GAURAV SHUMSHERE RANA TAKES CHARGE AS ARMY CHIEF SUNDAY Kathmandu, 9 Sept. :In a smooth change, Gen Gaurav Shumshere Rana formally takes charge as the Chief of Nepal Army from Gen Chatraman Singh Gurung who retires Sunday. Lt. Gen Rana will be installd by President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, who is supreme commander-in-chief of the 93,000 state force. The Maoist-led government with Madeshbadi parties appointed Rana. Gen. Gurung, the first from the comunisty to become chief, blasted government for non-cooperation in implementing reforms. Nnnn LOW RESPONSE TO INTEGRATION Kathmandu, 9 Sept.: Only 980 former Maoist combatants have filled application forms for integration in Nepal Army since the process resumed Thursday, Chadani Hamal reports from Chitwan in Nagarik. The best response is from Surkhet where 234 firer PLA fighters filled forms at five cantonments. “The process has mostly been completed at antonments. The work will begin at satellite camps,” Coordinator of Secretariat at special camp Balananda Sharma said. (Note: Altogether 3,100 former fighters are awaiting integration.) Nnnn MEDIA GOOGLE "I want to dispel those rumors because we didn´t split the party just for forming a new organization. "We came to know only lately that Dahal and Bhattarai had reached secret deals with the Indians at the same time the party rank and file were being instructed to prepare for tunnel warfare against India.” (CPM Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidhaya, Republica, 9 Sept.) Earlier, there was CWC meeting. Now all NC leaders have gone to the districts. This has given us the impression that NC is not willing to reach an agreemen . “But NC seems unwilling because they fear the Maoists would sway the country´s politics no matter which option is taken.” (Chairman Prachanda, Republica, 9 Sept.) "Dahal and Bhattarai have failed on moral and political ground. They have put the nationalism at jeopardy,” (CPN Maoist Secretary Netra Bukram Chand, The Himalayan Times, 9 Set.) AFTER CA ELECTIONS, GOVT. HITS ANOTHER ROADBLOCK; NO COOPERATION OF 6 EMBASSIES IN ROAD EXPANSION DRIVE Kathmandu, 9 Sept : The ongoing road expansion drive in the Kathmandu valley has hit a snag in some road sections after some diplomatic missions based in the capital demanded compensation while others expressed their inability to demolish their compound walls, Republica reports.. Sources said the US embassy has demanded a compensation of US $ 5 million, while other embassies have expressed their inability to cooperate with the government, citing various reasons. "We are trying to resolve the issue by holding an informal meeting with the concerned embassies," said a top government official, asking to be unnamed. The road expansion drive being carried out by Kathmandu Valley Town Development Authority (KVTDA) in collaboration with the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division has affected six diplomatic missions -- Japanese, American, Russian, French, German and Chinese embassies. While there is official response from Chinese and French embassies, Japanese embassy has citied financial reason for its inability to demolish its compound walls. While the German embassy is situated in Gyaneshwor, the remaining five other embassies are situated in Lazimpat and Baluwatar. Sources said the German embassy has said it would not be left with any compound wall if it knocks down the existing one. nnnn NEW PARTY BEING LAUNCHED Kathmandu, 9 Sept.: Dissident leaders cutting across party lines have been busying themselves to give a final shape to a new party to push forward a federal model based on single-ethnic identity. While they have already proposed a name -- Federal Socialist Party -- the leaders at a meeting in Kathmandu on Saturday constituted a nine-member taskforce to finalize the draft of the party statute. "The members of the taskforce include leaders from CPN-UML, Maoists, Nepali Congress and intellectuals such as lawyers," CPN-UML Central Committee member Ajambar Kangmang Rai told Republica. However, he preferred to keep the names secret saying it was too early to disclose their names and that it wouldn´t do any good for their movement. According to him, a group of around 35 key leaders from major political parties have been regularly working toward forming an alternative political force in the recent days. They discussed about the new party´s manifesto at a meeting on Friday and that they were going to deliberate over the proposed party´s political programs on Sunday. Rai claimed that it was not just dissidents politicians from CPN-UML who were forming the new party but also a large number of leaders and cadres from other major political parties and groups were joining the new force. A group of dissident leaders from Madhesi, ethnic and indigenous communities have revolted within CPN-UML expressing their serious differences over the party´s official position on federalism. UML Vice-Chairman Ashok Rai is leading the group demanding that nomenclature and delineation of provinces in future federal set up should be based on single-ethnic identity while the party establishment has turned down the demand insisting on multiethnic provinces. UML dissidents have already formed parallel committees in several districts and are holding gatherings there. Also, several leaders in the NC and Maoist party have expressed differences over their respective party´s leadership for being reluctant to go for a federal model based on single-ethnic identity. nnnn CONFLICT VICTIMS COMPLAIN DISCRIMINATION Kathmandu, 9 Sept.: In lack of proper mechanism for distribution of the relief money and the authority to oversee the whole