MAOIST CC MET AGAIN POSTPONED

MAOIST CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEET AGAIN POSTPONED
Kathmandu, Jan 15: Maoist Central Committee (CC) meeting scheduled to resume Sunday has been put off yet again, greatwayonline com reports.
The CC meeting, which was put off a number of times amid internal dispute, is expected to clarify the recent ‘understanding’ between the the party establishment and the hardliner faction to put aside the differences for the time being.
However, a fresh dispute has resurfaced with the Mohan Baidya faction refusing to give up its stance on replacing Baburam Bhattarai as Prime Minister.
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PRESIDENT HOLDS COLLECTIVE MEET WITH GOVT,PARTY LEADERS
AND SPEAKER

Kathmandu, 15 Jan.: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav held consultations Sunday with
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, Speaker Subash Nembang, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala and CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal. were present in the function.

MJFD Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, TMDP Chairman Mahantha Thakur and former prime ministers.
were also present at the collective meeting.

The president requested party and government leaders to complete the remaining tasks of peace and constitution drafting processes in time amid another political deadlock.
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PRACHANDA IN ROLPA, SCHEDULEDLED TO RETURN TO CAPITAL SUNDAY

Kathmandu, 15 Jan.: Maoist Chief Prachanda arrived in Rolpa Sunday to inaugurate a thee-day Rolpa Festival, in district headquarters Liwang.

He’s accompanied by top supporters in the party which is attempting to resolve serious ideological and procedural problems to unity the party.
A planned party central committee meeting hasn’t been held as yet as First Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya has rejected the party chief’s proposal to induct Baidya supporters in the government team of Premier Baburam Bhattarai to resolve the dispute.
Bhattarai has sided with Prachanda in the dispute to write a constitution and complete the peae process.
The team is flying back to the capital Sunday after the inauguration in the far-West hill district from where a 10-year people’ war was launched.
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HETAUDA CEMENT FACTORY STOPS

Kthmandu, 15 Jan.:: Production at the Hetaunda Cement factory has been halted due to the problem seen in the factory’s furnace, RSS reports from Hetauda.

The management board at the cement factory said that the furnace would be repaired within a couple of days by bringing technicians from India.

The factory has suspended supply of cement to the market for now due to the halt in its production.

The supply of coal to the factory has resumed now and the factory does not have any problem with the supply of coal at present, it is said.
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'PARTIES BEING ACTIVATED FOR LOCAL ELECTIONS CLAIMS MINISTER
Kathmandu, 15 Jan : Minister for Local Development Top Bahadur Rayamajhi has said that the political parties will be made active at the local level though the all-party mechanism was dissolved, RSS reports from Gulmi.

Talking to representatives of political parties, officials and civil society in Gulmi on Sunday, Minister Rayamajhi said discussions were underway to make the parties mechanism active at the local level in a ´new way´ for the operation of the local bodies.

Earlier, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had given directives in the name of government to dissolve the all-party mechanism at the local level.

Minister Rayamajhi reasoned that the meaning of forming consumers committee sans political representatives means only head of such committee should not be a political figure.

He said the present recommendations made for declaring municipalities were not based on serious studies and added other municipalities will be declared only after consultations with experts.

He also claimed that this government is the final troubleshooter for drafting constitution and concluding the ongoing peace process.

This government will finalize the tasks of peace and constitution as incumbent prime minister was the political designer of the Constituent Assembly (CA).

Saying this government will not be toppled down until the peace process was concluded and constitution writing completed, Minister Rayamajhi claimed that national consensus government would be formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai.

Also speaking on the occasion, Nepali Congress central member and lawmaker Pushpa Bhusal said NC would not join the government before concluding the peace process and writing of the constitution.

"NC´s priority is peace and constitution instead of government leadership," Bhusal said.
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3,829 NEPALIS BENEFIT FROM MALAYSIAN AMNESTY

Kathmandu, 15 Jan.: About 3,829 Nepali migrant workers taken benefit from Malaysian amnesty announced August last year. According to Home Affairs Ministry of the destination, a total of 73,637 illegal migrant workers from over a dozen countries benefited from the state pardon.

Malaysian government’s Illegal Immigrant Comprehensive Settlement Programme (6P) has reported 128,373 illegal migrant workers and 33,000 of them were Nepalis. Among them 3,829 Nepalis returned to the home country, official agency Bernama reported. More than 15,000 Nepali workers gets sponsors/job providers and become legal migrant through the 6P process. They were mostly run away and overstay workers.

Of 73,637 illegal migrant workers benefited from the amnesty, 49,642 Indonesians, followed by Indians (5,401), Myanmar nationals (3,167), Cambodians (2,684), Nepalese (3,829), Filipinoes (1,244), Bangladeshis (2,663), Vietnamese (1,443), Sri Lankans (908), Pakistanis (1,601) and Chinese (584).

Malaysian government amnesty plan has offered two options– find jobs and become legal worker or leave the country– and two third of migrant workers had succeeded to get jobs in the country.

