As the nationwide general strike and opposition protests are to complete the second week, Nepal’s southern neighbour India is sending Karan Singh as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s special envoy to convey New Delhi’s message to the monarch, reports said.
Officials news agency of India, PTI, reported that former Union Minister and member of parliament Singh will visit Kathmandu on Wednesday and is expected to meet King Gyanendra.
He is also expected to meet opposition leaders in Nepal.
Singh, who is said to have excellent relations with the Nepalese royal palace, is also the president of Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR).
The decision comes two days after Indian ambassador to Nepal, Shiv Shanker Mukherjee, met the King and conveyed India’s message underlining the immediate need for dialogue with political parties and restoration of multi-party democracy, the news report said.
Nepal has been witnessing increasing pro-democracy movement over the last fortnight.
India and rest of the international community has also been building pressure on the monarch to relinquish power that he seized by removing an elected government 14 months ago, the report added.
Expressing “concern” over the situation in Nepal, Mukherjee urged Nepalese monarch on Sunday to initiate dialogue with political parties aimed at reconciliation and evolving national consensus, according to reports.
Indian premier Singh also held a high-level meeting on Sunday night to review the latest developments in the neighbouring country. nepalnews.com by Apr 18 06
The Nepalese U-14 football team has landed in Islamabad, Pakistan to take part in the U-14 Festival of Football that pits five countries- along with two teams from Pakistan- in the South Asian Zone being held at the Jinnah Stadium.
After going through a long journey which included two twelve hours transit on the way, the Nepalese boys felt a huge relief when they ate morning lunch at the mess of Pakistan Sports Board. Nepalese colts had to stay two hours at Delhi Airport and a whole night in Lahore.
It was huge mess-up when there wasn’t any facility of night stay at Lahore, but finally, with the co-ordination between Pakistan Football general secretary Arshad Lodhi, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) arranged night-stay at the newly-built Football Academy.
The team left Lahore at 6 a.m. for Islamabad, minus coach Kishor KC and two referees Rajesh Shrestha and Bimal Prajapati who missed their flight due to a delay at Delhi Airport. The Nepalese team arrived at Islamabad at 10 a.m. The coach and referees are coming via road through an arrangement made by PFF.
The team was given a warm welcome by tournament co-ordinator and AFC Youth Development officer Jita Singh and the Pakistani people as the first team to arrive there.
The organizing committee will hold a head coaches seminar this evening. The Nepalese team will have a training session following the workshop of head coaches. (Bikram Thapa from Islamabad) nepalnews.com Apr 18 06
At a time when the ongoing movement for democracy is heating up every day, the unexpected pre-monsoon rain over the last two days has cooled the weather around the country.
Talking to Nepalnews on Tuesday, senior divisional meteorologist K. D Shrestha at the weather forecasting division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said the rain was due to the activation of west winds, also called westerlies, that starts from east Europe.
He said, the weather will be clear in the western region by Wednesday evening whereas it will take one more day to be clear in the eastern region.
The westerlies is the regular wind in Nepal before monsoon starts, he said.
The wind has been active in central hilly region of the country with highest rainfall recorded in Arghakhachi district. The district received 65.38 mm of rainfall within the last two days.
According to department of meteorology, Dadeldhura in the far west received 15.6 mm of rainfall and Pokhara received 2 mm. In Kathmandu, the rainfall was recorded at 34.7 mm while it is only 3.4 mm in the eastern town of Biratnagar.
Monsoon, with winds from Bay of Bengal, general begins in Nepal by mid May. nepalnews.com ia Apr 18 06
The first Non Resident Nepalis (NRN) National Coordination Committee of the United Kingdom has been formed with Ashok Shrestha as its chairman, the Association said.
In a keenly contested election, Dr. Chandra Laksamba and Khagendra Nepali were elected in the posts of vice-chairmen.
Krishna Upadhyay was elected the national coordinator while Surendra Shrestha and Surya Bahadur Gurung have been elected as joint coordinator and treasurer respectively. Similarly, Manoj Bhandari, Krishna Bhatta, Bhim Rai, Min Bahadur Gurung, Bikal Acharya, Ms.Til Kumari Gurung, Dev Raj Acharya, Subhash Adhikari and Anoj Chitrakar were elected as executive members unopposed.
The elections were held under the election committee chaired by Prof. Dr. Surya Subedi.
In a briefly held first executive committee meeting after the election, chairman Ashok Shrestha thanked the NRN NCC UK ad hoc committee and the election committee for their invaluable contribution for the smooth transition in such an orderly and cordial fashion.
The outgoing ad hoc committee’s national coordinator, Dr Kul Bahadur Luitel, wished well for the success of the newly formed national coordination committee.
The committee also reflected on the current situation in Nepal and decided to hand over £1,125.50 to people’s movement victims treatment fund collected on the day.
The next meeting of the UK chapter will draw a firm action plan for the year ahead, according to the Association. nepalnews.com by Apr 18 06
As the nationwide general strike has entered into the 13th day on Tuesday, leaders of the seven party alliance (SPA) have warned that the strike will continue unless the king agrees to their demands.
Talking to Nepalnews, joint general secretary of Nepali Congress, one of the major constituents of the SPA, Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, said the alliance had not discussed about withdrawing the general strike as yet.
The SPA announced the indefinite general strike from 6th April as part of their ongoing protest for the restoration democracy in the country.
