Fake note racket busted

City police have nabbed Birendra Magar and Prakash Kumar Paddhar for dealing in fake American currency, published reports said Sunday.

Paddhar has been arrested for dealing in fake currency, while Magar has been held for cheating Paddhar, the reports said quoted the local police office at Baudha, Kathmandu. nepalnews.com mr Feb 08 04

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45 Nepali workers stranded in Malaysia

Forty-five Nepali workers recruited by several factories in Malaysia, are reportedly stranded at the Kuala Lumpur International airport for five days after their employees failed to turn up, published reports said Sunday.

"Whether the employers are doing it on purpose or not, I don't know. The employers have to fetch their workers within 48 hours of arrival," the reports quoted Malaysian deputy home minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung as saying in a Sabah-based newspaper - Daily Express.

Citing immigration procedures, he told reporters that the workers will not be allowed to leave the airport until their employers come, the reports added.

"According to letters showed by the workers to Malaysian journalists at the airport, they were supposed to work with Percetakan Kinta Sdn Bhd, Tech See Plastic Sdn Bhd, EZ Wood Furniture Sdn Bhd and Southern Latex Product Sdn Bhd."

The Nepalis had been issued with permits by the authorities to work in the industrial sector, the published reports said, adding, "Chor is reported to have said that 'employers concerned should be given a stern warning for the problem.'" nepalnews.com mr Feb 08 04

Their Majesties to be felicitated at 12:30 today

The time for the civic reception to be accorded to Their Majesties the King and Queen on behalf of people of the Mid-Western region amidst a grand ceremony has been set for 12:30 pm this afternoon (Sunday), RSS said.

"The program of offering civic felicitation to Their Majesties will commence after Their Majesties will have the pleasure of taking seats on the dais at the highly decorated Mahendra Stadium in Nepalgunj," said Purushottam Das Shrestha, Secretary of His Majesty the King Civic Reception Main Function Committee.

Special guests, journalists and members of the general public will have to enter the program venue by 11:30 in the morning, the national news agency said.

The Royal couple will enter the Mahendra Stadium, the venue for the felicitation, from the Royal Nepal Army western divisional headquarters at Ranjha via Surkhet road, Charbahini and Ramila Maidan on the way, the agency added.

Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa has already arrived in the city on Saturday afternoon to take part in the civic felicitation program of Their Majesties.

This is the third civic reception to be offered to His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen in a little more than a year. The people of the Eastern region had offered felicitations last winter in Biratnagar. 

Three months later the grant event in Biratnagar, the people of the far-Western region also offered similar felicitations to Their Majesties in Dhangadhi. Nepalnews.com mr Feb 08 04

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Civic felicitation not justifiable: Leaders

Senior leaders of five parties said Saturday the civic felicitation being offered to the King and Queen in Nepalgunj on Sunday is not "justifiable." 

"It is wrong to felicitate the royal couple at a time when there is 'unrest' in the nation," the leaders said addressing a mass rally held in Pokhara in protest of "regression."

Speaking on the occasion, CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal alleged the King of leading the nation towards republicanism. "If the King goes for confrontation, we (parties) will not show our backs," Nepal said. 

He, at the same time, praised the role being played by the agitating students. He said, "Students have started 'responding' to the King's (autocratic) attitude."

Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel said the King's words do not match his action. "The King says he is committed to democracy, but his actions do not justify it," Poudel said. 

Meanwhile, reports from Nepalgunj said the preparation for the civic felicitation to the Royal couple is almost over. 

A total of 300 welcome gates have been erected in the city where hundreds of people are pouring in from the nearby areas, the reports said.

Maoists' call for strike in the mid-western region has, however, affected normal life of people in the region, the reports said. Security is highly beefed up in the city. No unpleasant incident was reported in the host city on Saturday.

Earlier on Friday, Maoists had detonated four powerful bombs in the outskirts of the host city.  

Nepal Television and Radio Nepal are telecasting the event live after 12:30 pm on Sunday. nepalnews.com mr Feb 07 04

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ANNISU-R hints at disrupting TU union polls 

In an attempt to disrupt the union elections of the Tribhuvan University, Maoist students have announced various protest programs lasting for a month. 

In a statement posted on the Maoist website, the All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R), the student wing of the CPN-Maoist said that it will carry out a month-long protest programs in educational institutions across the country. 

“We want to make it clear that our programs are not meant to clash with the agitations of seven student unions wherein demands are increasingly being made for a republican state, but they will instead be supplementing their struggle,” read the statement signed by ANNISU-R president Lekhnath Neupane. 

