COL. LAMA APPEARS BEFORE BRITIS COURT Kathmandu, 6 Jan.: Colonel Kumar Lama has been remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates court charged with two counts of torture, according to BBC on Saturday, agencies report from London.. Colonel Kumar Lama is accused of committing the alleged crimes in Nepal during the country's civil war in 2005. The 46-year-old, currently seconded to the UN, was arrested at his East Sussex home by the Met Police on Thursday. He faces trial in Britain under a law that allows prosecution of alleged war criminals. Col Lama is charged with intentionally "inflicting severe pain or suffering" as a public official on two separate individuals. Police said the charges relate to two separate incidents that allegedly occurred between April and May 2005 at the Gorusinghe Army Barracks in Nepal. His arrest in St Leonards-on-Sea near Hastings has angered the Nepalese government. They have summoned the UK ambassador in Kathmandu to protest. Col Lama is currently employed as a UN peace keeper in Sudan, but was visiting the UK when he was arrested on 3 January. Nnnn NC, UML ALSO URGE COL.LAMA’S RELEASE Kathmandu, 6 Jan.: The Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-Maoist have raised their serious concerns over the arrest of Nepal Army (NA)’s Colonel Kumar Lama by the British Police in London on charge of war crimes, The Himalayan Times reports.. Issuing separate statements, the parties protested the arrest saying it was not acceptable to a sovereign Nepal, and demanded to the British government to release the Nepali army official. NC argued that Col Lama, who was deputed in South Sudan under the UN peacekeeping mission, was arrested without any notice and substantial proof for his alleged involvement in torturing detainees during the armed insurgency in Nepal. Expressing its commitment to democracy and human rights, the NC further said the cases of rights violations during the Maoist insurgency should be addressed through a truth and reconciliation commission. Basanta Gautam, the NC’s chief secretary of party’s central office, took a potshot at the Maoist-led incumbent government, saying the country’s commitment to the human rights has been questioned in the international arena due to the government’s double standard and confusing policy on democracy and human rights. Likewise, CPN-Maoist Spokesperson Pampha Bhusal said that it’s duty of the Nepali side to carry out investigation into the allegations against Col Lama and take action against him if found guilty. The government has formally protested the arrest. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a protest note to the British government yesterday, citing that the arrest of Colonel Lama was against international laws and jurisdiction of a sovereign state. Nnnn CA POLL NOT POSSIBLE SAYS BAIDYA Kathmandu, 6 Jan.:: At a time when the major parties are discussing a consensus candidate for prime minister to hold fresh elections for the constituent assembly (CA), CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidya has claimed that there is no possibility of elections, Republica reports.. Stating that the major parties - UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN-UML - and their leaders have failed to promulgate the constitution and break the current political and constitutional deadlock, Baidya said an alternative should be sought as there was no chance of a solution from those parties and their leaders. "The CA election cannot be held. The same political parties, the so-called major political parties, and their leadership cannot hold elections and we should find an alternative," said Baidya at a press meet organized by his party Friday at the party´s head office, Buddha Nagar. He also warned the major parties that his party would announce a struggle to fulfill the people´s interests, adding that its nature will depend on the circumstances. He was hinting at statements by UCPN(Maoist) Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal. Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai have been saying repeatedly to their party cadres not to join Baidya´s party and that Baidya was going to launch another people´s war. "It is clear that we will launch a struggle if the so-called major parties betray the people´s wishes. But its nature will be determined by the situation," said Baidya, adding that the path of struggle can be a people´s revolt or a people´s war. The press meet was organized to make public the party´s preparations for its general convention. The party is going to hold its general convention, after a hiatus of 22 years, in Kathmandu from January 9-13. The inauguration program will be at Khulamanch on January 9 at 1a.m. and the closing session will be held at the Nepal Academy hall on January 13. Altogether 2,000 party cadres will participate in the general convention as representatives, observers and volunteers. According to Baidha, three documents -political document, immediate programs and party statute -will be presented at the general convention. Commenting about the Bhattarai government, he said that imperialists and expansionist forces were interfering in Nepal through their stooges and fulfilling their interests. "The BIPPA agreement and the proposal to hand over to foreign forces the management of the airports are examples," said Baidya, claiming that Nepali national sovereignty was being pushed into the danger zone day by day. The CPN-Maoist has defined Nepal as politically ´semi feudal´ and ´neo-colonial.