CPN UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal
CPN UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that increasing “highhandedness” on the part of Maoist cadres could jeopardise the unity of the seven parties.

“The unity of the seven parties could be seriously affected if the Maoist highhandedness continues. The Maoist leadership must do something about it,” Nepal told reporters after meeting Nepali Congress leader and former state minister Dilendra Badu, who has been undergoing treatment at the TU Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj after being attacked by Maoist cadres in Darchula Tuesday.

He added, “People are fed up of Maoist activities. This sort of attack [on NC leader] casts serous doubt of their sincerity.”

Speaking further, the UML general secretary defended yesterday’s police raids at the Young Communist League’s offices in Kathmandu Valley. “Those raids were well within the authority of the state,” he said.

He also criticised the Maoist party for reviving the United Revolutionary People’s Council, the Maoist ‘parallel government’, which was dissolved after the peace agreement.

“The revival of the council is a violation of the comprehensive peace agreement,” Nepal said. nepalnews.com mk Feb 07 08

Two persons were killed when a speeding ambulance ran over them at Ghodaha in Rupandehi district late Wednesday night.

Police said Jit Bahadur Nepali of Devdaha and another person whose identity is yet to be ascertained but is said to be from Chitwan died on the spot when the ambulance carrying a patient knocked them over at high speed.

Police said they were investigating the case and have arrested the ambulance driver. nepalnews.com ag Feb 07 08

Students across the country were forced to stay in their homes for the second day on Thursday due to the nationwide closure of schools enforced by Nepal Educational Republican Forum (NERF).

NERF had imposed a three-day school bandh beginning Wednesday to press for their demands including better facilities for teachers. It has been accusing the government of not fulfilling its commitment to give permanent status to temporary teachers, improve the working conditions for teachers, rehabilitate displaced teachers and make temporary school staffs permanent.

NERF went ahead with its school bandh despite appeals by guardians’ association and civil society organisations who said their action was depriving the children of their basic rights to education and assurance by the government that it would fulfill its demands.

Although it was not known how many students were exactly affected due to the forced closure of some 35,000 government and privately run schools throughout the country but, according to general estimate, anywhere between 5 to 8 million students may have been affected.

In its statement issued Monday, the Guardian’s Association Nepal (GAN) had said that teachers closing down schools for their benefit carries a very negative message to the students especially at a time when the final exam of the academic session is nearing. nepalnews.com ag Feb 07 08

King Gyanendra
In what appears to be a first ever interview to foreign news media since being stripped of all political powers following weeks of mass protest against his regime about a year and half ago, King Gyanendra has expressed dissatisfaction over the recent decision by the interim parliament to abolish monarchy after the April 10 Constituent Assembly (CA) election.

Speaking to a select group of Japanese correspondents at the Narayanhiti royal palace on February 4, King Gyanendra said, “[The decision] doesn’t reflect the majority view of the people. This isn’t democracy.” He, however, conceded that the people do have the right to choose the fate of monarchy.

The interview was published in Japan’s leading newspaper Daily Yomiuri.

“Some leaders have tried to take action that’s against cultural, social and traditional values,” King Gyanendra said, in a cleverly veiled criticism of the Maoist party leadership, which leads a strong campaign to abolish the monarchy.

The king also pointed out that law and order situation of the country is deteriorating, questioning the interim government’s ability to govern the country.

Citing the recent survey which showed 49 percent of respondents favored the continuation of the monarchy in some form, King Gyanendra said: “A majority of the people find great meaning in the institution of the monarchy. In all clouds, there is a silver lining. Let us hope.”

About a week ago King Gyanendra had broke his closely guarded silence in an interview to a pro-monarchist weekly paper in which he said that he remained silent to “let the peace process succeed.”

In the interview that appeared on the eve of the third anniversary of his coup, King Gyanendra had said, “Nepali people themselves should speak out on where the nation is heading, on the direction it is taking and on why it is becoming chaotic.” nepalnews.com ag Feb 07 08

An assembly of Tharu community has accused that conspiracies are being hatched to make them Madhesis.

The meeting of Tharu Welfare Assembly, in Birendranagar, Surkhet, raised objections at such conspiracies.

Thakur Singh Tharu, vice president of the assembly, told reporters that 3 million people of Tharu community were being suppressed in Madhes. He vowed to launch movement to liberate Tharu people from what he called as ‘Madhesi colonialism.’

He stressed on the formation of separate Tharuhat autonomous province for the community. He also accused that there were plots against the nationality of the country by lumping all the Tharus as Madhesis.

The assembly’s general secretary Raj Kumar blasted the government for putting all Tharus into Madhesi category during second amendment of the interim constitution.

