FORMER PLS FIGHTERS BEING SENT HOE FROM CAMPS AFTER VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT

FORMER PLA FIGHTERS BEING SENT HOME AFTER VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT

Kathmandu, 6 April: Secretariat of the special committee on integration and
supervision of former Maoist combatants headed ex-officio by the prime minister is sending teams Friday to seven cantonments to sent home remaining former PLA
fighters again opting for voluntary retirement.
The process will be completed by next Thursday following the committee’s decision Wednesday.
The fighters who opted for integration have been given an option to choose voluntary retirement for the second time as there are only 6,500 openings for integration in Nepal Army (NA) and 9,900 plus fighter remain in 15 camps and cantonments.
Those opting for retirement will be given a golden handshake of Rs,400,000 to Rs. 800,000 golden handshake according to rank.
The delayed peace process should be concluded by parties with integration and retirement.
Opposition parties have said peace should be concluded as a pre-condition for promulgating a constitution to institutionalize a declared republic.
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SPEAKER NEMWANG PUSHES FOR PARTY ACTION AGAINST MAOIST LAWMAKE WHO HIRED AN IMPOSTER TO SIT FOR JUST CONCLUDED
SLC EXAMINATIONS

Kathmandu, 6 April: Speaker Subash Nemwang has asked UCPN (Maoist) to
take action against its lawmaker Prem Bahadur Pulami who didn’t personally sit for this year’s just concluded SLC examination
An imposter appeared for the tests on behalf of the Makwanpur lawmaker from an
examination center in Rupendhaehi..
The party hasn’t officially reacted even days after this year’s examinations concluded.
Nemwang handed over a report of a parliamentary team, he ordered, headed by Secretary
Manohar Bhattarai to Chief Whip Deb Gurung for follow-up action,
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CA CHAIRMAN PROPOSES CONSTITUTTION AMENDMENT TO APPROVE A DELAYED CONSTITUTION
Kathmandu, 6 April:: The Business Advisory Committee of the Constituent Assembly today [Thursday] granted the Constitutional Committee, which is mandated to draft new constitution, and its Problem Resolution Sub-Committee, one last chance to reach consensus on the contentious issues in 12 days, Arjun Bhandari writes in The Himalayan Times..

Top leaders of the Unified CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML and Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar of the MJF-Democratic, who represented the UDMF, were present at the BAC meeting, which decided that the CC will table all the contentious constitutional issues at the CA full House to decide them through a voting process on April 18 if the parties fail to reach a consensus on the constitutional issues.

The CC is required to forge consensus on key constitutional issues — forms of governance, federalism, election system, functioning of the judiciary and citizenship — by April 17.

CA Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang, who chaired the BAC meeting, said this was the last opportunity for the parties to reach consensus on the constitutional issues.

Nembang also asked the government to prepare a bill, in advance, by April 18 to make amendment to Article 70 of the Interim Constitution to shorten the constitution endorsement process through a two-thirds majority and, the bills on Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission of Inquiry on Disappearances, both related to the peace process. Nembang also proposed to prepare and endorse first draft of the new constitution by CA by May 4.

Top leaders of the major parties will spend at least three days – from April 9 to 11 – on closed door consultations on the constitutional issues on the outskirts of the capital. Leaders vowed that they would spend the remaining time on the constitutional issues after the integration issues are settled on April 8 when the PM-headed Special Committee meets again to resolve the outstanding integration issues.

Addressing the BAC meeting, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said they would devote time for statute-drafting after April 12, when Maoist combatants and weapons stored in the containers were handed over to the army and the government.

He assured BAC that they would start discussions on the constitutional issues immediately after reaching another important agreement on the integration process on April 8.

He informed BAC members that they would reach an understanding on the forms of governance as recommended by a five-member taskforce — directly-elected President and Parliament-elected PM.

NC’s Ramchandra Paudel and UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal said the parties had dwelt on the forms of governance and other issues in detail and only needed to settle contentious issues through a “give-and-take” process.

Constitution draft timeline

April 9-11: Top leaders to hold closed door consultations from April 9-11 on the constitutional issues

April 18: If the parties fail to reach a consensus, contentious issues will be put to vote on April 18

May 4: Nembang has proposed to prepare and endorse first draft of the new constitution by CA by May 4
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SOUTH ASIAN SEMINAR SPONSORED BY NEPAL ARMY ON
DISASTER RESPONSE, HUMAN ASSISTANCE OPERATIN CONCLUDES

Kathmandu, 6 April: The Nepali Army’s three-day international symposium on disaster management concluded today with participants’ agreeing to continue cooperation and assistance in the region for rapid response during calamity, The Himalayan Times reports.

The Regional Seminar on Disaster Response and Humanitarian Assistance Operations, dwelt on a range of issues, including how to handle post natural disaster scenario and how to ensure necessary arrangements for technical and military assistance .

