MAOIST STANDING COMMITTEE MEETS SUNDAY TO DISCUSS DIFFERENCES

MAOIST STANDING COMMITTEE MEETS SUNDAY
Kathmandu, 30 Oct.: Maoist standing committee meets later Sunday to discuss internal party differences and completing the delayed peace process.
The committee will meet immediately after Chairman Prachanda returns from Janakpur where’s attending a party programme.
The Maoist chief held discussions with two vice-chairmen Prime Minister
Baburam Bhattarai and Mohan Baidya Saturday to resolve differences.
A meeting of the top three –arties—Maoists and opposition parties NC and
UML—was rescheduled for the second consecutive day Sunday because of
internal disussions in UCPN (Maoist) leading the government, Devendra
Paudel, political advisor of Premier Bhattarai said.
A tripartite summit couldn’t be held Saturday for the same reason.
nnnn
MAOIST CANTONMENT DESERTER AMONG THOSE BEHIND
UCPN (MAOIST) LAWMAKER JAMAKATTEL ASSAULT
Kathmandu, 30 Oct.: The Central Investigation Bureau of the Nepal Police has revealed that the August 27 attack on UCPN-Maoist lawmaker and trade union leader Shalikram Jamakattel was the work of elements within the party, who had a beef with him, The Himalayan Times reports..

This came to light with the arrest of Ram Prasad Pudasaini (25) and Sudeep Karki ‘Navin’ (20) of Basamadi-5, Makwanpur, Indra Bahadur Shahi Thakuri (23) of Agra-3, Makwanpur, and Kamal Budhathoki (32) of Khotang.

A UN-registered member of the People’s Liberation Army in Shaktikhor, Chitwan, Pudasaini had deserted the PLA in 2009.

A UN-registered PLA Third Division member, who deserted the PLA this year, Thakuri was the man, who attacked the union leader on the head with an iron rod. Navin, a disqualified PLA member, had helped the attacker flee the crime scene at Babar Mahal. While Budhathoki, a member of the Casino Nepal chapter of the Maoist-aligned All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers Association, had transported Navin before and after the attack, investigating officials said. CIB had made the four public at a press meet on Thursday.

According to CIB, the four had attacked Jamakattel, chairman of the now-dissolved All Nepal Trade Union Federation, with orders from erstwhile ANTUF secretary and outgoing chairman of the All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers’ Association Tara Nidhi Panta ‘Ramesh’ (35) of Kavre. Panta and Rajan Kharel ‘Dhiraj’ (24), accomplice and a UN-registered PLA member of the third division, are said to be at large. According to the CIB report, the attack on Jamakattel was the result of a long-standing rift within the Maoist-affiliated ANTUF. “Panta had made use of the UN-registered and disqualified PLA members for his mission to teach Jamakattel a lesson,” SSP Kamal Singh Bam said. The arrestees have been charged with attempted murder.

The Maoist party has not commented on the attack on Jamakattel, who represents Dhading constituency number 3. ANTUF had split into three factions before its dissolution seven months ago.
Nnnn

NEPAL LIKELY TO HOST 19TH SAARC SUMMMIT
Kathmandu, 30 Oct.: Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha today said Nepal is mulling over organising the 18th summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), most probably in February 2013, The
Himalayan Times reports.

“As it is Nepal’s turn to host the 18th SAARC summit, we will probably do it,” DPM Shrestha told The Himalayan Times. “We are discussing the subject.”

The organiser has to be determined by the end of the 17th SAARC Summit, which is slated from November 10 to 11 in Addu Atoll island of Maldives.

The SAARC Charter states that the Heads of State or Government shall meet once a year or more often as and when considered necessary by member states. However, the summit is being convened after a gap of one-and-half-year.

As per the Charter, Nepal has to organise the 18th summit by November 2012. But officials informed that Nepal would ask Maldives, the would-be-chair of the SAARC after organising the 17th Summit, for a three-month grace-period to host another summit.

Sources said, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai would specially request Maldives for the grace period, citing Nepal’s transition period, next week. PM Bhattarai is embarking for Maldives for the 17th Summit on November 8 with a small Nepali delegation.

A MoFA official said Nepal has decided to organise the next summit of the regional bloc, as Nepal has organised two summitsbefore. Since the inception of the forum, Nepal had organised the third and 11th SAARC summits in 1987 and 2002 respectively.
nnnn