ANOTHER MAOIST,MADESH FRONT EFFORT TO FINALIZE GOVT.LIST

MAOISTS, MADESH FRONT PARTIES MAKING ANOTHER EFFORT TO ASSEMBLE GOVT.

Kathmandu, 2 Sept.: Maoists and a front of five Madeshbadi parties are meeting Friday to discuss delayed expansion of the two-member cabinet of Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai.
Chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachedhar, chairman of MJFL is the only other government member; he’s been appointed deputy prime minister and home minister.
A meeting of the front to complete its government list was inconclusive in two rounds of talks Thursday; leaders dispersed at nine in the evening after meeting at the residence of TMLP Chairman Mahanta Thakur.
Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta, Chairman of MJFN(Republican) charged Maoists for going back on an agreement before the election of Prime Minister DR, Bburam Bhattarai Sunday threatening to withdraw from government.
Gupta said front constituents couldn’t agree on control of ministries with three constituents demanding the ministry of physical planning with a huge budget for infrastructure development.
Gupta is demanding post of deputy prime minister.
Eleven of 26 ministries have been allotted to the front.
Rajendra Mahoto of NSP is joining the government.
Gupta charged Sunday agreement before election of Premier was broken.
‘I can change my decision if an agreement with the front isn’t implemented by Friday,”Giupta told reporters.
It’s been claimed Maoists offered three posts of deputy prime minister to the Madeshbadi parties.
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WOMEN OBSERE RISHI PANCHAMI

Kathmandu, 2 Sept.: Married and unmarried women offered puja to seven rishis to observe Rishi Panchami Friday and end teej celebrations
Teej concluded Friday by bathing, pujas and a change of dress.
Government announced a public holiday for women Friday.
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GOLD PRICE DIPS

Kathmandu, 2 Sept: Gold price dipped another Rs.300 per tola Thursday.
The yellow metal was traded at Rs.52,100 per tola; it was priced at Rs.52,140 Wednesday.
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TOURIST ARRIVALS UP

Kathmandu, 2 Sept.: Altogether 324,062 tourists visited Nepal until August—up 24.6 percent compared to figures of eight months the previous year, Nepal Tourism Board said.
August arrivals touched 43,487.
Indian and Chinese arrivals jumped
Altogether 101,919 Indians and 24,479 Chinese have visited Nepal until end of August.
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CHINA ASKS NEPALI OFFICIALS TO REINFORCE SECURITY ALONG NEPAL-TIBET BORDER

Kathmandu, 2 Sept.: China has made special request with Nepali officials to reinforce security along 17 Nepali districts adjoining Tibet, Dhruba Dangal reports from Sindhupalchowk in Nagarik/
Chinese officials highly evaluated the role of Nepali home , security and foreign officials of border security delegation to oversee Tibet activities.
‘Reinforce your border security. Be on high alert to contain anti-China activities,” chief of security control department told Nepali officials
A 29-member team visited China at the invitation of Border Defence Police Force Tibet. The team was headed by home ministry joint secretary Shanker Koirala and returned Wednesday.
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JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS OUTBREAK IN BANKE KILLS FIVE

Kathmandu, 2 Sept.: Five people have died of Japanese encephalitis at Seti Hospital in the last 45 days, Nagarik reports from Dhangadi.
Forty-nine have fallen sick as the disease outbreak spreads.
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ABDUCTED NEPALIS RESCUED IN JAPAN

Kathmandu, 2 Sept : Two Nepali workers held hostage by their employers in Japan for around one and a half months have been rescued by local police Tuesday, Dilip Pouel writes in Republica from Baglung.
Hira Thapa and his wife Tara of Galkot, Baglung who were held hostage by the owners of a Taiwanese restaurant in Nagoya, Japan, were rescued by Japanese police after complaint by fellow Nepalis, according to member of the NRN (Non-resident Nepali) Association, Tokyo Yam Lal Kandel.

"We searched for the duo after the couple didn´t come in contact with us for one and a half months. After our search we found that they were held hostage by the employers," Kandel said.

Vice-president of NRN Association, Japan, Dila Ram Kharel, Secretary Saroj Kandel and others had lodged a complaint with Japanese police about the missing Nepali couple. The owners of the Taiwanese restaurant had held the duo hostage following dispute about salary. The Thapas said upon their release that they were not even given food during the period. "We found that the employers detained them in an inhumane manner. We have also lodged a complaint with the Nepali Embassy in Japan for action against the cruel employers," Yam Lal Kandel stated.

The couple, who had been in Japan for the past two years, said the employers held them hostage after asking for unpaid salaries of many months. "They must have been held hostage with an intention of deporting them to Nepal with the help of police as their visas were expiring in the first week of September," Kandel explained.

Uma Thapa of Righa-7 in Baglung had also been abducted in Japan last month. Thapa, who was staying with her spouse, was abducted from their apartment. Police had rescued her from a Peruvian abductor.

Relatives back home have started to worry after rise in the incidents of abduction and forced detention of Nepalis in Japan. "We had sent our son to Japan thinking that he will be secure in a developed country. But these sad incidents have got us worried," Man Bahadur Chhetri of Harichour said.
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RAM KARKI PM BHATTARAI’S LIKELY AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE

Kathmandu, 2 Sept : Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai is likely to appoint the Maoist party politburo member Ram Karki as ambassador-at-large, Republica reports.
Karki, who works for the party´s foreign department, was nominated ambassador to France during the Maoist-led government, but his nomination was dropped after then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal resigned over the controversy surrounding the sacking of then Army Chief Rookmangud Katwal. He has long been a trusted lieutenant to Bhattarai.
Roving ambassador, special envoy and ambassador-at-large are taken synonymously in diplomacy. Generally, an ambassador at large is appointed with specific responsibility. They are generally at par with a cabinet minister in protocol though they do not have executive power.
In Nepal´s diplomatic history, King Mahendra had Major General Shovag Jung Thapa and Prof Ram Prasad Manandhar as special envoy to the Bandung Conference in 1955. Rishikesh Shah was appointed special ambassador by King Mahendra in early 1960s. In recent history, then Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa had appointed Dr Bhekh Bahadur Thapa as ambassador-at-large.
Similarly, the prime minister is likely to appoint Devendra Poudel as his principal advisor. Poudel, who is currently the in-charge of the Maoist Abadh state committee, is another trusted lieutenant of Bhattarai.
Likewise, the prime minister is likely to appoint Janadesh Weekly editor Manarishi Dhital his press advisor.
Meanwhile, the prime minister on Thursday appointed Biswadip Pandey and Fanindra Devkota his personal assistants. Pandey has long been the aide of the Bhattarai and handling the media, while Devkota served as the personal secretary of Bhattarai when the latter was the minister for finance.
Bhattarai has already appointed party leader Ganga Shrestha as his personal secretary.
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