Police arrest 11 in Dhanusha

Police arrested 11 suspected Maoist rebels in Mithileswor of Dhanusha district on Wednesday, state-owned Radio Nepal said Thursday. According to the report, the suspected rebels were engaged in looting in the local Itarahiya VDC.

Three among the 11 suspected Maoists are reported injured. They are said to be injured in the pressure cooker bomb exploded by the rebels to intimidate the villagers. nepalnews.com pd Aug 26 04

Related News
- Two suspected Maoists killed in Dhanusha

Sangina to participate in Athens Olympics today

Sangina Vaidhya will participate at the Athens Olympics, in the women’s under 49-kg category taekwondo bout against Chen Shin Hsin of Taipei, China in the preliminary bout. Sangina is the Nepali medal hope in the Athens Olympics.

The preliminary round match between Sangina and Chen is scheduled to start around 1.30 PM (NST) at the sports pavilion in Athens, reports said. State owned Nepali Television will broadcast the match live. 

Meanwhile, best wishes and greetings have been published, for Sangina’s attempt at the Olympics, in the daily newspapers Thursday by various business houses. Nepalis in various places reportedly, have  performed Pujas (prayers) in different Hindu temples wishsing success for her in the Athens Olympics. 

The fight is going to be toughest challenge for the first Nepali qualifier to the Olympics, as the opponent Chen has a 6-0 win record over Sangina in the Olympics qualifying game in Bangkok. Although, the first fight will be tough for Sangina, a win over Chen will ensure her a medal. nepalnews.com pd Aug 26 04 

Related News
- Taekwondo ace Sangina leaves for Athens

NEA asks Mid-Marsyangdi to resume construction works

The state-owned Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has asked the Mid-Marsyangdi hydropower project-- being constructed in western district of Lamjung --to resume its construction.

The multinational contractor of the project, DDC-JV, had unilaterally stopped its entire construction works from Tuesday believed to be due to Maoist threats.

In a letter addressed to the contractor on Wednesday, NEA has maintained that there was no rationale behind the contractor’s decision to halt its activities. Saying that the contractor’s decision is against the `contract,’ the NEA has said the contractor will be responsible for the consequence if it ignored its directives.

Kantipur daily quoted executive director of the NEA, Dr. Janak Lal Karmacharya, as saying that the Maoist had not issued any threats specific to the project. “But the contractor took the unilateral decision (to stop the construction),” he said. 

On Wednesday, the German embassy in Kathmandu expressed concerns over what it said repeated threats by a local level Maoist leader. The 70 MW project is being constructed under German grant assistance. nepalnews.com by Aug 26 05

Related News
- German embassy deplores threats against Marsyangdi Hydro project
- Mid-Marsyangdi project closes down

Iraq captives plead for help; minister insists helplessness

13 Nepalis taken hostage by an Iraqi militant group have requested the government to help in their release.

"I am in the captivity of terrorists and this could be my final voice. My message to my family and the Nepal government is that please do something for our release and punish the agents who sent us here," Prakash Adhikari of Topgachhi, Jhapa said in a video footage aired in Nepali TV channels Wednesday evening.

12 other captives also made similar statements, calling on the Nepal government and their families to take initiatives for their release.

The videotape was made available to Nepal government by Qatar-based al Jazeera TV that first showed the pictures of Nepali hostages.

While being videotaped, the captives, with passports in their hands, were seen surrounded by masked gunmen. They repeatedly mentioned a name - Prahlad Giri, an agent of Moonlight Manpower Consultancy that sent them to Iraq whereas they were promised of jobs in Jordan. According to them, a Jordanian manpower company assisted them to enter Iraq.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Labor and Transport Management Urba Dutta Pant today said in an interview with a private TV channel that the government could do very little as the Nepalis entered Iraq illegally.

"They did not ask the government before going to Iraq where labor permit is not issued. The government has no responsibility in this case but it will still try to help them realizing the duty towards its citizens," he said. nepalnews.com mbk Aug 25 04

Related News
- Diplomatic efforts on for release of Nepali hostages: Minister

Maoists warn Election Commissioners to resign from their posts

The CPN (Maoist) has warned Election Commissioners (ECs) of the country to resign from their posts or face consequences.

In a statement issued late Wednesday, the party has 'requested' chief election commissioner, Keshav Raj Rajbhandari, and four other commissioners at the Election Commission to resign from their posts within the next four days or be prepared to face 'serious consequences.'

The statement, signed jointly by Prabhakiran, coordinator of the (Kathmandu) Valley special organising committee and `Bhisan,' commander of the Valley's special task force, has alleged the EC of hatching a conspiracy to organise elections in the country.

