Five border pillar missing in Indo-Nepal Border

From My Republica
ILAM, June 28: Five border pillars are missing on the Nepali side of the border with India in Ilam district, according to a report.

A study conducted by Area Police Office, Pashupatinagar, and the border administration with the help of Indian Seema Surakshya Baal has revealed that only 104 out of 109 pillars are intact along the border between Nepal and India in Ilam.

Border administration chief Yagya Raj Acharya said the main pillar no. 58/9 at Ahal Gauri and subsidiary pillars 71/21, 71/22 and 71/23 at Hile are missing.

The 10-day study also found that two subsidiary pillars 72/3 and 72/4 on the Indo-Nepal border between Pashupatinagar and Sri Antu VDC have also gone missing.

During the course of the study, the team faced problems to identify the main pillars and subsidiary pillars as both of them look similar, said Police Inspector Devendra Pandey.

Two subsidiary pillars – 19/2 at Gorkhe-4 and another 72/7 at Sri Antu-8 – have been completely damaged, according to the team.

Acharya said some shepherds were found using border pillars as the logs to chop meat, adding that 19 pillars need immediate repair.

Bhandari for one-weapon-one-combatant principle for integration

From My Republica
Defense Minister Bidya Bhandari said on Sunday that even a single Maoist combatant may not be eligible for integration if they do not meet “standards norms”.

She further added that the number of the combatants to be integrated should be determined on the basis of the weapons registered with the UN. The UN had registered 3,475 Maoist weapons during its verification in December 2007.

Bhandari´s remark comes a day after Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that all UNMIN-verified combatants are eligible for integration.

The number of combatants to be considered for integration has long been an issue of controversy among political parties.

“Integration should be carried out on the basis of international norm of one-weapon-one-combatant,” she said, adding that even a single combatant will not be integrated without meeting standard norms.

She did not elaborate what she meant by standard norms. Political parties except the UCPN (Maoist) have interpreted standard norms as the qualifications set by security agencies for recruitment.

Bhandari, who arrived in Pokhara on Sunday, opined that the combatants should be rehabilitated in their respective communities to ensure them bright future, instead of considering the integration option.

“It is duplicity on the part of the Maoists to demand integration of all their combatants in the army,” Bhandari added., “The Maoists should have already handed over their weapons to the government but they have not yet done so in an attempt to make a better bargain,” she said.

India, Canada sign civil nuclear deal

From The Hindu
Breaking new grounds in their bilateral relationship, India and Canada on Sunday signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the first Indian Head of the Government to visit Canada after I.K. Gujral’s trip here 16 years ago, and his counterpart Stephen Harper hailed the signature of the nuclear agreement after their one-on-one and delegation level talks that will provide for cooperation in civil nuclear energy including import of uranium and equipment from Canada.

The civil nuclear agreement was signed by Srikumar Banerjee, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy and Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon in the presence of the two Prime Ministers.

The deal also envisages cooperation in fields of nuclear waste management and radiation safety.

The agreement assumes significance in the context of Canada’s strong attitude in the past when it slapped sanctions against India after the Pokhran I and II tests in 1974 and 1998 respectively.

A joint statement issued at the end of the meeting said the two Prime Ministers committed themselves to the ratification of the agreement and completion of all remaining steps necessary to ensure its early implementation.

They underscored the potential for mutually beneficial civil nuclear cooperation and trade.

At a joint interaction with the media in the company of Mr. Harper, Dr. Singh said that civil nuclear cooperation agreement that the two countries have signed “breaks new grounds” in the history of bilateral cooperation in the sector.

“It reflects the change in International realities and will open new doors for mutually beneficial cooperation in nuclear technology,” he said.

Kanishka anniversary

The two Prime Ministers solemnly observed the occasion of the 25th anniversary of bombing of Air India flight 182 ’Kanishka’ on June 23, 1985 that killed 329 people on board.

Only a few days ago, Mr. Harper apologised to the families of the victims of the disaster for “institutional failures” of the government and promised some form of compensation to them.

In his remarks to the media, the Dr. Singh made a reference to his Canada visit coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Kanishka aircrash.

“This terrible disaster and the suffering it has led to will forever remain a stark reminder of the need for all of us to work unitedly to eliminate the scourge of terrorism. The victims of this tragedy deserve full justice,” he said.

The two leaders, in the joint statement, strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and agreed to direct their respective governments toward greater cooperation in counter-terrorism and security related matters.”

