Refugee verification on

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BHADRAPUR (Jhapa), Dec 4 - Despite the state of emergency in the country, the Nepal-Bhutan Joint Verification Team (JVT), has continued with its verification process of the Bhutanese refugees in the Khudunabari camp, sources here said Tuesday. The joint refugee verification was started on March 26.

According to the Bhutanese Refugees Repatriation Committee (BRRC), in the last eight months, a total of 11,253 refugees (5,702 men and 5,551 women) from 1,814 families living in the Khudunabari camp have so far undergone the verification process. There are 12,500 refugees or 1,963 families living in the camp.

Over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees have been languishing in the seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal since they were forcibly evicted from their homeland under the Druk government’s ethnic cleansing policy a decade back.

A source close to the Damak-based JVT office said the verification of the remaining refugees in the camp, one of the first camps to be verified by the team, will be completed by the second week of December. The JVT has worked for 145 days during the past eight months.

Airport expansion stalled

BHAIRAHAWA, Dec 4 (PR)- The work on expanding the Lumbini airport to an international airport has been stalled since the September 11 attack on the World Trade Towers in New York.

The attack had destroyed the World Trade Towers, which housed the office of the French company involved in the expansion project. All the documents were destroyed in the attack.

The company had already presented initial survey report and was suppose to present the government with the final report this month, said chief of the Gautam Buddha Airport Dinesh Shrestha.

"Citing the new situation, they have asked for a six-month extension," said Shrestha. The company was proposing to build a new terminal, runways and paved roads leading to the airport.

Maoists rob Gyawali’s house in Bardiya

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BARDIYA, Dec 4 - Maoist terrorists ransacked the house of the chairman of Kantipur Publications, Hemraj Gyawali, at Laxmana village of Bardiya district Monday night, police said here today.

Gyawali’s house is in Tada Deudhakala Village Development Committee, about 25 kilometres North East of the district headquarters of Gulariya.

Police said around 400 Maoists stormed into the Gyawali’s house and robbed grains worth Rs. 600,000, holding two watchmen under their control. They broke shelves and all windowpanes of the two-storey building, the family sources said.

Villagers said the Maoists made off with 200 quintals of rice, 10 quintals of mustard, five quintals of maize from the courtyard of the house.

One of the house guards said the rebels also warned the watchmen and other nine tenants to leave the Gyawali’s house immediately. This is the second time that the rebels have looted the Gyawali’s house. Earlier, the rebels had looted around 150 quintals of rice five years ago.

Soon after the incident, a contingent of the Royal Nepal Army, the Armed Police Force and police jointly inspected the house and acquired information from the locals about the robbery.

A police source said seven suspected Maoists were arrested from Motipur VDC in connection with the incident. The source added that the army men and police are patrolling the area to foil any further attacks by the Maoists. The security personnel have seized some utensils looted by the rebels a few days back from former chairman of Sorahawa VDC, Sarju Tharu, and some Maoists related literature during the search.