The government should improve and modernize security forces while pursuing negotiations with the rebels to end the conflict, Deuba said." Problems can be resolved democratically within the framework of the constitution democratically and  government and the opposition should be ready for talks with the Maoists without amending the fundamentals of the constitution," Deuba said. " Current problems can be addressed only in a democratic system. Communism as championed by Maoists cannot address Nepali issues," Deuba said. Deuba said he will make public the report at a later date. PM Koirala said he will comment on the report only after a detailed study.

" The Maoists aim to rule by creating fear and insecurity. The police are also harassing the people. Such a situation should end," Deuba said.Deuba made a scathing attack against the Koirala government for what he called " parallel efforts" to resolve the issue with the rebels while empowering the commission to resolve the issue in an apparent reference to  a failed attempt last month by Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Paudel to talk directly with the Maoists with Koirala's blessings. " I was kept in the dark of such parallel effort which inconvenienced my effort to break the impasse," Deuba said. " Instead of helping me, I was described as a spokesman of the Maoists," Deuba charged. nepalnews.com br

PM Koirala Announces Candidacy for Presidency

Kathmandu, Nov.7: Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said Tuesday he will contest re-election for the party presidency  of the ruling Nepali Congress at a convention in January amid allegations by his opponents that he is trying to manipulate the contest.

" I have decided to contest re-election. I have yet to complete commitments that I made at the last convention," the powerful leader said in a 20 minute hastily called news conference at his official residence in Baluwatar." Two posts for one man is the need of the hour," he said. Koirala said his nemesis former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai had supported him at a meeting Tuesday.
Bhattarai was not available for comment. Koirala denied opposition allegations he manipulated the list of party voters who cast their ballot in January to elect the organization's new leadership which also set policies." That is all humbug," he said.Sher Bahadur Deuba is trying to wrest the presidency from Koirala.But Deuba parried questions at a public function whether he will challenge the Premier. nepalnews.com br

Election Observers Injured

Kathmandu, Nov.7: Two central election observers were injured Monday in Birgunj in a melee after a gun firing incident at the Thakur Ram Campus in a disputed vote of the Nepal Students' Union which is a student wing of the ruling Nepali Congress party, Union sources said.

One group of students fired in the air and manhandled election observers Pramod Humagain and Badri Aryal.

The centre recognized the election of Bijaya Saraf as President of the Parsa unit of the NSU.
The observers had been sent to investigate the complaints of a rival group challenging Saraf's election.

The observers were injured in  clashes between the rival groups. nepalnews.com br

Confrontational Attitude Towards FIFA, AFC

Kathmandu, Nov.7: The senior most administrator of the National Sports Council, Nepal's apex sports authority, Monday adopted a confrontational attitude towards the FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation( AFC ) for the international recognition of a rival All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) led by Ganesh Thapa earlier dissolved by the government.

" Nepali soccer is not going to be governed by foreigners. We will not be slaves of FIFA and AFC. We will not work under the instructions of FIFA and AFC, " Binod Shanker Palikhe Member Secretary of the Council told  reporters Monday.

" We are going to run the sport. I will implement the decisions of the Government and the Minister. I will  fulfil my responsibilities as per according to polices set by the government and not the FIFA or AFC.

" All foreign contributions to ANFA should be channelled through the ANFA ad hoc committee headed by Mrs,.Gita Rana. We  have already notified the Nepal Rashtra Bank on this matter." The Ganesh Thapa chapter is closed."

Soccer's world governing body and the AFC last month recognized the rival ANFA headed by Ganesh Thapa which was dissolved by the government and replaced by an ad hoc committee headed by Mrs. Gita Rana, the first Nepali woman to lead ANFA.

Thapa defied the government and held elections for a new executive even after dissolution.

FIFA has been giving ANFA Rs.40 million annually to upgrade the level of the kingdom's most popular sport. 

"  We will not be bothered if FIFA and AFC stop funding. The sport did not develop in Nepal through their financial contribution," Palikhe said. The dispute has affected the sport in Nepal.

Both the Associations are battling to administer the ANFA Academy course funded by FIFA to train 40 young players over a period of three years.

The rivals said they will each host the prestigious Birthday Cup in December to celebrate the birthday of King Birendra.

The AFC has asked President of the Nepal Olympic Committee Rukma Shumshere Rana to mediate the dispute. nepalnews.com br

Maoists to Investigate Claimed Defections

Kathmandu, Nov.7: Underground Maoists will investigate and make public its findings of a claim by the government that two rebel leaders had defected to moderate Marxists before their dramatic release Friday to pave the way for negotiations to end a communist insurgency that had claimed more than 1450 lives in nearly five years.