´ Baidya also accused Dahal and Bhattarai of betraying the people and the revolution in its final stages. "The leadership [Dahal] betrayed the people and the revolution when the revolution was in the final stage of victory," said Baidya. Reviewing the past, he said that it was a great mistake to glorify his former chairman Dahal as a god. The party had decided to adopt Prachandapath as its guiding principle along with Marxism, Leninism and Maoism, thus entrusting Dahal with ´central authority´. "We made a mistake in the past. So our party is practicing collective leadership," said Baidya. In another context, he said that his party is quite different from the UCPN (Maoist). According to him, the UCPN (Maoist) accepted the parliamentary party system while his party is for a new democratic system. The UCPN (Maoist) is not for national sovereignty but his party is for it. Similarly, his party is for identity-based federalism but the UCPN (Maoist) is for just the opposite. UCPN (Maoist) represents the ruling and elite classes and his party, the poor and proletariat, he added. Nnnn NC, UML SAY KOIRALA IS STILL PM CANDIDATE Kathmandu, 6 Jan.: The two main opposition parties -- Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML -- have reaffirmed their decision to form a new government under NC President Sushil Koirala´s leadership while rejecting the ruling UCPN (Maoist)´s proposal to form a new election government under the leadership of a neutral leader, Republica reports. "We rejected the ruling Maoist leaders´ proposal of finding a neutral person to head the new government and reaffirmed our decision to further strengthen the two-party alliance in the days to come," CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal told reporters after the two-party talks on Friday. The opposition parties have reaffirmed their position at a time when the seventh deadline given by President Ram Baran Yadav to the political parties to find a consensus prime ministerial candidate expired on Friday. The standoff between the ruling and opposition alliance has prolonged for months as the opposition parties have demanded immediate exit of caretaker Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, while the ruling parties have rejected Koirala´s candidacy terming him anti-federalist. Lately, Bhattarai and UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal have said they can quit the government if other parties are ready to form an election-government under a neutral leader. The CPN-UML standing committee meeting earlier on Friday concluded that the new government must be led by one of the major political parties. "The meeting has reaffirmed the party´s previous decision to support the Nepali Congress candidate," read a statement issued by party secretary Bishnu Paudel following the meeting. Meanwhile, CPN-UML leaders KP Sharma Oli, Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Ishwar Pokharel called on President Ram Baran Yadav on Friday and reiterated the party´s decision that the opposition alliance including NC and CPN-UML were firmly against seeking prime ministerial candidate from outside the major political parties. Emerging from the president´s office after the meeting, Oli said there is no option other than forming a new government led by a major political party. According to Bhandari, the three UML leaders during the meeting with the president had reiterated their position on forming a new government led by mainstream democratic forces such as NC and UML and to create grounds for fresh elections. Bhandari said they emphasized the need for "foiling the UCPN (Maoist) party´s plan to impose totalitarian regime in the country without holding fresh elections." The three leaders had talked to Sushil Koirala earlier in the day. The leaders from the two sides reiterated the same position. "During the talks with NC President Sushil Koirala, Oli clearly termed the Maoist proposal a ridiculous idea," said NC General Secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula. Though the UML standing committee meeting´s decision to firmly stand in favor of Koirala´s candidacy was unanimous, the three leaders separate initiative to lobby against the Maoist proposal has been construed as an indication of internal divide in the party. Sources claimed senior UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and Chairman Khanal are comparatively flexible about seeking an alternative to NC President Koirala while some leaders including Oli are dead-set against Maoist proposal. According to a participant of the meeting, Nepal, who also heads the UML talks team, raised a question over the party´s next move if the Maoists remain adamant against Koirala´s candidacy for long. "There is no dispute in our standing committee but some leaders asked if we need to think of an alternative to Koirala. Their expression is just a result of worry over the prolonged deadlock," said a standing committee member, preferring anonymity. Nnnn BASTOLA STILL IN COMA. Kathmandu, 6 Jan.: The condition of ailing Nepali Congress leader Chakra Prasad Bastola, who is undergoing treatment at Gurgaon-based Medanta Medicity after brain haemorrhage, is still frail, Rupesh Achary reports from New Delhi in the Himalayan Times... According to his family members, Bastola has been slightly moving his limbs in an unconscious state and he is still not out of danger. Bastola can't said to be in a good state, his son-in-law Mani Chaulagain said. According to neurologist Aditya Gupta, who is involved in Nepal's former foreign ambassador to India and foreign minister's treatment, Bastola is in a deep coma and nothing can be said now. The doctor was not sure whether Bastola would gain his memory back due to the injuries that the brain haemorrhage inflicted on his brain. Bastola suffered from a brain stroke and collapsed while addressing a programme in Biratnagar on December 29. He was rushed to the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan from Biratnagar and then to Siliguri. He underwent a brain surgery at the North Bengal Neuro Hospital, Siliguri in the same evening. He was later flown to New Delhi for further treatment. His wife Kusum, two daughters and sons-in-law have come to New Delhi to look after Bastola. nnnn