UML RALLY Kathmandu, 10 Jan.: UML is holding a rally in the capital Thursday to Protest growing violence against women. The party district body is organizing the event that was scheduled Wednesday. The date of the programme was changed because of CPN Maoist convention. nnnn CPN MAOIST CLOSED SESSION STARTS Kathmandu, 10 Jan.: Closed session of the CPN Maoist general convention begins Thursday after launch at the Open Air Theater Wednesday. Chairman Mohan Badhaya will present a political report and General Secretary Raam Bahadur Thapa an organization overview. Discussions may start Thursday if wok of the two works ae completed. The convention is adopting party policy and electing a leadership. Nnnn SHANKATA PLAYS APF IN FOOTBALL LEAGUE Kathmandu, 10 Jan.: Machindra plays Baudha Thursday in the martyrs memorial A division football league championship at Dashrath Rangashala. APF plays Shankata in another match. League matches were disrupted Wednesday because the Rangashala was occupied by TU. nnnn PROSECUTERS IN DAILEKH START RECORDING STATEMENTS IN JOURNALIST MURDER DESPITE PM OBJECTION Kathmandu, 10 Jan.:: After hundreds of locals took to the streets in Dailekh on Wednesday, the District Attorney´s Office succumbing to pressure restarted recording statements of the Maoist cadres charged with abducting and murdering journalist Dekendra Thapa, Govinda KC reports from Dailekh . Previously, the District Attorney´s Office had stopped recording statements of the accused reportedly under “direct pressure” from Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. At a function in Kathmandu on Tuesday, PM Bhattarai had said that the Maoist cadres were arrested “at the backing of human rights activists against the spirit of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)”, which made the locals of Dailekh believe that he indeed pressed the police and public prosecutors investigating Thapa´s murder to halt recording of statements and release the accused. In addition to organizing protest rallies against PM Bhattarai´s remarks, the locals of Dailekh also blocked all vehicles from leaving and entering the district headquarters for two hours on Wednesday. They also burnt PM Bhattarai´s effigies, accusing him of trying to let the culprits off the hook. At a corner meeting organized in Devkota Chowk of Dailekh, local leaders of Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN (UML) asked PM Bhattarai to recall the Dullu revolt, in which Maoist cadres involved in atrocities against the locals were chased away. Following demonstrations by the locals, the District Attorney´s Office recorded statements of one more accused on Wednesday. According to investigation officer Binod Sharma, public prosecutors recorded statements of Nirak Bahadur Gharti Magar, of Baulwatar VDC-9 in Dailekh district. Earlier, statements of Lakshi Ram Gharti Magar, of Dwari-1 of Dailekh, were recorded on Sunday. Now, public prosecutors need to record statements of three more accused. “Statements of the rest of the accused will also be recorded on Thursday,” said Sharma. The District Police Office of Dailekh has arrested Jay Bahadur Shahi, of Raniban VDC-1, Bir Bahadur KC, of Baluwatar-7, and Harilal Pun, of Dwari VDC-3, apart from the Gharti Magar duo in connection with Thapa´s murder. One of the accused, in his preliminary statement, has already revealed that they thrashed Thapa and buried him alive. Thapa, who was working as a reporter for Radio Nepal, was abducted and killed in August, 2004. The police had arrested no one for eight years since Thapa´s murder. Three of the four people against whom Thapa´s wife Laxmi had lodged a written complaint are still at large. Only Lakshi Ram Gharti Magar has been arrested so far. Four of the five Maoist cadres arrested by the police this week were nabbed on the basis of Lakhsi Ram´s statement. On Wednesday, main areas of Dailekh district remained tense. Large numbers of police personnel were deployed in Dailekh and Naumule to avoid any untoward incident. More police personnel were called in from Surkhet following rumors that Maoist cadres were planning to storm police offices. Meanwhile, local journalists have complained that they have not been able to go to villages fearing possible attacks by the Maoists. "We have been confined to the district headquarters,” said Bishnu Kumar Shahi, secretary of the Dailekh chapter of Federation of Nepalese Journalist (FNJ). Nnnn EC MAY TURN DEFUNCT FRIDAY Kathmandu, 10 Jan.: As the outgoing acting chief election commissioner and another commissioner, the only two still remaining, hinted that they would not delegate their powers to the secretary, the Election Commission (EC) is likely to become dysfunctional from Friday, Gani Ansari writes in Republica.. According to sources at the constitutional body, Acting Chief Election Commissioner Dolakh Bahadur Gurung and Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav showed reluctance to delegate their powers to the EC secretary at a meeting held at the EC office on Wednesday afternoon. Gurung and Yadav will retire on Thursday after completing their six-year tenures. "Who will be responsible for the situation if the government tries to hold election relying on just EC officials in the absence of commissioners?" an EC official quoted Gurung and Yadav as telling the meeting, adding, "We don´t want to be blamed for any untoward situation after our retirement." EC officials said that following retirement of the acting chief election commissioner and the commissioner, the constitutional body will be limited to just administrative tasks. "The EC cannot do anything other than daily administrative work," said the official requesting to be unnamed, adding, "For instance, it (EC) cannot register new political parties, resolve disputes about authenticity of parties, and cannot introduce new programs." He maintained that the EC will not be able to engage in pre-electoral activities if the parties forged consensus on holding fresh polls in May or June. "Not a single political party is against fresh polls," said the EC official, adding, "What can the EC do if parties agreed to conduct fresh polls in May or June?" The EC officials argued that Gurung and Yadav could have delegated some of their powers to the secretary just like in the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). However, Commissioner Yadav said that there cannot be comparison between the EC and the CIAA. "You cannot give example of the CIAA as the EC´s case is different," Yadav told Republica, adding, "Both national and international parties have concerns with the EC´s activities." He also maintained that delegation of power is the matter of their discretion. "We will have to completely trust the person whom we are supposed to delegate our powers," Yadav maintained, adding, But, let´s see what will happen tomorrow [Thursday]." Former Acting Chief Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety retired some two months ago. The post of the chief election commissioner remains vacant following retirement of Bhojraj Pokhrel after CA elections in 2008. As per the Interim Constitution, there should be chief election commissioner and four commissioners in the EC. The EC meeting also concluded that it would not be able to hold polls for Constituent Assembly (CA) in mid April-May as announced by the government. Nnnn g