power centres were hatching conspiracies to intensify the conflict within the party. However, he did not elaborate about the power centres.
We have to go closer to the people and address their concerns. For this, first struggle should be directed at peace and constitution, he said.
Sapkota contended that the line passed by the Palungtar plenum of the party is right one. But a fierce struggle is raging within the party to implement this policy. The government is a front where we will be executing the directives of the party, he said.
The UCPN-Maoist is striving to create a new political mainstream. But attempts are also being made to roll the party back to the previous status. This is the crux of the ongoing intra-party struggle, Sapkota explained.
Minister for Youth and Sports Hit Bahadur Tamang said that he would make best efforts to institutionalize the gains of people’s movement, conclude the peace process and promulgate new constitution.

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