SAHARA AND THREE STAR CLUBS SLAY IN AAHA GOLD CUP FINALS Kathmandu, 2 Feb.: Local Sahara Club takes on Three Star Club Sahara Club in the finals of the Aaha Gold Cup in Pokhara Saturday. Sahara Club is in the final for the first time. nnnn. HETAUDA READY FOR SUNDAY’S RULING MAOIST GENERAL CONVENTION Kathmandu, 2 Feb. The Unified CPN-Maoist is all set for its seventh national convention in Hetauda starting tomorrow with as many as 3,500 delegates from all across the country participating in what is believed to be party’s biggest show of strength in a little more than last two decades, Tika Pradhan reports from Hetauda.. “All preparations have been completed,” said party Spokesman Agni Sapkota here on the eve of the inauguration of the convention, which is being held on the premises of Hetauda Industrial District. The national convention — organised for the fist time in more than 20 years during which the party waged a 10-year war against the state and then shot to power following a peace agreement — is likely to endorse a major shift in party’s political line. The last time the party held its national convention was in 1992 in Madi of Chitwan. “This convention will come up with a magical formula that will help form an election government and ensure fresh Constituent Assembly elections within May,” said Sapkota but stopped short of even dropping a hint as to what that formula is. “As many as 3,500 representatives, observers and volunteers will take part in the convention for which the party has estimated a budget of about Rs 2-3 crores,” he said. The industrial town has been bedecked with red banners and party flags, while the local administration has beefed up security and deployed more than 1,200 security personnel for the six-day jamboree of the ruling party. The District Administration Office has issued a public notice banning sale of liquor after 6:00pm for six days from tomorrow and barring long-distance vehicles from entering the main city from 8:00am-6:00pm. Ram Prasad Sapkota, a member of security department of the party, said thousands of Young Communist League activists will be deployed at ‘strategically important points’ for the security of participants. Spokesperson Sapkota said more than 65 per cent of the representatives have already reached Hetauda. Top leaders, including party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, arrived this evening. The organisers said as many as 300,000 people are expected to arrive for the inaugural ceremony at Huprachaur tomorrow. Closed sessions will begin from Sunday morning on the premises of the Hetauda Industrial District. ‘Focus on evolution of revolution’‘Focus on evolution of revolution’ Unified CPN-Maoist Spokesman Agni Sapkota said on Friday that the party, through its national convention, will endorse ‘a unique shift in party’s political line’. “We will focus on freedom and development so as to give an impetus to revolution in a unique way. We are on the verge of adopting a major strategic shift,” said Sapkota. “We believe that revolution is not about copying (any style), it is about evolution.” When asked if the UCPN-M was deviating from party’s original line that it has towed for more than last two decades, Sapkota quipped, “That is the uniqueness of the party. We want to make the shift peacefully.” nnnn DEKENDRA’S MURDER CRIMINAL SAYS COURT Kathmandu, 2 Feb. Dailekh District Court on Friday overruled the defendants´ claim that journalist Dekendra Thapa´s murder was the special case and thereby does not fall under the jurisdiction of the regular criminal justice system, Govinda KC writes from Dailekh.. Talking to Republica after the court ruling, chief administrator of the district court Anantaraj Panta said, “The court ruled that Thapa´s murder case falls under the jurisdiction of a court like any other criminal cases.” The court claimed the case fell under its jurisdiction as the incident took place in the district. Moreover, the Supreme Court on January 15 has already ordered the local administration to proceed with the case. Earlier, the Office of Attorney General had directed Dailekh District Police and District Attorney´s Office to stop proceedings against those accused of Thapa´s murder claiming the war-era cases fall under the jurisdiction of the yet-to-be-formed Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Bringing the murder case under its jurisdiction after its ruling on Friday, the district court also sent all the five accused of Thapa´s murder to judicial custody. Panta said that the five accused were sent to the judicial custody as their involvement in the murder had been clearly established. The district court´s ruling comes at a time when government is overtly trying to secure the release of all the accused, who are also Maoist cadres. Investigation Officer Binod Sharma said the court ruling was the proof that the criminal justice system in the country is still functioning. “With support from all quarters, the court has proven that the criminal justice system is still functioning,” Sharma stated. After the court ruling, journalist Thapa´s mother Ganga Devi Thapa, smeared vermilion on the faces of lawyers and investigation officer Sharma and garlanded them. “A thousand thanks to all of you who supported me in fighting this legal battle,” said Ganga. Thapa was abducted on June 26, 2004 and subsequently killed on August 11. Eight years after journalist Dekendra Thapa was killed allegedly by Maoist cadres, police arrested five people -- Lachhi Ram Gharti Magar of Dwari VDC-1, Bir Bahadur KC of Baluwatar VDC-7, Nirak Bahadur Gharti Magar of Baluwatar-9, Harilal Pun Magar of Dwari VDC-3 and Jay Bahadur Shahi, a resident of Raniban VDC-1 in connection with Thapa´s murder in the first week of January. Nnnn ACTIVITIES OF SUSPICIOUS FOREIGNERS TO BE