Dr. Baburam Bhattarai said this in an article Tuesday in weekly newspaper " Janadesh " which is a mouthpiece of the Maoists.

" It is possible that they defected. They may not have defected either. The party will investigate and make public its findings," Bhattarai who is the second in command in the party said.

Central Committee member Dinesh Sharma and another leader said they made the statement under duress and later denied the official claim.

Bhattarai and another Maoist leader who made the first contact with the government also said the government had not met the minimum demand of the Maoists to make public the whereabouts of another 198 missing persons to begin negotiations to end the insurgency.

" The government released only Dinesh Sharma and Dinanath Gautam in dramatic and conspiratorial circumstances. The government has not revealed the whereabouts of others. The claim of the government that it has met the minimum demand of the Maoists for talks, therefore, is false," said Rabindra Shrestha.

Shrestha   met Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Paduel in a parley arranged by human rights activist Padma Ratna Tuladhar last month at a secret location in Kathmandu Valley in unsuccessful negotiations to end the rebellion.

" The party has not said the possibility for talks has ended. It has only said that possibility for talks is almost over," Shrestha said.

" Why doesn't the government prepare the atmosphere for talks by making public the whereabouts of others?" Shrestha queried.

Government and the rebels are trading accusations for the breakdown of the talks. 
nepalnews.com br

Tourism Entrepreneurs Seek Rescheduling of Strike

Kathmandu, Nov.7: Tourism entrepreneurs have asked nine left parties to reschedule a two-day nation-wide strike on November 16 and 17 coinciding with the 39th annual conference of the World Wildlife Fund in the capital.

The strike has been called to protest recent hike in the price of petroleum products.Britain's Prince Philip is among 600  international luminaries  attending the Kathmandu conference of conservationists from nearly 60 countries.

The strike will  disrupt the meet expected to give international publicity to Nepal. King Birendra is scheduled to inaugurate the conference.

The  front is meeting  Tuesday to consider the  rescheduling of the strike, sources said. nepalnews.com br

Three Missing in Pokhara Lake

Kathmandu, Nov.7: Three persons, including two soldiers, are missing on Phewa lake in Pokhara since Friday night as they were rowing across the lake from Baarahi Chowk to a resort, police said.

They had not been traced until Monday evening. Some clothing of the missing persons have been recovered.

One of the missing is Lal Bahadur Kuwar- an employee of Kopila Resort. nepalnews.com br

Rebels Stage Sit-in at Party Headquarters

Kathmandu, Nov.6: Critics of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Monday staged two-hour a sit-in at headquarters of the ruling Nepali Congress party to protest alleged manipulations of the organization's active member list to choose a new leadership in internal elections in January.

The protest was organized by the dissolved Kathmandu district committee president and member of the National Assembly Prakash Man Singh who has been delisted; Singh is son of late Ganesh Man Singh. Former Ministers Khum Bahadur Khadka and Bijaya Gachedhar also participated in the protest.

They shouted anti-Koirala slogans and demanded amendment of the list. Koirala's critics, including the only surviving founder member of the Nepali Congress Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, have accused the Prime Minister and his coterie of manipulating the list to influence the vote for the party presidency held by Koirala.

Koirala's opponents charge him of flouting understandings and party central committee decisions in preparing the list.

Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said he will try to wrest the presidency from Koirala.

Only active members can contest party elections. nepalnews.com br

Rapist Paraded Through Town

Kathmandu, Nov.6: An alleged rapist was paraded through a village in Dang district Saturday to disgrace him, reports said.

Buddhiram Chaudhary raped a woman in Chaulahi village while her husband and son were not at home.

Angry villagers garlanded Chandhary with a shoe string, blacked his face and paraded him around the village.

A  placard saying " I Am a Rapist " was hanging from his neck. nepalnews.com br

Hotel Workers Stage Motorcycle Rally 

Kathmandu, Nov.6: Hotel workers in the capital staged a motorcycle rally Monday ahead of a threatened strike from November 19 demanding a 10 percent service charge on all bills.Workers drove past major hotels in the city with placards demanding the charge.

In the next phase, hotel workers will wear black bands at work places to press their demand. Hoteliers have asked the government to ban such protests saying the tourism industry will suffer.

" We have a tipping system. If service is charged, the tourist will have to tip hotel employees irrespective of what the tourist thinks of the service," said Samir Khanna, General Manager of Hotel De L' Annapurna.

