Crown Prince meets Kyrgyzstan President

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BISHKEK, Oct. 30. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev called on President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akaev at the Presidential Palace here today.

Present on the occasion were Foreign Minister Narendra Bikram Shah, Royal Nepalese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Lila Prasad Sharma, the Kyrgyz Minister for Local Autonomy and Regional Development and other senior officials of the two countries.

Khadka, Gupta taken into custody
CIAA charges ex-ministers of corruption

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Oct. 30: The Commission for Investigation of the Abuse of Authority (CIAA) today detained two senior ministers in the recently dissolved Deuba-led government - Khum Bahadur Khadka and Jaya Prakash Gupta - on corruption charges after interrogating them until dark.
This is the first time that the CIAA has taken officials having held ministerial berths into custody for further investigation into alleged corruption charges.

Today was the fourth time Khadka had appeared before the CIAA. The CIAA had been interrogating Khadka for awarding the construction of the Bakraha River Control Project in Morang district in east Nepal without calling a tender while he was Minister for Water Resources in the government headed by Girija Prasad Koirala.

He is also charged with committing irregularities while awarding the contract for the construction of the bridge over the Rapti River in west Nepal.

Together with the former ministers, the CIAA also took into custody Amodananda Mishra, former Director-General of the Water Induced Disaster Prevention Division, and Narayan Bahadur Thapa, then chief of the Bakraha River Control Project. The second person to be called in by the CIAA today was former minister Gupta. He has been charged with alleged corruption while awarding the contract to import mobile phones and in licensing television channels.

Gupta was Minister for Information and Communications in the just dissolved government, while Khadka was Minister for Home. Khadka is also the general secretary of the Nepali Congress advent of multi-party democracy in 1990. Rumours were rife today that the two ministers would be detained after interrogation continued till evening.

Since a large number of Khadka supporters were present outside the CIAA, the two former ministers were whisked away in a van by officials under the cover of darkness. As the van left the CIAA premises, Khadka supporters chanted slogans.

The CIAA today had also called in Devendra Wagle, son of Local Development Minister in the Deuba-time to answer questions relating to several covert bank accounts amounting to more than Rs. 10 million. The CIAA has also found several undisclosed real estate and land holdings worth tens of millions of rupees. The CIAA has already asked the banks to freeze his bank accounts. Former minister Wagle, while declaring his and his family's property in the property declaration form, had shown a bank balance of only Rs. 600,000.

The CIAA has sought the source of junior Wagle's wealth. Devendra today assured the Commissioners he will submit the proof of the source tomorrow.

The CIAA has been in the news ever since it raided the homes of 22 government employees a few months back and took 16 of them into custody for amassing wealth illegally. The others are at large.
And on Friday, the CIAA arrested Ramagya Prasad Chaturvedi, General Manager of Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation, and Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Works and Physical Planning Anand Khanal for abuse of power and alleged corruption while constructing the Rapti bridge.
Chaturvedi was the general manager of the state-owned National Construction Company of Nepal (NCCN) and Khanal the Director General of the Roads Department when the contract was awarded to Lama Construction three years ago.

More bodies of terrorists recovered in Rumjhatar

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Oct. 30: The number of terrorists killed in Rumjhatar of Okhaldhunga has reached 42, a Defence Ministry statement issued today said.

The security forces today recovered eight more bodies of the terrorists around the airport where the fighting had taken place on Sunday. The security personnel guarding the airport had foiled the terrorists' attack on their camp.

In their ongoing search and blocking operations carried out in the different parts of the country on Tuesday, the security forces shot dead three terrorists - two at Kerung bordering Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu, and one at Dhunganadanda of Sindhupalchok districts. The security forces recovered .303 rifles, socket bombs, sutali (string) bombs, bullets of automatic weapons and explosives from those sites.

The National Human Rights Commission today condemned the Maoists for mercilessly killing three unarmed soldiers in civilian dress at Ralukadebi in Nukakot. The victims were brutally tortured before they were killed. The soldiers were returning to duty after the Dasain festival when they were killed. The terrorists also beat up and seriously wounded one more person in the same village. Meanwhile, RSS reports from Siraha, three terrorists were killed in a clash with a police team that had gone on a search operation at Mauwahi VDC ward No l , Siraha district yesterday afternoon, it is stated by the District Police Office, Siraha.

