NATION-WIDE CPN MAOIST BANDH DISRUPTS LIFE Kathmandu, 19 Feb.: A nationwide 11-hour bandh called by CPN Maoist paralyzed life ii the capital and rest of the country since Tuesday morning. Vehicles were vandalized in the capital and other urban centers outside the Valley. The splinter group of the ruling UCPN Maoists protesting plans to install a government headed by Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi and demanding a government led by political parties. Markets, schools and industries downed shutters. CPN Maoists is also demanding .remanding releaseof four Maoistscharged for the murder of journalist Dekendta Thapa mudered eight years ago in Dikhtel, withdrawal of criminal charges against Maoists during the Maoist people’s war and ‘foreign interference’ in installing Regmi. nnnn. CHIEF JUSTICE REGMI BEING OFFERED PM POST Kathmandu, 19 Feb.: Leaders of the Big Three and Madeshbadi Morcha are meeting Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi Tuesday morning to offer his leadership of an 11-member government to conduct constituent assembly (CA) elections 5 June. The major players agreed Monday night on formation of a controversial election government headed by Regmi and polls. The Big Three and five-party ruling Madeshi Morcha are meeting later Tuesday to sort out three major differences on citizenship, voters` list and the peae process. In the presence of President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, the recommendations of a package deal for the formation of a government to succeed Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai who has been in office for more than 18 moths is being signed after sorting out differences Some members of a 21-party ruling alliance are opposed to the agreement as senior advocate Sambhu Thapa said elections cant be held by the 5 June suggested deadline. ‘Nilambar Acharya [former chief election commissioner] himself has said it will take at least four months to sortout issues on voters’ list after the latest census. People can’t be denied their constitutional right to vote,” he said. Thapa said elections can be held soonest in one year. Parties have threatened to come out against the new government on the streets amid differences in the NC and UML opposition on the proposal to install Regmi government. ‘Regmi has been dragged into controversy even before beginning work,” Thapa said/. Nnnn MANY HOSPITALIZED AFTER ELEPHANTIASIS VACCINATION IN FAR-WEST Kathmandu, 19 Feb.: After 12-year-old Nilama Chaudhary of Gadariya VDC in Kailali district took anti-elephantiasis vaccine distributed under anti-elephantiasis campaign, she started vomiting followed by sever headache and leg cramps, Dil Bahadir Chattyal writes in Republica from Dhangadi.. She was immediately rushed to Seti Zonal Hospital after there was no sign of improvement in her condition. “As she complained of continued pain, we brought her to the hospital,” said Nilama´s mother Bhagirathi Chaudhary, who was accompanying her daughter at the emergency ward of the hospital. Likewise, Pratap Kunwar of Dhangadhi Municipality-6 was also bedridden immediately after taking the vaccine. He developed fever followed by vomitting and then fainted. He has also been admitted to the same hospital. Nilama and Pratap are not the only such cases. After the government started distributing anti-elephantiasis vaccine in nine district of the farwestern region from February 16, hundreds of locals have fallen ill and are in hospitals. More than 70 people have been admitted to the Seti Zonal Hospital alone because of the side effects of the vaccine over the last two days, reported Krishna Bohara, chief of emergency ward of Seti Zonal hospital. Likewise, Nar Bahadur Mainali, a doctor at Padma Hospital in Attaria informed that as many as 30 people suffering from side effects of the elephantiasis vaccine have come to the hospital for treatment so far. Stating that it is natural to have minor side effects of the vaccine, Jayaraj Karki, the chief of District Public Health Office (DPHO) in Kailali district said, many have taken ill after the health volunteers administered the vaccine even to those who are not suitable for taking the vaccine. Those with high blood pressure, tuberculosis, kidney ailments and heart disease should not consume anti-elephantiasis drugs, according to health officials. Likewise, the vaccine is not suitable for children under two. “People have undergone minor illness only. Nothing untoward has happened so far,” added Karki. Many have taken to ill as the vaccination campaign was launched without giving proper training to the health volunteers involved, said Mainali, adding, "Some patients said they were given vaccine tablet in empty stomach." It has been learnt that almost all health volunteers deployed for the campaign in the districts haven´t been given proper training. NNNN ________________________________________ ________________________________________ DHAKA TO GIVE DUTY FREE ACCESS TO 108 PRODUCTS Kathmandu, 19 Feb.: Bangladesh has agreed to provide duty-free access to 108 Nepali goods, mainly farm products, and sought preferential treatment for 153 Bangladeshi products in Nepal, Prabhakar Ghimere write in Republica.. The joint-secretary level technical meeting held between the two countries in Dhaka on Sunday finalized the list of