TERAI PARTY CHIEF AND FORMER MINISTER ARRESTED FOR INVESTIGATION INTO POSSIBLE ABDUCTION FOR RANSOM

NSP(D) PARTY CHIEF SHYAM PRASAD GUPTA ARRESTED

Kathmandu, 17 Jan. : Shyam Prasad Gupta, chairman of NSP (D) and former supply minister in the cabinet of Girija Prasad Koirala, was
arrested even during the current session of parliament from his home in Bhairahawa Monday by Rupendhaehi district police.
He was transferred to the capital for investigation for possible
involvement in the abduction of businessman Pawan Shanghai from
the capital last month.
Shanghai was abducted and released
Gupta was in his hometown to attend Tuesday’s wedding of his son.
Nnnn

UML FORMS TALKS TEAM WITH LIKE-MINDED PARTIES

Kathmandu, 17 Jan.: Opposition UML standing committee Monday
formed a four-member dialogue team headed by second ranking party
leader and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to pursue unity talks like-minded parties communist parties.
Bahudaliya janabad or multi-party democracy will be the minimum
principle for unity at a time when the second largest opposition party
after NC is attempting to develop as the largest party through
internal unity.
Other members of the dialogue team are third ranked leader KP
Sharma Oli, Vice-chairman Bamdeb Gautam and General Secretary
Ishwor Pokhrel.
UML is the third largest party after UCPN (Maoist) and NC.
Nnnn

MIN BAHADUR GURUNG TO ATTEMPT EVEREST AGAIN

Kathmandu, 17 Jan. : Min Bahadur Gurung, 81, an army pensioner, will attempt to break a personal record on the 8848meters Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, this spring in May.
He already holds the world for the oldest person to climb the peak.
Gurung announced his plan in Butwal Monday.
Former Foreign Minister and retired Ambassador to UN Shailendra
Kumar Upadhaya died last year on Everest while attempting to break
Gurung’s record
nnnn

WEATHER COULD IMPROVE OVER VALLEY FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON

Kathmandu, 17 Jan.: Minimum temperature before 6 in the evening Monday was 2 degrees Celsius.
Slight rainfall was recorded in the morning in the capital.
Heavy snow was recorded in the Himalayan, hilly regions stranding tourists and as locals were pinned to their homes and flights were dissrupted.
Several deaths were recorded in the hills and terai.
Water froze in taps in the hills
Weather is expected to improve in the capital Tuesday afternoon with continuing snowfall in the hills and mountain regions.

DISSATIFFIED MAOISTS WON’T JOIN GOVT.
Kathmandu, 17 Jan.: Secretary of the UCPN-Maoist CP Gajurel has said that the Baidhya faction cannot join the present government until the four-point deal signed with the Madhes-based parties was scrapped, RSS reports.

He however said that the party has decided to move ahead for peace and constitution writing by keeping party's dispute aside.

Speaking at an interaction organised by the Reporters Club in the capital on Monday, Gajurel said party's activities will be forwarded for drafting people's federal republic constitution keeping party's ideological discussion intact.

He said agreement has been forged to draft common programs and prepare planning for the short time so as to accomplish the tasks of peace and constitution as there was slim chance of preparing a single proposal by consolidating both the proposals of Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairman Mohan Baidhya.

He also expressed commitment not to reverse the decision signed between the political parties to integrate 6,500 PLA combatants into the security forces, adding that 443 combatants should be given the posts of officers in the force as per the vacant post for officers in the Nepal Army.

Also speaking at the programme, vice-chairman of Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP), Brijesh Chandra Lal said the parties should focus on constitution writing instead of forming new government.

He, however, denied changing the Bhattarai-led government, saying there is no guarantee that next government can resolve all problems of the country.
nnnn

NEPAL INDIA TALKS FOCUS ON CORE ISSUES
Kathmandu, 17 Jan.: The home secretary-level Nepal-India talks began in the Indian capital today with special focus on smuggling of fake Indian currency notes, funding of madrasas based in areas bordering India, security of Indian investment in Nepal, crossborder crime and human-trafficking, Ram Kumar Kamat reports in The Himalayan Times from New Delhi.

When the Indian team said it had information that some terrorists are funding the madrasas, the Nepali officials said they assured India that Nepal will not allow the use of madrasas for anti-social activities. The Nepali side said that Nepal, a secular country, cannot single out madraas for receiving funds, pointing that Hindu organisations also receive funds from different places and sources.

On the issue of fake currency notes, the Indian side told the Nepali team that controlling the influx of fake Indian currency notes is in the interest of Nepal as well because it will also bear the brunt if the Indian economy destabilises.

In response to India’s stance that Nepal needs to do more to ensure security of Indian investment and investors as they are not feeling secure in Nepal even after the signing of the Business Promotion and Protection Agreement, Nepali officials said they have been doing all they can to ensure the security of foreign investment.

On the signing of a new extradition treaty, the process for which had begun in 2005, Nepal’s acting Ambassador to India Khaganath Adhikari said his country’s position on the issue remains unchanged, referring to the need for more time to build a consensus on the treaty.

India, however, did not raise the issue of the deployment of sky marshals aboard Indian flights this time around.

The Nepali side informed the Indian team that Nepal, in order to check malpractice in foreign employment, had made labour stickers mandatory for foreign job aspirants. “We have asked the Indian government to allow only those Nepali foreign job-seekers with labour stickers to fly from Indian cities, and the Indian side is positive about it,” the source added.

