The special session of the parliament being called by His Majesty the King at the request of the main opposition party the CPN (UML) does not look like it will be beneficial to the UML as it had been expected.

It seems that the UML has lost the seats it had won in Rautahat-4 and Jhapa-6. The seat in Rautahat had been won by Madhav Kumar Nepal and the one in Jhapa by Khadga Prasad Oli. (It has lost also in Morang).

The UML had submitted the proposal for the special session to discuss on the price hike. This move was made to give a fatal blow to what they felt was a divided Nepali Congress government.

But the Nepali Congress MPs seem united to defeat the UML’s move. However, Nepali Congress MPs themselves do not seem satisfied from Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai’s working style.

So, possibly, after the special session of the parliament, Prime Minister Bhattarai might be changed. A homework regarding this has already been initiated.

(Saptahik Janasatta, Saturday, Dec. 11)

It is because of the special session called by the Nepal Communist Party (UML), the proposed one week long visit to India by Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai might be postponed.

Though no formal announcement of the visit had been made, all the necessary preparations were already made for his visit to India, says a Foreign Ministry source. As no formal announcement was made, now there is no need to announce about the postponement, says an official in the ministry.

(Saptahik Janasatta, Saturday, Dec. 11)

Madhav Kumar Nepal, General Secretary of Nepal Communist Party (UML) and opposition party leader, has charged the Nepali Congress of massive rigging in the by-elections of Rautahat constituency no. 4. According to him, Congress hooligans captured 10 voting booths and UML workers were stopped from voting.

Nepal has warned that if the Election Commission does not cancel the voting of 10 booths it would take tough action.

(Sambodhan, Friday, Dec. 10)

Embassador of Japan to Nepal, Mitsuyaki Kojima, has called the Maoist movement in Nepal as ‘violent activity’ and has suggested them to come under the democratic procedure and take part in the election.

He was speaking at the Interface programme of the Reports’ Club Nepal on Thursday.

He also said the minority Maoists’ activity of infringing upon the right of the majority people can not be called as correct.

Because of the Maoists’ activities, Japan had to take its hands off from several projects, he said.

He said he has felt that democratic process is getting strengthened in Nepal. “Although Nepal has everything to curb corruption, but they are not being used properly,” he said.

(Bimarsha, December 10, Friday).

On December 8, 1999, a news regarding the special session called by His Majesty the King was aired by “ZEE News”.

In the news His Majesty the King’s name was reported as Birendra Pratap Singh. People say making such mistakes is an old culture of Indian media and TV channels. But Indian channels never make a mistake while taking the name of the Bhutanese king nor do they make any mistakes while taking names of ministers of states.

What is reason behind taking the Nepalese king’s name wrongly? What is the reliability of  such news channel which can not take the name of its neighbouring country’s King name correctly?

(Naya Rastra Pukar, Thursday, Dec. 9)

Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has seriously been preparing for his India visit. Possibly this coming Monday or Tuesday, the date of the visit will be formally announced.

Some of the remaining problems will be solved during Prime Minister Bhattarai’s India visit. It may be recalled that considerable agreements had been reached during his visit to India as the interim prime minister nine years back,

During PM Bhattarai’s India visit, the final shape will be given to the controversial and much talked about Integrated Mahakali Development Project. Technical experts of both the countries have already prepared the DPR and an office regarding this was opened in Kathmandu last month. As both sides are prepared, there will be an agreement during Bhattarai’s visit, says the Ministry of Water Resources.

Similarly, it is said that India is ready to arrive at a solution of the Kalapani problem. Meanwhile the Nepal side expects that India will agree on the implementation of the Pancheswor Multi-purpose Project and purchasing of electricity generated from the Karnali Project.It also expects progress on the issue regarding the down stream benefits.

An agreement regarding the expansion of railway service in Nepal will be signed. Both sides have been doing homework for direct flights between Kathmandu and Banglore and Ahmahadabad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes that Indian will announce assistance in the field of road, health and education.