Following the 13-day long general strike—perhaps the longest in the country’s history– prices of vegetables have gone up by more than 100 percent. There is acute shortage of petroleum products in the capital and essential commodities like salt.
Dr. Mahat, however, said the SPA was always in favour of people and, hence, would not do anything that will adversely affect the people. “Our agitation and general strike is aimed at restoring people’s sovereignty bringing an end to the autocracy, so if people’s wish is against our general strike, the SPA will withdraw it,” said Dr. Mahat.
Earlier, Maoists had called off the indefinite blockade to the capital and district headquarters on March 19 after six days, keeping in mind the problems faced by common people.
When asked about the withdrawal of Maoist blockade after six days while SPA was continuing the general strike even on 13th day, vice-chairman of the People’s Front of Nepal, Lilamani Pokhrel, said unlike the protest programmes of the Maoists, the SPA had appealed to the people to bear some inconvenience to make the agitation a decisive one.
“We don’t have an immediate plan to revoke the general strike,” said Pokhrel adding, “Though people are facing some problem due to the general strike, we hope they will continue to cooperate with us in order to make the agitation decisive one for the restoration of complete democracy. It is not possible to achieve the goal without trouble and inconvenience,” he added.
Meanwhile, talking to Nepalnews on Tuesday, spokesperson of Nepali Congress, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, said the SPA had urged residents of the capital valley to take part in the Thursday’s rally.
“We have urged the people to come to the street– at least one person from a family– to make the agitation a success, but it is not a compulsion,” adding, “Democracy is essential for all. So we have made the request to all to make the agitation a success.”
He also refuted reports that the SPA was going to make it mandatory for people to join the opposition rally. nepalnews.com pb Apr 18 06
The release of CPN (UML) general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, supposed to be released from government custody Tuesday afternoon has been delayed.
A source at the UML central office said Nepal was being brought to Kathmandu from the Armed Police Force (APF) camp in Kakani, Nuwakot district, to be released at the presence of Kathmandu District Court judges but was taken back to Kakani on the way.
He is likely to be released on Wednesday, the source said.
Huge number of UML activists, journalists and human rights workers had gathered in front of the district court after reports that Nepal was being freed.
While most detained leaders of the seven opposition political parties were released, the government had shifted the UML general secretary to APF base in Kakani last month after months of house arrest at his Koteshwor residence. nepalnews.com mk Apr 18 06
King Gyanendra continued his consultations with political leaders on Tuesday as the seven opposition parties continued their general strike across the country.
The King gave an audience to former Prime Minister and leader of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Lokendra Bahadur Chand at the Narayanhity Royal in the evening. Chand had nearly an one-hour long one-to-one with the King from 5:30 p.m.
Talking to reporters after the royal audience, Chand said he was hopeful for early return to democracy. “I hope for positive step [from the King]. I can’t say anything more,” he said.
Similarly, the King gave separate audiences to former Prime Minister Marich Man Singh Shrestha and RPP chairman Pashupati SJB Rana. Rana was the last to meet the King. He was still inside the palace until 7:15 p.m.
On Monday, the King held separate meetings with former prime ministers KP Bhattrai and Surya Bahadur Thapa. The previous day, he had given separate audiences to the ambassadors of India, USA and China. nepalnews.com mk Apr 18 08
36 leaders and cadres of political parties were released on Tuesday following the order of the Supreme Court.
Those released include CPN UML leader Bidhya Bhandari and Khim Lal Bhattrai of All Nepal National Free Student Union, among others.
Meanwhile, the court asked the government to furnish reasons for the detention of 135 pro-democracy activists including Professor Bhupati Dhakal and Dr. Sasanka Koirala.
The government arrested hundreds of pro-democracy activists from demonstrations of seven political parties organized for the restoration of complete democracy in the country. nepalnews.com pb Apr 18 06
Two Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) soldiers have died in an accidental explosion inside the security base camp in Taulihawa, Kapilvastu district.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the two RNA jawans died when the explosives kept inside the security base went off all of a sudden on Sunday.
Meanwhile, two Maoists were killed in an encounter with the security forces in the Latikoili area in Surkhet district on Tuesday.
Maoist company commissar Birendra Thapa alias Sandarbha and platoon commander Wakil Shahi alias Chirag were shot dead on the spot during a search operation in the area this afternoon, according to MoD.
Two pistols and two magazines, 11 detonators, two grenades, socket bombs, bullets and Maoist documents were recovered from the incident site, MoD stated. nepalnews.com mk Apr 18 06
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the government to immediately release 172 persons arrested on various dates during demonstrations oganised by the seven opposition political parties in Kathmandu.
Issuing orders on separate writ petitions, two SC benches ordered the government to release the opposition political leaders, activists and human rights activists.
Those ordered to be released include CPN (UML) leaders Ishwor Pokharel, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Astha Laxmi Shakya, Raghuji Pant, Krishan Gopal Shreshta and Gopal Shakya.
The SC benches stated that the detention of political leaders and rights activists was illegal. The Nepal Bar Association (NBA) had filed writ petitions seeking their immediate release.
All 172 persons were arrested from different protest rallies in the Kathmandu Valley and are being kept in various detention centers.
There are over 1000 political leaders, human rights workers and journalists in various government denteion centers in the Kathmandu Valley, according to human rights groups monitoring the ongoing agitations of the seven political parties. nepalnews.com mk Apr 18 06