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Rajbhandari new Necon Air chairman
Deepmani Rajbhandari has been appointed Chairman and Managing Director
of Necon Air, Nepal's first private airline, an announcement said
Saturday. An executive committee meeting of the company appointed
Rajbhandari after the resignation of Mukunda Shrestha. nepalnews.com br
Feb.2 Ceasefire called without involving political parties doubtful: Nepal General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) Madhav Kumar Nepal Saturday followed suit with other political leaders who have expressed doubts regarding the government-Maoist truce to end the seven year long communist insurgency, media reports from Janakpur said. Nepal addressing the inaugural function of the party's seventh general convention being held in Janakpur demanded that the Maoists should clearly spell out the modalities of the proposed constituent assembly and round table conference. He welcomed the peace talks and said peace is what the people and the political parties had been wanting so far. Nepal however did not fall behind to express doubts regarding the recent political development. He maintained that the ceasefire that was called without consulting the political parties left ample room to doubt whether the Maoists and the palace were trying to single out other political forces in the country. Foreign delegates expressing their views at the inaugural function voiced the need to protect the achievements of the popular movement of 1990. The inaugural function was held under the chairmanship of UML Standing Committee Sahana Pradhan. President of the Nepali Congress (democratic) Sher Bahadur Deuba addressing the function hoped that the UML seventh general convention being held at a crucial political juncture would be able to come up with concrete results. Nepali Congress General Secretary Sushil Koirala claimed that the ceasefire was announced after the Maoists and the King held talks for hours at the Royal Palace. The Palace however has already refuted the news that the King had held discussions with the Maoists to pave the way for the peace talks. nepalnews.com am Feb 2 26 UML cadres bound for conference venue injured in accident Twenty six people were injured, two of them seriously when a bus loaded with UML activists that was heading for the conference venue in Janakpur from Bhairahawa met with an accident at a forest near Bhaluhin jungle, the Nepal Samacharpatra reported.
The condition of Sita Pun Chettri and Kamal Pokhrel of Siddhartha
metropolitan city ward no:2 is reported to be serious.
Both of them have been referred to hospitals in the capital city, according Col. Narayan Singh Pun, government coordinator for talks with Maoists, continued prison visits in the capital Saturday, despite a public holiday, and talked with detained rebels ahead of peace talks after Wednesday's ceasefire accord between the government and rebels, official sources said. Minister for Physical Planning Col. Pun was accompanied by two
facilitators brokering peace between the government and the insurgents. The team visited Charkhal and the women's cell in Central Jail UNICEF Chief Carol Bellamy arrives Sunday
for the regional conference on HIV/AIDS jointly Her short visit coincides with this week's announcement of a ceasefire between the government and Maoists to end a communist insurgency and restore peace after seven years. Bellamy comes to Nepal as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Friday welcomed Nepal's internal developments and assured continued UN development assistance. Bellamy, who is not new to Nepal, is visiting the kingdom as UN Security Council last year condemned Maoists for recruiting child soldiers to fight government forces. Bellamy is currently visiting South Asia. nepalnews.com br Feb.1 Two persons have been arrested for investigation after a suspicious fire at a cotton godown in Jorpati Saturday night destroyed goods worth at least Rs 2.4 million, Baudha police said. The fire started at 1 AM and fire fighters from the Valley took two hours to control the blaze, police said. nepalnews.com br Feb.1 Kirat Workers' Party calls off protests Following this week's agreement between the government and Maoists for a ceasefire and peace talks, Kirat Worker's Party, affiliated with the rebels, has also called off its violent protests. "As the Communist Party Nepal (Maoists) have announced a ceasefire, the Kirat Workers' Party has also decided to follow suit," a statement issued by Gopal Khumbu, the Party's General Secretary said. The organization was involved in violent activities in hill areas of east Nepal. Government is preparing a list of Maoists detainees for possible release to create an atmosphere for talks, officials said. President of the Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala said his party will join the roundtable talks on request. "Nepali Congress will join the talk process if the call is issued by the King," Koirala said in Damauli. In another development, Sher Bahadur Deuba, leader of the Nepali Congress Party (Democratic), said his party will not participate in the roundtable conference to end a seven year communist insurgency. "Our party will not participate in the roundtable conference because it will not give any outlet to the present crisis in the country," Deuba said in Hetauda. Fourteen months ago, the rebels broke off talks with the government of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and raised the intensity of the civil war by attacking for the first time military installations leading to a declaration on an internal emergency to quell the rebellion. Victims of Maoist violence Friday demanded their inclusion in the proposed roundtable negotiations. D.R. Lamichane, one of two facilitators brokering peace, said Thursday government and rebels agreed to a roundtable conference to discuss an interim government and constituent assembly before the ceasefire and peace talks were announced. Government has not confirmed the claim. Lamichane and Dr. Birendra Jhapali ,the second facilitator, appeared before reporters Thursday afternoon with Minister for Physical Planning and Chief Government Coordinator Col. Narayan Singh Pun at the overcrowded Reporters' Club where more than 150 persons were packed in a room normally accommodating only 50 persons. Lamichane is a journalist and editor of weekly newspaper "Chanbin". Lamichane a Bamdeb Gautam follower joined the CPN-ML after a split in the CPN-UML. Jhapali ran a drug store in Gyaneshwor before opening a hospital in Putali Sadak; the hospital came into prominence during the emergency for treating two wounded Maoists under close police surveillance. Jhapali said he was pursued for treating the rebels; Jhapali drifted to Col. Pun's