OPPOSITION

UCPN MAOIST ESTABLISHMENT EVEN CONSIDERING TAKING

PARTY DIFFERENCES TO SPECIAL GENERAL CONVENTION

Kathmandu, 7 July: The establishment in UCPN Maoist is even

considering calling a special general convention to discuss intense

rivalry in the party and push through appointments to senior party positions if an extended central committee meeting can’t end rivalry and resolve

differences later this month.

The special  convention will be called into session five months after

the 7^th Hetauda general convention.

The meeting of the extended central committee was called

after appointments recommended by Chairman Prachanda to fill top positions in party bodies were challenged even in a signature campaign and

open campaigning.

Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who is party vice-chairman, even resigned and suggested party Prachanda could also resign as

party boss.

UCPN Maoist spokesman Agni Sapkota Saturday revealed a special general convention was an option being discussed to discuss party rivalry.

Sapkota, who was with the chairman in Dhulikhel, to prepare and

finalize the chairman’s address to the extended committee meeting, talked of convening a special convention to discuss the rivalry as party prepares for the 19 November second constituent assembly elections.

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JABAHAR JOINS SP

Kathmandu, 6 July: Senior vice-president Sheikh Abdul Jabahar Saturday quot MJFR ad joined Sadbhavana Party (SP).

SP Chief Rajendra Mahoto welcomed the new entrant at a function in the capital.

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KARMA TSHERING LAMA ELECTED CHAIRMAN FOR THIRD

TERM…

Kathmandu, 7 July: Karma Tshering Lama as Saturday elected chairman

for the third term by a general meeting of  A division football club Yeti

Himalayan Sherpa.

A 23-member working committee was also elected.

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FORMER MAOIST FIGHTERS BEHIND VALLEY CRIMES SAY POLICE

Kathmandu, 7 July:: Police suspect the involvement of former Maoist combatants in a spate of criminal activities in the Kathmandu Valley in recent months, The Himalayan Times reports..

The Metropolitan Police Range, Hanumandhoka, arrested former Maoist combatants Kuldeep Thapa Magar, 30, of Ramechhap and Ashish Rai, 28, of Nuwakot with six live bullets, donation slips and a toy gun in Kathmandu yesterday. Officials said the two, who had opted for voluntary retirement after receiving government package of Rs 5,00,000 each, had been operating a robbery and extortion racket in the Capital.

As per complaints lodged with police, Magar and Rai had been terrorising businesspeople by issuing kidnapping and death threats for the sake of money. However, police have not disclosed the victims’ identities. On May 25, the Metropolitan Police Crime Division arrested ex-Maoist combatant Ram Kumar Lama, 26, of Kavre with a loaded pistol on the charge of hatching a crime plot.

On February 20, police raided the rented room of Lenin Bista, 23, a discharged Maoist combatant, in Madhyapur Thimi, Bhaktapur, and arrested him with equipment used for operating an illegal Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call centre. The seized equipment included 18 GSM antennas and 26 fixed wireless terminals, and a U-SIM. According to investigators, Bista and associates had rented a room in Bachchu Budhathoki’s house to set up a VoIP call centre.

On April 17, police arrested three people, including former Maoist fighter Yam Bahadur Thapa, 23, of Gorkha, with a semiautomatic rifle‚ a revolver‚ bullets‚ swords‚ khukuris and knives. Although Thapa produced licence for the German-made GST-5d Caliber 22 LRHV rifle and 53 bullets‚ officials said they were trying to establish if the user had misused the licensed weapon. The revolver and two bullets were illegal.

On January 8, police arrested ex-Maoist fighter Nir Kumar Karki, 27, of Solukhumbu in connection with the murder of Fudorji Sherpa, 29, of Sankhuwashabha at Chapali Bhadrakali. According to police, Yangji Sherpa (25) had paid Karki Rs 1,25,000 on January 6 for the murder of her husband.

Officials said they will collect details of former Maoist fighters staying in the valley after completion of the peace process. “It will help us keep the suspects under surveillance and curb crimes in the valley,” they claimed.

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LOCALS RESIST UML YAN’S ATTEMPT TO SEIZE LAND

Kathmandu, 7 July:: Locals yesterday night took more than 100 members of Youth Association Nepal (YAN), aligned to CPN-UML, in their control for close to seven hours over a land dispute with the local school in Manpakadi, Rupandehi, The Himalayan Times reports from Bhuwal..

Irate locals locked up the YAN cadres — who had apparently gone to the area to intimidate the school principal — inside a school room from 5:00 pm till midnight.

The cadres had reached Manpakadi to support encroachers in a land dispute with the local Belawa Lower Secondary School.

According to YAN central Vice-chairman Raju Gurung, about 130 cadres were held till midnight. “After the incident, we came to know that police had gone to the incident site and rescued out cadres, upon the request of leaders,” he said, adding, “It was a mistake as they had gone there without understanding the reality of the situation.”

Two police personnel, including a sub-inspector and some other persons were injured in the rescue attempt.

“The situation was volatile as there could also have been a bloodshed for the villagers were armed with khukuris, spears and the like. Police, however exercised their patience and finally managed to secure their release,” said DSP Raj Kumar Baidar of Area Police Office, Butwal.

According to school principal Prahlad Nawik, the villagers had flown into a rage after the large group of armed YAN cadres thrashed a local guardian Raghu Lodh. “After Lodh was beaten, hundreds of locals retaliated and locked them up in a room,” he added.

According to Nawik, the dispute over school land had surfaced after Deni Mallaha, Babulal Kewat and Naresh Lodh refused to evacuate the land the school had allowed them to use on contract basis.

After the trio refused to pull down the shanties they had built on the school land, students had demolished the huts on Tuesday. The trio had then sought the help of YAN cadres to get back the land they had encroached.

According to a source, though the land was unregistered, the VDC and the district administration had allowed the school to use it.

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