|
NC, UML blame
each other for House scuffle
Kathmandu, February 19: Nepali Congress and CPN-UML blamed one another
for the scuffle that
broke out between the lawmakers of NC and UML on the floor of the House of
Representatives Monday.
The ruling Nepali Congress said that CPN-UML lawmakers attacked Minister for
Tourism and Civil Aviation Omkar Prasad Shrestha while CPN-UML and other
opposition parties blamed Minister Shrestha for manhandling CPN-UML lawmakers.
The NC parliamentary party met soon after the incident in parliament and
condemned CPN-UML for perpetrating the attack on Minister and showing most
unparliamentary behavior.
NC said that it was a planned attack against parliamentary democracy and
parliament.
Similarly, five opposition parties including main opposition CPN-UML, Rastirya
Prajatantra Party, United People's Front, National People's Front and Nepal
Majdor and Kisan Party held a joint meeting soon after the incident and
demanded with the Speaker to take action against
Minister Shrestha for manhandling lawmakers in the House.
Scuffle had broken out in the floor of the House of Representatives, Lower
House of Parliament, between the lawmakers of ruling Nepali Congress and main
opposition CPN-UML. The scuffle began as CPN-UML physically prevented Minister
Joshi to give his statement.
PM's
resignation demanded in NC meeting
Kathmandu, Feb 19: Some members of the newly constituted central working
committee of the
Nepali Congress demanded resignation of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to
give an outlet to the present political crisis of the country.
Koirala's rivals were more vocal in today's meeting of the Nepali Congress
central working committee to demand his resignation.
Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, emerging from the meeting, said " We firmly put
forward our position in the meeting asking Koirala to step down to solve the
present problem seen in parliament and the country." " Parliament
cannot be run and country's political crisis cannot be solved without taking
opposition parties into confidence," Gachhadar said. " We have told
the Prime Minister to quit in order to seek solution to the problems".
However, Narahari Acharya, another central leader, said that meeting decided on
three points.
According to Acharya, the meeting decided to initiate serious dialogue with the
opposition to solve the present crisis in parliament. The another point it
decided is to be united and act accordingly to face the opposition in
parliament and solve the crisis.
Acharya said that the meeting also condemned the attack on Minister for Tourism
and Civil Aviation Omkar Prasad Shrestha by CPN-UML lawmakers in the House of
Representatives today. The meeting of the central working committee of the
Nepali Congress was called by Prime Minister and Party president Girija Prasad
Koirala to take party's decision on the present political crisis in parliament
because of opposition parties' move in the House.
Opposition parties have blocked the proceedings of the House of Representatives
demanding resignation of Prime Minister Koirala. They have alleged that Council
of Ministers is involved in the Lauda Air deal.
Chinese Defence
Minister to visit Nepal
Kathmandu, February 19: Chinese Defence Minister Chi Haotian is paying a
four-day official visit
to Nepal from February 21 to February 24, 2001.
According to an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese
Defence Minister accompanied by a high level delegation would pay an official
visit to Nepal ahead of His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev's state
visit to China. His Majesty the King accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Aishwarya
Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah would pay state visit to China from February 26th
to March 4th. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Their Majesties would
visit Beijing, Shanghai and Henyan.
The Chinese Defence Minister is visiting Nepal as a part of four Asian nation's
visit.
Chinese Defence Minister Chi would arrive in Nepal after his trip to Laos,
Vietnam and Cambodia.
Chi is the first Chinese Defence Minister to pay an official visit to Nepal.
Unruly scenes
in parliament
Kathmandu, Feb 19: A scuffle broke out on the floor of the house as it
reconvened Monday
morning after the boycotts last week by opposition parties demanding the
resignation of prime minister Girija Koirala over the Lauda Air deal. Lawmakers
from the ruling Nepali Congress party and main opposition CPN-UML had a
fistfight as UML MPs physically blocked Minister for Tourism
and Civil Aviation Omkar Prasad Shrestha from going to the rostrum to give a
statement on the controversial deal to lease a 767 by Royal Nepal
Airlines.
