PM LEAVING FOR MALDIVES TUESDAY TO PARTICIPAE IN SAARC SUMMIT

PM BHATTARAI LEAVES FOR MALDIVES TUESDAY TO PARTICIPATE IN SAARC SUMMIT

Kathmandu, 8 Nov.: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai leaves for Maldives later Tuesday to lead a 11-member Nepali delegation to the two-day 17th SAARC summit being held in the atoll republic from Thursday. Om The The premier, on his third foreign outing after assuming office more than two months ago, will hold bilateral talks with leaders of seven other member countries on the sidelines on the summit.
Bhattarai, in his first foreign trip went to New York to address the assusal general assembly meeting of the UN in the third week of
September.
He just concluded a India visit and is expected to fly to China .
after the Maldives summit.
The government chief will expand thecouncil of nisters and install them before leaving for Maldives, press aide Ram Krishna Yadav said.
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FIVE TIBETANS ARRESTED IN HUMLA FOR ILLEGAL ENTRY INTO NEPAL AT HUMLA

Kathmandu, 8 Nov. Five Tibetans were arrested Monday for
illegally entering Nepal through Limi, Humla, in the far-West.
They were nabbed while boarding a flight for Nepalgunj from district headquarter Simikot.
They are being sent to the capital, according to police.
The Tibetans were arrested as visiting politburo member of the Communist party of China (CPC) and one of 10 top Chinese leaders Liu Qi met senior government leaders, including Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and
demanded return to such Tibetans home; he asked Nepal to curb activities on nearly 20,000 refugees in Nepal.
UN and western countries, including USA, say Tibetans entering Nepal illegally should be delivered to the Immigration Department for
onward journey to India where spiritual leader Dalai Lama lives
in self-exile.
Western countries supporting Tibet claim Nepal has a
gentleman’s agreement with UN for their onward journey to
India.
A US Congressman recently threatened to discontinue US
assistance to Nepal if Tibetan refugees are ‘mistreated’.
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NEPAL, CHINA CUSTOMS OFFICIALS BEGIN MEET

Kathmandu, 7 Nov.: Customs officials of Nepal and China began a meeting at Dhulikhel in Kavre Monday.
A Nepal-Tibet fair just concluded at Bhrikuti Mandap to
promote trade between Tibet and Nepal.
The meeting also coincides with the four-day visit of senior Chinese leader Liu Qi.
Another top Chinese delegation is visiting after Liu returns home Tuesday after concluding his visit.
Deputy of the Customs Department Madhusudan Pokhrel is leading the Nepali team to the talks.
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MINIMUM DROPS TO NINE DEGREES CELSIUS IN CAPITAL

Kathmandu, 8 Nov.: The lowest temperate recorded in the capital was nine degrees Celsius Tuesday.
The highest temperature Monday was
while the 21.5 degrees Celsius.
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FAMILIES WITH TWO OR MORE PLA MEMBERS TO RAKE IN MOOLAH

Kathmandu, Nov. 8: Families with more than one member in the Maoist PLA stand to receive handsome amounts of money if they opt for voluntary retirement in the course of management of the combatants, Kiran Pun writes in Republica.

Many families have more than three members in the Maoist army, which is awaiting management under the recently-signed peace deal, it is learnt. PLA chief Nanda Kishor Pun, top PLA commanders, division commanders and vice-commanders have more than three members each in the former rebel army.

PLA chief Pun´s family has four PLA members and they can expect over Rs 2 million if they all opt for voluntary retirement. But the family has decided that Pun and his youngest son Deepesh, a PLA company vice-commander, will take voluntary retirement while his eldest son Femash, a PLA company commander, and his nephew Saiman, a PLA company commander, will join the Nepal Army. The youngest Pun will get Rs 0.6 million as his retirement package but confusion persists over how much the PLA chief will get for choosing voluntary retirement.

"My father and I are going to opt for voluntary retirement while Siman and Femash are to be integrated," said Deepesh Pun when asked about the family´s decision on their future. They are currenty all working on the staff of the PLA chief.

Similarly, four members of PLA Third Division Vice-commander Uday Bahadur Chalaune´s family are also in the PLA. His wife, younger brother and sister-in-law are members of the 19,000-strong PLA. The brother and sister-in-law are both company commanders and can expect Rs 2.4 million if they opt for voluntary retirement.

The Puns and Chalaunes are not the only families with more than three members in the PLA. Basudev Ghimire, vice-commander of the Fourth Division, has also four family members in the PLA.

