The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution directing the government to draw up a code of conduct for both the government and the Maoists to be implemented during the ceasefire and talks between the government and the Maoists.

Sunday’s session of the house passed the resolution put forth by MP Rajendra Kumar Mahato seeking a code of conduct for both parties to make peace talks between them a success.

Participating in Sunday’s session, NC MP Benup Raj Prasain said since talks between the government and Maoists have failed twice, it would be better to prepare beforehand. He also urged the government and the Maoists to lay down arms.

NC(D) MP Purna Bahadur Khadka said since the government was accountable to the parliament, it was essential to take the right steps while sitting for talks.

UML MP Ghanendra Basnet asked the parliament to form a peace talks monitoring committee to monitor the activities of both parties and to put pressure on them if they do not stay in line.

NC MP Tank Rai urged the government and the Maoists to manage their arms and abide by the 12-point pact between the rebels and the seven parties.

Answering the MPs’ questions, Minister for Land Reforms and Management Prabhu Narayan Chaudhari said that the government would inform the House about the progress of peace talks.

Speaking during the meeting of the parliament, MPs asked heads of various constitutional bodies to resign or face impeachment.

“The infamous heads of various constitutional bodies – especially the Election Commission – should be impeached,” said UML’s Dr Bansidhar Mishra, urging the government to immediately sack Chief Secretary Lok Man Singh Karki.

The meeting of the council of ministers decided to take serious initiatives for treatment of those injured during People’s Movement-II.

Sunday’s cabinet meeting also decided to form a committee headed by Nepal Medical Association (NMA) president Dr Sudha Sharma to provide help in the treatment of those who were injured in course of the democratic movement last month.

The committee consists of the representatives from the Ministry of Health as well as all public and private hospitals who offered free treatment to the injured.

The decision was taken following pressure from members of the House of Representatives who raised serious concern over the death of injured people in hospitals due to lack of proper treatment in the country during the House meeting on Sunday.

Sunday’s meeting also decided to call back recall Royal Nepalese ambassadors to 12 different countries and to scrap all appointments made after October 4, 2002.

On October 4, 2002, His Majesty King Gyanendra had dismissed a multi-party government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba and took over power briefly. He later appointed three prime ministers in a row before taking over himself on Feb 1, last year.

Maoists have been continuing their atrocities despite the ceasefire called by them.

According to reports, Maoists on Friday night abducted Gopal Bhujel of Kulasi-3, after beating him severely. His wife, along with her 84-year-old father, who had objected to the beating and tried to avert the abduction, were also mercilessly thrashed by the rebels.

The Kathmandu Post daily quoted locals as saying that Bhujel was severely tortured at the house of local Kuber Chauhan, where he was kept shortly after the abduction, and then taken away to an undisclosed location.

On Saturday, the Maoists had abducted Guman Thapa Magar, vice-chairman of Sheradevi Community Forest Users’ Group from the village.

In another report from Siraha, the rebels on Friday abducted Balram Yadav, the district commander of the Terai Liberation Army, an organization close to Terai Jantantrik Mukti Morcha.

Representatives of civil society have expressed confidence that the election of the constituent assembly will select a new structure of the government, where there will be no room for the King.

They also said that Maoists’ involvement in the pro-democracy movement helped people to achieve success so early.

Speaking at a programme jointly organised by civil society and the Peoples’ Movement Coordination Committee (Gaidakot) in Gaidakot, member of civil society, Dr Devendra Raj Pandey, said the political parties should hold wider discussions on the issue of a constituent assembly, reports said.

He added that if it had been only the seven parties leading the agitation, success would have been impossible.

He called for merging the Maoists’ army with the government army after sacking the existing brass of the government army, according to reports.

Speaking at the programme, human rights activist Krishna Pahadi said the king should not have a ceremonial position. He said there should be a president elected by the people.

Nawalparasi secretary of the Maoists, Akash, said the Maoists are coming forward openly to make public their issues since people are attracted to the programmes of Maoists.

President of Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) Bishnu Nisthuri said people have won the semi-final match and they are preparing for the finals now.

He said the match would end when the representative of people would be elected president and seated in the Narayanhiti Royal Palace.

Chairperson of Human Rights and Peace Society, Purusottam Dahal, litterateur Arjun Parajuli and leaders of seven political parties also addressed the function.

Non Resident Nepali Australia chapter organized Nepal Festival in Darling Harbour, Sydney on 29th April.

The festival was organized with the aim of showcasing Nepali culture, heritage, food and way of life amongst foreigners to attract their interest in visiting Nepal or investing in Nepal.

Nepalis residing in Australia, along with Australians and other people from around the world participated in the festival.

A press statement issued by the NRN Australia said Australia is one of the lucrative markets for tourism and other cross trade opportunities in Nepal.

Inaugurating the event, Parliamentary Member Hon. Jeff Hunter, who was also representing the Premier, echoed on the expression of many visitors saying he was overwhelmed with the unity displayed by Nepalese People to promote Nepal in Australia, the statement adds.

Many local talents presented their ethnic and cultural dances throughout the day with the theme “Unity for Peace”.

The Foreign Ministry has formed a coordinating council headed by Bishnu Gopal Shrestha to organize various programmes to mark the golden jubilee of Nepal Japan diplomatic relation.

A press statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Monday said Bim Prasad Shrestha and Udaya Lal Shrestha will be the general secretary and treasurer respectively in the council, that will have representation from all private sectors.

“We wish the coordinating council to achieve success in coordinating fitting programmes for the celebration of the Golden Jubilee year on a yearlong basis,” the statement adds.

