BODIES IN 13 KILLED IN AGNI AIR CRASH BEING IDENTIFIED Kathmandu, 16 May: The postmortem of bodies of 13 South Indians Hindu pilgrims killed Monday in a German-built Dronier air crash in Jomsom across the Himalaya started Tuesday at the Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu where they were airlifted from the crash site. Bodies of the Nepali captain and his co-pilot were the first to be handed over to loved ones Tuesday after forensic tests.l Fifteen crew members and passengers were killed and six were injured. The survivors were a Nepali air hostess, two Danish tourisms and three Indians. Child actress Raruni Sachdev was among those killed along with a priest accompanying the group. Government Tuesday formed a five-member inquiry commission headed by former Civil Aviation Department Director Chief Modini Prasad Sharma to investigate the accident and report in three months. Another group of Indians died last year in a crash of a US-built Beechcraft while returning to land at the capital’s TIA from a mountain flight. Nnnn . UML JOINING GOVT. WEDNESDAY Kathmandu, 16 May: UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel Wednesday joins the government of Prime Minister Babram Bhattarai as the third deputy prime minister in-charge of the energy ministry portfolio and I leader of the UML team in government which it decided to join Tuesday afer an initial boycott. Radha Geywali joins as education minister. The party standing committee is deciding other members of the government team Wednesday after Tuesday night’s breakthrough agreement. The party earlier decided not to join government even after signing a five-point agreement with ruling parties saying it was sidelined in forming a national government. The party even said the Bhattarai government is a majority and not a national consensus government. nnnn MMEDIATE OPPOSITION TO 11 PROVINCES DECLARED BY 3 PARTIES WITHOUT DOISCUSSION IN CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY Kathmandu, 16 May: The agreement on the number of federal states and other contentious issues of the new constitution reached by three major political parties -UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML - has drawn flak from various ethnic groups and Madhes-based political parties, Gani Ansari writes in Republica.. The ruling United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), an alliance of five Madhes-based political parties, Broader Madhesi Front (BMF), an alliance of cross-party Madhesi lawmakers, Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) and Unified Newa National Liberation Front have objected the agreement saying it was a conspiracy to thwart identity-based federalism. A meeting of the Madhesi alliance held in Singha Durbar on Tuesday evening decided not to accept the agreement. “UDMF makes it clear that it completely disagrees with the proposal of three political parties to form the so-called 11 provinces by ignoring the issue of identity," read the press statement signed by Chairman of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D) Bijay Gachchhadar, MPRF-Republican Acting Chairman Rajkishor Yadav, Vice-Chairman of Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) Hridayah Tripathi, Chairman of TMDP-Nepal Mahendra Yadav and Sadbhawan Party (SP) Chairman Rajendra Mahato. "It urges all Madhesi, Tharu, indigenous, Dalit, Muslim communities and other pro-federalist forces to unite for the state restructuring based on identity.” “The parties briefed us about the agreement on the contentious issues, but we expressed our disagreement as it was not be acceptable to us,” General Secretary of MPRF-R Atmaram Sah quoted Gachchhadar as saying in the meeting. According to SP Vice-Chairman Laxmanlal Karna, the UDMF meeting ruled out media reports that the Madhesi alliance was involved in the agreement. He said if questionnaires for voting in the CA were prepared by ignoring reports of the State Restructuring Commission (SRC) and the Constituent Assembly (CA) committee on state restructuring, it would not be acceptable to the Madhesi alliance. The Madhesi alliance has also objected to the agreement on electing 5 members each from provinces for the upper house saying it was against the recommendation of the CA committee on state restructuring which had said it should be on the basis of geography and population. Karna said they also have reservations that judges would not be re-appointed which the CA committee on state restructuring had already decided that judges would be reappointed on the basis of inclusiveness and proportional representation. The BMF termed the agreement as being against the accepted basis of the state restructuring and against the agreements reached between Madhes-based political parties and governments during Madhes Movement. Similarly, the NEFIN also denounced the agreement. “To promulgate the constitution without first demarcating state borders and naming them amounts to betrayal of the people," a press statement issued by Chairman of NEFIN Rajkumar Lekhi said. Also, the Newa Front said the agreement was a conspiracy to continue old feudal state structure. However, leaders of major parties said the issues raised by the Madhesi parties can be resolved through negotiations and it would not affect the promulgation of the new constitution. Talking to media after the meeting of dispute resolution sub-committee, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said though the UDMF had some reservation they would not obstruct the promulgation of the new constitution, Nnnn RANA THARUS RISE IN VIOLENT DEMAND FOR OWN PROVINCE IN KAILALI, KANCHANPUR Kathmandu, 16 May : Setting an example of communal harmony amidst growing tension in Far-West, hundreds of Rana Tharus have participated in the mass assembly organized by the supporters of undivided Far-west, Tuesday, Dil Bahadur Chatyal writes in Republica from Dhangadi. . The artists close to Rana Tharu performed during the assembly with the purpose of spreading message that people from Tarai, Hill and Mountain regions were all Nepalis. Participation of Rana Tharu in the assembly helped ease the situation amid growing tensions between supporters of undivided Far-west and Tharuhat. A rally of Rana Tharu which started from Malakheti of Kailali merged into the gathering of Far-west supporters. • Over two dozen injured in far west clashes Addressing the mass assembly, Secretary of Association of All Nepal Indigenous Nationalities Khadak Rana Tharu said, “We don´t need ethnic state. We need facilities like education, health and employment. Tharu and Rana are indigenous people of Kailali and Kanchanpur and Rana Tharus don´t need an ethnic state.” He even accused Prachanda of trying to bring conflict between people from the hills and Tharu community. Secretary Rana Tharu stressed on the need for cordial relationship and fraternity between all people. Meanwhile indigenous leader Prem Aale said the ongoing protest in Far-West was not against any ethnic community but ethnic state. Thousands of people participated in the mass assembly organized by the supporters of undivided Far-West on the 19th day of the protest. The leaders, during the gathering, vowed to continue their protest but said that they would change its form keeping in view of hardship faced by the people. Nnnn ________________________________________