Minister
Shrestha stood up and headed towards the rostrum soon after Speaker Taranath
Ranabhat gave permission to give the statement. Rajendra Pandey, whip of
main opposition CPN-UML, grabbed Minister Shrestha by his jacket in order to
prevent him from going to the rostrum.
Minister Shrestha then retaliated and tried to broke
free, which led to the scuffle between lawmaker Pandey and Minister Shrestha.
After that lawmakers of both Nepali Congress and CPN-UML started attacking
each other, which created an unruly scene in the House.
Lawmakers of other parties became spectators as the
wrrestling match progressed. Following this, Speaker Ranabhat immediately
adjourned the meeting of the House of Representatives until Tuesday.
Lawmaker Pandey appears to have sustained some minor injury. parties have
been blocking the proceedings of the House of Opposition parties have
alleged that Council of Ministers is involved in the deal with Lauda Air for
hiring the jet by RNAC on lease. However, Prime Minister Koirala has denied
allegation and refused to step down.nepalnews.com yl/kd
Five Children Die in Humla
Kathmandu, Feb.19: Gastroenteritis and viral influenza have killed five
children aged between two to six years at villages in Humla recently, reports
said.
Cases of conjunctivitis and measles have also been reported.
Treating the diseases has become problematic after some health workers
abandoned their post, reports said. nepalnews.com br
One
killed, 5 injured in Maoist ambush
Kathmandu, Feb 19: One policeman was
killed on the spot and five were injured, two of them seriously, when a police
patrol team fell into an ambush laid by underground Maoist insurgents in
Lamidanda of Dolakha district, about 250 kilometers east of Kathmandu.
Police sources said the ambush took place Sunday, and militants shot at the
police who were trapped from a nearby jungle. One Maoist is also believed to
have been killed in the firefight, but Police couldn't confirm this. The
injured policemen were flown to Kathmandu where they are undergoing treatment. (nepalnews/yl/kd)
Nine left
parties demand PM’s resignation
Kathmandu, February 18:
At a time when opposition parties have blocked the proceedings of the House to
press for the resignation of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, nine left
parties have decided to launch a protest programme in the streets to force the
Prime Minister to step down.
The nine-left parties met in
Kathmandu today and decided to launch pressure tactics to force Koirala to
resign.
The nine left parties, which
include all communist groups except CPN-UML, have accused the Prime Minister
and present government of failing to maintain law and order, control corruption
and inflation and give good governance to the country.
The meeting of nine-left
parties said that if Koirala does not step down to pave the way for seeking
solutions to the country’s accumulated problems, they would launch a protest
programme.
They have also opposed the
ordinance issued recently for the creation of armed police force and said that
the Maoist problem should be solved through dialogue.
The nine-left parties had put
forth a list of demands last year and it has reiterated that their demands need
to be fulfilled in order to solve the burning problems of the nation.
CPN-ML, United People’s
Front, National People’s Front, Nepal Majdoor and Kisan Party, Nepal
Communist Party ( Marxist), Nepal Communist Party (United), Nepal Communist
Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) and National People’s Movement
Coordination Center are the constituents of the grouping. nepalnews.com yl
135
prisoners pardoned
Kathmandu, February
18: His Majesty's Government has released 135 prisoners from different
jails of the country pardoning their remaining jail term on the occasion of
51st National Democracy Day Sunday.
According to Ministry
of Home, their remaining jail term has been pardoned based on their good
conduct in the jails. nepalnews.com yl
Democracy should be reflected in
political conduct: King Birendra
Kathmandu, February 18: His Majesty King
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev called all people to
demonstrate political culture in their activities and behavior to strengthen
democracy and expedite development in the country. In a message to the nation
on the occasion of 51st Democracy Day Sunday, His Majesty the King said that
the objectives of democratic polity are the overall prosperity of the nation
and the welfare of people.
