News Notes (Spotlight Weekly)

PM Meets With Leaders

Groping for that elusive party support, Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, on Sunday, visited the residences of Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) and Sher Bahadur Deuba, president of Nepali Congress — Democratic Nepal told Thapa there was no way the parties could support his government. Deuba also said his party could not support him. Earlier, on Friday (May 6), Thapa met with NC supremo Girija Prasad Koirala who told him that NC would support Thapa only if the latter reinstated House of Representatives. Leading dailies report.

PM To Unveil His Cabinet Soon

As he has been unable to make any headway in the job of seeking participation of other political parties, Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa is expected to announce a small cabinet shortly including leaders from his own party RPP. RPP leaders like Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani, Buddhiman Tamang and Kamal Thapa will be awarded cabinet berths in the preliminary round of cabinet formation, say sources. Likewise, ministers of earlier government Narendra Bikram Shah and Narayan Singh Pun are also expected to be included in the cabinet. Kantipur daily reports June 9.

Bhattarai On Talks

Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, coordinator of the Maoists talks team, said that King has expressed unwillingness to abandon throne and the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA). Speaking at a program in Gorkha district on June 8, Dr. Bhattarai said that this was made known to the Maoists at their meeting with then ministers Ramesh Nath Pandey and Narayan Singh Pun at Gokarna just prior to the second round of talks. He also disclosed that decision to restrict the activities of RNA within 5 km radius of their barracks was also made at the same meeting. Kantipur daily reports June 9.

Maoists Decide To Agitate In Streets

In an apparent bid to join hands with the agitating parties, the Maoists have formed the National People's Movement Committee on Sunday (June 8) and said it will try to go for a joint movement with the political parties. With the participation of sister organizations, the Maoists have said they will now organize peaceful movements to press the government. The leaders have also said that the move was made to ensure that the Maoists would not have to return to jungle. The decision coincides with the statement by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai in Gorkha where he had said that the Maoists will not return to jungle even if the peace fails. He had warned that the Maoists would instead take to the streets and the those trying to interrupt the peace talks would be forced towards the jungle. The Himalayan Times daily reports June 9.

Thapa Sets His Priority

Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa addressing the countrymen on Friday (June 6) spelled out the priorities of his government. Thapa said his government gives high importance to building peace and then holding general and local elections. He also said he attaches top priority to seeking the confidence of political parties. "The holding of election is necessary for the continuity of constitutional process. This is possible only in peaceful environment, which, in turn, depends on the national consensus among political actors," Thapa said. In his statement, Thapa unveiled his 10-point programs that also include, among other things, rooting out corruption, relief packages to common people and accelerating economic reforms. Compiled from reports.

Five Parties Stick To Agitation

The meeting of the five parties decided to go ahead with their agitation programs to restore people's rights and alter regression. The meeting deplored the appointment of Thapa as Prime Minister terming it as unconstitutional move. The five parties — NC, UML, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP), Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP-Anandi Devi) and People's Front — said they viewed Thapa government was not any different than its predecessor. The meeting agreed to press for making public the properties of King Gyanendra and late King Birendra. They also agreed to boycott all public programs where PM Thapa is attending. The meeting was held in Bhaktapur on Saturday (June 7). Compiled from reports.

National Assembly Members Meet

The members of five agitating parties organized the meeting of National Assembly in Ratna Park on Saturday (June 7). The meeting was held in the open street after the government did not allow them to use the official building of the Upper House for the purpose. The meeting passed four proposals. It agreed to ask for property details of King Gyanendra and late King Birendra, agreed to hold regular session of the Upper House, criticized the high-handedness adopted by the government against agitation and endorsed the six resolutions passed by similarly held meeting of members of dissolved House of Representatives two weeks ago. Leading dailies reports.

Demonstration In New York

A demonstration was organized by different institutions and organizations before the office of Nepal's permanent representative to the United Nations a few days ago to protest Nepal's recent deportation of 18 Tibetan asylum-seekers to China. The demonstrators handed over protest letter to Nepalese permanent representative Murari Raj Sharma deploring the action. The letter also requested Nepal government not to act similarly in future. Spacetime daily reports June 8.