Hotel workers have been threatening to launch a strike for the last six months.

Hotel workers disagree with management that the compulsory service charge will harm the industry.

" We are ready to sign a written document saying that in  case this service charge shows any undesirable effect, we shall withdraw the demand," said  Bishnu Lamsal Secretary of the Nepal Independent Hotel Workers' Union.

Visitors  are already charged 10 percent VAT and two percent tourism service fee.

Nearly 200,000 people are employed in the tourism industry which earned $ 168 million in 1999. nepalnews.com br

Scottish Climber Banned from Nepal

Kathmandu, Nov.6: A Scottish climber has been banned from Nepal for two years until the spring climbing season 2002 for physically assaulting an American climber at the base camp of Sagarmatha , the world's tallest peak, on May 13 this year, the Ministry of Tourism said Monday.
Henry Todd,55, violated Nepal's Tourism Act 2035 by assaulting Finn Olaf Jones, the Ministry said.

The Ministry acted on a complaint filed by Jones. The Ministry did not specify which section of the Act Todd violated. The Ministry said Todd was a repeated offender and had been warned several times before-- once in writing.

Todd was an expedition leader to the 8848 metres high Sagarmatha this spring and Jones was a member of his expedition. Jones was evacuated to Kathmandu from base camp by helicopter for emergency treatment after the assault.

Todd is a frequent visitor to Nepal where he organized  commercial climbs to Himalayan peaks.
A report said Todd assaulted Jones after an American environmental expedition complained that the journalist  reported negatively on its activities. nepalnews.com br

Police, Leftist Students Clash

Kathmandu, Nov.6: Police and leftist students loyal to the UML, the main opposition in Parliament, clashed Monday in the resort town of Pokhara as activists stopped the movement of petrol tankers to protest recent hikes in petroleum prices.

Three students including Soviet Dhakal were arrested after the clashes, students said.
Students slept on highways in other parts of the kingdom and stopped the movement of tankers, students said.

Students stopped tankers entering Kathmandu at Nagdhunga. nepalnews.com br

Tussle to Gain Custody of Soccer Trainees

Kathmandu, Nov.6: A tussle has brewed between rival All Nepal Football Associations (AFNA) to gain custody of nearly 40 young soccer trainees after the Association headed by Ganesh Thapa gained the recognition of FIFA, soccer's world governing body.

The ANFA headed by Mrs. Gita Rana and recognized by the government Monday placed advertisements in newspapers asking trainees to return to camps in Pokhara, Kathmandu and Dharan to pursue their three year study after the Dasain and Tihar holidays. Thapa said 36 of 40 trainees under a project funded by FIFA and administered by the ANFA Academy are under his guardianship.The programme aims to popularize the sport in the kingdom.
The boys have completed the first year of training.

The advertisements said many trainees had not resumed their studies and asked  guardians to return them to the camps. Nepal's most popular sport is suffering after the split in the ANFA.
Thapa said a committee without the representation of both ANFAs should be formed to administer the programme.

FIFA has made several suggestions to resolve the dispute in ANFA. The FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation ( AFC) has asked that a committee consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Sports and Culture, ANFA and the National Sports Council should amend the present constitution of the Association which then should be forwarded to the FIFA and AFC for approval.
Meanwhile, President of the Nepal Olympic Committee Rukma Shumshere Rana said Monday recognition should be given to Mrs.Gita Rana

" We should support the Association which has been recognized by the government.. We should not confront the  government. ANFA elections will be held in  three months," daily newspaper Gorkhapatra reported in its Monday editions. FIFA recognized the October 16 unanimous elections of Thapa at a meeting in Zurich on October 26 after considering the report of Manilal Ferrnando who had come to Nepal to oversee the vote. nepalnews.com br

Tibetans, Arrested then Released

Kathmandu, Nov.6: Police Sunday arrested another group of 17 Tibetans for illegal entry into Nepal but later released them in Dolahka, daily newspaper Naya Sadak reported Monday quoting eyewitnesses.

This is the third group of Tibetans arrested   after fleeing their homeland  in recent months bringing to more than 200 the number of Tibetans arrested , police said. The fresh group was arrested at Sathdobato in Charikot district. Normally, police send the arrested to the Immigration Office in Kathmandu which then delivers them to the UNHCR which processes their onward journey to India where their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama lives in self-exile.

