NC COMES OUT OF STREETS TO PROTEST MURDEROUS PRISON CELL ASSAULT

NC FRATERNAL WINGS COME OUT ;ON STREETS PROTESTING URDEROUS ASSAULT INSIDE PRISON CELL

Kathmandu, 7 Dec.: Tarun Dal, youth wing of man opposition NC, shut down in central and far-West districts Wednesday morning.
Other fraternal organizations of the party came out on the streets protesting a murderous assault on the Dal’s Chitwan District Chief Shiva Prasad Paudel inside a prison cell at district jail in Bharatpur Tuesday morning.
Five persons, including UML youth, were injured in the assault.
Paudel was being held to investigate a murder charge against another opposition UML youth.
Kathmandu campuses were tense and movement of vehicles disrupted creating long traffic jams on the capital streets.
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NEPAL PLAYS SAUDI ARABIA IN ACC TWENTY20
CHAMPIONSHIP

Kathmandu, 7 Dec. Nepal lost the toss and batted scoring 95 runs in 12.4 overs against Saudi Arabia in ACC Twenty20 Championship in the capital Wednesday in a bid to qualify for a semifinal berth.
Nepal has four points and is placed third in Group B.
Afghanistan has already entered the semifinal beating Bhutan by 180 runs Tuesday in a group match.
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AUSTRALIAN WOMAN TOURIST DEAD IN BANKE

Kathmandu, 7 Dec.: An Australian tourist died at Teaching Hospital of Nepalgunj Tuesday morning while under going treatment, The Rising Nepal reports from Banke.
Amanda Jennie, 39, died early in the morning, according to the District Police Office of Banke.
According to her husband Simon, they stayed at Puspalalchowk last night. After her wife became sick, he took Amanda to the hospital where she was admitted for treatment, police said.
Earlier, they had gone to Mahendranagar but came back to Nepalgunj after she health condition deteriorated.
The passport the number 3794510 was issued in the name of Amanda in 10 November, according to Superintendent of Police.
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POLICE BUST GANG OF INVOLVED IN PRINTING COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY NOTES

Kathmandu, 7 Dec.: Police busted four racketeers along with 100,000 pieces of papers prepared for the production of fake notes, stolen motorcycle and a home-made pistol, RSS reports fro Itahari.

A police squad deputed from Area Police Office, Duhabi netted them from a house behind the office of Oil Corporation in Biratnagar.

The arrestees are Chhotu Mandal and Mithilesh Sharma of Biratnagar-5, Sakit Khan of Sonapur, Sunsari and Bishal Uraw of Duhabi-3, informed Police Inspector Megh Raj Thapa.

The racketeers were taken under control based on a tip off that Mandal and Sharma looted a motorcycle (Ko 11 Pa 579) owned by Prem Magar of Itahari-5 along the Sonapur road section, Inspector Thapa informed at a press conference organized here on Tuesday.

Police also seized six mobile sets and other materials from the arrestees, he further informed.
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SOLAR POWERED MACHINES SUPPLIES WATER FOR ENDANGERED WILDLIFE SPECIES IN RESERVE
Kathmandu, 7 Dec.: The installation of solar powered machines to supply drinking water to the lakes and ponds of Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve has begun, The Rising Nepal reports from Kanchanpur.
The machines have been installed to supply drinking water on the artificial lakes as the natural lakes of the Reserve dried out in recent years.
Yuba Raj Regmi, the conservation officer, said that machines will be installed in three lakes this year and two lakes next year.
The water supply has been started in Bagh Pokhari, lying on the grassland of the reserve as a trial and would be extended to other lakes if the technology succeeds.
"Motors have been installed with automatic machines which can pump water from as deep as 20 feet down," said Regmi adding that the machines can not pump in a cloudy day.
The solar powered machines have been installed in six artificial lakes of the Reserve to supply the animals with drinking water after the natural lakes dried out due to lack of proper management.
The reserve administration had constructed artificial lakes in grassland extended as far as 56 kilometers within the premises of the Reserve which is home to tigers, deer, rhinoceros and elephants among others.
It is the first instance that solar powered technology has been used to supply water in the conserved area of the country. The water supply was managed using pumping sets earlier.
The installation of solar powered machines has been installed with assistance from Innovative Idea.
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SPEAKER NEMWANG ASKED TO EXPEL MAOIST LAWMAKER DHUNGEL
Kathmandu, 7 Dec.: UCPN-Maoist lawmaker Balkrishna Dhungel’s continuance as a Constituent Assembly member has put CA Chairman Subas Nembang’s role into question, Ananta Raj Luitel reports in The Himalayan Times.

Though Nembang had suspended CA members Gayatri Sah, BP Yadav, Shiv Pujan Yadav and Narad Muni Rana for passport misuse and Dol Bahadur Karki for corruption, Dhungel has been enjoying impunity despite being convicted for murder and Supreme Court staying the presidential pardon sought for him by the government.

Constitutional experts blame CA Chairman Subas Nembang for ‘illegally’ permitting Dhungel’s participation in the lawmaking process even after he was convicted in a heinous crime. Citing Interim Constitution that states a person convicted in any offence involving moral turpitude would be disqualified to hold the membership of the CA, constitutional law experts are demanding that Dhungel’s membership be revoked by Nembang.

