Nepal rules out king’s role in round-table talks

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KATHMANDU, Feb 10 : Madhav Kumar Nepal, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal, Unified Marxist- Leninist (CPN-UML) said that there was no need to include the king in the possible round-table talks with the Maoists, to find a way out of the current crises.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post at his residence today, Nepal said, "I really don’t see any need to include the king in the dialogue process," further adding, "The constitutional monarch has no role in such round-table talks". However, he said that the monarch should be taken into confidence.

When asked whether the round-table talks, without the king’s participation, would sort out some of the critical issues raised by CPN-UML and other political parties such as "democratisation of the monarchy" and full control of the Royal Nepal Army by the parliament, Nepal said, "If the round-table meet feels such a need, we can go to the king later and sort out the issues".

Nepal also stressed that the Maoists need to clarify their demands, including that of constituent assembly. "It is important that the Maoists explain why they want constituent assembly".

He also called for pre-negotiation talks between the mainstream political parties and the Maoists. "The Maoists and the major political parties should sit together to finalise the modalities and agenda of the formal talks," Nepal said.

Such pre-negotiation talks are important, said Nepal, to avoid differences on agenda of negotiations during the formal talks. "We should decide in advance whether we want to enter into debate on the issue of constitutional assembly or other issues," Nepal said.

NSP moves towards split

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KATHMANDU, Feb 10 : All attempts to bring about the warring factions of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) have failed so far with party chief and Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal’s ‘expulsion’ looming large.

Mandal has called emergency meeting of the party’s National Working Committee on February 14 at Rajbiraj, but his opponents including party heavyweights, Hridyesh Tripathi and Rajendra Mahato, are consolidating their position in the party. The duo may expel Mandal from the party before the February 14 meeting.

Mahato, former general secretary of the party who was recently demoted to the national committee member, claimed that majority of the national committee members would boycott the Rajbiraj meeting.

"Most of the members are not going to attend the meeting called by Mandal," said Rajendra Mahato, adding, "There is no relevance of Rajbiraj meeting as the disciplinary action would be taken against Mandal before it is held."

Mandal has been accused of misusing power to influence the party cadres in several districts and going against the party’s norms and values.

The dissident members claimed that the national committee had the right to decide the fate of Mandal as the committee appointed him for transitional period after the death of Gajendra Narayan Singh, the former president of the party.

Tripathi, Mahato and vice chairman Bharat Bimal attended a five-party meeting called by CPN-UML today at the latter’s office as the authentic representatives of the NSP.

Rhino carcass found in Bardiya

KATHMANDU, Feb 10 (PR)- A team of wildlife conservation officials patrolling the Babai valley of the Royal Bardiya National Park has found the body of a one-horned rhino, which was apparently killed by poachers.

The carcass was found without a horn recently at Thuloshree area of the valley, according to knowledgeable officials. The endangered animals are found only in three national parks of the country - Royal Chitwan National Park, Royal Bardiya National Park and Royal Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in the Terai region. The parks are home to over 600 rhinos. In Bardiya park alone, over 75 rhinos are found. According to an official at the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, an 11-member patrolling team from the Royal Bardiya National Park had found the dead body of the rhino. The team has also detected footprints of poachers on the wallows of the area.

The report comes weeks after officials reported alarming rise in the poaching of the large mammals in the Chitwan park. Nearly three dozen of rhinos were poached this year in Chitwan park alone.

Parties’ roles can’t be ruled out in talks: RPP chief

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KATHMANDU, Feb 10 : Pashupati Shumsher Rana, chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), today stressed the roles of political parties during the government-Maoist peace dialogue.

Speaking during a meeting of four mainstream political parties at CPN-UML’s office, RPP leader Rana said, "The political parties should never be excluded in the process to reach a negotiation."

One of the participants at the meeting said Rana also demanded for transparency in the government-Maoist peace process. Rana urged all political parties to proceed with a ‘common package’ to settle the current impasse. "The common package comprises the norms of peoples’ sovereignty, multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy," Rana was quoted as saying.

During the meeting, Rana also reiterated the need to abide by the consensus reached among the six political parties immediately after the October 4 royal take-over. The parties including Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML, RPP and Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) had agreed upon the formation of a national government under the letter and spirit of Article 128 of the constitution on October 7.

During today’s meeting, leaders of NSP, RPP, NC (Democratic) and CPN-UML also unanimously urged that the talks with Maoists should be under political reconciliation, Subash Nemwang, Standing Committee member of CPN-UML said.

According to Nemwang, CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal asked the leaders of all political parties to seriously observe the government-Maoist negotiations. Nepal also warned that the king should not come to active politics. "The institution of monarchy has come under a dispute," Nepal said.

Demanding transparency in the peace process, he said that it is the peoples’ representatives, not the king, who settle all existing problems.

Nepal also urged both the king and the Maoists to make their positions clear. "Whether the king and the Maoists are in favour of multi-party democracy, peoples’ sovereignty and constitutional monarchy or not, they must speak out clearly," Nepal said.

Similarly, Hridayesh Tripathi, leader of NSP, also reiterated transparency in the government-Maoist peace dialogue.

He also made it clear that Badri Prasad Mandal, Deputy Prime Minister "was not representing the party". "Deputy PM’s activities have further harmed the party," Tripathi said. "NSP is ready to co-ordinate with all political parties in their future activities."

Speaking in the same vein, Hom Nath Dahal, leader of Nepali Congress (Democratic), said that many things have not yet been made clear before entering into formal talks with the Maoists.