process, many families of the disappeared have yet to get the compensation promised by the government. Some families have already received the reparation, offered in two installments, but others have been left to wander from pillar to post, Rudra Khadka reports from Nepalgunj.. Shakuntala, whose husband Kiran Kumar Malla of Fultekra-6, Nepalgunj, was disappeared by Nepali Army some 15 years ago, is displeased over the manner in which the relief money is distributed. She has been frequenting the District Administration Office and the Peace Committee to collect the relief amount, but each time they send her back empty-handed. “The Peace Committee keeps telling me that it has not received the money from the center,” Shakuntala said. Her husband Kiran used to work as a cook at Hotel Punjabi at Dhamboji in Nepalgunj when he was taken away by army men on August 19, 1997. The army has given no explanation why Kiran was disappeared. According to Shakuntala, their son, who was 18 days old when Kiran disappeared, is now in 8th grade and keeps asking about his father. Similarly Tulsi, wife of Khadak Bahadur Bista who was disappeared by the state authority from Salyanibangala of Nepalgunj on August 9, 2003, rushes to the Peace Committee in the district every time she hears about other families getting relief amount but returns uncertain as usual. The disparity in doling out the relief amount by the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction has been breeding discontent among the families of victims who were united in their struggle against the authorities earlier. “There are cases in which families who have faced similar fate receive different kind of compensation. The government is inviting another conflict by doing this,” said Kaliram Tharu, whose daughter was forcibly disappeared by Nepali army on June 12, 2004. What has irked many victim families the most is that those who are well connected to political parties and have access to district administration have already received both the installments, while others without such links have been denied even the first installment. The mother of Bhojraj Dhakal of Kohalpur, who was abducted by the Maoist rebels 10 years ago, has long been waiting to hear from the Peace Committee about the relief amount. “Sometimes I am asked to go to the Peace Committee and sometimes just told to come another day,” said Bishnumaya. “Neither have I received any support nor the abductors of my son have been brought to book.” The (UCPN) Maoist-led government headed by Puspa Kamal Dahal had first announced Rs 100,000 as the relief amount to be provided for the conflict victims. Later, the government added Rs 25,000 for the wives of the people forcibly disappeared and additional Rs 10,000 to Rs 14,000 thousand for the education of the victims´ children. The government led by Baburam Bhattarai again increased the relief amount to Rs 300,000. “The local leaders are busy helping their supporters to get the relief money, while the families of those disappeared, who are in genuine need of support, are deprived of the money,” said Bishnumaya. As per the District Peace Committee of Nepalgunj, a total of 121 people were disappeared by the Maoist rebels and the state authority during the conflict period. Only 58 victim families have received the promised relief amount so far. Nnnn S ________________________________________ AMID REPORTS OF LOW RESPONSE FOR INTEGRATION, PM AIDE SAYS FIGHTER FIGURE IRRRELEVANT Kathmandu, 9 Sept..: Prime Minister's political advisor Devendra Paudel said on Saturday that the number of combatants awaiting to be integrated into Nepal Army(NA) won’t affect the process of the formation of the purported directorate that will remain under Nepal Army, The Himalayan Times reports. “ It is wrong to presume that if number of Maoists to be integrated into NA is lessening, the directorate won’t be constituted,” said Paudel at an interaction programme organised at Reporters Club in the capital. Maoists have already assured former PLA combatants of their ‘dignified representation’ in the general directorate to be formed under the Nepali Army. “Integration and process of recruitment differ to each other. To remain devoid of a directorate would be like a mere recruitment. It won’t be acceptable to us,” said the former rebel Paudel. Earlier, before the demise of Constituent Assembly in May, the incumbent government had decided to constitute four directorates under the General Directorate: National Development Directorate, the Industrial Security Directorate, the Forest and Forest Resources Security Directorate, and the Disaster Management Directorate. Interestingly, the government was expecting the General Directorate to embrace 6,500 Maoist combatants. But now, only 3,123 Maoist fighters in seven cantonments across the country are finally waiting for their integration into the national army. As a part of the preliminary task of selecting the ex-Maoist fighters into the NA, combatants these days are attending physical tests conducted by the army. The NA has also planned a complete professional training and bridge course for them. Precisely, Secretariat under the Special Committee (for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist fighters) and the Selection Board, have resumed the halted selection process. Fighter’ figure was also the other reason for the split to find its place among Maoists, who had waged a decade long armed struggle in the country against the then Royal Army prior returning into the mainstream politics through the Comprehensive Peace Accord(CPA) which actually toppled the institution of the monarchy in Nepal. But the political transitional period is protracting. nnnn