products. The meeting was asked to finalize modalities to implement the agreement made during the commerce secretary meeting held in Kathmandu on July 30, 2012. “Bangladeshi officials have handed us an offer list, agreeing to provide zero-tariff access to 108 Nepali products in their market. This will help boost our exports to Bangladesh in the coming days,” said Naindra Prasad Upadhyaya, joint-secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS), who led the Nepali trade delegation for the talks. According to Upadhyaya, Bangladesh has agreed to provide preferential treatment to Nepali lentil, vegetables, cereals, wheat flour, fruits, juice, dairy and handmade papers, among others. “We will finalize the modality on implementing the zero-tariff facility at the upcoming joint-secretary level meeting to be held in Kathmandu,” Upadhyaya told Republica. He also said the modalities could be set through Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Nepal-Bangladesh Transit Treaty 1976 or any other bi-lateral agreement. • Bangladesh seeks duty-free access to 153 products • Dhaka agrees to implement on arrival visa for Nepalis • Operational modalities of two ports to be finalized in next meeting The Nepali delegation, however, is yet to decide on providing duty-free access to 153 goods proposed by Bangladeshi officials. The South Asian neighbor has sought preferential treatment for fish products, pharmaceuticals, textiles and electrical goods, among others, in the Nepali market. “We have received a list of products from Bangladeshi officials for duty-free access to Nepali market. We will finalize the list at the upcoming meeting as we need to do some homework before taking final decision,” he added. Data compiled by the Trade and Export Promotion Center shows Nepal exported goods worth Rs 2.57 billion to Bangladesh in 2011/12, while Nepal imported goods worth Rs 8.09 billion from its second largest trading partner in South Asia in the same fiscal year. During the first half of the current financial year, Nepal´s exports to Bangladesh have increased remarkably by 63 percent to Rs 2.06 billion. Both sides also held extensive discussion on the draft documents on operational modality of Chittagong and Mongla Ports, which are crucial for promoting trade between the two South Asian nations. “Though we discussed in detail about the operational modalities as drafted by both the sides, we are yet to give finishing touch to it. We are also in the process of preparing the modality in line with the concept of the South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC),” he further added. The two countries are scheduled to finalize the modality in next meeting of joint secretaries. Regarding the Kathmandu-Dhaka direct bus service which was agreed in principle by the commerce secretary level meeting, the two sides agreed to finalize the draft of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the service at the upcoming joint-secretary meeting after Nepal demanded more time to study the document. Amid reports on denial of on arrival visas to Nepalis traveling to Bangladesh through land route, Bangladeshi officials assured the Nepali side that they would instruct immigration officials to ensure effective implementation of the facility. At the secretary level meeting in Kathmandu, officials of the two countries had agreed to provide on arrival visas to each others´ citizens. Nepali officials said Nepali travelers are facing difficulties in getting on arrival visa in the absence of immigration office in Banglabanda - the point to enter Bangladesh through land route. At the Dhaka meeting, both sides also agreed to recognize quality certification issued by laboratories of both the countries for harmonization of quarantine under Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) regime. Nnnn TASK FORCE BREAKTHROUGH SUGGESTIONS FOR ELECTION GOVT. Agreements, recommendations, concepts prepared by four-party taskforce 1) Form, structure, tenure and operation of election government Constituent Assembly-Legislature Parliament election will be held on June 5, 2013. There will be an Interim Election Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers will have a chairman and members. The chairman will carry out all the tasks that are to be done by the prime minister as mentioned in the constitution. The chairman of the Council of Ministers will allocate portfolios to ministers as per the constitution. The chief justice, who will be chairman of the Council of Ministers, will be relieved of all his responsibilities at the Supreme Court and a new chief justice will independently carry out all the justice-delivery and administrative work at the Supreme Court. The acting chief justice will perform all the duties of the chief justice and the chief justice, who will be chairman of the Council of Ministers, will remain committed to safeguarding and maintaining the dignity and independence of the judiciary. After completion of his duties as chairman of the Council of Ministers, he will resume his responsibilities as chief justice in line with the established traditions of dispensation of justice. Structure: The maximum number of members of the Council of Ministers including its chairman will be 11. Tenure: The term of the Interim Election Council of Ministers will automatically come to an