19 Maoists shot dead in Parsa

Security forces overnight gunned down 19 Maoists attacking a hideout of the rebels in the southern district of Parsa, radio reports said Friday quoting security sources.

The operation began at 11 pm and ended at 3 am in the morning, the reports said, adding that the action was planned following a "tip-off" that the Maoists are holding a secret meeting in incident site.

The meeting was being held at the remote Churia range area of the district belonging to the Parsa Wild Life Reserve, the reports said.

No one from the Maoist side escaped the security force's action, according to the reports. The reports, however, did not say whether there was crossfire.

The Maoists’ district secretary of Parsa known as Bikash was also killed in the operation. Security forces seized weapons like SMG and Chinese pistols, reports said.

Meanwhile, reports from Nepalgunj said Maoists on Thursday detonated a powerful bomb at the Agricultural Development Bank of the city causing partial damage to office building of the bank. The city is preparing a grand civic felicitation to King and Queen this Sunday. nepalnews.com mr Feb 06 04

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NRB to be audited by a foreign company

The government has appointed a foreign company, Lodha, to perform the auditing of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB). Lodha, is an Indian partner of BDO which is an international auditing corporation, a report said Friday.

This ‘special auditing’ is to find out if the accounting and auditing processes adopted by the NRB are of international standards. The key donors of the NRB, International Monetary Fond (IMF) and World Bank (WB) have been criticizing the apex bank for its poor accounting and auditing processes. 

However, a few economists and government officials have flayed the idea of inviting foreign companies to perform auditing in the central bank as it would leak ‘the secrecy’.

Moreover, the IMF had suggested Nepal, in 2001, to carryout auditing in the NRB from an international company prior to Nepal’s participation in the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program. Noteworthy, Nepal got permission to participate in the PRGF program only after its acceptance to perform auditing in the NRB from an international company.

Earlier, the Auditor General Office used to audit the NRB, Spacetime Dainik reported Friday. nepalnews.com pd Feb 06 04

Nepal-Pakistan bilateral meeting on February 26-27

The Nepal-Pakistan Joint Financial Commission bilateral meeting is 
going to be held on February 26-27 in Kathmandu, various reports said. The meeting will be chaired by the Finance Ministers of both countries.

This was stated in a program organized on the occasion of Kashmir 
Solidarity Day at Pakistan embassy on Thursday. Pakistan ambassador for Nepal, Jameer Akram said, “The meeting will focus on the financial sector of the countries." "A wide range of issues from investment to scholarship programs will be discussed in the meeting and agreements will be reached,” he added.

Expressing commitment to help Nepal, Akram said that Pakistan wants to increase its help to Nepal. “Pakistan is working on to not only increase scholarships to the Nepali students but also planning to add education faculties.” “We are working on to provide scholarship to the Nepali students in science, engineering, medical science, sociology as well as journalism.”

Akram also said that being the presiding nation of SAARC, Pakistan is planning to lead SAARC in a different way. 
nepalnews.com rs Feb 06 04

Govt. to set up Dept. of Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Birgunj

The government is setting up the Department of Ministry for Foreign 
Affairs at Birgunj port located in the eastern district, Persa, 
Rajdhani daily reported.

It is the first time the ministry is going to establish its department 
outside the capital. The department is going to be established at the 
port for the regular communication with the Indian consulate office 
set up some weeks ago.

The department will also function as the ministry’s communication 
center for eight other districts around it.

Rajdhani quoted Spokesperson of the ministry, Dr Madan Kumar Bhattarai  as saying, “After India declared to set up its consulate office at the  port, it was felt necessary to establish the department to maintain  the coordination between our dry port office and the Indian consulate  office.”

“However, we have yet to get assent from other ministries and do some  homework regarding appointment of staff,” he added.

However, the report also quoted its source at the ministry as saying 
that a team of assistant secretary level officials will be appointed in the department. nepalnews.com rs Feb 06 04

NC and NCD likely to unite

Nepali Congress (NC) and Nepali Congress Democratic (NC-D) is most likely to unite, a report said Friday. The Nepali Congress split in Nov 2002 after a conflict between Girija Prasad Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba. 