The clash took place between a joint team from the District Police Office and the Area Police Office Lahan and the Maoist terrorists who were holding a meeting at the time. The three Maoists died on the spot.

During the clash that took place for about half an hour, police personnel Debu Mandal and Pulaki Yadav sustained minor injuries. The terrorists were killed in retaliatory action by the security forces when they were attacked by the terrorists who numbered between 30 to 35, according to CDO Bhola Prasad Shivakoti. Among the three Maoists killed was Ajit Lal Yadav, a local resident. The other two have not been identified.

Police recovered three country made fire arms and l2 rounds of ammunition from the site of the clash.
Following the incident, security forces were mobilised extensively in the locality. In Surkhet, Surendra Gurung, a resident of ward No 2 in Gumi VDC, Surkhet district is reported to have been kidnapped on Tuesday by Maoists, according to family sources. His mother, Motisara Gurung, has appealed to quarters concerned and human rights organisations for her son's safe release.

Dr. Sharma new NPC VC

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Oct. 30: His Majesty's Government today appointed Dr. Shankar P. Sharma as the vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC). Similarly, executive director of Nepal Rastra Bank Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada has been appointed NPC member.

Dr. Sharma had resigned as an NPC member following the formation of the new government early this month. Dr. Sharma, who served the NPC as a member from 1997 till October 2002, did his Ph.D in Economics from University of Hawaii. He has had wide professional experience and had also worked as Senior Economic Advisor at the Ministry of Finance from 1995-97.

He also worked as senior economist at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. Besides, Dr. Sharma also worked as a professor of Economics at the Centre for Economic Development and Administration, Paper (PRSP) and Local Governance Fiscal Decentralisation Report.

Presently, he is chairman of the Local Governance Fiscal Commission and a member of the Independent South Asian Commission for Poverty Alleviation. Dr. Sharma has been awarded with the Bikhayat Trishaktipatta and Suprabal Gorkha Dakshin Bahu. As a professional, he has already served in a number of international organisations, including the ESCAP, ADB, UNDP, World Bank and UNIDO.

Dr. Sharma, the main architect of the Tenth Five-Year Plan, told The Rising Nepal that the decisions regarding the Plan would be announced in the next few days. Similarly, NPC member Dr. Khatiwada did his Ph.D in Monetary Economics from the Delhi School of Economics. Dr. Khatiwada has also worked in a number of international organisations during his career. Currently Dr. Khatiwada is also the president of the Management Association of Nepal (MAN).

NHRC seeks information on murders

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LALITPUR, Oct. 30: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has demanded all information regarding people killed in encounters and clashes since the imposition of the state of emergency in the country.

The NHRC made this demand at a press meet it organised today to make public a report on a study tour carried out by NHRC teams in 35 districts of the Kingdom between the months of Asar and Asoj.
NHRC chairman Nayan Bahadur Khatri said that the Maoists who are perpetrating terrorist activities and the government both should exercise democratic rights in keeping with democratic norms and values.

At the programme, NHRC member Sushil Pyakurel opined that journalists should bring forth factual news and happenings before the people for guiding human rights on the right course. Making the report public, advocate Hari Phuyal revealed that the country's educational, health, religious, cultural and historical heritage was damaged the most due to the terrorist activities of the Maoists.

He said it was found in the course of the study that innocent people were being killed by the government and the Maoists alike for nothing.

Priority to agriculture to alleviate poverty: Mandal

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KATHMANDU, Oct. 30: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Badri Prasad Mandal inaugurated the 2nd meeting of the SAARC Technical Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development here today.

The technical committee meeting held annually in the SAARC member nations turn by turn takes necessary decisions and prepares plans for the development of agriculture and poverty alleviation in the region. Agriculture experts and senior officials from SAARC nations are participating in the meet to be run for 2 days.

In his inaugural address Deputy Prime Minister Mandal said the agricultural productivity in Nepal is low owing to the lack of professional technology adoption and structural problems in farming despite the fact that the landscape here is blessed with uniquely favourable climate to grow almost all plant and animal species of economic importance.