In the statement, the Maoist committee has termed the government's pledge to make public whereabouts of people who have 'disappeared' within one month as "paraphernalia of conspiracy."

It has also warned that the party will announce severe programmes in all three districts of the Kathmandu valley if the government did not make public whereabouts of 'disappeared' citizens and release 'prisoners of conscience' immediately.

The statement has come a day after the rebels decided to suspend their indefinite 'blockade' of capital, Kathmandu, for a period of one month.

The government is yet to respond to the Maoists' latest threat. nepalnews.com by Aug 25 04

UML youth wing urges govt to declare unilateral ceasefire

The Democratic National Youth Association, the youth wing of the CPN-UML, submitted a memorandum, along with 425 thousand signatures collected from different parts of the country in favor of peace, to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba Wednesday.

Saying that the government is lacking in efforts in initiating the peace process, the association in its memorandum asked the government to announce unilateral ceasefire immediately and invite the Maoists for peace talks. 

During the meeting with the youth leaders at the PMO where media was allowed, PM Deuba said the government would wholeheartedly sit for talks provided the Maoists showed their part of commitment toward the peace process.

He further maintained that the government was not in favor of talks for talks’ sake, saying, "All we want is lasting peace, not the talks rhetoric."

The Association’s chairman Gokarna Bista handed over the letter and the signatures to the prime minister.

The association has also issued an open letter addressing Maoist supremo Prachanda urging him to declare ceasefire and come to the table. nepalnews.com mbk Aug 25 04

ANNISU-R forms talks team

The CPN-Maoist-affiliated All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary) has formed a team to negotiate with the government on its demands.

Media reports quoting ANNISU-R chairman Lekhnath Neupane have said the negotiating team led by Ramesh Malla will appear in the public at a press conference within a few days.

Team members include ANNISU-R general secretary Himal Sharma, Shiv Ram Yadav and Suresh Gautam. Sharma’s whereabouts remain unknown after his arrest by security forces last year.

The rebel students have been threatening of nationwide strikes in educational institutions demanding, among other things, the release of the arrested student leaders. nepalnews.com mbk Aug 25 04

One policeman killed in blast, 8 injured

A policeman was killed and eight others injured when a landmine laid by the Maoists went off at Khajura in Banke district Wednesday afternoon.

Reports from the district said the blast occurred at around 1:45 PM when a security team was clearing the barricade put by the Maoists on the road at Khajura, Bageshwori VDC. The policeman whose identity is yet to be confirmed died on the spot.

Of eight security personal injured in the blast, four have been airlifted to Kathmandu and others are undergoing treatment at the local Bheri Zonal Hospital, reports said. nepalnews.com mbk Aug 25 04

Related News
- Five soldiers killed in fresh skirmishes

Conspiracy on to rope in NC in the govt: Koirala

Nepali Congress president, Girija Prasad Koirala, has alleged that a conspiracy is going on to rope in Nepali Congress in the government under Article 127 of the constitution.

Addressing a meeting at Chandranigahpur in Rautahat district Wednesday, the former Prime Minister said efforts were going on to bring the NC into the government by sacking the present coalition led by Sher Bahadur Deuba. He did not elaborate. "The NC will not fall into such trap," he declared.

Earlier, media reports had said a close advisor to His Majesty King Gyanendra had approached Koirala offering him to be the next prime minister. "When Koirala fails, it would open the way for King's direct rule in the country," the reports claimed. 

Koirala said his party would take people's rights back from the King at any rate. The NC refers to the October 4, 2002 move of dismissing the elected prime minister and assuming executive powers by HM the King as 'regression.'  The NC supremo alleged that the UML had further strengthened the `regression' by joining the government.

The Nepali Congress is leading a four-party movement against 'regression.'

Koirala also expressed regrets at what he said foreign governments' attitude of talking about peace but not mentioning anything on the issue of democracy in Nepal. nepalnews.com by Aug 25 04

Related News
- Koirala refuses to join govt’s peace committee

NHRC calls upon Maoists to release the detainees

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed concern regarding the situation of people abducted by the CPN (Maoist) rebels after raiding Khalanga, district headquarters of western district of Jumla, last Saturday.

Saying that it is against the international humanitarian laws to abduct and detain people, the Commission has urged the rebels to release the persons it has abducted immediately.

A soldier and at least five rebels were killing during the overnight raid. The rebels had also abducted civilians, government employees and security personnel during their offensive. nepalnews.com by Aug 25 04

Related News
- `Five rebels killed in Jumla attack’