Dr. Bhattarai Meets With Indian Leader

In a news report titled “Indian Spooks Host Nepal Rebel,” the online service of the leading Indian daily “Times of India” has reported on May 24 that a top Maoist leader was recently in New Delhi meeting with Indian leader. “One of Nepal's top Maoist leaders, Baburam Bhattarai, is being quietly chaperoned around here by Indian intelligence agencies, which recently organized a meeting between him and CPM general secretary Prakash Karat The meeting took place in the Capital last week just when King Gyanendra of Nepal was hitting out at India for its continued indulgence of Maoists, who have been declared terrorists. Although the meeting was facilitated by intelligence agencies, Karat and Bhattarai have a common link - they share their alma mater, Jawaharlal Nehru University,” the daily reported. It went on to write, “When contacted, Karat confirmed the meeting, although he did not share details. However, sources indicated that New Delhi could be keen to use Left's influence over the Maoists to get them to join the seven-party pro-democracy alliance in Nepal. Maoists have so far refused to join the campaign to reinstate Nepal's Parliament.” The news report further wrote, “Clandestine official Indian assistance to Bhattarai is sure to enrage Kathmandu, which last Saturday sent an aide memoire to New Delhi asking it not to meddle in the kingdom's internal affairs. The protest came close on the heels of the Nepal army releasing a video showing the purported nexus between Indian government and the Maoists.” The daily added that the official sources indicated that Bhattarai was, indeed, being taken around in the Capital by intelligence officials. “In fact, the Maoist leader is understood to have readily agreed to come to a meeting place decided by Karat. When the two met, Karat wanted to know how Maoists see future events unfolding in Nepal, said sources. Bhattarai talked of his belief in the democratic struggle against royalty.” The article added that Bhattarai admitted to the “fast widening gulf between him and Prachanda, the supreme leader of the Nepal Maoists and a votary of armed struggle.” It also noted that the meeting was “unlikely to be officially acknowledged as it can embarrass New Delhi, which treats Maoists as terrorists.” Compiled from reports.

US Delivers Non-Lethal Aid

The United States has delivered a consignment of non-lethal assistance to the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) for the first time after the February 1 royal move. A huge chartered plane, carrying non-lethal equipment landed at Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) on Wednesday morning. “Yes, that’s true (the non-lethal assistance has arrived),” confirmed Constance Colding Jones, the American Center director and US Embassy spokesperson. Non-lethal equipment including helmets, boots, flak jackets and other materials. The Himalayan Times daily reports.

UK To Resume Non-Lethal Military Aid

The United Kingdom has decided to resume non-lethal military assistance to Nepal on humanitarian grounds, news agencies Saturday reported. The equipment, worth 1.34 million pounds, comprises non-lethal aid like surveillance helicopters with night flying capability and communications enhancements, 40 general purpose Land Rovers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal equipment and vehicles, reported The Hindustan Times. The notice on resuming military assistance came nearly a week after a Ministerial Troika meeting between the European Union, India and Luxembourg, which currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union, said the report. Indian External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, on May 19, attended the meeting in Luxembourg and discussed EU-India ties as well as regional and international developments, where Nepal reportedly featured on the agenda, said the report. The British government had planned in January to "gift" a package of military equipment to Nepal under its "Global Conflict Prevention Pool" to help the Royal Nepalese Army combat the escalating Maoist insurgency. But it was suspended after the move of February First. India has already decided to resume non-lethal military aid to Nepal what it called “pipeline military supplies” last month. Kantipur daily reports.

75 Detainees Released

The government, on Friday (May 27), released 75 political detainees from various parts of the country including NC spokesperson Arjun Narsingh KC, former ministers Bimalendra Nidhi, Deep Kumar Upadhyaya, Khem Raj Bhatta Mayalu, Tek Bahadur Chokhyal and others. Meanwhile, police have re-arrested former minister and UML leader Ishwor Pokharel in Rajbiraj. Pokharel was arrested soon after he was released as per the Supreme Court order. Earlier, the government had released 41 political detainees under detention in different districts charged under Public Security Act on Thursday (May 26). Likewise, it released 10 more detainees as per the order of the Supreme Court. Those released include Nepali Congress (NC) general secretary Sushil Koirala, Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) standing committee members Keshab Badal and Modnath Prashrit and a number of student leaders. Leading dailies report.

Journos Enraged Over Decision To Ban A Media Agency

Journalists have expressed outrage over the government order to shut down the Communication Corner, a private FM radio broadcasting agency, which used to relay and exchange programs of 14 FM stations based across the country. “We have been duly registered with various agencies of the government. We cannot accept the government order of shut down. We will go to courts,” said Gopal Guragain, chief of Communication Corner. Meanwhile, Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) has decided to organize protest program on Sunday against the government order. Print and radio journalists have all expressed solidarity with Communication Corner and have vowed to oppose the government order. Leading dailies report.

