TOP NC LEADER KHUM BAHADUR KHADKA SURENDERS TO COURT TUESDAY Kathmandu, 22 Aug. Top main opposition leader Khum Bahadurk Khadka said he’ll surrender before judicial authorities Wednesday after being convicted for corruption by supreme court 14 August. The court sentenced him to a 18-month jail term along with monetary fine for possessing assets disproportionate to his income. Khadka told reporters at his residence Tuesday before planned surrender he was ‘a democrat’ and was innocent. NC central committee called for a review of the judgment by a full bench lending support to Khaadha. The party didn’t extend such support to former jailed NC leaders Chiranjivi Wagle who has completed a jail term on similar charge. The court had convicted former powerful NC leader and ministers Govinda Raj Joshi Joshi and Jayaprakarsh Prashad Gupta, who has been jailed. NC cadres from across the country have collected money for Khadka’s fine.. Khadha can get his jail sentence reducted 20 percent by surrendering Wednesday. Nnnn IN WELCOIME MOVE TO SAVE LAND FOR NEPALIS AS MORE EMBASSSIES COME IN, GOVT. TO BAR FOREIGN MISSIONS FROM BUYING PROPERTY Kathmandu, 22 Aug.: In a new arrangement, the government is preparing to introduce a policy barring newcomer foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations from owning land premises, Kossssssh Raj Koirala writes in Republica.. A cabinet meeting held recently has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to submit detailed criteria for giving permission to diplomatic missions and international organizations to own land only on a ´long-term lease´ basis. The cabinet meeting held on May 27 had taken the decision concluding that the existing provision of transferring the ownership of land to foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations was not in the long-term interest of the country. Most other countries in the world allow diplomatic missions and international organizations to own land only on ´long-term lease´ basis. MoFA officials said they are currently studying international practice regarding the matter for developing a criterion as directed by the cabinet. The same cabinet meeting for one last time had given permission to the Swiss embassy to buy additional land and also waive land registration taxes. The government´s decision comes in the wake of the Kathmandu Valley Town Development Authority (KVTDA), which is currently expanding roads in the capital, complaining that it faced problems in its expansion drive due to the presence of diplomatic missions in certain road section. Officials said the decision was taken in view of the limited open space in Kathmandu and international practices relating to the ownership of land belonging to diplomatic establishments. "We have limited land in Kathmandu. We cannot do anything to the property the missions already own. The new provision of long-term lease will give the newcoming diplmatic missions only possessory rights of the land," MoFA spokesman Arjun Bahadur Thapa said. Kathmandu hosts diplomatic missions of various 28 countries and dozens of other international organizations and these missions currently own own their land premises. The latest government decision could affect the plan of Saudi Arabia and Qatar that are mulling purchase of land to establish a resident mission in Kathmandu. Diplomats have termed the government move as ´positive´. "Better late than never. The government should have come up with this policy long ago," said a retired diplomat asking not to be named. "But as most diplomatic establishments based in Kathmandu have already owned land ownership, this policy won´t bear much meaning now." nnnn ________________________________________ MEASURES TO SYSTEMATIZE JOBS IN MALAYSIA Kathmandu, 22 Aug.: A high level Nepali delegation that returned after a week-long recent visit to Malaysia has recommended a several measures to systematize employment in Malaysia, including measures to bring down the soaring cost for job seekers to get employment in that country, Prabhakar Ghimere writes in Repubica.. The team comprising Binod KC, joint secretary at the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MoLE) , Purna Chandra Bhattarai, Director General of Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) and representative from recruiting agencies, among others had visited different places in Malaysia between July 19-25 to observe of the condition of Nepali migrant workers. During the visit the delegation had consultations with officials of Malaysia´s Human Resource Department, Nepali embassy and local Nepalis. A 24-page report which the team submitted to MoLE on Tuesday, states that a number of workers were facing lack of uniformity in remuneration and working hours even for the same job. “We found many cases in which remuneration being offered by employers was highly unequal and not compatible with the salary fixed by our government,” one of the members of the delegation told Republica. Nepal government has made it mandatory for recruiting agencies to ensure minimum salary of 540 Ringgit per month for unskilled workers. However, Malaysian government has not fixed the minimum salary for foreign workers. The report has also raised concern over the rising cost to get Malaysian jobs due to exorbitant commission levied by manpower agencies and suggested the government take measures to reduce the cost by eliminating different layers of brokers between employers and jobseekers. Though the government has fixed a maximum of Rs 80,000 to be levied from a worker for Malaysian job, recruiting agencies are collecting up to Rs 300,000 due to excessive commission by Nepali manpower agencies to the