Amnesty to illegal migrant workers is a part of comprehensive migrant worker management programme. The programme has features like census of migrant workers at work place, building biometric identification system and setting limits of number of migrant workers according to their nationality.

About 400,000 Nepalis are believed working in the East Asian destination. According to Department of Foreign Employment, the destination hired 41,075 Nepalisin last five months and 7,414 joined Malaysian job in Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December). It was top hiring country from 2009 to mid-March 2011.

Malaysian government has decided to grant work permit to victims of trafficking and exploitation, official news agency Bernama reported on Friday. According to the report, the Home Ministry announced a new policy that will allow migrants who are victims of trafficking and labour exploitation and have been placed in shelter homes to take up employment in Malaysia upon their release. However, in

current procedure, the victims would be sent back to their country of origin upon their release from the shelter homes.
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COOKING GAS SHORTAGE
Kathmandu, 15 Jan.: Cooking gas– Liquified Petroleum (LP) gas– shortage hitting people as the crisis loomed with growing demand. But authorities related to the business are reluctant to take responsibility for crisis.

Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has suspected that dealers and bottling plants are selling LP gas to industrial users and it creating scarcity in market.

“NOC has been supplying 15,000 to 16,000 metric tones cooking gas every month according to demand,”said an official at the corporation. However, current market situation did not support the statement. It is awful from consumers since they have to queue up for hours to get a single cylinder of cooking gas.

Almost 40 per cent of cooking gas is being used by industries and hotels after the government has assured Value Added Tax (VAT)refund in it, he said, adding that the trend of using LP gas from those sector is even in the rise.

“The ministry should direct industries and hotels to use either diesel or kerosene unless the government cannot increase gas import from India,” he expressed.

The government has projected that the basic use of gas is to cook food and it should be implemented in practice, the official said.

“It is the matter of shame that the general public is compelled to eat in the hotels due to lack of cooking gas while industries are getting it easily.”Hoarding and black-marketing are also fuelling the problem of cooking gas shortage, he claimed.

Meanwhile, the Indian Oil Corporation has also reduced the cooking gas supply to Nepal Oil Corporation citing on the reason of low importing of cooking gas in India, deputy director at the corporation Sushil Kumar Bhattarai said.

Debt-ridden Nepal Oil Corporation is incurring Rs 431.47 loss on a cylinder of cooking gas every month and it has projectedthe consumption of 1,200,000 cylinders of cooking gas every month in the market.
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CO-OPTING UML 3 UML LEADER IN CA ON HOLD
KATHMANDU, 15 Jan: The proposal to induct three senior leaders of the CPN-UML-- KP Sharma Oli, Bamdev Gautam and Amrit Bohara -- into the Constituent Assembly (CA), which is under discussion among the top CPN-UML leadership, has been held back in order to including key leaders from other major parties also, Republica
reports
UML leaders close to Oli said he is not for taking a hasty decision in this connection as he prefers to join the 601-seat CA along with key leaders from other parties such as Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala and UCPN (Maoist) Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya.

"Oliji is for joining the CA along with some senior leaders from other parties because that would improve the prospects for writing the new constitution," said UML CC member Ganesh Timalsina. "But our party will recommend its leaders, including Oliji, for the CA even without Koirala and Baidya," he said.

He said the UML would first vacate two CA posts to make way for the two leaders because Oli and Gautam were not in the list under the proportional representation system.

Timalsina said UML leaders chose to intensify their campaign to strengthen intra-party unity and to take their time with the proposal to nominate its leaders to the CA.

"It seems the question of endorsing the proposal to induct Oli and other leaders into the CA has been forgotten because we have lately given greater priority to intra-party unity and all top leaders are busy to that end," Timalsina said.

Though some CC members close to Oli advise him not to join the CA, given its very limited tenure, some others would have him accept membership.

"It´s true the CA has only five months remaining...but we suggest Oliji join the CA because parliament will continue in existence and its leadership will become crucial even after promulgation of the new constitution," said UML CC member Karna Bahadur Thapa, an Oli loyalist.

According to sources, some leaders close to Oli, who has served as deputy prime minister, have suggested he accept the offer only if there is sufficient basis for his becoming prime minister.

UML Chairman Khanal came up with a proposal to elevate Oli to third position in the party and nominate him, Gautam and Bohara as CA members, in a bid to patch up intra-party rifts.

A recent standing committee meeting endorsed the chairman´s proposal to elevate Oli, who leads a rival faction in the party, but Khanal is yet to formally table the proposal at a party meeting.
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LOWEST TEMERATURE IN CAPITAL SATURDAY
Kathmandu, 15 Jan : Denizens of Kathmandu Valley on Saturday experienced the coldest morning of the last two years as the temperature reached freezing point, on Astha Rai reports in Republica..

The Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD) recorded a minimum temperature of 0.0 degree Celsius Saturday morning. At 0.0 degree Celsius water starts changing from liquid to solid.

This is the first time in the last two years that the Valley´s minimum temperature has plunged so low. Last winter, the minimum temperature was 0.5 degree Celsius, on January 10 and 14.