Reiterating the need for intensifying global cooperation in combating international terrorism, they called for an early conclusion and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism within the UN framework.

Bilateral trade

Dr. Singh said he and Mr. Harper have today added fresh vitality and content to bilateral cooperation.

“We have identified renewable energy, clean technologies, and energy efficiency as other priority areas of cooperation. The newly-constituted Canada-India Energy Forum has already begun its work and has our full support. We have also decided to focus on mining and agriculture as the other priority areas of cooperation,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that two countries have reaffirmed their resolved to achieve the annual bilateral trade target of $15 billion within the next five years and to encourage two-way flow of investments.

The submission of report of joint study group to study the feasibility of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement marks an important step in bringing the two economies close together.

“We have directed our officials to examine the report and expedite the next steps,” he said.

Dr. Singh said he was convinced that a strong India-Canada partnership will facilitate solutions to global challenges such as energy and food security, sustainable development, climate change and the fight against extremism and poverty.

“Towards this end, we have agreed to promote and maintain a high level dialogue between India and Canada, he said.

Two leaders committed to expanding a range of activities and institutional frameworks that will contribute to the shared goal of increasing bilateral trade to $15 billion in next five years.

They also announced their commitment to an annual dialogue on trade and investment between Canada’s Minister for International Trade and Indian Commerce and Industry Minister.

They welcomed the conclusion of negotiations of social security agreement and looked forward to its early signing followed by ratification and implementation.

Later speaking at a banquet hosted in honour by Mr. Harper, Dr. Singh said “India and Canada shared much in common. “We are separated by distance but we are united in our values. We both cherish our freedom, our democratic way of life, our pluralism and our spirit of tolerance.”

Recalling late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visit to Canada 37 years ago, he referred to her statement that “Greatest achievement of Canadian people was not the high economic standards they had attained but the fact that it is regarded as a nation of friends that had shown interest in expanding business ties with India.”

Dr. Singh said growing number of Canadian investors we coming to India in areas like telecommunications, environment, energy, financial services and transportation.

Indian investment in Canada has increased ten folds in last decade. “These are all very encouraging signs.”

Indian diaspora

The Prime Minister praised Canada’s ability to welcome and assimilate peoples from across the world and noted that Indian origin community in Canada today numbered approximately 1.1 million.

The community constitutes a bridge between the two countries and remained strong and unshakable even in the most difficult circumstances, he said.

Dr. Singh also announced that the government organise a year long festival of India in Canada in 2011 to show case rich cultural and art heritage and promote greater tourism and travel.

Morcha to tribals: this is the last offer

From The Telegraph
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung today said a final offer was being made to the tribals in the Terai-Dooars to join his outfit’s statehood movement.

The announcement comes a day before the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad’s Terai-Dooars coordination committee holds a meeting at Banarhat in Jalpaiguri district on the Morcha invitation that had first come on May 30.

“We had placed a proposal for the Gorkha Adivasi Pradesh state, keeping their interest in mind. The Adivasi community must understand the importance. This is the final offer we are making and if they still want to side with the Bengal government, we have nothing more to say,” Gurung said while addressing members of the Minority Front at the Darjeeling Gymkhana Hall today.

On May 30 at a public meeting, Gurung, to woo the tribals, had re-christened Gorkhaland, the state his party had been clamouring for, to Gorkha Adivasi Pradesh.

With the state government inviting the Parishad for talks in Calcutta on June 30, the Morcha leadership cannot rule out the possibility of the tribals negotiating with the Bengal government on autonomy for the Terai and the Dooars.

“The Morcha leadership is not ruling out the possibility of a non-response from the Adivasis. That is why Gurung is sending out a strong message to the tribals in the Terai and the Dooars, ahead of their meeting tomorrow,” an observer said.

The Morcha chief, while addressing the hill tribes and other communities that are a minority in the hills, stressed that the “Gorkha” (in Gorkha Adivasi Pradesh) represented every community residing in the region.

“We could have named it Nepali Pradesh but that would not have encompassed all the tribal communities. Moreover, if we had demanded a Nepali Pradesh, we would have been unnecessarily tagged with Nepal while our demand is all about Indian identity,” said Gurung.

The Morcha president also said he would convene a meeting with the representatives of the hill tribes soon to form a new forum. “Including the hill tribes in the minority forum does not sound good. We need to come up with a new name,” said Gurung.

