At least 48 families in ward no 7 and 8 of Dhangadi municipality in far western Nepal have left their residences on Sunday in fear of fresh Maoist attacks, a report said.
Annapurna Post reported that the Maoists threatened the villagers to leave the area saying that they had been preparing for further attack in security installments in the area.
Thirty families had left the village on Saturday. Students who have been living in rent have also left the area, the report added.
Reports say that over 60 percent of houses in these two wards are locked. However, it is not clear where these families have shifted to.
People who migrated to India had gradually returned to this and neighbouring Maoist affected areas during the four month unilateral ceasefire by the Maoists a few months back. Insurgency and growing violence in western Nepal have badly affected village life over the past decade. The rebels have intensified their actions ahead of municipal polls.
The Election Commission on Sunday has directed over 140 schools in Kathmandu valley to vacate for the upcoming municipal polls on Wednesday.
In letters sent to school principals through district election offices, the EC has asked the schools to provide all facilities such as desks, benches and telephones among others for the poll officials until Wednesday evening.
EC spokesperson on Sunday told Nepalnews that polling stations would not be relocated despite requests from UN, OHCHR, political parties, PABSON, school authorities and human rights groups.
Education Minister Radha Krishna Mainali reacted to the UN’s request saying that government has right to use schools as polling booths on Saturday.
The Election Commission (EC) has directed all election officers to allow people to vote even if they don’t have their voters identity card.
Kantipur daily reported that the commission has directed the polling officers to allow the voters to cast votes if they have any identity card issued by government authorities that can identify the voter like citizenship card, land ownership receipt, press identity card, identity card issued by university or government offices or recommendation letter made by VDCs or municipalities.
The election regulation of 2052 allows only persons possessing voters identity card to cast vote in the elections.
The government has repeated its commitments to conduct the polls while protesting political parties said they would not allow the polls to happen. The Maoist rebels have called a weeklong nationwide strike against the polls that has affected normal life across the country.
Foreign Minister (FM) Ramesh Nath Pandey (File Photo)
Foreign Minister (FM) Ramesh Nath Pandey (File Photo)
Foreign Minister (FM) Ramesh Nath Pandey has said that the King’s roadmap to sustainable peace and security and reenergising a meaningful democracy has opened the door for national reconciliation.
Addressing a gathering of representatives of foreign media based in Kathmandu on Sunday evening, FM Pandey said that friends in the international community who are really interested to see a peaceful, stable democratic and prosperous Nepal will lend their valuable support to the process of national reconciliation by encouraging political forces having faith in democracy not to miss the opportunity in larger interest of the country and people.
Minister Pandey further said, “In multiparty democracy the representatives elected by the people on the basis of adult franchise are involved in such an exercise. When we seek national consensus within a framework for multiparty democracy, the role of the political parties becomes inevitable. It is the only democratic process on the basis of which can only be found a honorable national consensus.”
Such democratic solution makes election more essential. It is for this every objective that the country is all set to have all democratic institutions reenergised by April 2007 as committed by His Majesty the King, said Minister Pandey.
Defending the February 1 royal takeover of the King last year, he said, “The commitment of the King to find ‘honorable’ solution is deeply rooted in his conviction of political pluralism expressed in the form of multiparty democracy as can be understood from His Majesty’s insightful expression.”
“We are convinced that only by strengthening a meaningful democratic process, that is both inclusive and sustainable can best we defeat terrorism. This is the age of ballots, not bullets, and history is replete with experiences to tell us that bullet power has always been defeated,” Minister Pandey added.
It is well-established fact that it is not always easy for a country fighting the worst form of terrorism to strike a balance between the exigencies of national security and safeguarding the rights of the people, he said.
Coming down heavily to the media, Minister Pandey further said that the correct picture of Nepal has not been depicted in international media. The basic reason behind this is that whatever inputs our media provide to the international arena are often not based on ‘objectivity’ and in some cases do not confirm to professionalism.
It does not mean that every journalist is guided by certain political objectives. I have seen many journalists who are careful about their professional ethics and have maintained an independent way of analysis free of any prejudices while reporting events that interest them, he said.
Earlier, Home Minister Kamal Thapa said that some media houses were inciting Maoists and were being run by the remote control.
Alleging that there is full fledged press freedom in the country, Minister Pandey said that the Government is committed to see that a healthy media society to be developed in the country to adequately cater information need of the people.
He also appealed to foreign media to disseminate news that will give a positive picture about the country. “We in the government regard all of you in high esteem and Nepal and the Nepalese people too admire your efforts,” Minister Pandey said.