Claiming that the revolutionary students would not shy away from any kind of sacrifice to achieve their ultimate goal of a communist-style education system, the Maoist students at the same time urged the agitating students not to be duped by the illusions of the regressive regime. 

With these statements, the ANNISU-R has hinted that it could go to any extent not to let the union elections take place.  

The ANNISU-R has said that its programs running till March 7 will include publicity campaigns, torch processions, rallies and strikes in educational institutions as well as disruptive activities. 

Last year, TU union elections could not take place due to threats from the rebel students. Seven student unions, on the other hand, have already announced to take part in the elections slated for February 26. nepalnews.com mbk 07 04 

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Security forces shoot 9 Maoists dead

At least nine Maoists, including seven in Jumla, were killed in the latest skirmishes with the security forces in different parts of the country, Radio Nepal said Saturday.

In Jumla, the clashes took place in Daliung area of the district, the Radio said quoting security sources. 

One Maoist each were killed in Tamathok area of Sankhuasabha and Lungrupa area of Panchthar district on the same day, it said.

Security forces recovered many arms and ammunitions from the three incident sites, the Radio added. nepalnews.com mr Feb 07 04

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60 Maoists undergoing treatment in an Indian city 

At least 60 Maoist militants injured in clashes with security forces have been undergoing medical treatment in hospitals of Jalandhar, an Indian city, a report published in Nepal Samacharpatra said Saturday. 

The report quoting Indra Bahadur Bishwokarma, a former section commander of the People’s Army said that over 60 militants have been undergoing treatment in Jalandhar city alone. 

Bishwokarma, 22, a resident of Bagalkhola Myagdi surrendered to the district administration of Rupandehi recently. 

He said he was among the 60 Maoists who received medical treatment in India. “I was brought to Jalandhar after I received bullets wounds on my neck and arm. As soon as I recovered, I decided to quit the Maoist party”.

Bishwokarma also revealed that one of the sons-in-law of Maoist supremo Prachanda owns an apartment in Jalandhar where Maoists take shelter. 

“They used to keep me at Prachanda’s daughter’s house in the daytime and would take me a private hospital at night,” he added. nepalnews.com mbk Feb 07 04

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Task force says Bird Flu hasn’t made inroads

A task force formed by the Health Ministry to combat the possible outbreak of Bird Flu has said that the disease has not entered into Nepal. 

Published reports Saturday quoted Dr Mahendra Bahadur Shrestha, head of the Central Animal Disease Control Laboratory as saying that numerous tests have proved that there is no threat of Bird Flu at the moment. Some 25 samples were lab-tested in the last few days that showed no signs of Bird Flu infection. 

Shrestha said that although the disease can easily be traced through tests, no mechanism to identify the type of virus is available in the country. “We will have to send the samples abroad for sub-typing the viruses,” Shrestha said. 15 types of Bird Flu viruses have already been identified. 

Meanwhile, considering the possible spread the disease, a meeting of the anti-Bird Flu task force on Thursday has decided to better equip major laboratories, report added. 

In the meantime, quarantine is being enforced at the Tribhuvan International Airport. nepalnews.com mbk Feb 07 04

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Two probe committees on Yadav's murder

CPN-UML and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) are going to investigate the murder of a former UML lawmaker, Hem Narayan Yadav separately, RSS said. 

A meeting called by the UML at the party office on Friday under the chairmanship of its General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal formed a five-member probe committee led by Ashok Rai, who is UML In-charge of the eastern region.

UML office secretary Amrit Kumar Bohara said the committee will soon begin its investigation.

Meanwhile, the NHRC has also constituted a four-member investigation committee chaired by NHRC Secretary, Kedar Paudel. The team is leaving for the incident site in Siraha on Saturday, the agency said. 

Yadav's murder has became mysterious after the Maoists denied killing him, reports said. nepalnews.com rs Feb 07 04

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Talks on Upper Karnali hydel project concludes

Talks between Nepal and India on harnessing the 300-megawatt Upper Karnali hydroelectric project ended Friday with an agreement to jointly implement the project in future, a published report said Saturday.

Senior officials of the Nepal Electricity Authority and India's National Hydro Power Corporation also agreed to draft a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) within ten days, the Himalayan Times said.

"The US $500 million project will be financed with a debt equity ratio of 70:30," the daily quoted Janak Lal Karmacharya, managing director of the Authority, as saying. "The joint venture will be based in Nepal."

Nepal will bear 49 percent equity, while India will furnish 51 percent, according to the daily. nepalnews.com mr Feb 07 04

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