He also alleged that the Bengal government had started dividing the people of the hills on “tribal” lines, refusing to elaborate more. Even though the Tamangs, Subbas and Limbus all consider themselves Gorkhas, they are tribes just like the Sherpas, Bhutias, Lepchas and the Yolmos.

The Morcha said it would not label any person a member of the rival camp merely because he or she had attended the funeral or the candle light rally after ABGL chief Madan Tamang’s murder on May 21.

“In our society everyone attends a funeral. People have attended his funeral and the candlelight rally on humanitarian grounds. After all, Madan Tamang was a great Gorkha leader. However, my reservations are against those handful who were trying to politicise the funeral and the candlelight rally,” said Gurung.

Daring the government to prove his involvement in Tamang’s murder, Gurung said: “I was in Kalimpong and Amar Lama, with whom I was very close, was with me. People should ask Amar Lama whether I could have done such a thing,” said Gurung adding that those guilty of the murder “even if they are from my party” should be punished immediately. Lama, the slain ABGL leader’s brother and a Morcha central committee member, had left the party after the murder.

The Morcha president also said if the state government wanted to disband the Gorkhaland Personnel, it should first give them government jobs. “I am giving them Rs 1,000 a month and helping the families of these boys and girls,” added Gurung, referring to the Morcha squad of lathi-wielding volunteers.

Before the start of the meeting, party general secretary Roshan Giri claimed that 48 families owing allegiance to the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM) from Mundakhoti had joined the Morcha. The CPRM, which could not be contacted, is the largest party in the hills after the Morcha.

Forces take first hit in Maoist encounter

From The Telegraph
Jhargram, June 27: A security force constable and a Maoist were killed today in a four-and-a-half-hour shootout in a jungle about 14km from Jhargram town.

This is the first time a member of the security forces has been killed in a direct encounter with the rebels in Bengal.

Mohammad Etaharul Islam, 27, of the Specially Trained Armed Company (Straco), was hit by a bullet in the back above his waist and died on the way to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital.

The body of the Maoist, who was wearing a lungi and shirt and appeared to be in his twenties, had yet to be identified. A single-barrel gun was found near the body.

Shibshankar Mahato, a local leader of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, disputed the police claim about killing a Maoist, saying an innocent villager, Kamal Mahato, had died.

According to the police, a 200-strong force, comprising CRPF and Straco personnel, was marching towards Ghritakham village in the jungle around 3am today following information that a group of about 15 Maoists had taken shelter either in the village or in the neighbouring jungle.

Led by Jhargram superintendent Praveen Tripathi, the forces split into three groups and crept towards the village in darkness.

“We formed a semi-circle and approached the forest from three sides. Etaharul was with the group at the centre,” a police officer said.

As his team inched towards a paddy field 500 metres from the village, they saw three men standing.

“As soon as the forces saw the men, Etaharul shouted ‘kaun hai’. Immediately, the rebels fired at us. Our men took position behind the low mud walls (aal), which separate one plot from another, and fired back. Etaharul had crossed the nearest mud wall and turned back to take cover behind one. As he did so, he was hit by a bullet in the back,” said a police officer.

Under fire, the Maoists rushed towards the jungle and took cover behind bamboo groves and sal trees.

Police officers said they saw at least three rebels get hit by bullets as the Maoists ran towards the jungle.

“The security forces have seen bloodstains in some parts of the forest. It appears that the Maoists were dragged in different directions. They (the forces) followed a trail of blood and recovered the body of a Maoist,” said Anil Kumar, DIG, Midnapore range.

NC, Maoist leaders make no breakthrough

From My Republica
Leaders of Nepali Congress and Unified CPN (Maoist) failed to strike a deal as they refused to retreat from their demands.

A meeting between the leaders of the two parties held at Singha Durbar on Monday concluded inconclusively as they urged each other to implement the three-point agreement inked on May 28.

Maoist vice chairman Narayankaji Shrestha said that they reiterated an immediate resignation of the Prime Minister to clear the present deadlock in the meeting. He also made it clear that his party would not cooperate with the government to pass the budget for the upcoming fiscal year from the parliament if the present situation prevails.

NC parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Poudel said that the Prime Minister resignation would soon be followed by the Maoists implementation of the first point of the three-point agreement.

Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and vice-chairmen–Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Mohan Baidya and NC acting president Shusil Koirala, NC PP leader Ram Chandra Poudel and NC leader Krishna Prasad Situala were present in the meeting.

Meanwhile, in a bid to garner consensus among the parties Nepali Congress has expedite talks with the small parties. NC leaders held talks with general secretary of CPN ML CP Mainali at NC parliamentary party office on Monday.

