JAPANESE EDUCATION FAIR BEGINS Kathmandu, 30 Sept.: The Second Japan Education Fair kicked off in the capital on Saturdaym RSS reports.. Japanese Language Schools Association Nepal (JALSON) organised the education fair to provide first-hand information on Japan's education system and to offer consultancy services to the students. Social worker Dil Shova Shrestha inaugurated the fair. Representatives of 17 Japanese schools and colleges have been participating in the fair to provide information on Japan's education system, Japanese lifestyle, culture, post-studies opportunities, education expenses and job placement, among others. A total of two dozen stalls providing information on different topics have been kept in the fair. nnnn PLAN TO SELL APARTMENTS TO FOREIGNERS DELAYED Kathmandu, 30 Sept.: The government’s plan to let foreigners to buy apartment s in Nepal might take some more time to materialise, with government agencies, especially the Home Ministry, showing concerns about security and long-term implications of such a provision for the country, Prithvi Man Shrestha writes in The Kathmandu Post.. The Ministry of Home Affairs has raised multiple questions, including whether foreigners could stay in the country forever on ground that they have purchased an apartment here. The government had announced allowing foreigners — both individuals and companies — to purchase flats and apartment s costing $200,000 and above as a measure to address the woes of the realty sector last year. The Ministry of Land Reform and Management, which is preparing a working procedure, had sought opinion from various ministries, including the Home Ministry. A source at the Land Reform Ministry said the Home Ministry is particularly concerned about the demographic impact as Nepal is in between the two most populous countries of the world — China and India. “The Home Ministry has asked us to prepare the working procedures based on the existing legal framework,” the source said. Nepal has no Act on allowing foreigners to own land here and the Non-Resident Nepalese Act also has not opened the door for foreigners to purchase property here. “We have expressed the concerns due to the fact that we do not have any legal provisions,” said Home Secretary Nabin Ghimire. Another concern the Home Ministry has raised is whether the children of foreigners purchasing apartment here could enjoy the citizenship rights if they are born on the Nepali soil. The Home Ministry is also concerned about the validity period of Nepal stay of foreigners purchasing apartment s here. The ministry’s other concerns include the possible involvement of foreigners in criminal activities here. “If the government forces such a person to leave the country, the confusion about the status of the property s/he has purchased here should also be clarified,” a source at the Land Reform Ministry said, adding that the ministry is also concerned about the possibility of foreigners using the provision for money laundering. Deepak Giri, joint spokesperson for the Land Reform Ministry, said there are issues like whether to allow a single foreign company to purchase the entire block of apartment s or allow people from the same country to occupy the entire colony. In the initial draft of the working procedure, the Land Reform Ministry has proposed that only the foreigners getting recommendation from the Foreign Ministry would be allowed to purchase apartment s here. The draft has also provisioned that after purchasing the apartment s foreigners could not resell or lease the property for the next five years. Despite the uncertainty over the introduction of the working procedures for allowing foreigners to purchase apartment s in Nepal, the realty sector is gradually reviving. Revenue collection from land and house registrations increased by 19.43 percent to reach Rs 4.14 billion in 2011-12 compared to Rs 3.47 billion in 2010-11, according to the Department of Land Reforms and Management. Nnnn KOIRALA ATTACKER NEARLY KILLED Kathmandu, 30 Sept.: ATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala survived a near fatal attack today from an NC worker, thanks to General Secretary Prakash Man Singh and NC youth leader Gagan Thapa’s reflexive actions, Prakash Adhikary writes in The Himalayan Times.. Koirala was sitting at the podium to inaugurate the convention of NC’s Kathmandu area-4 chapter, Kapan, when the NC affiliated Nepal Student Union cadre Prabesh Basnet tried to hit Koirala with a thick wooden frame. It was about 8:30 am, the organisers were honouring leaders with khada (strips of religious cloth) at the podium after the welcome speech when Basnet climbed up the stage and struck Shyam Sangat and Narmada Pokharel who were announcing with a wooden frame. Both of them collapsed. Another party cadre Mina Parajuli was also injured. Basnet then went to Koirala and attempted to strike him. Singh, shielded Koirala with his hand. He then made a second attempt, which Congress Thapa blocked. “Both he [Basnet] and I fell off the stage. Party workers then showered blows seriously injuring him,” said Thapa. Thapa and other leaders rescued Basnet from the crowd and took him to the podium. Later, police arrested him. A witness overheard him telling someone on the cell phone, “I did it; and they also beat me”. “If Basnet had succeeded, an untoward incident would have occurred and if we had not rescued him from enraged party workers, he would not have been saved,” said Thapa. NSU spokesperson UP Lamichhane said the party president would not have survived if Singh had not shielded him from the first blow. Party sources say there could be three reasons for the attack: First, that Basnet, reportedly a whimsical person, was angry at not being called to the podium as he was a local student leader. Secondly, someone might have incited him to attack with revenge motive. And last but not the least, a conspiracy might have been hatched against Koirala. However, Koirala rejected the conspiracy theory. “It is a sad incident. I think no conspiracy is linked with it. It may be a youth venting ire against leaders for not settling the national crisis,” Koirala said. General Secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula, however, said he sensed conspiracy against the NC and that the party would leave no stone unturned to probe the incident and take action against the culprit. Basnet is in police custody. He will be charged under the Public Offences Act according to a police source. NC Kathmandu, area-4 chapter has formed a five-member committee to probe the “intention” behind the attack with a seven-day deadline. nnnn