Representatives from Nepali Army, Indian Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, National Society for Earthquake Technology, various UN agencies, Defence Ministry, Home Ministry, Health Ministry, Ministry for Information and Communications and Nepal Red Cross Society participated in the workshop.

Army officers from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Lieutenant General from the US Pacific Command and the Resident Defence Attaches at the British, Pakistani, Indian, Chinese and American embassies also attended the programme.

Addressing the concluding session, Indian Army Chief General VK Singh expressed hope the seminar would help boost military-to-military cooperation in responding to calamities.

US Commanding General of III Marine Forces, Japan, Lt Gen Kenneth J Gluek, Jr, who participated as an observer, said this programme will help prepare multilateral military strategy on emergency in the region. “No single nation is able to manage natural disaster alone. It requires bilateral and multilateral cooperation,” he added.

At the function, Chief of Staff Gaurav Shumsher JBR recounted how Nepal failed to bring home assistance provided by the Indian government on time during the Koshi floods in August, 2008.

“Due to lack of proper coordination, assistance was stopped at the border. This seminar will help address such problems.”

Chief of Army Staff of Nepal General Chhatra Man Singh Gurung and his Indian counterpart VK Singh jointly provided certificates and mementos to participants, observers and coordinators of the seminar.

Following the programme, Gurung and Singh observed an anti-plane hijacking drill preformed by Yuddha Bhairab battalion of Nepali Army at Tribhuvan International Airport in the afternoon.
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US CALLS FOR SAFE PASSAGE FOR TIBETAN REFUGEES
Kathmandu, 5 April 5: A top US official has urged the government to continue providing “safe passage” to Tibetan refugees who arrive here sneaking across the hilly trails of the northern border, Republica reports.

Addressing a press meet before wrapping up her two-day visit to Nepal on Thursday, US Department of State Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy R Sherman also asked the government to provide necessary documents to Tibetan refugees to help them lead a “life of dignity and purpose”.

Sherman raised the issues of Tibetan refugees during her meeting with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai at the latter´s office in Singha Durbar.

“We discussed the concerns of refugees to ensure that they have proper identifications so that they can lead a life of dignity and purpose here in Nepal,” she said.

“We also discussed making sure that documents are quickly put together to support refugees who are legitimately visiting United States.” Sherman said that lack of proper documents had made Tibetan refugees living here face problems while trying to find job or higher education or travel abroad. “We did talk with the prime minister about identity cards and documentations for Tibetan refugees,” she added.

Sherman had held a meeting with the representatives of Tibetan refugees living here in Kathmandu on Wednesday and listened to their concerns. “I really felt that the prime minister understood the issue. I am sure the issues will get resolved,” she further said.

Sherman arrived in Kathmandu on second leg of her tour of South Asian countries after India. She also held a meeting with senior government officials, Nepal Army leadership, political leaders and civil society activists.

Asked what transpired during her between with Army Chief Chhatraman Singh Gurung, she said, “Most of our time was spent talking about the peace process.”

While lauding the decision taken by the Special Committee to conclude peace process, she expressed confidence that the political parties in Nepal would be able to bring a draft of the new constitution by the May 27 deadline.
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SEPARATE MAOIST FUNCTIONS TO MARK PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT DAY FRIDAY
Kathmandu, 6 April : The rival factions of the UCPN (Maoist) are holding separate functions across the country to mark the People´s Movement Day on Friday, Republica reports.

In Kathmandu, the party establishment is holding a function at the Durbar Square amid much fanfare at 1 pm, while leaders and cadres from the faction led by Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya are gathering at Shanti Batika at 2 pm.

Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal will address the function at Kathmandu Durbar Square and Baidya and General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa will attend the Shanti Batika program.

According to Mahendra Shrestha, Kathmandu district secretary of the party, party cadres from the party establishment will march toward the venue from seven different places.

Party insiders say the holding of separate functions to mark the same day clearly indicates the deepening intra-party crisis that may trigger a vertical split in the party.

But leaders close to the Baidya faction argue that it is quite natural for the party that has two separate tactical lines for realizing the party´s revolutionary goals.

“There are already two documents concerning the party´s tactical line. So it is not unnatural for us to hold separate programs and inform people of our views,” said Central Committee (CC) member Maheshwar Dahal who is close to Baidya.

Dahal said that his faction will tell the people “what type of peace and constitution” his faction wants and inform the people about the struggle programs. The formal organizer of the program is, however, the recently formed political front led by Maoist Secretary CP Gajurel. Some fringe leftist and ethnic parties have been inducted into the front.

Similarly, the leaders from the party establishment argued that the function to be held at Durbar Square is the official program. “The program to be held at Durbar Square will be attended by those in favor of peace and constitution,” said Kumar Paudel from the party establishment faction.

He claimed that the function at Shanti Batika has been organized by a minority faction. “Holding such a program is against the principle of democratic centralism,” said Paudel.

Both factions have ruled out the possibility of clashes between the factions or untoward incidents Friday.
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