IN ANOTHER POPULIST MOVE, PM BHATTARAI MOVES AROUND WITHOUT POLICE ESCORT VEHICLES BLOCKING TRAFFICK

ARMY FURNISHES DETAILS OF OLD WEAPONS BARTERED WITH US FIRM

Kathmandu, 6 Sept.: The Defense Ministry has told the parliamentary State Affairs Committee (SAC) that the Nepal Army sold the antique military weapons to an American firm through a barter system, Republica reports.

The ministry not just furnished the details regarding the sale of old weapons but also defended it before the panel of SAC stating that: "selling old weapons to acquire modern ones was timely and practical."

The SAC had directed the ministry to bring out the facts and furnish documents related to the controversial sale of weapons to a US firm in 2001. Mukunda Sharma, the SAC secretary, told Republica that the committee will take up the details in its next meeting on Thursday.

The SAC had asked the ministry to look into the sale after it found out that the government received only Rs 244 million (US$ 3.3 million) from the sale of the arms that are believed to have archeological values though the government had fixed a minimum price of US$ 3.37 million.

Among the sold 450 tons of 200-year old military antique weapons, there were 31,213 weapons and 13,845 miscellaneous items, including various types of khukuris and rapiers.

In addition, there were 188 old cannons and their carriages, 25,144 unserviceable old weapons, 25,381 bayonets and 1,935 unserviceable miscellaneous items
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PM BHATTARAI NOT TO MOVE UNDER ESCORT

Kathmandu, 6 Sept.: Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has decided not to move around
on busy streets of the capital under heavy escort, a radio report said Tuesday morning.
A directive has been issued to Nepal Police to stop past practice of providing escort to the government chiefs.
In another populist move, the premier who assumed office nine days ago, directed police not clear roads to facilitate the movement of Dr. Bhattarai.
People have been complaining of inconvenience caused by closure of roads for hours for the movement of the premier and president even after sweeping changes more than four years ago.
The new premier drew national attention after ordering purchase of a Nepal-assembled Mustang jeep for his official discarding expensive Japanese limousines.
But he said in his assets statement delivered to government, the party is providing him a foreign car for personal use.
Bhattarai and wife Hishila Yami, have declared assets --land in Gorkha and bank account in name of their only daughter, in the declaration.
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FOUR CHILDREN AMONG SIX MISSING IN NORTH RUKUM LANDSLIDE

Kathmandu, 6 Sept.: Four children were among six persons missing in a landslide in north Rukum overnight, Radio Nepal said.
The group had gone to a watermill to grind maize.
They were swept by a river following a landslide which hit the watermill.
The landslip site is four days walking distance from district headquarters.
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FOUR REGIONAL AGREEMENTS BEING SIGNED AT SAARC MALDIVES SUMMIT

Kathmandu, 6 Sept.: Four agreements of SAARC coopration to be approved by a summit at Maldives 10/11 November 2011 have been prepared, Nagarik reports/
They are: SAARC CD Bank Agreement, SAARC Agreement On Rapid Response to Natural Disaster, SAARC Agreement on Multilateral Arrangement On Confirmative Assessment and SAARC Agreement on Implementation of Regional Standard.
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FIRST WB SUPPORT IN NEPAL FOR SAVING TIGER

Kathmandu, 6 Sept.: The World Bank (WB) has for the first time given Nepal a US$3 million assistance to protect the endangered tiger.
Ram Prasad Lamsal, chief of foreign assistance coordination division at finance ministry, and Juddha Bahadur Gurung, member secretary of National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) signed the agreement Monday.
NTMC will coordinate the four-year project jointly implemented by Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) and Department of Forest (DoF).
“We had long been assisting Nepal’s efforts to conserve national resources. But this is the first time that we are lending our support exclusively for tigers,” said Gyatri Acharya, sector coordinator for rural, social and environment at WB Nepal.
Nepal’s tiger population is estimated at 155.
The wildcat is also found in india, Bhutan and Bangladesh in South Asia.
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NEPSE INDEX SLIPS 2.84 POINTS

Kathmandu, 6 Sept.: Nepse index slipped 2.84 points and closed at 336.22 points at the end of trading Monday
The index fell 2.53 points on the first day of tading Sunday.
Commercial bank sub-group index slipped 5.88 points Monday.
Altogether 107,025 shares were traded for Rs. 25.9 million in 1,275 transactions
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BoP SURPLUS OF RS.2.93 BILLION RECORDED IN LAST FISCAL YEAR
Kathmandu, 6 Sept.: The balance of payment (BoP) surplus of Rs.2.93 billion was recorded against a deficit of Rs 3.63 billion in the previous fiscal year because of moderation of the current account deficit and satisfactory increase in the government capital transfers and external loan,
Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) said this Monday in its macroeconomic report for the last fiscal year
The current account deficit fell to Rs 11.91 billion; the deficit was Rs 28.14 billion a year ago, the central bank said.
Trade deficit of Rs 330.34 billion in fiscal year 2010-11 jumped 5.4 per cent compared to a fiscal year ago, the report said.
Exports increased 6.1 percent in the review period while imports grew at a slower 5.5 percent.

