VISITING CHINESE LEADER LIU HILDS DISCUSSIONS WITH PM BHATTARAI

Kathmandu, 7 Nov.: Visiting Chinese Liu Qi, a politburo, held discussions MondayMorning with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on the third day of
a four-day Nepal visit.
Liu is one of the top 10 members of the Communist party of China
is conducting discussions to pave the way for Bhattarai’s China
visit; the premier who has been office for two months has just
completed a visit of India, the southern neighbour.
Nepal is also efforting to invite Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.
Monday’s visit comes before Bhattarai leaves for Maldives Tuesday to
lead and attend the 17th SAAC summit; the premier is heading a 11-member team.
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PLA ALLOTS INTEGRATION QUOTATO 7 DIVISIOSNS

Kathmandu, 7 Nov.:: The General Staff meeting of People´s Liberation Army (PLA) has finalized the quotas for all its seven divisions on the number of combatants opting for integration and has directed all divisional headquarters to initiate selection procedures accordingly,
Kiran Pun writes is Republica..

PLA divisional commanders of all the seven cantonments told Republica that they have received the instruction from the center about the quota allotted to their respective divisions and said that they will immediately start the selection procedures.


"We will start selecting the combatants opting for the integration with Nepal Army immediately as per the quota we have received," said Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, commander of the Sixth Division.

As per the peace deal signed by major political parties on November 1, the Maoists have to select 6,500 combatants from among the 19,503, according to latest updates. However, sum total of the quotas allotted to the seven divisions by the PLA headquarters for integration and obtained by Republica exceeds the number by 1,140.

Top PLA commanders justified the decision to allot more quotas for PLA integration saying that it is necessary to adopt such policy because some combatants might backtrack from their decision for integration at a later stage.

"Since the possibility of some combatants changing their decision at the last hour is high, we need to select more number than the agreed one," a commander of fifth division was quoting PLA chief Nanda Kishor Pun as saying in a close-door meeting with commanders of the fifth division held in Kathmndu on Sunday. Pun, according the participants of the meeting, however made it clear that the total number of PLA going for integration will not exceed the agreed quota of 6,500 in the end.

According to the commanders who played vital role in reckoning the quotas to each division, the quotas were fixed on the basis of the number of PLA each cantonment was taking care of. Though, the number of registered combatants at the third division was highest, it was given second highest quota because the division also recorded the highest number of desertions.

According to the list of quota allotted to the seven divisions, the seventh division has been given the highest quota of 1,450 followed by third division with 1,425 and sixth division with 1,315 combatants.
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PM, AG SOLICIT PRESIDNT TO PARDOM DHUNGEL

Kathmandu, 7 Nov.: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai and Attorney General Mukti Pradhan on Sunday jointly briefed President Dr Ram Baran Yadav on the case involving Maoist lawmaker Bal Krishna Dhungel and urged for the latter´s help in granting amnesty to the lawmaker who has been slapped life sentence by the Supreme
Court, Kiran Chapagain writes in Republica..

Sources close to the prime minister who are familiar with the development told Republica that the prime minister and the attorney general made the request in a bid to convince the president to grant amnesty to the Maoist lawmaker before the cabinet takes a decision on the case.

“The prime minister and the attorney general jointly briefed the case to the president and sought cooperation from him in granting amnesty to Dhungel,” a source known to the development told Republica.

The president, as per the Article 115 of the interim constitution, may grant pardons and reprieves to any individual convicted by a court on the recommendation of the cabinet. But the constitution is silent on whether the president can grant amnesty to a person who has been convicted of grave human rights violation.

The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Dhungel in 2010 for the murder of one Ujjan Shrestha of Okhaldhunga. Shrestha was shot dead by the Maoists at Tarkerabari-7, Okhaldhunga on June 24, 1998, allegedly for spying on the Maoists. Dhungel, who won the Constituent Assembly (CA) election from Okhaldhunga-2 in 2008, is still walking free as the court verdict has not been enforced. The UCPN (Maoist) has been trying to secure amnesty for Dhungel ever since the Supreme Court found him guilty despite opposition from the human rights community.

President´s Press Advisor Rajendra Dahal confirmed that the attorney general had accompanied the prime minister during the latter´s meeting with the president at Shital Niwas on Sunday.

“I cannot share what transpired at the meeting,” said Dahal.

But talking to Republica, Attorney General Pradhan said Dhungel´s case did not feature during the meeting. “The prime minister apprised the president about the recent seven-point agreement and his upcoming visit to the Maldives to take part in the SAARC summit. No other issues were discussed,” Pradhan said.

On October 3, the attorney general had told media persons during a function at Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi´s residence that the process of granting amnesty to Dhungel had begun. On the very same day, the cabinet had also received a proposal from the home ministry to grant amnesty to Dhungel.

Even on Sunday, the government´s spokesperson repeated the government´s resolve to pardon Dhungel.

“It was agreed during the tenure of the Madhav Kumar Nepal government to grant Dhungel an amnesty. The government will take decision on the issue,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayankaji Shrestha, who is also the government´s spokesperson.

An official at the prime minister´s office said the prime minister and the attorney general might have discussed the issue before the cabinet takes any decision foreseeing that the head of state might turn down any plea to pardon Dhungel.

The prime minister and the attorney general made the request to the president at a time when human rights groups have been trying to take Dhungel´s case to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council and opposing the move to pardon Dhungel.
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MAOIST GENERAL SEC. THAPA ASKS PLA TO DEFY GAG
KIRAN PUN
Jathmandu, 7 Nov.: Taking strong exception to the recent whip issued by the People´s Liberation Army (PLA), UCPN (Maoist) General Secretary and in-charge of the party´s military commission Ram Bahadur Thapa has asked PLA members not to follow the whip that bars the latter from
making public statements against integration and rehabilitation
modality, Kiran Pun reports inRepublica reports.

Thapa expressed his objection with some central committee members of the party from the far-western region who met Thapa on Saturday.

“I heard the commanders have issued a whip to PLA members not to express their views against the decision reached on Nov 1. PLA is a political army. They have to express what they feel,” Om Prakash Pun, central committee member, quoted Thapa as saying at the meeting.

Thapa was not invited in the recent meeting of the PLA general staff on Thursday. Thapa was appointed in-charge of the party military commission by the central committee meeting held after the formation of Dhobighat alliance. Vice chairmen Mohan Baidya, Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Narayankaji Shrestha and Thapa had formed a loose alliance for collective leadership in the party challenging party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal´s highhandedness in the party. The formation of alliance had paved the way for Bhattarai to become the prime minister.

“I was not involved in any decision of the PLA. I will make this an agenda at the upcoming party central committee meeting,” he said. The faction led by party senior Vice-chairman Baidya has expressed dissent against the seven-point peace deal saying that the deal is “against the people and the country” and surrender not integration of the PLA. At the meeting, he also accused the party leadership of abandoning the path of revolution.

Meanwhile, commanders close to the Baidya faction said they have not yet been officially informed about the November 1 seven-point deal on the management of Maoist combatants though other commanders close to Dahal and Bhattarai have already been informed officially.
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