NEPALI SOUTH AFRICA MISSION TRES TO RESCUE STRANDED NEPALIS- Kathmandu, 25 July: The Nepali mission in Pretoria, South Africa, has started a legal process to rescue 20 Nepali workers stranded in Madagascar for the past four months,The Kathmandu Post reports. The passports of around eight workers have been seized by the owner of a boarding house in the island nation, while some others are living in the streets after landlords kicked them out. The workers said they are facing serious problems regarding food and accommodation as they don't have money. As Nepal does not have diplomatic ties with Madagascar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labour have directed its mission in Pretoria to rescue the stranded workers. The mission is preparing to hold consultations with the High Commission of Madagascar. Consular at the Nepali mission in Pretoria, Bharat Regmi, told the Post that he has urged the stranded Nepalis to send their passport numbers. He said his office is making arrangements to send the workers back to Nepal. “Most probably, the workers will be rescued within a week. We are trying to ascertain their whereabouts and are communicating with the Madagascar government,” Regmi said. He said there has been a rise in the trafficking of workers in recent years and that the embassy helped around 40 stranded Nepalis return home earlier this year. “The fraudsters are taking an increasing number of workers to poor African nations like Nigeria and Congo. The dishonest agents are luring the Nepalis by portraying African countries as good as American and European nations,” Regmi said. The stranded workers have, meanwhile, urged the government to provide immediate help. One of the workers Lal Babu Thakur told the Post that five workers in his group were thrown out of the house they had been living in four days ago. Along with Thakur, Shyam Ale Magar, Khadga Bahadur Dahal, Shyam Shrestha, and Aashish Tamang were thrown out of the boarding house. According to Thakur, 15 other Nepalis are putting up in various other houses and hotels in the area. The workers were taken by a manpower agency based in Kathmandu, New Delhi and Madagascar with promises of good work . The workers had paid around Rs 300,000 each. They were sent by Sunil Shahi, Khem Bahadur Rai and Yadav Nepali. Shahi is currently in custody at the Metropolitan Police Range, Hanumandhoka. Thakur said the Nepali Embassy in South Africa is in contact with him and other workers, while he expressed dissatisfaction over the mission's “sluggish work.” Nnnn GOVT. STOPS COL. BASNET’S PROMOTION Kathmandu, 25 July:- Bowing to pressure from domestic and international human rights groups to end impunity, the government seems to have decided to not promote Colonel Raju Basnet , who faces allegations of conflict-era torture and Disappearances, The Kathmandu Post reports. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has decided not to forward the promotion request to the Cabinet, while he sent back the file to the Ministry of Defence, according to government sources. The PM's Press Advisor Ramrijan Yadav said Bhattarai decided not to forward the promotion file to the Cabinet following pressure from various quarters. Bhattarai, who also oversees the Defence Ministry, has however decided to forward two other promotion requests to the Cabinet. The Cabinet meeting is likely to promote Colonels Gaurav Tandul and Prabhu Ram Sharama as brigadier generals. Basnet was the commander of the Bhairabnath Battalion of the Nepal Army where at least 49 cases of torture and disappearances were recorded in 2003. The Army Headquarters had earlier this month forwarded Basnet's promotion request. "Basnet is charged with torturing and victimising dozens of Maoist cadres during the conflict. His promotion will drag the government into unnecessary controversy," an aide to the PM said. Sources said the Army Headquarters has been mounting pressure on the government to promote Basnet. It argued that allegations against him were not proven yet. Defence Ministry officials said the possibility of Basnet's promotion has 'almost come to an end.' "The process of promotion is now halted. As of now, there is no possibility of Basnet being elevated to the rank of a general," said Defence Ministry Spokesperson Dwarika Prasad Acharya. National and international rights watchdogs had urged the government to prosecute Basnet for human rights violations after the Post broke news of the promotion plans last week. Meanwhile, a delegation led by the student wing of the UCPN (Maoist) submitted a memorandum to Bhattarai asking him not to promote Basnet. "At least 21 of our friends, including our Chairman Himal Sharma, are witnesses of inhumane treatment that occurred at the Bhairabnath Battalion under the leadership of Raju Basnet," said Jagrit Rayamajhi, the Vice Chairman of ANFSU (Revolutionary). "The PM has assured us the promotion will not happen." Bhattarai said he was 'serious' about concerns raised by the delegation and committed to take initiatives to form a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to deal with conflict-era cases. nnnn