Karat Denies Meeting With Bhattarai

Indian communist leader Prakash Karat has denied meeting with Nepalese Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai in New Delhi recently. In a statement he released, Karat, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said the report which had appeared in a section of the press was baseless and untrue. “No such meeting took place,” he said. “The report published in a national daily that I had a meeting with a Maoist leader from Nepal arranged by the Indian security agencies is untrue,” he said. In its report ‘The Times of India’ had claimed that Karat had ‘confirmed’ the meeting although he did not share details. The Himalayan Times daily reports.

DIG Shrestha Pays Fine

Days after he was caught red-handed not carrying driver’s license with him, Deputy Inspector General of Armed Police Force Gopal Man Shrestha has paid the regulation fine of Rs 50. He paid the fine to the Valley Traffic Police Office for flouting the traffic rules on New Baneshwore on May 18. He had been caught by Japanese volunteer traffic instructor Kiyoshi Baba leading to a wide public call for such penalty. Leading dailies report.

US Ambassador's Interview Misinterpreted

The US Embassy in Kathmandu has noted that some newspapers referring to a BBC website story based on an interview, said that Ambassador James F. Moriarty in his interview had defended King Gyanendra's February 1 move thus indicating a shift in U.S. policy. “This is not correct.  The remarks attributed to Ambassador Moriarty by the newspapers are, in fact, remarks made by the King,” the Embassy states in its clarifications. “The relevant excerpt from the BBC story reads as follows: "...King Gyanendra and the major opposition parties have been at loggerheads since the monarch sacked a four-party coalition, seized direct powers and imposed restrictions on civil liberties in February.  He defended the move, saying it was needed to tackle the insurgency in which 12,000 people have died.  The king accused the parties of failing to resolve the conflict..." "He" in the above paragraph refers to the King and not to Ambassador Moriarty. The misinterpretation by the newspapers is highly regrettable.” Compiled from reports.   

German Plane Brings Ammo Load For RNA

An aircraft from Germany carrying ammunition for the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) landed at Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) on May 23, while a consignment of US non-lethal assistance is expected to follow shortly. “Yes, the aircraft brought us ammunition from Germany,” said a security source, but declined to divulge any detain on the origin of the consignment. It is learnt that the government had bought the ammunition from the international market. The Himalayan Times daily reports.

US Envoy Expresses Concern At The Rift

The US ambassador to Nepal James Francis Moriarty has said that the rift between the political parties and the King could play into the hands of the Maoists. In an interview with BBC, the envoy said, “If the government and the parties do not find ways to reconcile, there is a very good chance that the Maoists could find a way to turn all of this to their advantage and ultimately end up marching into the Singh Durbar.” Meanwhile, talking to Kantipur daily, Moriarty said that in order to reach reconciliation, both the parties and the palace would need to give and take. He said while the major political parties could not be kept out of the process, the parties, too, may not get the hundred percent of what they desire. On the issue of restoration of dissolved House of Representatives, he opined that since the King has publicly stated that it would be unconstitutional, it would be difficult to hold talks on this issue. He, however, said that the US would welcome if there was an agreement on the restoration of the parliament. He said that the February 1 step had made it more difficult to effectively address the conflict. On the issue of defeating the Maoists militarily, Moriarty said that he believes that as many as possible Maoists should first be brought to the mainstream. He spelled out three conditions to achieve this – first, there should be unity among constitutional forces; second, international community should clearly tell the Maoists that they cannot usurp power and that they would not allow that to happen; third, the Maoists should return to the table of dialogue after becoming convinced that they cannot win militarily. Kantipur daily reports.

A Youth Claiming To Be Maoist Loots Bank

A youth who identified himself to be the Kathmandu leader of the Maoists ‘Gaurav,’ staged a dramatic bank robbery at the heart of capital on Tuesday (May 24). The youth walked into the office of the branch manager Raghu Nath Pradhan of Everest Bank Limited in New Road posing as a businessman. Moments later, he began to threaten Pradhan and asked for Rs 15 million. The youth who was reported to be around 30 years of age also told Pradhan that he had a pistol (which he never showed). After four hours of haggling, the looter agreed to take Rs 3 million, which he kept inside his leather bag and walked out coolly. In the meantime, the security guards and the bank staffs had no idea what was going on. The youth had entered into the bank office at around 10 am and returned at around 2 pm. The bank manager then consulted with his senior officials and the police was informed of the incident only at around 4 pm. According to chief of Valley Police Office DIG Ashok Shrestha, the initial assessment shows that the incident occurred due to irresponsibility of the bank. “The nature of the incident indicates there was no need to have parted with the money out of fear,” he added. Furthermore, after similar daring bank robbery in Nabil Bank six months ago when a youngster had robbed Rs 6 million, the police had installed modern alarm bells in the offices of managers of all branches of banks. But on Tuesday’s incident, the branch manager never raised the alarm bell, which would have immediately alerted the police. Leading dailies report.