FURTHER DETAILS OF 11,12 CLASS EXAMS Kathmandu, 29 April: Class 12 students are appearing for English in the class 11,12 tests that began Sunday morning. Altogether 405,526 students are appearing for the examinations this year. nnnn THREE CHINESE ARESTED AT TATOPANI ATTEMPTING TO SMUGGLE OUT 6KG YARSHAGUMBA [HIMALAYAN VIAGRA] Kathmandu, 29 April: Six persons, including three Chinese nationals, were arrested Friday night while smuggling 6kg yarshagumba to Tibet from Tatopani, dhruba Dangal writes in Nagarik from SIndhupalchowk. Rs.1.3 million was also recovered from them. Police have concluded Tatopani is emerging as a route for smuggling yarshagumba from Nepal to Tibet. The consignment was seized at 8 PM while being unloaded from a jeep. One kg yarshagumba [fetches Rs.300,000 in China. It can be exported from Nepal paying Rs.500. Nnnn MINIMUM TEMPERATURE 16 DEGREES CELSIUS Kathmandu, 29 April; Minimum temperature Sunday morning in the capital was 16 degrees Celsius. Mercury is expecyed to rise to 35 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. nnnn NC, UML MAY AGREEE ON 12 PROVINCES Kathmandu, 29 April: The Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) and the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) seem to have cajoled the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) into agreeing to more pradeshes than their previous stances of having only six to eight of them, Ram Kumar Kamat, Prakash Acharya write in The Himalayan Times. . The UCPN-M, CPN-UML, NC and the UDMF today failed to reach agreement, but it appears they could end up carving out 10 to 12 pradeshes. The four forces will be meeting at 7:00 am tomorrow. A source claimed that consensus would be reached on the thorny issues of federalism and forms of governance then. UCPN-M negotiator Dev Gurung, close to hardline faction leader Mohan Baidhya, said the convergence of views between his party, UML and UDMF on the issue of federalism and forms of governance had become greater. “Now, only the Congress stance on forms of governance and federalism continues to remain different,” Gurung said after the meeting held at the Special Committee office in New Baneshwor. Congress leaders held a separate meeting to chalk out strategies on the pradeshes to be formed and the forms of governance to be adopted and decided to agree to 10 to 12 pradeshes. The NC rider on the issue, however was that the there should be agreement on keeping the existing 75 districts in the country intact, said Congress leader Gopal Man Shrestha. Gurung said there was growing realisation during the negotiations that the mixed model would be the best option in relation to the issue of forms of governance. “The rights and powers of the President and Prime Minister are however yet to be finalised,” he added. Gurung said the media report that the UCPN-M was in favour of having 10 pradeshes was wrong because his party still continued to favour the idea of the country having 14 pradeshes. UML negotiator Bhim Rawal said his party as well as the other negotiators had agreed to be flexible on the possibility of forming six to 12 pradeshes because that was a better proposition given the risk of continued political instability the country would have to suffer. “We prefer to have pradeshes on the basis of identity and economic capability. However, while choosing identity-based federalism we should do it in a way that will strengthen national unity, and not promote ethnic discord,” Rawal clarified. He also added, “If we want to have directly elected president then we will have to strengthen the parliament.” NC negotiator Ramesh Lekhak said his party did not believe that the mixed model of governance would work better but might go for it if all parties agreed to give more power to the Cabinet in case there was directly elected president. “If the President can be impeached from the parliament and political rights rests with parliament, then we might go for mixed model, otherwise we will decide the issue through voting in the Cosntituent Assembly,” Lekhak added. Lekhak said his party was not opposed to identity-based federalism, but the boundary of a Pradesh should not be confined to areas of a particular ethnic community. A Congress source also said the final authority to give names to the pradeshes should rest with the respective Pradesh sabhas. nnnn EXPLOSIVES A GROWING THREAT Kathmandu, 29 April: Cases revolving around illegal explosives in the Kathmandu Valley increased four folds in 2068 BS, compared to the previous year, while the number of house burglaries fell by 4.05 per cent, figures from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s Office show, The Himalayan Times reports. Eighteen cases related to explosives were recorded at the commissioner’s office in 2068, including the blast that claimed three people and injured six outside the Nepal Oil Corporation in Babarmahal. Bombs were found in more than 10 places in the valley after the blast. In the previous year, only four such cases were reported. Valley police, despite ‘stepped-up operations to catch burglary rackets’ in 2068, could only report marginal success if the number of reported cases are to be taken into account. According to MPCO, 284 burglaries were reported in 2068 BS, against 296 in 2067 BS in the valley. However, security personnel scored success in arresting those accused of burglary. Police informed that 70 burglars were arrested and indicted in 2068 compared to 52 in the previous year. In 2068 alone, more than 10 members of organised burglary rackets were arrested. In 2068 BS, burglary cost victims an estimated Rs 56.8 million in lost property, officials said. The average rupees loss per burglary was Rs 2 lakh in the previous year. Similarly, the number of armed robberies also decreased from 16 in 2067 BS to 10 in 2068. The figures indicate that cases of fraud, murder, illegal gambling, forgery, drug crimes, banking offences, trafficking, rape and public offences also slightly declined in 2068. Nnnn THARU ALLIANCE FOR INTEGRATED TRARUAT STATE Kathmandu, 29 April: The United Democratic Tharu Front (UDTF), a newly formed cross-party alliance, has unveiled a concept paper, demanding an undivided Tharuhat state with preferential political rights and right to self-determination, Republica reports. A two-day national gathering of UDTF held in the capital on Saturday came up with the concept paper that envisages initiatives to get the Tharu community´s concerns addressed in the new constitution through co-ordination with political parties and other organizations. The alliance has also demanded declaration of those killed in the Tharuhat movement as martyrs and involvement of indigenous people of the Tharuhat state in every level of state affairs. Co-coordinator of alliance Surendra Chaudhari Tharu said that they are against the idea of dividing the Tarai region into two or more provinces. He added that the alliance would stage shutdown in all the Tarai districts from May 3-5 to press for their cause. Addressing a press meet organized by the alliance in the capital on Saturday, Tharu said, “Our bottom-line is an integrated Tharuhat state. We will not accept a divided Tharuhat at any cost.” He also warned the major political parties not to look for alternative to the Constituent Assembly (CA) to promulgate the new constitution. “Conspiracy is being hatched to dissolve the Constituent Assembly (CA) but we won´t accept a constitution that will be promulgated from outside of the CA,” Tharu maintained. Tharu leaders said that they have joined forces for common concerns despite their affiliation with various political parties. “We have come together by rising above partisan interests,” said Chief Whip of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D) Ramjanam Chaudhari. Tharu leaders have claimed that the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) has also expressed solidarity with UDTF. Asked if they would support Tharu leaders, a senior UDMF leader said they have no objection to the demands of UDTF. “Whether you name it Tharuhat or Madhes, we also want an integrated Tarai,” added the leader on condition of anonymity. nnnn