A NC leader claimed that Mainali vowed to support the government formed under NC leadership.

Nirupama Rao to hold talks in Islamabad

From The Hindu
Aimed at reducing the “trust deficit” between them, India and Pakistan will embark on a set of meetings, beginning with the Foreign Secretary-level talks in Islamabad on June 24.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, besides meeting her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir, will also call on Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, External Affairs Ministry said in a release.

Manmohan-Gilani talks

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Yousaf Gilani met recently in Bhutan capital Thimpu and decided to bridge the “trust deficit” between the two nations.

The Foreign Secretary-level talks are expected to set the agenda for a meeting between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Mr. Qureshi in Islamabad on July 15.

Ms. Rao recently drew the contours of New Delhi’s approach of engaging Islamabad. She suggested creative solutions to the issues both countries are looking at under the framework of the composite dialogue and through backchannel diplomacy.

Close on the heels of the Foreign Secretary-level talks, Home Minister P. Chidamabaram is scheduled to go to Islamabad for the SAARC Home Ministers’ meeting on June 26. There is a likelihood of a meeting between Mr. Chidambaram and his Pakistan counterpart Rehman Malik.

Meanwhile, the Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan Riffat Masood was called in on Friday afternoon and handed over a set of responses to the six dossiers received from Pakistan in April on the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. It was handed over by Y.K. Sinha, Joint Secretary in-charge of Pakistan.

In the six dossiers given by it on April 25, Pakistan had asked for three Indian officials, including two magistrates and an investigator, to be allowed to travel to that country to testify that they had recorded a statement of Ajmal Kasab, sentenced to death for the Mumbai carnage.

Islamabad also asked New Delhi to hand over Kasab to facilitate the trial of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six others charged with involvement in the strikes in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.

UML leaders for keeping majority govt option open

From My Republica
By Thira L. Bhusal
Top CPN-UML leaders have decided to keep the option of forming a majority government open instead of sticking to the stance of forming a national consensus government.

Concluding that efforts to form a consensus government have yielded no results, the leaders decided not to prolong the state of confusion in the country.

“We have reached an understanding to this effect. We will put forth this proposal before the UCPN (Maoist) and Nepali Congress,” UML General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel, who was present at an informal meeting at the prime minister´s official residence at Baluwatar on Friday afternoon, told myrepublica.com.

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, party Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, General Secretary Pokharel and leaders KP Oli, Bharat Mohan Adhikari and Bishnu Poudel were present at the meeting. Defense Minister Bidya Bhandari and Minister for Information and Communications Shankar Pokharel also attended the meeting.

General Secretary Pokharel said opting for a majority government has become urgent as the parties have failed to reach any agreement over a national consensus government.

“Obviously, we are still for a consensus government. But we can´t prolong the political stalemate on any such pretext. It is already late and we must relieve the country by finding a way out of the deadlock,” he said.

Pokharel stated that seeking an alternative solution has become essential as a national consensus can´t be forged without consent from the main opposition UCPN (Maoist), something that has proved hard to come by.

He claimed that top UML leaders gathered at the meeting, including the prime minister, were unanimous on the latest proposal. Leaders present at the meeting said it was the prime minister who first urged the leaders to find a way out of the deadlock at the earliest.

However, Adhikari said that they would make a final effort in the next one week with a view to forming a national consensus government even if it means deferring parliament´s budget session.

The prime minister at a meeting with coalition partners last week had suggested to leaders of other parties to recommend a prime ministerial candidate from among the coalition members within a week.

Most leaders support Bhattarai’s view

From My Republica
Most of the Maoist leaders at the party´s politburo meeting on Friday spoke in favor of a Maoist-led national consensus government while at the same time keeping open the option of another leader of the party becoming prime minister.

They were making comments on the party´s next strategic move proposed by party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the meeting.

“The party should not stay in opposition, but lead the government by keeping the option of leadership open,” a politburo member quoted standing committee member Barshaman Pun as saying. He stressed the need for a consensus government to take the peace process to logical end and draft a new constitution.

In his political proposal presented Tuesday, Dahal stated that the chances of the Maoist party leading the government are getting slimmer by the day and the party should rather stay in opposition, adopt the policy of non-cooperation with the government and set out plans for street protests.

Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, who leads the party´s hard-line faction, put forward somewhat similar views and even proposed that the party begin preparations for a revolt.