A security person affiliated to the Armed Police Force (APF) was killed and four others were injured during an explosion along the Mahendra highway in far-western district of Kanchanpur Monday morning.
According to security sources, Devraj Kathayat died on the spot due to explosion while he was trying to remove roadblocks placed near a bridge over Chauder river along the highway in the district.
The incident took place as the security personnel from Shaileswori Battalion of the APF at Jhalari were heading to Mahendranagar this morning. The injured security personnel have been taken to Nepalgunj for treatment.
Meanwhile, a Mahendranagar based journalist told Nepalnews over phone that life had been crippled in all business and administrative towns in the region due the week-old nationwide shutdown strike called by the Maoists beginning Sunday.
The strike coincides with the municipal polls slated on Wednesday.
Maoist rebels have opened fire at an ambulance in the mid-western district of Dang Sunday night.
According to reports, the rebels opened fire at an ambulance near Bijouri in the district as it was heading to Tulsipur. Nobody was injured during the attack.
But the emergency light of the ambulance (plate no. Ra 1 cha 77) belonging to The Reyukai Nepal was damaged.
Local rights groups have condemned the Maoist action of targeting ambulance.
The incident comes on the first day of the week-old nationwide shutdown strike called by the Maoists.
The strike coincides with the municipal polls slated on Wednesday.
Officials from bordering districts of Nepal and India have agreed to close down international border during municipal polls slated on Wednesday in Nepal.
According to the official news agency RSS, the meeting of security officials of Rautahat, Sarlahi and Mahottari districts and their Indian counterparts decided to close the border from Tuesday to Thursday with a view to hold fair, and free elections in peaceful environment.
High alert would be observed to control criminal activities and to ban alcohol during the time of elections in the border area, the news report said.
The meeting was participated in by District Magistrate Suman Kumar of Sitamadhi district, India, Rautahat CDO Bhanu Bhakta Pokharel, CDO Bodha Raj Adhikari of Sarlahi district and CDO Jaya Mukunda Khanal of Mahottari district.
Similarly, the state-run Gorkhapatra daily reported that officials of eastern district of Morang and bordering Indian district of Arariya have decided to completely close the border 24-hour in advance of the municipal polls.
RSS news agency quoted Morang CDO, Nirendra Dahal, as saying that officials from both the countries have agreed to maintain regular contact to maintain law and order and curb what he called criminal activities during the elections.
Both the countries also close down Nepal-India border during elections in the bordering Indian states.
The Rajparishad, a royal advisory body has called on all countrymen to fulfill their responsibility by actively taking part in the upcoming municipal elections.
A press statement issued by the Rajparishad on Sunday said that the municipal election is taking place on Wednesday as per the noble wishes of His Majesty the King for giving momentum to the overall development of the country through consolidation of democracy and reinstatement of the people’s representatives in the municipalities.
The Rajparishad also noted that the municipal election would be of assistance in preparing a roadmap for the elected government.
The Maoists have released four people including Chief District Officer (CDO) of Palpa, Laxman Bahadur Thapa, Monday morning. They were abducted by the Maoists last Tuesday following the attack in Tansen of Palpa.
They were released from an undisclosed location of Chahara area of Palpa district in the presence of human rights activists and journalists.
A press statement issued by the Maoists on Monday said that those released include non-gazetted officer Bhumi Raj Pandey, Top Bahadur Gaha Magar and armyman Megh Singh Mahatara.
The Maoists freed 21 security personnel including 19 policemen, an intelligence officer and one Royal Nepalese Army soldier on Saturday morning.
The Maoists further said that they will soon release four armymen and one policeman who are still in their control.
The statement made it clear that only five persons are in their detention. However the National Human Rights Commission has said that Maoists abducted 37 people following the Tansen attack.
At least 11 security personnel and eight Maoists were killed, during overnight clashes between security forces and Maoist rebels last Tuesday.
The government has removed a dozen police posts from different parts of the Kathmandu valley citing security reasons, reports said.
It has been said that these police posts have been moved to the ward police office and area police office because of the possible Maoist attack in such police offices.
Three weeks after the Maoists attacked the security check post in Thankot and killed 11 security men including a police inspector, the police headquarters has been gradually removing temporary police posts and some permanent police posts, Nepal Samacharpatra daily reported.
According to the police headquarters, some police posts have been removed which were considered sensitive in terms of security. It was also informed that the policemen who were stationed in the temporary posts were sent to other places at night due to security reasons.
As it has been reported that armed Maoists have entered the Valley, the security of the valley has been tightened and security checks are being conducted in various places.