Dhungel, convicted of murdering Ujjan Kumar Shrestha of Tarkerabari, Okhaldhunga on January 3, 2010, has been participating in the lawmaking process and even cast a vote on November 29 to extend CA’s tenure by six months.

According to former Nepal Bar Association chief Shambhu Thapa, Nembang should have revoked Dhungel’s membership immediately after the apex court conviction. SC later stayed the government bid to grant him pardon on November 24.

“Nembang’s decision not to initiate any action against Dhungel violates the constitution,” claims Thapa.

As per Article 65 (C) of the Interim Constitution, conviction in a criminal offence involving moral turpitude should lead to disqualification from CA membership. Article 67 (B) of the Constitution and Section 18 of the Constituent Assembly Member Election add that the seat of such a CA member should be declared vacant.

“Murder is an offence involving moral turpitude and he must be barred from participating in the lawmaking process,” constitutional law expert Purna Man Shakya demanded.

‘Can’t revoke membership’

A highly-placed source in the Constituent Assembly claims that since there is no law defining murder offence as moral turpitude, CA Chairman Nembang did not take action against Dhungel. “We suspended many lawmakers based on the prevailing laws but we did nothing against Dhungel as prevailing law does not clearly define that murder involves moral turpitude,” he added.
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MAOIST COMBATANTS’ ID CARDS KEPT BY COMMANDERS
Kathmandu, 7 Dec.: Identity cards issued by the Special Committee Secretariat to some combatants taking part in the regrouping process are now in the possession of Maoist commanders, according to the commanders as well as the combatants, Phanindra Dahal writes in The Kathmandu Post.
According to the combatants whose ID cards have been "taken away", the party intends to take a cut from the "severance package" offered to those combatants who lived outside the camps but attended the regrouping process.
Rumours are rife in cantonments that a circular from the PLA HQ has directed the commanders to ensure that the combatants who were living outside the cantonments provide 50 percent of their retirement benefits to the party.
During the regrouping process carried out between November 20-25, ID cards could not be printed at the site for technical reasons. Those verified during these dates were not able to collect their ID cards individually.
Surveyors had later handed over the cards to the commanders for distribution among the combatants. However, those attending the process between November 26 to December 1, were individually given the IDs.
Except for those in senior positions, the ID cards issued to a majority of the combatants have been collected by commanders. Some combatants participating in the regrouping process told the Post that their ID cards were taken by their commanders.
"The party has sent a circular," said Nep Bahadur Kunwar, the division vice-commander of the Surkhet-based Sixth Division. "Collecting the cash will not be easy because the payments will be made through banks," he added.
All the seven division commanders who are in possession of the ID cards are loyal to party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. However, Dahal, in an interview with the Post on Saturday, said talks about the party claiming part of the "severance package" was baseless.
PLA Spokesperson Chandra Prakash Khanal 'Baldev' also said there has been no decision and no circular has been issued regarding the matter. "We have collected the ID cards to ensure their safety so that they are not misplaced," he said.
"We are maintaining records of each of the identity cards and will distribute them to the combatants by the time they need it."
In accordance with the November 1 peace deal, combatants opting for voluntary retirement will be entitled to a cash package worth Rs 500,000 to Rs 800,000.
Commanders loyal to the Mohan Baidya faction argue that the number of combatants participating in the regrouping process crossed the 16,900 mark after more than 4,000 combatants were brought in the cantonments.
"I have not demanded my identity card and the commanders have also not given it to me," said Bimal Kumar Baral, the company commander of the Pratap Smriti Brigade under the Third Division in Shaktikhor. According to him, talks are doing the rounds of the cantonment that those who were living outside the cantonments must hand over the first installment of the package to the party.
"We don't belong to that group because we have struggled and stayed in camps. I don't believe that the party will take a cut from us," he added.
Identity cards of all the regrouped combatants are yet to be delivered to their respective cantonment sites. Over 1,100 cards are still being printed in Kathmandu, according to Special Committee Secretariat member Deepak Prakash Bhatta.
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UCPN (MAOIST) WON;T SURRENDER SAYS PARTY CHIEF
Kathmandu, 7 Dec.: - UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that his party would never surrender in the peace process. He added that in fact the Maoists would play a respectable role to conclude it, The Kathmandu Post.
Addressing a mass gathering organised to unveil the statue of Martyr Kami Budha in Musikot, the district headquarters of Rukum, the Maoist chief said that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would be integrated and rehabilitated in a respectful manner.
Dahal also said that his party has shown utmost flexibility in the peace process.
He acknowledged that there are few conflicts within the party regarding current political scenario, Maoist Chairman Dahal clarified that the party Central Committee meeting would iron out the differences soon.
“The party Central Committee meeting would resolve the disputed issues,” said Dahal. “Then the party would get a new shape after the General Convention.”
He, however, expressed his firm belief that that Maoists would not split under any circumstances.
Stating that the country needs an economic revolution, Dahal revealed that his party has prioritised national economic revolution. He added that the issue of federalism would be resolved soon.
Dahal was also certain that the twin tasks of peace and statute-drafting would be concluded within the scheduled timeframe.
The fourth extension of the Constituent Assembly term is expiring on May 30.
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