CHRISTMAS DECLARED PUBLIC HOLIDAY FIRST TIME IN LARGELY HINDU STATE

CHRISTMAS PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Kathmandu, 25 Dec.: Government declared Sunday a public holiday coinciding with Christmas in the largely Hindu state that was
was a Hindu monarchical state before monarchy was abolished
four years ago.
Only an estimated 0.5 percent of the 26 million population is
Christian amid demands from mainly western countries to preach and
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav
greeted Christians on the occasion.
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MINIMUM CAPITAL TEMPERATURE 2.5 DEGREES CELSIUS

Kathmandu, 25 Dec.: The capital’s minimum temperature was
2.5 degrees Celsius Sunday morning.
Mercury in the afternoon on a clear and sunny day is expected to rise of l18 degrees Celsius.
Two more persons died in a continuing cold wave in Siraha and
Saptari Saturday.
Official death toll in the cold wave is 32 but unofficial casualty figue has gone beyond 40.
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PRESIDENT’S PRESS ADVISOR SUFFERED HEART ATTACK

Katahamandu, 25 Dec.” Rajendra Dahal, press advisor of President DR. Ram Baran Yadav suffered a heart attack Saturday.
He’s undergoing treatment at Norvic Hospital.
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ASSAM REBEL LEADER HJA HAS HOME IN DHARAN
Kathmandu, 25 Dec.: The Niranjan Hojai citizenship case is getting curiouser and curiouser with a police probe revealing that Hojai, an Indian terrorist, has a one-storey house (see picture) in Dharan-8, purchased after he acquired Nepali citizenship in the name of Nirmal Rai by bribing officials at the Dharan Area Administration Office about five years ago, Ratna Prasad Acharya writes in The Himalayan Times from
Dharan..

According to DSP Rajendra Bista, chief of the Dharan Area Police Office, this came to light after the arrest and interrogation of Dharan residents Santosh Lama and Jagat Bahadur Rai, who had helped Hojai acquire the Nepali citizenship by posing as his father and a witness, respectively.

Bista, a part of the team that today raided the six-room house built in one kattha, said police recovered hardware and software used in making duplicate citizenship certificates.

“The family of Kumar Tamang has been staying at the house on rent,” Bista said.

“A year after acquiring the citizenship, Hojai had bought the property, which Nepal Commercial Bank had put on auction after its owner failed to repay the bank loan, for Rs 1.05 million,” Santosh, now in police custody, said.

On the issuance of the citizenship certificate to the fugitive, Santosh said, “Non-gazetted second-class officer Prahlad Shrestha and then section officer Dambaru Prasad Niraula had issued the citizenship in the name of Nirmal Rai by accepting Rs 10,000 from Hojai in kickbacks,” Santosh said, while Shrestha claimed to have issued the citizenship as the applicant had followed due procedures.

According to Santosh, Jyoti Shrestha, Jagat Bahadur Magar of Dharan, Deeplal Rai of Darjeeling and then second class non-gazetted officer Ashok Ojha of Dharan municipality were complicit in the case.

The ongoing probe into the case has led police to suspect that a large group of Hojai associates is active in Dharan.

Regarding his involvement in the scam that has landed him in police custody along with Santosh, Jagat said Santosh had roped him in the case by giving him some money, an allegation that Santosh has accepted.

Police had arrested government official Nunulal Urab in connection with the case yesterday, while other suspects are still at large.
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FORMER MAOIST PLA COMBATANT WHO OPTED TO JOIN ARMY WANT RETIREMENT
Kathmandu, 25 Dec.: Hundreds of Maoist PLA combatants, who had chosen the integration option during the regrouping process, now want to go for voluntary retirement, Lekhnath Pandey reports in The Himalayan Times..

Sources confirmed that an increasing number of fighters now want to opt out of the integration process and retire fearing that the process of assimilation into the Nepali Army is fraught with uncertainties.

Of about 17,000 regrouped PLAs, about 9,500 had chosen the integration option, 7,500 had chosen the retirement package with cash incentives worth Rs 5-8 lakh, while six fighters had chosen rehabilitation.

“Many combatants, who had gone for integration, now want to retire. This week alone, as many as 18 combatants approached me, inquiring if they choose the retirement option now,” said Balananda Sharma, coordinator of the Secretariat under the Special Committee, who had led the PLA regrouping conducted from November 18 to December 1.

Other secretariat members have also been receiving dozens of such calls, with the callers asking if it is possible to opt for voluntary retirement. A secretariat member said more than 2,000 combatants may have expressed willingness to retire.

“Most of these callers do not disclose their personal details and call us up from telephone booths located outside cantonments.”

A Maoist source also confirmed that hundreds of fighters, who had chosen integration, want to go for the retirement scheme, fearing that the integration process will keep them confined at cantonments for months with no guarantee of integration into the national army.

For assimilation into the army, PLA combatants will have to pass the army’s physical fitness test, complete professional training and bridge course, among others.

Whereas retirement is quite an easy option.

“I immediately become eligible for retirement and get cash incentives within the upcoming fiscal,” said the source quoting a combatant who had chosen integration.

“It’s still uncertain when the integration process begins and whether I will be eligible for assimilation,” the fighter said. The source added that the PLA top brass is visiting the cantonments soon to address this issue. Asked whether the secretariat can help out the PLAs wishing to retire, coordinator Sharma said the issue falls within the ambit of the Special Committee. The secretariat, according to a source, was suggesting the SC that such PLAs can be categorised again and discharged together with the combatants, who already have chosen voluntary retirement.
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