But another vice-chairman, Dr Baburam Bhattarai, has pushed for a national consensus government by making another party leader other than Chairman Dahal the prime minister if other parties so wish.

Maoist leaders Pun, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, and Giriraj Mani Pokharel clearly put forward their views supporting Dr Baburam Bhattarai, while Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Dev Gurung spoke in favor of Dahal and Bhattarai.

Netra Bikram Chand, who is regarded as close to Baidya, criticized the chairman´s proposal as “vague and ambiguous” and pointed out the need for a definite plan for the party to move ahead.

“Without any definite plan of action, the party will head nowhere” a politburo member quoted Chand as saying. Another leader Dinanath Sharma, who is close to Bhattarai, will speak during Friday´s meeting.

Bhattarai faction for general convention

According to sources, Bhattarai is in favor of calling a general convention as soon as possible to settle the issue of party´s general line and ideological dilemma.

Speaking at the politburo on Wednesday, Bhattarai demanded that the party should go for general convention, which has been slated for February next year, and settle the issues as soon as possible.

“The issue of the day is not who becomes prime minister, but deciding the correct party line and thinking,” a politburo member close to Bhattarai quoted him as saying.

According to him, Bhattarai is not in favor of leading the consensus government if that causes harm to party organization. But Bhattarai is seen as the preferred prime ministerial candidate and an option to Dahal for the position.

“The party should be ready to bring forward another vice-chairman, Narayankaji Shrestha or General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa if doing so leads to national consensus,” the leader quoted Bhattarai as saying. The leader also stated that Bhattarai is against the party leading a majority government.

“The mathematical game of a majority government would complexify the peace process. So the party should rather lead a national consensus government,” the party leader quoted Bhattarai as saying.

Nepal: Bhattarai wants ‘options’ kept open

From My Republic
By Bahadur Basnet
Maoist Vice Chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai said on Wednesday that the party should be open about bringing forward another party leader as prime ministerial candidate if that will lead to the formation of a national consensus government.

Dr Bhattarai said this while commenting on the next strategic move of the Maoist party proposed by party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the ongoing Maoist politburo meeting.

“As the largest political party in parliament, the Maoists should lead the national consensus government. And for this, we should be ready to make a leader other than the party chairman prime minister if that will lead to consensus among the political parties,” a politburo member quoted Dr Bhattarai as saying at the meeting.

Bhattarai, however, argued that it is not he himself alone who can be the alternative option to Dahal as the party´s prime ministerial candidate. “Other leaders also can head a consensus government if the other political parties agree,” the politburo member quoted Bhattarai as saying. Bhattarai has made his comment at a time when the last meeting of party top officials have decided that Dahal alone can head the government if the party gets a chance to lead it.

The Bhattarai faction has stated that the top officials don´t have the right to take such a momentous decision, overriding a decision of the last central committee meeting, but the party establishment has counter-argued that they took the decision to defeat a conspiracy to split the party by looking for an alternative to the party chairman.

Dahal´s verbal political proposal is silent about another party leader becoming prime minister.

Bhattarai stated that the Maoist party alone should lead the next government to achieve the goal set under its current general line — framing of a “progressive” constitution through the front of parliament, the street and the government while safeguarding the achievements realized so far.

According to sources, Dr Bhattarai argued that the Maoist party should set out its plan of action only after understanding the current international situation and the character of “imperialism and capitalism”.

Senior Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya criticized Dahal´s verbal proposal for its “vagueness and ambiguity”, though his own views were somewhat similar to Dahal´s.

“Chances of our party leading the national consensus government have ended after the ruling parties betrayed us by not implementing the three-point deal. So we should prepare for another struggle and train the party cadres accordingly,” a leader close to Baidya quoted him as saying.

Baidya, who leads the hard-line camp in the party, also criticized the trend of “double-talk” among party leaders. Besides, he also demanded that the party immediately settle the dispute over the party´s principal enemy. The hard-line camp wants the party to declare India the principal enemy, while the soft-line camp, led by Bhattarai, states that domestic feudalism backed by foreigners should be declared the principal enemy.

Leaders close to Dr Bhattarai have accused the party chairman of unnecessarily prolonging the politburo meeting.

Dahal for putting off convention

In his political proposal presented in the politburo, Dahal has proposed postponement of the party general convention slated for February by yet another year, citing “adverse political conditions”. According to sources, Dahal proposed that the party should hold a national conclave instead. The Maoist party has not held its general convention for the last 19 years. Last time, Maoists had held their national conclave in November 2008.