As we have been engaged for 50 years in the
exercise of democracy, democracy should not be confined only to the political
realm; it must be reflected in our political conduct as well as in our way of
life, His Majesty the King said.
In the message, His Majesty the King said that
multi-party democracy can be consolidated through the fulfillment of the
aspirations of the people in a secure environment, made meaningful through good
governance and dignified through the observance of human rights.
Remaining alert in safeguarding our national
interest and unity and mindful of our rights and duties, may this day inspire
all Nepalese to forge ahead and work for the well-being of the people and the
task of nation building. nepalnews.com yl
51
Dacoits Surrender
Kathmandu, Feb.17: Fifty-one
dacoits who had been plundering villages in Sarlahi district surrendered their
weapons to local officials.
Nepal Television
Friday night showed footage of the dacoits surrendering their weapons to Chief
District Officer Sthanwshwor Devkota.
The mass surrender of
weapons will help improve the law and order situation in the district,
officials said. nepalnews.com br
Casulties Mount
In Nawalparasi Fire
Kathmandu, Feb.16: A fire killed at least 15 persons and injured 24
others, including Indians, at a village 160 kms southwest of the capital
Thursday night, a spokesman of the Home Ministry said Friday night. Among the
dead are three children. Rescue teams in the remote
area are treating survivors. nepalnews.com br
11 Dead, More than 26 Injured in Fire
Kathmandu, Feb.16: At least 11 persons were killed and more than two
dozen persons were seriously injured in a fire fanned by a storm at a village
in Nawalparasi district 160 kms southwest of the capital Thursday night, latest
official reports said.
Most of the devotees celebrating Majarbaba festival
ahead of Shivaratri Wednesday died in a stampede, reports said. Final casualty
figures could be higher, officials said. The fire engulfed temporary
shelters at Kodia village near the Nepal India border.
Rescue teams have reached the site of the accidental fire. The festival started
Monday. nepalnews.com br
Nepal Grindlays Bank dividend
Kathmandu, 16 February: Nepal
Grindlays Bank Ltd (NGBL) announced a 100 percent dividend for shareholders
Wednesday, an announcement said. The bank’s board of directors took the
decision, which will have to be approved by a general meeting. However, this is
considered just a formality. Par value of the joint venture bank is Rs100 per
share. Nepalnews.com/br/at
Office of Pashupati Development
Trust attacked
Kathmandu, 16 February: An irate group of
shopkeepers stoned the office of the Pashupati Development Trust and damaged a
car in the premises Thursday, eyewitnesses said. The incident occurred after a
demolition squad tore down illegal constructions around the temple complex
ahead of the Shivaratri festival next Wednesday. Owners disregarded demolition
orders issued by the metropolitan authorities six months ago. Nepalnews.com/br/at
PM’s visit France likely in
March
Kathmandu, 16 February: Prime Minister
Koirala will most probably make an official visit to France in the third week
of March, according to Foreign Ministry sources. Officials say Issues related
to trade and cooperation between the two countries would be discussed during
the visit.
This visit will be the first official visit by a
Nepali Prime Minister to France in over 50 years. Former Prime Minister Krishna
Prasad Bhattarai was supposed to make an official visit last year, but the trip
was cancelled when Bhattarai was forced to step down. Nepalnews.com/yl/at
Seven Nepali labourers killed in
India
Kathmandu, 16 February: Seven Nepali
labourers from Baitadi district were killed recently in an accident during
tunnelling operations in Garhwal in India, the Chief District Officer of
Baitadi told Radio Nepal Thursday. This is the first official confirmation,
following newspaper reports, of the deaths of the Nepalis who were working on a
hydropower project in the neighbouring hill district. The radio report did not
mention the date of the accident. Nepalnews.com/br/at
Heavy snow in Dolpo
Kathmandu, 16 February: Telecommunication
links between villages in parts of the far-western district of Dolpo and the
rest of the country have been cut off due to heavy snowfall. Nepalnews.com/br/at
|