MFD has forecast the Valley´s minimum temperature at minus 1 degree Celsius for Sunday morning before sunrise. This is the first time this year that MFD has forecast minus zero weather.

"Since the rains last Monday, the Valley is getting colder by the day," said senior meteorologist Rajendra Shrestha. "And the minimum temperature is all set to plunge further Sunday morning."

Valley temperatures have not gone below zero degree since 2010. On January 12 that year, the minimum temperature was recorded at -0.2 degree Celsius. However, people did not feel too cold in the afternoon that day as maximum temperature exceeded 22.6 degrees.

On Saturday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 16.8 degrees, and people experienced biting cold almost throughout the day.

Weather experts say Saturday´s low temperature is somehow linked to Monday´s rains.

"Dark clouds over the Valley nearly disappeared following the rains. The weather has remained fair for the last few days and this has resulted in a strong north-westerly wind," Shrestha at MFD said. "If you´re out in the open, you can feel the strong wind."

The speed and intensity of the north-westerly, according to Shrestha, have caused a drastic drop in mercury. "If the weather continues fair, the mercury will plunge further," he said.

In cloudy weather, chances are there is no wind or only low wind. "There is no drastic drop in mercury in such weather even if the sun is elusive," Shrestha said.
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WEN VISIT A MILESTONE SAYS DEPUTY PREMIER SHRESTHA
Kathmandu, 15 Jan.: The government has said Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's formal goodwill visit to Nepal has proved a milestone for improving the Nepal-China relations, The Kathmandu Post writes..
Speaking at a press conference at the Tribhuvan International Airport, following the departure of the Chinese Premier on Saturday afternoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the bilateral talks between the prime ministers of the two countries and agreement on promoting the economic cooperation has taken the mutual relation relations to a new height.
During Jiabao’s meeting with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, the Chinese Premier expressed commitments to cooperate with Nepal on the international and regional issues of mutual interest, said Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha.
On the occasion, the Chinese Premier praised Prime Minister Bhattarai for his efforts to move ahead to work together with the political parties for peace and constitution in the country, he added.
Wishing for economic development in Nepal with the conclusion of the peace process and promulgation of the new constitution as early as possible, the Chinese Premier said that the Chinese government was ready for extending support to this effect, said Minister Shrestha.
In response, Prime Minister Bhattarai apprised his Chinese counterpart that peace and constitution were the agendas of the topmost priority of his government.
Similarly, during his short stay in Nepal, Premier Jiabao called on President Dr Ram Baran Yadav and met with the senior leaders of major political parties of Nepal.
On the occasion, reiterating their commitments to one-China Policy, the political leaders said that Jiabao's visit has added a new dimension to the Nepal-China relations.
Expressing commitments to working together for the acceleration of the peace and constitution drafting process, the top brass of the political parties in Nepal underlined the need of cooperation and support from the international community to this end, said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Shrestha.
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CHINA OFFERS RS12B GRANT
Kathmandu, 15 Jan.: China on Saturday announced an RMB 750 million (Rs 9.75 billion) grant, its single largest so far, over three years, and a one-time grant of US $20 million (Rs 2.6 billion) to Nepal. The announcement was made during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s one-day visit to Kathmandu. Nepal and China also signed eight pacts on the occasion, The Kathmandu Post reports.
The 750 million RMB will be spent on mutually agreed projects under Economic and Technical Cooperation. China has also increased its yearly assistance to Nepal from RMB 150 million to RMB 200 million. The $20 million grant will be spent on the rehabilitation of former Maoist combatants.
The two sides agreed to construct six border ports along the Nepal-China border. Of the agreed border points—Yari-Pulam, Rasuwa-Jilong, Kodari-Zangmu (Khasa) and Olangchug Gola-Riwa, Kimanthanka-Dingri and Mustang Legze, three will be constructed in Tatopani, Rasuwagadhi and Tiker immediately. The three border points will be upgraded as international entry points, according to Deputy Prime and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
The meeting also agreed to establish a joint commission involving the foreign ministries of the two countries to deal with bilateral relations in their entirety.
A memorandum of understanding was signed on Saturday for strengthening the Nepal Police. The Chinese side pledged RMB 10 million for the purpose. An agreement was reached also on establishing an Armed Police Force college, for whose preliminary study China would provide RMB 4 million. Another MoU was signed on operationalisation of loan mechanism between Nepal’s Finance Ministry and the EXIM bank of China.
Nepal and China agreed also on a revised version of cultural agreement, to be in effect for five years. The two sides reached an agreement on Frontier Pasture, which will allow inhabitants of border areas of both the countries to graze their cattle 30 km across the border.
According to Foreign Minister Shrestha, China is willing to aid the construction of an international airport in Pokhara, and to extend the Chinese railway to the Nepal border. Shrestha said China was positive also about extending the railway further to Lumbini via Kathmandu. He added that the Chinese delegation had responded positively to the Nepali proposal to build north-south link roads.
The two sides expressed agreement to hold talks on developing hydropower projects as required by the Nepal government and the special economic zones here. Shrestha said the process will be initiated through the EXIM bank of China.
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