Nepal also asked the Indian government to ban the sale of certain psychotropic substances in border regions to discourage Nepali smugglers, who often push those drugs into Nepal. Both the sides agreed to have more frequent meetings between local law enforcement agencies in the border areas to take stock of crossborder crime and explore ways to control it.

The issue of postal road construction, integrated checkpost, information-sharing between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries and training for Nepali law enforcement authorities also figured in the meeting.
nnnn
MAOIST NATIONAL CONCLAVE
Kathmandu, 17 Jan.: :A meeting of the top officials of the UCPN-Maoist held at the party headquarters in Peris Danda has decided to launch a national conclave of the party cadres on Monday, The Himalayan Times reports..

The conclave will be addressed by the central leaders of the party by organising gatherings in various parts of the country. The programme is scheduled to take place from January 19 until February 3, said a leader privy to the meeting.

The meeting also dwelled on the pace, statute writing and the formation of the government. During the meeting, the Maoist leaders urged the Prime Minister to form a national consensus government while the leaders close to Baidhya faction suggested that the Prime Minister step down, paving the way for a national consensus government.

There is an internal rift between the Baidhya faction of the Maoist party and the establishment over various issues including the party line and the issues related to peace and statute writing.

The Baidhya faction has been expressing reservations over the party policy adopted by the establishment side claiming that this party line will not help promulgate a people’s constitution and calling for the establishment to go for people’s revolt immediately. On the other hand, the establishment believes that people’s constitution can be written through the Constituent Assembly after completing the peace process.

Earlier, Palungtar plenum of the Maoist party had decided to write people’s constitution through the CA completing the peace process and would resort to people’s revolt only in case the reactionary forces played an obstructive role.
nnnn

BIMSTEC ENDORSES PPA, PLEDGES TO BOOST TRADE, INVESTMENT
Kathmandu, 17 Jan.:: The second ministerial meeting of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) on Poverty Alleviation concluded on Monday, endorsing a Poverty Plan of Action (PPA), a regional strategy paper that categorically mentions numerous strategies that the seven member states of the bloc would adopt for reducing poverty, Republica reports.

The meeting also issued a Kathmandu Statement that focused on extending economic cooperation as well as raising trade and investment among member countries.

The PPA, which was proposed by Nepal in consultation with other member countries, includes fostering accelerated, pro-poor and inclusive growth, social development, implementing targeted programs for poor and increase coverage of social protection.

Similarly, the eight-point PPA also incorporated the strategies of increased preparedness to address adverse effects of climate change, disaster risk management, good governance and periodic review of regional report, and review by member states.

The high-level meeting was attended by ministers and senior officials of seven member countries of the sub-regional block - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Issuing the Kathmandu Statement on Poverty Alleviation, member countries endorsed the PPA pledging to incorporate appropriate aspects of the plan of action in respective country´s plans and programs.

The member countries have also agreed to strengthen cooperation for natural disaster risk reduction, environmental protection and conservation, and develop a common framework for assessing climate change and environmental services for poverty alleviation.

Conducting frequent consultations among member countries on issues of international trade and investment and increasing human capital investment specifically for the poor and the vulnerable groups are the issues agreed at the meeting.

The meeting also agreed to make periodic review of the implementation and progress in reducing poverty level and human deprivation, to introduce legal provisions and developmental programs to empower women and mainstream them in all development activities.

The one-day ministerial meeting also decided to hold the third BIMSTEC ministerial meeting on poverty alleviation in Sri Lanka. Inaugurating the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha highlighted the role of global fraternity in poverty alleviation.

U Tin Naing Thein, minister for National Planning and Economic Development of Myanmar, stressed on national plans that should be in line with regional plans relating to poverty alleviation.

Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission Deependra Bahadur Kshetry said increase in literacy and school enrollment rate, increase in average life expectancy, reduction in child and maternal mortality are some of the remarkable achievements made by Nepal in recent years.

Vice-chairman of Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) of Nepal Janak Raj Joshi said the outcome of the meeting will pave the way for a meaningful impact on the lives of the poor and the marginalized communities.

The heads of delegations from member countries also met Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Monday.
nnnn



________________________________________



PM, MAOIST CHIEF ASSURE MADESHSBADI PARTIES

Kathmandu, 17 Jan.: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal have assured the ruling Madhesi parties that the UCPN (Maoist) would implement the November-1 seven-point agreement on peace process and government formation, besides committing to abide by the previous agreements relating to constitution writing, Republica reports..

Bhattarai and Dahal gave the assurance to the leaders of the Madhesi parties after the latter expressed concern over the stalemate in the constitution writing and peace process during their "regular" meeting with Maoist leaders on Monday.

"The prime minister and Prachanda [Dahal] assured us that they would think of other alternative only if the peace process does not move forward and if drafting of constitution fails," JP Gupta, chairman of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (R), said.

In addition, Dahal and Bhattarai also assured the Madhesi leaders that they would not deviate from the peace process and from the past agreements on issues related to constitution writing.

"They told us that they would not deviate from what has already been agreed with regard to constitution making," said Gupta.

According to another Madhesi leader Mahendra Yadav, Bhattarai and Dahal assured them of advancing the stalled peace process by starting the voluntary retirement process without any delay. But the Maoist leaders did not specify when the process would start, Yadav said.

Yadav added that the meeting has also evaluated the progress in implementation of the four-point agreement reached between the Maoists and the alliance of Madhesi parties in August before the formation of the present coalition.

"There has been progress in the implementation of the four-point agreement," Yadav said.

Nnnn

________________________________________


________________________________________