TRACKED Kathmandu, 2 Feb.:: Amid increasing instances of foreigners´ involvement in various illegal activities in recent years, the government has initiated the process to form a separate Counter Intelligence Unit (CIU) to make close scrutiny over activities of ´suspicious´ foreign nationals residing in Nepal both on ´tourist´ and ´non-tourist´ visas, Kosh Raj Koirala writes in Republica.. The CIU being formed through joint initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and Ministry of Home Affairs will maintain records of all those travelling to Nepal and keep close scrutiny over their activities. The CIU will also be entrusted to make recommendations to the concerned government authorities for appropriate actions including annulling visas if the foreigners living in Nepal are found involved in any unscrupulous/unauthorized activities. Highly placed government officials said their preliminary investigation suggested that many foreign nationals living in Nepal both on ´tourist´ and ´non-tourist´ visa categories were found involved in the activities other than those permitted to them. "It has been found that many foreign nationals who landed in Nepal on tourist visa are involved in businesses, religious preaching and various other unscrupulous activities. The CIU aims at curbing such practices," said senior government official privy to the development. The formation of the CIU has also been made a part of broader Intelligence Policy being formulated by the Home Ministry. The CIU will work in close coordination with MoFA, National Investigation Department, security agencies and the Department of Immigration. The latest initiative comes in the wake of MoFA officials complaining that many ´suspicious´ foreign nationals visiting Nepal and getting involved in activities that are detrimental to broader national interests. "Many a times we come to know about the visit by high-profile foreigners only after they hold meeting with the country´s VIPs," complained a foreign ministry official. Since the CIU will track foreigners right since they land in the country, such a situation is expected to come to an end after the CIU becomes fully operational. Officials said one of the main reasons that prompted the formation of CIU was the involvement of foreign nationals living on professional visa category in various ´suspicious´ activities other than those permitted to them. In a recent case in a point, Home Ministry had directed the Department of Immigration to rescind the visa of a foreigner, who obtained a non-tourist visa to work at a Kavre-based Hospital, after he was found involved in religious preaching and other suspicious activities. Officials involved in the preparatory works of CIU told Republica that the CIU will maintain record of the arrival of any foreigners through Tribhuvan International Airport and other immigration points in Nepal and monitor the activities of any ´suspicious´ foreigners while they are in Nepal. "Obviously, not all foreigners are here with good intention. The formation of CIU will make it easy to track down any suspicious or illegal activities on the part of foreigner since it works in close coordination with police, government intelligence arm and the immigration system," said an official on condition of anonymity. Nnnn SHORTCOMINGS IN PM’S REPRESENTATION AT SC SENT, RETURNED Kaaaatthmandu, 2 Feb.:: The Supreme Court today sent back Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s application demanding vacation of apex court’s January 15 order not to obstruct investigation into journalist Dekendra Thapa’s murder, citing ‘some technical errors’ in his petition, The Himalayan Times reports.. Stating that the government was making its efforts to form the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission on Inquiry of Disappearances, Prime Minister Bhattarai in his petition had demanded that the apex court vacate its order as only transitional justice mechanism, not regular justice system, could look into war-era cases. “As there were some technical errors in the prime minister’s petition, we sent the application back to the Office of the Prime Minister, asking his office to correct it,” said Prakash Raut, Deputy Registrar, Supreme Court. “If they register the petition by the stipulated time, we will produce it before the bench,” he added. However, Attorney General Mutki Narayan Pradhan’s petition, which had similar demands, was registered today. In its order on January 15, the apex court had asked the prime minister and attorney general not to obstruct justice process and ordered district authorities to continue with the prosecution against those accused of murdering Thapa. It had also asked local authorities to report to it if any agency tried to impede the justice process. In their petitions, the prime minister and attorney general have claimed that the apex court did not provide them a chance of a hearing while issuing the order and that there was guarantee of transitional justice mechanism to deal with war-era cases. The order was issued by going against the basic provision of the Interim Constitution and Comprehensive Peace Accord, read the petitions. Attorney General Mukti Narayan Pradhan shrugged off suggestions from senior government attorneys and moved the Supreme Court seeking vacation of apex court’s January 15 order. “It was his sole decision, he did not involve any senior government attorney in the petition-drafting process,” a government attorney told this daily. According to him, most of the deputy attorneys general were against filing the petition to challenge the apex court order because ‘the move was meaningless as the Dekendra Thapa murder case had already reached Dailekh District Court’. “He might have involved Maoist party lawyers while preparing the draft,” he added. nnnn