PUBLIC MAOIST CRITICISM OF ESTABALISHMENT CONTINUES

MAOIST GENERAL SECRETARY CONTINUES PUBLIC CRITICISM OF PARTY AND GOVT.
Kathmandu, 20 Oct. General Secretary of the Unified CPN-Maoist Ram Bahadur Thapa 'Badal' said anti-patriotic activities were not acceptable to his party, RSS reports from Baglung.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the Revolutionary Journalists Association, Baglung, on Thursday, he said his party will never surrender before foreign agents. "To surrender with the foreign agents is to go against patriotism and public mandate," said Thapa. "We do not accept anyone's slavery," he added.

The reactionary forces in the country try to plot conspiracies by trying to give a role to the PLA combatants without the arms even after the integration, said Thapa.

Maoist leader Thapa stressed for implementing the past agreements signed for the peace and constitution writing processes blaming the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML are trying to escape from the past agreements. He was for the respectful integration of PLA combatants bringing new security policy by the state.

Talking about the Prime Minister Dr. Bhattarai's India visit, he said the Unified CPN-Maoist has decided not to sign any controversial treaties, but hold discussions over the different unequal treaties signed in the past, said Thapa. He added that the visit will also be concentrated in the issues of peace and constitution writing.
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WORLD LBANK PLEDGES ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
Kathmandu, 20 Oct.: The World Bank said Thursday it would lend Nepal up to $400 million to help the impoverished Himalayan nation move towards peace and stability, five years after the end of its civil war, AFP reports .

The loan -- subject to "good performance and prudent economic management" -- will be allocated over two years towards transport, education, health, disaster management and climate change research, the bank said in a statement.

The money will support economic growth, job creation and foster "gender equality and social inclusion", Ellen Goldstein, the development lender's country director, told a launch event.

Maoist rebels fought the government in a bloody conflict from 1996-2006, which left 16,000 dead before they turned to mainstream politics and swept to power in elections in 2008.

But five years of political stagnation and a blocked peace process have meant little progress on improving infrastructure and raising living standards in one of the world's poorest countries.

The World Bank signed off $43 million in a separate allocation earlier this week for an irrigation project expected to benefit 160,000 people in the far western Terai region of Nepal.
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FAMED SOUTH KOREAN CLIMBER MISSING IN NEPAL CLIMB
Kathmandu, 20 Oct.: Renowned South Korean climber and two of his partners have disappeared while trying to summit Mount Annapurna, official and rescuers said Thursday, AP reports.

Dipendra Poudel of Nepal's mountaineering department in Katmandu said rescuers have not been able to find any trace of the three South Korean climbers missing since Tuesday.

Park Young-seok has climbed the world's 14 tallest mountains and reached both the north and south poles. He first climbed Annapurna in 1996. It is the 10th tallest and considered a technically difficult climb.

The department identified the two other missing South Korean climbers as Kang Ki-seok and Shin Dong-min.

A colleague who equipped their expedition said the trio last contacted base camp Tuesday afternoon while heading up the peak. Ang Dorjee is now coordinating rescue efforts from Katmandu.

Dorjee said a rescue helicopter did not see any signs of the mountaineers on the slopes.

Park was part of a seven-member team that was trying to carve out a new route to the summit of Annapurna. He had made the attempt in 2008 but was unsuccessful.

Dorjee said they would continue the search but was having difficulty communicating with the search party.

The Korean Alpine Federation in Seoul said that a team of four South Korean mountain climbers will head to Annapurna on Friday morning to aid the rescue.

The climbers are already in Nepal and decided to suspend their own expedition plans to help the rescue, the federation said in a statement. The climbers include Kim Hyung-il, another renowned climber who had planned to climb Cholatse in Nepalese Himalaya.
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