end after the new prime minister is elected through the Legislature-Parliament following the election of the Constituent Assembly-Legislature Parliament. In case of failure to hold the polls on the stipulated date, a High-Level Political Consultation Committee will recommend to the president a name for the new prime minister of the Interim Election Government, within 15 days after the expiry of term of the above-mentioned Interim Election Government. The chairman of the Interim Election Council of Ministers will return to his previous position in the Supreme Court after the election of the new prime minister is held. The chairman of the Council of Ministers will appoint the members of the Council of Ministers in consultation with the High-Level Political Consultation Committee. The main task of the Interim Election Council of Ministers will be to hold elections to the Constituent Assembly-Legislature Parliament within the stipulated date. The other tasks to be carried out by a Council of Ministers will be done by the Interim Election Council of Ministers. But the Interim Election Council of Ministers will not be able to carry out work of a long-term nature such as those requiring the endorsement of two-thirds of the members of the Legislature-Parliament. 2) Formation of High-Level Political Consultation Committee and its jurisdiction Formation: There will be a High-Level Political Consultation Committee, with representation from all the major political parties. The following will be its jurisdiction: -Create conducive environment for holding an election within the stipulated date -Make efforts to maintain an environment of consensus among the political parties -Provide necessary suggestions and consultations to the Interim Election Government The Committee will itself determine its working procedure and operation module for these purposes. 3) Number of members of Constituent Assembly and its tenure Number: Ensuring proportional representation of various groups and communities including women, Dalits, marginalized groups/indigenous nationalities, backward regions and Madhesis, there will be altogether 491 members in the Constituent Assembly-Legislature Parliament, including 240 members under the First Past the Post electoral system, 240 members elected under a proportional electoral system and 11 members nominated by the Council of Ministers in political consensus. Tenure: The election to the Constituent Assembly-Legislature Parliament will be held for a term of five years. The Constituent Assembly-Legislature Parliament will function both in the capacity of Constituent Assembly and Legislature-Parliament until the Constituent Assembly completes its task of drafting a new statute, and will function in the capacity of Legislature-Parliament only after the completion of the constitution-drafting process. 4. Voters’ List All Nepali citizens completing 18 years of age by mid-April, 2012 will be eligible to vote. The voters’ list prepared by the Election Commission on the basis of citizenship certificates will be taken as the basis for the upcoming election of the Constituent Assembly-Legislature Parliament. A voters’ list will be compiled along with the voters’ pictures. A special campaign to collect the names of those yet to register their names in the voters’ list will be launched immediately. 5) Process and issues for removing constitutional difficulties The cabinet will prepare a draft proposal based on agreement among the political parties to set out the issues to be recommended to the president. The following will be done on the following issues for removing constitutional difficulties concerning them: 6) Necessary legal arrangements for elections Necessary work will be done as per a proposal to be prepared by the Election Commission concerning necessary election-related laws and other management matters. Political parties may provide suggestions after studying the proposal. 7. Appointments to the Election Commission and other constitutional bodies The Interim Election Government will immediately make appointments to various constitutional bodies including the Election Commission. 8) Issues related to taking ownership of the work of the dissolved Constituent Assembly The agreements reached among political parties in the Constituent Assembly will be assumed/ownership will be taken of the work done in the Constituent Assembly 9) Remaining work of the Peace Process Remaining tasks of the Peace Process will be completed through active initiatives The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be formed at the earliest Remaining tasks concerning the integration of Maoist combatants will be completed immediately The current prime minister will immediately settle the issue of their rank determination through a Special Committee as per agreement reached earlier. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Disappearance Commission will be formed immediately in line with the spirit and sense of reconciliation as per the agreement among the top leaders of the four parties and the seven-point agreement reached earlier. Citizenship certificates by descent will be provided to the children of those acquiring citizenship certificates by birth 9) About local bodies election Local bodies’ elections will be held by mid-December, 2013. (Text Printed in Republica) Nnnn