“I can’t be an obstacle to the merger between the divided NC if it is the will of party cadres,” Sher Bahadur Deuba, President of the NC-D said. Deuba said this after the proposal of party unification from NC leader Ramhari Joshi. 

Joshi said, “There is no meaning for both congresses to remain divided.” Adding, “NC and NC-D both must work together in restoring democracy in the country.”

They said this during a program organized by the NC-D’s cultural committee in Kathmandu Thursday, Spacetime Dainik reported. nepalnews.com pd Feb 06 04

Nepal joins BIMST-EC grouping

Nepal and Bhutan have been admitted to the BIMST-EC or Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation, the Rising Nepal said Friday.

Ambassador-at-large Dr. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa is leaving for Phuket, Thailand on Friday to participate in the ministerial meeting of the economic grouping, the daily said.

"The meeting (of BIMST-EC) on Saturday and Sunday will make Nepal a full-fledged member (of the organisation)," the daily quoted Dr. Thapa, as saying.

Nepal was vying for the membership of the regional grouping since the five South Asian and South-East Asian countries set it up five years ago, the daily said.

Since this organisation is a link between South Asia and South East Asia, it can play a pivotal role to foster economic cooperation, trade, investment and tourism between the two regions, Dr. Thapa added. nepalnews.com mr Feb 06 04

Three Supreme Court judges appointed

His Majesty the King has appointed Baliram Kumar, Ram Prasad Shrestha and Khilraj Regmi to the posts of permanent judges at the Supreme Court, an announcement said Thursday.

Earlier, the three judges were working at the apex court on temporary basis. His Majesty the King made the three appointments in accordance with the 1990 Constitution and on the recommendation of the Judicial Council, RSS said. nepalnews.com mr Feb 06 04

Poudel appointed acting ambassador in UAE

The government has appointed Madhuban Prasad Poudel, under secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the acting Royal Nepalese Ambassador to United Arab Emirates, RSS said Thursday.

According to Madan Kumar Bhattarai, spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision to appoint Poudel to the respective post was taken on Thursday.

There are about 300,000 Nepalese working in the UAE, the agency added. nepalnews.com mr Feb 06 04

'Donors want parties in next NDF meet'

Nepal's donor communities have warned the government that future assistance could be in "jeopardy" if the major political parties boycotted the upcoming Nepal Development Forum (NDF) meeting slated for first week of May, the Kathmandu Post said Friday.

The daily, quoting sources, said the donor communities pressed the government at Thursday's government-donor meeting to ensure the participation of major political parties and civil society in the NDF meeting. 

They said this in the light of the five agitating political parties' policy of abstaining from any program attended by members of the government, the daily added.

"The European and Scandinavian donors have particularly emphasized the need of the active participation of all political parties in the NDF meeting, the daily said quoting a participant of the meeting.

The NDF meeting previously known as Paris Group meeting, used to be held in Paris, France till 2000. The meeting was moved to Nepal in 2001 and is held after every 18 months, the daily said. nepalnews.com mr Feb 06 04

Insurgency has ripple-effect in India: Saran

India's security mechanism has been affected by Maoist activities in Nepal, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran said Thursday, according to the Himalayan Times.

At a press meet in Nepalgunj, Saran said the Maoist problem was not only a danger to Nepal but a headache for India also, the daily said.

He called for both countries to take initiative together to solve the problem. "India did not accept the communist system, and the question of it helping Maoists or letting them use Indian territory is out of the question," he said.

"The arrest of CPN-Maoist leader CP Gajurel proved India's sympathetic stand towards Nepal," he said, adding that India had also taken legal action against the arrested leader, as per the Indian judicial system. 

The envoy further said Maoists will benefit from the ongoing division seen between the King and parties. nepalnews.com mr Feb 06 04

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