Malaysian agencies and their brokers. The delegation has also recommended that the government fix the commission amount to be collected by Nepali and from job aspirants so as to bring down the cost. “Malaysia-based Nepali embassy should also swiftly act on the complaints received from afflicted workers who are forced to pay exorbitant fee to get Malaysian job,” read the report. The team has also suggested the government immediately speed up the process to sign labor pact with Malaysia, which is home to more than 673,000 Nepali migrants. Given the high dominance of unskilled workers, the report also stressed on the need to explore employment opportunities for skilled or semi-skilled workers, especially in service sectors such as hospitality management. The report also suggested that Malaysian agency directly contract with Nepali agencies so that chances of cheating Nepali job seekers and recruitment commission would be minimized with the elimination of unnecessary middlemen during recruitment process. The delegation has also recommended that government formalize the recruitment of Nepali workers as domestic helps in Malaysia by formulating guidelines that specifies minimum salary, work standard and safety measures in workplaces. Nepal has already formulated guidelines for the recruitment of domestic helps in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE. “We have suggested a provision in upcoming labor pact to introduce recruitment of Nepali domestic helps in Malaysia ensuring their rights,” said the report. nnnn MORE MAOIST FORMER PLA FIGHTERS LEAVING CAMPS Kathmandu, 22 Aug.:: Driven to desperation with uncertainty looming over army integration process, most former Maoist fighters who had opted for integration into the Nepali Army have left the camps, The Himalayan Times reports from Surkhet, Dhangadi.. Irked at the delay, most of the 3,100 fighters who had opted for integration have left the seven camps across the country. Those remaining at the camps under NA surveillance said they were preparing to seek voluntary retirement boycotting the integration process. Attributing the government’s failure to resume the integration work and the party’s apathy towards their problems, the Maoist fighters are deserting the camps, sources at camps said. PLA Sixth Division, company assistant commander Jay Bahadur BC, who was living at a hotel outside the camp, said, “We have no utensils to cook or a place to sleep.” Most fighters have quit the camp, he said. Seventh Division battalion commander Nawal Rokaya at Kailali’s Tikapur said they were in a wait and watch mode. Stating that they had halted their agitation after division commanders and deputy commanders assured them over phone that efforts were underway to forge consensus, he said the condition of the former fighters was aggravating by the day and threatened to launch protests after a week if their plight were ignored. “Most fighters have left due to lack of basic facilities like food and shelter after the camps were handed over to the NA,” Rokaya added. Since the army took over the command of PLA camps across the country, former fighters’ military exercise has been stopped and they have nothing to do inside the camp. They are also obliged to show their identity card to the on-duty NA personnel while entering the camp. Last month Company Assistant Commander Pankaj Malla did not allocate the ration allowance for the combatants. The NA team that reached the PLA camp too has been sitting idle after the integration process was stalled. (With inputs from Damak, Narayangadh, Nawalparasi and Sindhuli) Nnnn PM UNDER PRESSURE TO COMPLETE INTEGRATION Kathmandu, 22 Aug.: With pressure mounting to end integration stalemate, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has begun consulting colleagues from the Special Committee (for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants), members of its Secretariat and Nepali Army officials to find a way to begin the process to integrate UCPN-Maoist former fighters into the Nepali Army, Lekhnath Pandey writes in The Himalayan Times . Sources say the PM, who heads the Special Committee, is likely to call the panel’s meeting before leaving for Iran to attend 16th Non-Aligned Movement summit being on August 29. The process to integrate 3,123 combatants into the Nepali Army was stalled on July 6, with ex-PLA terming the selection process a recruitment drive for the army. They have been demanding to recognise their age on citizen certificates and the academic degrees they procured since 2007. It is learnt that the PM has realised that not consulting the Special Committee and its Secretariat to commence the selection work earlier was a mistake and is seriously considering to involve the Secretariat while selecting combatants. He met Special Committee Secretariat Coordinator Balanand Sharma and sought his advice to address combatants’ concerns about age and education. Sharma told the PM that the age dispute could be resolved by considering only those combatants who turned 18 in May 2007 (UNMIN’s verification date). He also suggested that “respectable” integration could mean taking height, weight and chest measurements and medical test behind closed doors. Sharma said he had suggested to the PM to conclude all residue tasks of integration, including selection and handing over the second instalment of the allowances to the combatants who took voluntary retirement, before Dashain. PM Bhattarai, on the other hand, is mulling over amending the Army Regulations or issuing a special decree to form a Directorate General in the NA to integrate the ex-PLA. But SC member from NC, Ram Sharan Mahat, has warned the PM against doing so. nnnn