The government decided to celebrate the golden jubilee with various programmes.

Amid pressure to take immediate action against officials using excessive force during the pro-democracy movement of the country, the government has initiated action Chief District Officers (CDOs) of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur districts.

The government has asked Kathmandu CDO Sushil Ghimire and Bhaktapur CDO Basanta Raj Bhattarai to report at the Home Ministry and be part of the reserve pool.

Both of them have been accused of collaborating with the royal government and using excessive force to suppress the pro-democracy movement of the county.

The previous government had transferred the Lalitpur CDO. The Lalitpur Acting CDO has been spared, this time.

The local administrations imposed daytime curfew and adopted other repressive measures to thwart the pro-democracy movement of the country.

The government also formed a high level judicial commission to investigate the atrocities committed during the period.

The Society of the Families of the Disappeared Citizens by the State has urged the government to immediately publicize the whereabouts of all people who have been disappeared.

The society handed over a memorandum to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala through Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula on Monday and demanded to immediately publicize their whereabouts saying right to information is the fundamental rights of people.

The society condemned the passivity of previous governments in this regard saying those government had deceived the people by not publicizing their whereabouts.

The society demanded action against those involved in the disappearance of the said people and prosecution of such cases in civilian courts.

The society further demanded to release all the political detainees to create conducive environment for talks between the government and the Maoists.

The society also demanded an independent probe committee comprising journalists, legal practitioners and representatives of the society to investigate the disappeared people.

The society also demanded compensation for physical and mental tortures they received from security forces and other agencies while searching for the disappeared people.

The society has given 15-day deadline to fulfill their demands.

Talking to Nepalnews, coordinator of the society, Santa Bhandari said they will organize indefinite sit-in protests in the premises of Singha Durbar. She informed that they have the statistics of nearly 200 people disappeared by the State in the capital alone, adding, “We will compile the data of disappeared people throughout the country within 15 days.”

She informed that representatives of the society also submitted their memorandum at the parliamentary parties of all seven political parties.

A veteran Bhutanese human rights leader, Tek Nath Rizal, has congratulated Nepalis for their courage and determination to fight against authoritarian rule in a peaceful way.

In a ‘letter to the editor’ published in Kantipur daily on Friday, Rizal—who is currently in exile in Nepal—said the Bhutanese refugee community is in Nepal for the last 17 years. “Our days are passing just trying to find out a solution to the problems of Bhutanese refugee issue. We had been very much concerned with deteriorating political situation Nepal since our arrival. We used to think if our attempts would go in vein,” he said.

Rizal further said the issue of Bhutanese refugee is deeply associated with the ethnic Nepali communities. “Unless Nepal becomes, strong, the status of Nepalis worldwide would continue to derail. We had been distracted with the internal political players in Nepal who were undermining one another and even involved in violence,” he said.

Rizal, however, said the last few weeks in Nepal have remained virtuous. “I and my friends have felt virtuous. Certainly, through people’s movement, Nepalis have put them against a form of political structure. To make themselves sovereign and to establish strong foundation of democracy is their sole aim. We pray the Nepalis achieve their goals,” he said.

In his open letter, Rizal said people’s movement was not for attaining only this. “This has raised the head of all Nepalis around the world. We Bhutanese are proud to be the witness of the interests, unity, strength and dedication shown by all the Nepalis including children, women, professionals of all villages, towns, hills, mountains and terai for political change through recent movement. That was not merely the political movement but a movement for liberation and freedom, which does not have any geographical boundaries,” he said.

Rizal further said the wave of people’s movement did not remain within Nepal, and will not be so. “It was universal and will be. Whole south Asia got heated up. I don’t know, how the historian would describe the people’s democratic movement. But I think, its importance is no less than that of the freedom movement of India. The major characteristic of the movement is peaceful, non violence and with a great objective,” said Rizal, adding, “The tanks, guns, explosives, batons, boots and other forms of police atrocities remained futile in front of the fearless people.”

On behalf of freedom-loving Bhutanese people, Rizal extended hearty congratulations to all the Nepalis including political leaders, cadres and leaders of civil society.

Referring to remarks made by deputy speaker Chitra Lekha Yadav during the `historic’ first session of the reinstated House of Representatives on April 28, Rizal urged Nepali MPs to take care of the Bhutanese refugee issue that has been the subject of tension for Nepal for the last one and half decades. When she, as the chief of the sovereign parliament, said the Bhutanese refugee issue was a prime agenda for Nepal, we want to extend thanks to all MPs for that, he said.

Rizal said the Bhutanese refugee community was ready to work with Nepali government, political and civil society leaders and common people to resolve the issue. “At the same time, we expect support and solidarity from the Indian leaders and Indian people— the same kind of support in our democratic struggle that they have extended to the Nepalis to achieve democracy,” he added.

Tourism entrepreneurs have locked up the office of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), demanding resignation of its chief executive officer, Tek Bahadur Dangi.

A rally of dozens of tourism entrepreneurs, organised in the initiation of Democratic Tourism Society, reached the NTB office chanting slogans against Dangi. Few officials of the NTB have also joined the movement.

They accused Dangi of supporting the royal regime and not working for revival of the ailing tourism industry. They also asked for fair and inclusive participation of all sectors of tourism in the NTB.

The agitators have said they would not reopen the office until CEO resigns. Junior officials of the NTB said that Dangi threatened them of termination while participating in the people’s movement.

An official of the NTB denied any comment on the issue. Senior officials were out of office.