Other issues that will be discussed during Bhattarai’s visit include SAARC summit, Bhutanese refugee problem, and 1950’s treaty among others.

(Naya Rastra Pukar, Thursday, Dec. 9)

The Ministry of Tourism has dishonoured the decision of Appellate Court Patan. On December 1, the court had issued a notice on a case related to a tender filed by PKS International.

Instead of following the order of the court, offices under Ministry of Tourism decided to offer their contracts to Greenline and Universal organisation. It is also said that a figure in the tender has also been corrected.

The tender application was called for the opening of a duty free shop at the Tribhuvan International Airport terminal. Former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Tourism Minister Bijaya Gachchhadar are involved in the present scam.

(Khabarkagaj, Thursday, Dec. 9)

Complaints have been registered at the Prime Minister’s Office, Commander-in-Chief’s Office and the Police Headquarter regarding the irregularities in the tender for food supply for police and army.

The tender was called from all over the kingdom. Hooligans were used in Chitwan and Rajbiraj to stop small contractors from submitting tenders. It is because of massive use of hooligans and gherao to CDO offices, only a few had submitted tenders, it is said in the complaint.

(Khabarkagaj, Thursday, Dec. 9)

Rastriya Prajatantra Party, which was split because of personal ambitions rather than differences in political ideology, is trying to be united again. RPP Thapa is interested in party unification but RPP Chanda has not shown much interest. Many informal talks had been held before for party unification. But no concrete result has been arrived at. RPP (Chanda) General Secretary Padma Sundar Lawati has been admitted in Apollo Hospital in New Delhi. So, the decision taking has been delayed, says a RPP Chanda source.

Some of the leaders within RPP feel that Nepali Congress and Nepal Communist Party UML have taken benefit from RPP division and if the party is not united again, both the parties will be in a “nowhere” situation in the coming election. Sources close to RPP Thapa say leaders including Chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa, and vice-chairman Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani are in favour of party unification. On the other hand, RPP Chand Chairman Lokendra Gahadur Chanda is also in favour of party unification. He says that the unification will be beneficial to the leaders of both parties. However, some are opposing the unification fearing that they might miss their post in the party after unification.

(Khabarkagaj, Thursday, Dec. 9)

The second annual Chiefs of Defense Conference concluded last month in Honolulu Hawaii. The three-day conference was hosted by Adm. Dennis C. Blair, U.S. Commander in Chief, Pacific, and built around the theme, Changing Roles of the Militaries and Defense Sectors in Asia. At the conference Nepal was represented by its chief of Army Staff General Prajwalla SJB Rana, says a Royal Nepal Army press release.

Sixteen of the top military leaders in the Asia-Pacific region and the U.S. attending the conference deliberated on such issues as economic, military and political scenario of the region, globalisation, future trends, international exercise and operations, modernisation, including the Y2K problem. The conference was designed to increase military-to-military cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Army General Hugh Shelton, Chairman of the US Joint Chief of Staff who delivered the key note address dwelt on the challenges facing the security Asia-Pacific region Millennium. “The security situation in this vital region is a dynamic one”, he said. “The traditional and non-traditional security issues, such as drug trafficking, terrorism, environment hazards, piracy and weapons proliferation will defy solution by any single nation,’ he pointed out. He also mentioned that Military-to-Military exchanges, security assistance programme and exercises are critical elements designed to increase stability and cooperation.

It may be noted that the size of the Asia-Pacific region with its varied language and cultures makes it a logistical challenge. In addition to addresses by several chiefs of defense, other civilian experts also spoke as guest speakers and members of panel covering a wide range of subjects that have overlapping effects on the militaries and nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

U.S. Pacific Command, sponsor of the second annual conference and headquartered here, is the largest geographic command covering over 50 percent of the earth’s surface from the East Coast of Africa to California and north and south to the poles.