Mentioning the problems facing especially by small farmers and holders due to their access to technologies, resources, opportunities and education, high cost on transportation and communication, lack of agricultural subsidies, no market facilities and high collection costs he said the government has laid its priority in agriculture for proper food production and poverty alleviation. Explaining Nepal's undergoing effort for the accession to WTO he highlighted the need for increasing strength of the farmers to produce quality products to ovecome the technical barriers to trade in the international maket.

Speaking from the chair Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Kirti Bahadur Chand said the national goal of income generation and food preservation could be achieved by the maximum use of modern agricultural technology, irrigation and fertilizers in proportional way for agricultural development. Speaking on the occasion Ganesh Kumar KC and Surya Sharan Regmi, joint-secretaries at the respective Ministries of Agriculture and Cooperatives and Local Development had shed light on the objectives of the meeting.

The message wishing for successful conclusion of the meeting from the SAARC general-secretary had been recited by Director-General Masood Bin Momen.

Lalitpur's Kattik dance to start Nov. 10

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LALITPUR, Oct. 30: The Kattik Dance Management Committee has decided to hold the historically renowned Kattik Dance this year from November 10 to 17.

The dance festival was initiated some 365 years ago by the Malla King of Patan Siddhinarasingh Malla. The seven-day dance was extended to 15 days by his son Srinivas Malla and then to one month by the latter's son Yogendra Malla, say historical records.

The Kattike Dance was begun wishing for peace to the people, king and country and was named after the month of Kattik in the lunar calendar, says director of the committee Hariman Shrestha.
The dance exhibited at Patan Durbar Square comprises Lyaba Layagu on the first day, Kaula Khicha on the second, Satiwanegu on the third and Shitajwara, Bismajwar, Krishna and Mahadev in the fourth.

Likewise, the fifth day includes Dhola, Khyakawan, Bhairav, Kumari and Mahalaxmi dances, with Madhukaidabhadha on the sixth day, Hiranyakchha Badha on the seventh and Hiranyakasyapu wadha on the final day.

Envoys meet PM

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KATHMANDU, Oct. 30: Ambassador of Israel to Nepal Avraham Nir paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand at the latter's office in Singha Durbar today.

On the occasion, Ambassador Nir congratulated Chand on his appointment as Prime Minister.
During the meeting, discussions were held on matters of mutual interest and national and international topics.On the occasion, the Israeli Ambassador expressed his country's willingness to provide assistance for Nepal's development needs.

Similarly, Ambassador of Norway to Nepal Ingrid Ofstad paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Chand at the latter's office in Singha Durbar today.

On the occasion, discussions were held on matters of mutual interest, bilateral relations and other topics.

Memorandum

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KATHMANDU, Oct. 30: Independent Civic Society Nepal claiming the Royal Promulgation to be fully constitutional, democratic and in line with public will has expressed its determined support for the steps taken by His Majesty the King pursuant to Article 127 of the Constitution. A memorandum signed by the society president and former minister Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya was submitted to the Prime Minister today.

The society discerns the steps taken by the government for constituting a government of national consensus and solving the prevailing problems to be positive and appreciative, the memorandum states.

The society in the memorandum has demanded of the government to take a quick and effective step for settling the Maoist problem through peace talks.

The society appreciating the government's cooperation and support to Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority in controlling corruption and abuse of power has appealed the government to provide continuity to the campaign against corruption.

Bodies of security personnel handed over

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NAWALPARASI, Oct. 30: The bodies of security personnel killed in the attack by the Maoist terrorists on the Ilaka Police Office, Dumkibas have been handed over to their families. Police sergeant Bharat Bhatta of Bara and constables Kamal Khatri of Gulmi, Jagat Bahadur Thapa of Gorkha and Krishna Bahadur Pun of Nawalparasi died while countering the terrorists who launched their attack at around 5:00 pm that day.

The terrorists had gathered at Benimanipur from Syangja and Palpa and used two passenger buses to obstruct the Mahendra Highway before launching the attack, it is learnt.

The Sub-Inspector at the post, who had taken shelter in the nearby jungle and other policemen were kidnapped by the terrorists but released upon reaching Sardigaon in the evening, it is stated. The terrorists armed with modern weapons like S.M.G. made off with 1,000 rounds of ammunition, 10 rifles and two pistols from the police post, it is learnt.