It was not known why the police released them this time. Eyewitnesses saw the freed Tibetans board a bus for the capital, the newspaper said. nepalnews.com br

Private Sector Gets Roads Contract

Kathmandu, Nov.6: For the first time, a private company was been awarded a contract to  collect road cess on the Naubishe Mugling sector of the Chinese constructed Prighvi Highway for its maintenance , the Roads Department said.

The contract was awarded to a company that offered the highest bid of Rs.35.53 million.
The contract came into effect from October 30. Previously, the Roads Department was collecting the revenue.

Government has also adopted the policy of build, operate and transfer (BOT ) to construct and operate new roads in the kingdom to privatize the sector. nepalnews.com br

PIA Starts Direct Flights to Islamabad

Kathmandu, Nov.6: Pakistan International Airlines has started direct once weekly flights to Islamabad from Kathmandu on Fridays to reduce costs and help travellers effective from November 3, the Airlines said..

Passengers previously had to fly to the Pakistani capital via New Delhi or Karachi. PIA which was operating four weekly flights between Karachi and Kathmandu now will fly to the Pakistani port city thrice a week and once a week to Islamabad. PIA  operates Airbuses on the route. nepalnews.com br

Everest Bank to Give Bonus, Right Shares

Kathmandu, Nov.6: Everest Bank Limited, a joint venture Bank with Punjab National Bank, has decided to distribute bonus shares at the ratio of two to 10 shares to increase capitalization, an announcement said.

The decision was taken at the sixth general meeting of the Bank Friday. The meeting also decided to issue right shares at the radio of  one to one with no premium. The meeting also decided to open two more branches to increase outlets to 12. nepalnews.com br

Italian Arrested with Drugs

Kathmandu, Nov.6: A 44-year-old Italian national was arrested with 10.5 grams of marijuana as he was about to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha Saturday, police said.
The drug was concealed in his handbag.

Stefan Albersandry has been arrested for investigations. nepalnews.com br

UML Activist Shot Dead

Kathmandu, Nov.6: A group of unknown gunmen shot dead  a village chief of Budhanagar in Morang district Saturday night  while he was asleep in his home, police said. Kali Prasad Palikhe, an activist of the UML , died while he was being rushed to hospital. Palikhe was acting village chief in the absence of the elected chief who is serving a jail sentence for murder.

The main opposition in Parliament has condemned the murder.The motive for the murder was not known. Nobody has been arrested so far. nepalnews.com.br

Maoists Kill One, Injure Seven Policemen

Kathmandu, Nov.5: Two days after the collapse of talks to end a communist insurgency, Maoists killed one policeman and injured seven others in an attack on a police post at a village in Ramechap district Sunday morning, police said.

The police post at Doramba village was completely in the attack by nearly 200 rebels who decamped with looted arms and ammunition, police said. Maoists laid seize on isolated police post at 2 AM and a gunfire exchange lasted for one hour. Nirmal Kumar died on the spot while the injured have been airlifted to Kathmandu for medical treatment.

There were no casualties in an exchange of gunfire between police and Maoists Sunday at Bijulakot village in the same district, police said. nepalnews.com br.

Confidence Crisis Between Govt. Maoists: Tuladhar

Kathmandu, Nov.5: A confidence crisis has developed between the government and the Maoists although the  rebels are still eager to talk to end hostilities that have claimed more than 1450 lives in nearly five years, a mediator said Sunday.

" A  confidence crisis has developed between the government and the Maoists. But the Maoists are still willing to talk to resolve the issue. This is positive, " Padma Ratna Tuladhar said." The Maoists have not closed the doors completely when Comrade Prachanda said the possibility of talking with the government and our faith in it is nearly over."

A crisis developed Friday when the government released two senior Maoist leaders, including central committee member Dinesh Sharma, from detention amid claims they defected to moderate Marxists-- a claim later refuted by them.

Tuladhar and opposition blamed the government of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala in "conspiring" to release them without informing Tuladhar or the Maoists.

In a statement Friday, Maoist strongman Comrade Prachanda described Friday's drama as " petty" and said the government had not revealed the whereabouts of others who are still detained or missing.

But Prime Minister Koirala said Friday the government had fulfilled its responsibility and asked the rebels to come to  the negotiating to end the hostilities.

Analysts say immediate  talks between the government and the  rebels are unlikely after Friday's dramatic developments.

Nine left parties after an emergency meeting in the capital Saturday criticized the government's handling of affair but asked both sides to continue talking and resolve the issue.

Tuladhar Friday delivered to Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Paudel the first list of 71 Maoists missing ot detained prepared by the rebels with more to come, the negotiator said. 
nepalnews.com br