Exports fell to Rs 64.56 billion from total merchandise import of Rs 394.90 billion, the central bank said, “but export trade — which had declined by 10.2 per cent a fiscal year ago, recorded a growth of 6.1 per cent.”
Merchandise imports increased by 5.5 per cent to Rs 394.90 billion POL import increased 43.9 per cent.

Remittances increased 9.4 percent to Rs 253.55 billion compared to the previous year and foreign direct investment was Rs 6.44 billion
Gross foreign exchange reserves increased 1.2 percent to Rs 272.10 billion in mid-July 2011.
The reserves were at Rs 268.91 billion in mid-July 2010.
Annual average inflation was 9.6 percent in 2010/11 with moderated inflation although food prices rose 14.7 percent
Prices of non-food items and services grew by 5.4 percent.

Annual average salary and wage rate index rose 18 percent in 2010/11.


The current account deficit fell to Rs 11.91 billion from Rs 28.14 deficit the billion a year ago, the central bank said.

Gross foreign exchange reserves increased 1.2 per cent to Rs 272.10 billion in mid-July
The reserve stood at Rs 268.91 billion mid-July 2010.
Gross foreign exchange reserve in US dollar increased by 6.2 per cent to $3.84 billion in mid-July.

Current reserve can financing merchandise imports of 8.4 months and merchandise and service imports of 7.3 months.
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CONCEALED EVIDENCE MAY HELD NEPALI IN JAPAN JAILED GAIN FREEDOM; HELD FOR MURDERING WOMAN

Kathmandu, 6 Sept.: An important piece of evidence hidden for 14 years by Japanese prosecutors emerged Monday bolstering the claim of a Nepali man jailed in Japan that he is innocent.
Blood group of saliva traces found on the breast of a Japanese woman murdered on March 8, 1997, in Tokyo does not match that of Govinda Prasad Mainali, 44, from Ilam district, who is serving life sentence for the murder, Japanese media reported Monday.
The saliva´s blood type is O, while Mainali has B type blood.
Monday´s reports in Japanese media about the new development were sharply critical of the concealment of this evidence.
The Daily Yomuiri, in its report headlined “Prosecutors concealed crucial evidence” said the saliva was collected immediately after the woman´s body was found on March 19, 1997, and the blood type of the person it came from was determined soon after.
“The prosecutors withheld the information from both Mainali´s lawyer and the Tokyo District Court, which first tried Mainali,” said The Daily Yomiuri. “If the evidence about the saliva had been revealed to the defense and courts, he may not have been convicted,” it added, citing sources.
Despite concealment of the evidence, Tokyo District Court found Mainali not guilty in April 2000. But the prosecution, again presenting selective evidence, appealed at the Tokyo High Court that found him guilty and jailed him for life based on circumstantial evidence.
Mainali left for Japan in 1994 to see the world. He worked as a waiter in Tokyo until Tokyo police arrested him in March 1997, first on the charge of overstaying his visa and then on the charge of murdering 39-year-old Yasuko Watanabe, who worked at Tokyo Electric Power Co and also moonlighted as a prostitute.
Mainali, who has consistently pleaded not guilty, has appealed for a retrial since 2005.
Second strong evidence for Mainali
This is the second strong evidence in support of Mainali´s innocence to have emerged in little over a month.
In late July this year, DNA tests revealed that semen sample collected from the woman´s body back then was not Mainali´s.
In fact, the semen sample matched a body hair sample found in the room where the woman´s body was found, suggesting the presence of another man in the room in Tokyo´s Shibuya Ward at the time of the murder.
The two evidences strongly contradict the Tokyo High Court´s verdict of December 2000 that said, “It is inconceivable that a third party entered the room with the victim.”
Evidences in favor of Mainali started tumbling down the closet of Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office after Tokyo High Court ordered a reexamination of evidences this year in response to Mainali´s request for retrial.
Cautious optimism
Mainali´s family members who after the DNA test results in July dared dream after a long time that their kin would soon find justice and return home are, however, cautiously optimistic after Monday´s development, as the prosecutors say they will reveal around 40 pieces of previously unreleased evidences and conduct fresh DNA tests on as many items, hinting the case could drag on.
“Our concern is whether further tests and evidence disclosure will be fair,” said Indra Mainali, the elder brother of the jailed Nepali.
Indra, and Govinda´s wife Radha are flying to Tokyo on September 10.
The fact that prosecutors were selective in disclosing evidence in the past has left the family members worried over the possibility of selective disclosure this time as well.
Mainali´s defense counsel in Japan, and the Justice for Govinda-Innocence Advocacy Group Japan set up mostly by Japanese citizens who have from the beginning stood for Mainali, have not made any decision so far as to how to respond to the intention of the prosecutors to reveal further DNA evidences.
A report carried by The Mainichi Daily News said on Monday that “the defense counsel may not agree to the new tests on the grounds that it is expected to take some time to compile a new DNA analysis report, delaying a decision by the Tokyo High Court on Mainali´s request for a retrial.”
It added that the defense will consider carefully whether further analysis, as proposed by the prosecutors, is necessary. Mainali´s defense team is expected to submit its opinion to the court by the end of this month after the prosecutors submit their opinion by Sept. 16.
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