Nepal Samata Party from the CPN-UML and CPN-ML. nepalnews.com br Feb.1 The Commission for the Investigation of the Abuse of Authority (CIAA) will move to Bagh Durbar within two months, an official said. CIAA Secretary Madav Prasad Ghimere told a newspaper Saturday the Finance Ministry wrote to the CIAA Friday saying the premises will be free after it moves to a new location inside Singha Durbar within two months. Government has set aside 20 ropanis of land in Tangal, previously owned by the Rashtriya Banijya Bank, for the permanent office of the CIAA; the CIAA is negotiating with the Japanese Government for the building construction. nepalnews.com br Feb.1 Probe committee calls for cooperation A three-member probe committee headed by Mohan Mani Dahal investigating irregularities in the National Sports Council (NSC) this week asked general people, organizations, officials and media for information on possible irregularities in the sporting authority's top governing body. The probe committee formed by the government started a month long investigation Wednesday. nepalnews.com br Feb.1 Normal life has been disrupted in many parts of Humla after it received 10 inches of rainfall since Thursday, the RSS said quoting local officials. Overnight rain in the capital continued Saturday morning with the sun shining briefly. Kathmanduites have been rushing to Shimbhyang in the outskirts of the capital to frolic in the snow for the last two days, locals reported. nepalnews.com br Feb.1 Crown Prince Paras visited the UN House Friday on the occasion of the initiation of two conservation projects in Chitwan and Upper Mustang under the joint aegis of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC). Crown Prince Paras is the Chairman of KMTNC. UNDP Resident Representative Dr. Henning Karcher provided an overview on UNDP activities to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was also briefed on other UN activities such as good governance, general equality and social development, and energy and environment. The programme in Upper Mustang focuses on the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage through community participation. The landscape level Tiger Rhino Conservation Programme in Chitwan is a joint endeavor of HMG/KMTNC/UNDP in the periphery of the Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP). The programme aims to promote landscape level biodiversity conservation with strong community- based management initiatives to conserve endangered species in and around the RCNP. nepalnews.com am Feb 1 UML seventh general convention kicks off in Janakpur The seventh General Convention of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) kicked off Saturday at the historic town of Janakpur in mid-eastern Nepal. The slogan of the convention is "Democracy, peace and all-round development: A Progressive way out of retrogression." General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal inaugurated the conference by unfurling the party flag which will conclude on Feb 5 by electing the new party leadership and the central committee. Altogether 1006 activists are participating in the convention four days after the government and the Maoists agreed end a seven year communist insurgency that has claimed at least 7,000 lives. Radical Maoists are fighting for a republic even as the moderate UML Chief said Saturday the party will fight to protect the gains of the 1990 popular movement. The party following its central committee meeting in the eve of the General Convention announced that it was prepared to accept the alternatives of round table conference, interim government and the constituent assembly in the wake of the ceasefire announced between the government and the Maoists. 'The talks should be transparent. Our party had always pressed for such talks which should ultimately bring peace," Nepal said while inaugurating the conference. Col. Pun earlier said he will share information on sensitive government Maoist talks while sharing information. The meeting also granted permission to senior party leader K. P. Sharma Oli to present a separate political report. Oli has been advocating for the introduction of presidential system of leadership in the party. He has been claiming that the presidential system of leadership would help to democratize the party further. nepalnews.com am/br Feb 1 UML decides not to hang portraits of world's left leaders The CPN (UML) deviating from its earlier tradition of hanging the portraits of five top communist leaders of the world-Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Engles during its general convention has this time decided not to do so, reports from the district said. Around three hundred thousand delegates have been invited from different parts of the world as observers to the seventh general convention of the party. nepalnews.com am Feb 1 China, Japan hail ceasefire in Nepal The government of China has said in response to the recent ceasefire called by the government and the Maoists as a positive step towards peace. China welcomes all steps directed at maintaining peace and stability in Nepal, a press release issued by the Chinese embassy said. "As a friendly neighbour, China sincerely hopes all political forces and people of insight in Nepal could work together to resolve the present problems, and realize the peace, stability and development and in Nepal at the earliest," the statement reads. Meanwhile the
government of Japan has also made positive comments about the recent
ceasefire announced in Nepal. A press release issued by the Press Secretary/
Director-General for Press Minister Pun meets Maoist detainees Minister for Physical Planning and Works Narayan Singh Pun who is the government coordinator for the proposed peace talks with the Maoists visited different jails in the valley Friday and met with the Maoist detainees to learn about their views on the recent political development, published reports said. Minister Pun visited the Hanumandhoka Police office and the Bhadragol jail and talked with Maoist detainees like Ram Chettri and Rabindra Shrestha. He has been quoted by daily newspapers as saying that the names of the detainees would be made public by Monday. The Maoists too were busy holding their politburo meeting on Friday to work out the modalities of the proposed peace talks by encompassing the demands of round table conference, constituent assembly and interim government, the Rajdhani Daily reported. The Maoists are likely to appoint Dr. Baburam Bhattarai as their coordinator for the peace talks the daily reported. Published reports said it would take at least one more week before the peace talks begin in a full-fledged manner. nepalnews.com am Feb 1 |
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