Ghimire´s wife Radha is a battalion commander as is his younger brother. The Ghimire family will get Rs 2.4 million if they decide to retire.

Similarly, Vice-commander of Sixth Division Durga Prasad Chaudhari, whose wife and brother are company commander and battalion commander respectively, can expect Rs 2 million if they choose voluntary retirement.

There are also other ´PLA families´ that can expect an attractive sum under the rehabilitation package. First Division Vice-commander Ram Babu Thapa´s wife is battalion vice-commander and his brother is a section commander. Similarly, Fifth Division Vice-commander Raj Bahadur Budha´s son and daughter-in-law are both combatants.

Altogether eight members of the Budha family are in the PLA. If all of them opt for voluntary retirement, they can expect a lump sum of over Rs 4 million.

"When someone joins the PLA, other members of the family tend to follow to escape hostile attention from the army and police, and matrimonies once they are within the PLA further increase the family sizes", said Second Division Commander Suk Bahadur Roka Magar, whose three family memers are also in the PLA. His daughter and son-in-law are both combatants.

Both Third Division Commander Dhan Bahadur Maski Magar and his wife Sirjana, a brigade vice-commander, are in the PLA, and so is Seventh Division Vice-commander Birendra Budha´s wife Mahanata, also a brigade vice-commander. Likewise, Brigade Commander Bibek´s wife Birangana is a brigade vice-commander. Kamala Naharki Sapana, brigade commander of Krishna Sen Memorial Brigade, Sainamaina, Rupandehi, is the wife of Bikalpa, a battalion vice-commander.

Likewise, there are many married couples among the PLA combatants in the cantonments. Purna Pun, brigade vice-commander of Forth Division Jhyaltungdanda, Nawalparasi is married to Ram Ji Thapa Magar, brigade commander of Third Division, Shaktikhor. If they take voluntary retirement, they will get Rs 700,000 each.

Kalpana Mahara, brigade vice-commander of Sixth Division Surkhet, is the wife of Ramesh, brigade commander, Fourth Division Jhyaltungdanda,
Nawalparasi.
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PM SECRETARIAT HIRES RECORD STAFF

Kathmandu, 8 Nov.: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has surpassed his recent predecessors by appointing the highest number of advisors and staff at his secretariat, Bimal Gautam writes in Republica. .

According to a document acquired by Republica from a Baluwatar source, PM Bhattarai has appointed altogether 44 advisors and staff, thereby setting a new record at the prime minister´s
secretariat.

All those appointed by Bhattarai have been receiving monthly salaries ranging from Rs 9,900 to 31,000 from state coffers, depending on their responsibilities.

"This is the highest number of staff and advisors we have ever seen in the PM´s secretariat," said a source working at the secretariat, adding "The gamut of staff at the secretariat contradicts the PM´s repeated formal commitment to austerity in the use of state coffers."

Ex-prime ministers including the late Girija Prasad Koirala, Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Jhalanath Khanal appointed fewer staff and advisors at the PM´s secretariat compared to the incumbent PM.

Records at the PM´s secretariat show that Koirala appointed 22 staff and advisors at the secretariat, Dahal appointed 24, Nepal 23 and Khanal 28. PMs have long been appointing aides for various purposes.

The existing regulations allow the PM to appoint up to 46 staff and advisors at his secretariat. According to the source, former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had also appointed a large number of staff at his secretariat. The source, however, couldn´t find any document on how many were appointed by Deuba.

"Though the regulations allow the PM to appoint 46 staff and advisors, Dr Bhattarai, who believes in transparency and austerity, shouldn´t have filled almost all the positions," the sourced added. According to the source, the number of positions at the PM´s secretariat was taken to 46 during Deuba´s tenure as PM.

Those appointed at PM Bhattarai´s secretariat hold positions ranging from office assistant, light vehicle driver, accountant, administrative assistant, computer assistant, computer officer and photographer to section officer-level personal secretary, under secretary-level personal secretary, joint secretary-level personal secretary, personal secretary and principal personal secretary.

They all receive salaries with tax deductions from the PM´s secretariat. The total of 44 staff and advisors at PM Bhattarai´s secretariat receive Rs 7,82,000 every month.

The source informed Republica that most of those appointed by the PM have been deployed at various government agencies on special assignment. "Most of them have been asked to furnish progress reports to the PM on the government agencies concerned,"
the source added.
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