Seven Student Organization To Hold Strike In Education

The seven student organizations, affiliated to different political parties, have threatened to go for "decisive" movement by announcing indefinite strikes in education beginning June 14. According to Gagan Thapa, general secretary of Nepal Students Union (NSU)- affiliated to NC — said they were announcing the strike because their demands were not fulfilled despite several round of talks with the authorities. Kantipur daily reports.

Thapa Not To Snatch Leaders From Parties

King Gyanendra administered oath of office to the newly appointed Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa on Thursday afternoon (June 5). Thapa, who has not announced his cabinet members yet, has said he will not snatch leaders from political parties on individual basis. He said he will include leaders in his cabinet based on official party approval. His statement comes amid speculations that he was planning to induct a number of leaders from the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) and Nepali Congress (NC) despite the parties' avowed stance not to participate in Thapa government. Leading dailies report.

No Change In Maoist Policy

The chairman of the Maoists Prachanda has stated that there will be no change in the policy of his party vis-a-vis the new Thapa government. In his statement, Prachanda says his party will continue with the dialogue process and asked the government side to become honest and keen on the peaceful resolution of the country's problems. Prachanda has also urged the parties to organize movement to form new constitution. Compiled from reports.

UK Envoy Says Election Is Better Option

The ambassador of the United Kingdom to Nepal Keith Bloomfield has said that calling for the general election is better option than the reinstatement of the House of Representatives. In an interview given to Channel Nepal (last week), ambassador Bloomfield said that since the House was lawfully dissolved, it would not be good to reinstate it. He also urged political parties to narrow their differences with the King. He said the parties should cooperate with the King in the latter's initiative to form all party government. He said his country would like to see the parliamentary system of democracy prosper in Nepal. Spacetime daily reports.

Kamaiya Give Ultimatum To Govt

Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary, president of the Backward Society Education (BASE), an NGO that is spearheading the cause of Kamaiyas, has given the government one month ultimatum to resolve the problems of the freed bonded laborers. He expressed frustration over the lack of resolution of the Kamaiya problems even though they were officially declared free three years ago. He charged the forest and land reforms office of not giving due attention to sort out the problems. He warned that Kamaiyas will organize movement if they are not heard within a month. He, however, added that the movement will be peaceful. He also accused that due to Maoist activities the Tharu community of western Nepal have been pushed back by at least ten years. Kantipur daily reports.

Parties Irked By Thapa's Appointment

The agitating political parties have been irked by the appointment of Thapa as the Prime Minister in contravention of the consensus candidate forwarded by them. Though Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), was projected as consensus candidate of five agitating parties — Nepali Congress (NC), UML, Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP-Anandi Devi), Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP) and People's Front — plus Nepali Congress (Democratic), Thapa beat him to the race. Nepal, responding to the latest developments said the parties considered it as the extension of the regressive steps taken by the King since October 4. "I had the support of 192 MPs of the parliament out of total member of 205. Therefore, naturally, the King should have chosen the one with the mandate," he said. "How can the government with such minority support be stable? It will have to face same protests like the one faced by Chand." Likewise, Nepali Congress leaders have also criticized Thapa's appointment saying it was against the democratic norms. "The appointment of Thapa is nothing but an unsuccessful attempt to derail the agitation of five parties," said Ram Chandra Poudel, senior leader of Nepali Congress. The parties have warned that they will now further strengthen their agitation. Leading dailies report.

Chairman Declines To Call National Assembly

Mohammad Mohsin, chairman of National Assembly, has rejected the demands by two-thirds of the total members of the Upper House to call its meeting. The members of the National Assembly including vice chairman Ramprit Paswan had demanded to call the meeting. The five agitating parties had decided to hold the meeting of the upper house to protest the "regressive moves". Leading dailies report.