He opined that the achievements of 1990 peoples’ movement, peoples’ sovereignty, multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy should be prominently figured during the government-Maoist peace talks.

Nepal also held separate meetings with Narayan Man Bijukchhe, president of Nepal Workers and Peasants’ Party (NWPP), Rabindra Nath Sharma of RPP and CP Mainali of the CPN-ML (Restructured) in the capital.

Nepal told The Kathmandu Post that all the leaders showed their commitment to safeguard the multi-party democracy and peoples’ sovereignty.

UML is going to hold similar meeting of nine-left fronts at its party office at Balkhu tomorrow.

Nine new members in RPP central committee

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KATHMANDU, Feb 10 : Chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Pashupati Shumser Rana today expanded his Central Committee by nominating nine new members.

According to a press statement issued by the party, Parshu Narayan Choudhari, Krishna Charan Shrestha, Bishnu Maden, Ajay Pratap Shah and Brajesh Kumar Gupta have been nominated as the central committee members of the party.

Similarly, Vishweshwor Prasad Marveta, Toran Bahadur Gurung, Thakur Prasad Sharma and Giri Bahadur KC are the other members to be nominated to the party’s central committee.

According to the party statute, the chairman can nominate 22 members in the 45-member central committee. There are still 13 members to be nominated for complete form of the committee.

Despite commitments from Rana to accommodate the views of Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani and Rabindra Nath Sharma, who contested for the post of chairman in the last general convention of the party, have not been nominated to the central committee members.

Chairman Rana also nominated three members of central council- Mohan Raj Malla, Chhatra Bahadur Gurung and Ram Chandra Roy- as the parliamentary committee members.

The Central Committee of the party is scheduled to meet on Tuesday "to discuss the official views of the party on the government-Maoist peace talks and government-party coordination" among others.

Pun vetoes re-arrest of freed ‘Maoist’

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KATHMANDU, Feb 10 : Narayan Singh Pun, a cabinet minister and chief government negotiator to hold talks with the Maoists, had to rush to Nakkhu Jail today, to pacify about 24 agitating Maoists who were protesting against the re-arrest of one of their colleague soon after his release.

The jailed Maoists had also chanted anti-government slogans and demanded the release of all Maoist detainees.

The agitation inside Nakkhu jail, one of the largest jails of the country, broke out after the release of a Maoist cadre named Devraj Gurung who was arrested by the police within the jail premises, even though he was moments earlier released on the orders of Chief District Officer (CDO).

The dispute was settled after Minister Pun assured the Maoists of immediate action on the issues raised by them and ordered for immediate release of Gurung.

The more than two dozen Maoist detainees started a sit-in protest alleging the government of disturbing the atmosphere of talks by continued arrest of the Maoist cadres, ignoring the orders of the Court and the authorities.

Bamdev Chhetri, alternative central member of CPN-Maoist and the leader of the protest, said the government’s attitude could lead to a breach of the truce and could provoke the volatile situation.

The agitating Maoists also forwarded a memorandum to the Prime Minister through Minister Pun stating that the success of the peace-talks was not feasible until all jailed Maoist were released.

They also demanded abrogation of the Terrorist and Destructive Activities (Control and Punishment) Act (TADA), equal access of both the warring parties to the media and immediate information on all Maoists held prisoner.

Minister Pun assured the Maoist activists that he would take immediate initiatives for "arrangements" of the issues raised by them.

"The government is committed to bring the talks to a successful end and all necessary arrangements will be made to create an atmosphere for the talks," Pun said.

Unidentified disease creates havoc in remote Bajura

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DIPAYAL, Feb 10 : The outbreak of an unidentified disease in remote Jukot VDC, north of Bajura district, has claimed 16 lives to date. Starting from mid January, around 150 locals are reported to have been infected with the disease. Situation in the area is alarming as the local sub-health post is without drugs, it is learnt.

"The disease had already claimed three lives during my stay," said Tek Narayan Poudel, an official at Regional Administrative Office in Dipayal. He was in Bajura as Chief District Officer (CDO) on deputation till January 22. "I had given directives to the doctors in the district to monitor the situation, before my return. I am not aware of the developments that took place afterwards."

However, the doctors had left the district before January 23, according to sources.

The ward Nos 1, 2, 3 and 9 are the most affected by the disease. The disease in its initial phase is characterised by common cold. The patient dies after 10-15 days of infection, according to Hari Rokaya, a local from the VDC. The disease claimed three members of Pari Lal Shahi’s family at ward-9, according to him.

"The sub-health post in the village does not contain even simple drugs. Since, there are only children and women in the village, it is almost impossible to carry a patient to the headquarters all through the rough way of three days walk," said Surat Bahadur Shahi, another local from the VDC.

Talks with Indian FM on refugee issue

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KATHMANDU, Feb 10 : Former Foreign Minister Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya and delegates of the Bhutanese Refugees Repatriation Support Group (BRRSG) - Nepal jointly called on the Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha to discuss the problems of the Bhutanese refugees today, according to a BRRSG press statement issued here.

The statement said the team held discussions with the Indian foreign minister on the repatriation issue of the more than 100,000 Bhutanese living as refugees in Nepal.

During the talks, Sinha said he was positive about solving problems of the refugees. He also assured that he would help in the repatriation process.

The team also held separate discussions with Austrian and Swiss ambassadors to India about the refugee 12-year-old imbroglio. Other members of the team are Hiranyalal Shrestha and Pramod Kafle.