The complaints by Tharu representatives have come at a time when several Madhesi groups are demanding ‘One Single Madhes Province.’ nepalnews.com sd Feb 07 08

A senior Maoist leader has slammed the government for conducting police raids at the central office of Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL).

Dr. Baburam Bhattarai
The Maoist number two Dr. Baburam Bhattarai told Nepal FM, Thursday morning, that the action was unwarranted.

He also termed the YCL attack against Nepali Congress (NC) activists including former minister Dilendra Badu, in Darchula, as ‘exception.’ “At a time when we are going through such a big change, small jolts like these should be expected. But we will investigate what had happened there,” he said.

Reports had said that the government had ordered the police to raid the YCL office following YCL attack against Badu and his team – who were later brought to Kathmandu hospital for treatment.

On Wednesday evening, police had raided central office of YCL in Balaju, which triggered clashes between policemen and YCL cadres. Police even had to resort to firing tear gas shells. The YCL cadres took out protest rallies in Kalanki, Sorhakhutte, Koteshwore, Old Baneshwore, Gwarko and Chabahil.

The tension had later subsided after the police withdrew from the YCL office.

Meanwhile, Dr. Bhattarai also defended the revival of peoples’ revolutionary councils across the country. “These units have been revived to help in the election of Constituent Assembly (CA),” Dr. Bhattarai claimed.

He also rejected accusations that the Maoists had resurrected the ‘parallel government’ in violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

“These are not parallel government units. Concerted efforts are being made to portray them as parallel government units, which they are not,” he said. nepalnews.com sd Feb 07 08

Police have raided the central office of Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL) in Balaju, Kathmandu on Wednesday evening.

Dozens of policemen swooped down at the Balaju office of the YCL. Policemen have tightened security presence in and around Balaju.

The police have not yet clarified the reasons for raiding the YCL office. Reports say the police are searching for concealed weapons inside the YCL office.

The police action comes in the wake of reports of attack by YCL cadres against Nepali Congress (NC) activists in north western district of Darchula. In Darchula, YCL cadres also had attacked policemen and seized their weapons.

Meanwhile, YCL valley in-charge Sagar told a television channel that the police action is the first step by the government against the Constituent Assembly (CA) election.

“This step is against the election. There are around 150 policemen in our office and our cadres are surrounding the area,” Sagar told Avenues Television.

Sagar also refuted allegations that weapons are concealed inside YCL office. He added that though the police has asked them to vacate their office, they will never do that. nepalnews.com sd Feb 06 08

Twelve tons of red sandalwood has illegally entered Khasa Bazaar, the bordering Tibetan town, with police protection, according to the state-owned Radio Nepal.

Quoting the locals residents of Sindhupalchowk district, Radio Nepal said the police helped a container stuffed with 12 tons of red sandalwood to cross Tatopani checkpoint.

There were no other details about the smuggling case. Police authorities are yet to react to the news report.

Several cases of sandalwood smuggling had come into light in the recent months with hundreds of tones of red sandalwood seized by the Maoist-aligned Young Communist League (YCL). nepalnews.com mk Feb 06 08

Pashupati Shumsher Rana
Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) chairman Pashupati Shumsher Rana has said it won’t be a wrong idea to mobilise the Nepal Army to maintain security in the constituent assembly election.

“It won’t be wrong to deploy the army to ensure security in the election,” Rana said speaking at a programme in the capital Wednesday. He, however, warned that the army should not be sent into Terai to quell the agitations there.

The RPP chief also took the seven-party government to task for worsening security situation in the country.

“The seven-party administration is proving to be ineffective by the day. This casts doubt on the commitment made by the government to hold the election on time,” he said, adding that the actions of government and the Maoists could invite more political confrontation in the coming days. nepalnews.com mk Feb 06 08

Election assemblies of the Nepali Congress (NC), organised as part its election campaign, continue in Terai districts despite series of bomb blasts targeting the participants in recent days.

Sher Bahadur Deuba
Over a dozen minor bomb explosions occurred in Malangawa of Sarlahi district Wednesday where the NC was organising a mass meeting that was attended by senior party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba and general secretary Bimalendra Nidhi. Nobody was injured in the blasts.

Addressing the mass meeting, Deuba said the people in Terai were ready to cast their votes in the constituent assembly election even as the rebel groups are trying to terrorise them by exploding bombs.

He warned that if the Madhesi groups failed to grasp the opportunity of participating in the election, the achievements made so far would go down the drain.

The cadres of United Madhesi Front and Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party showed black flags to Deuba when he was on his way to the mass meeting venue.

Around a dozen people including a policeman were injured during a clash between the cadres of Nepali Congress and the agitating Madhesi parties. nepalnews.com ia Feb 06 08