Nepal traders call off strike, Maoists on rampage

Nepal's aggrieved business community has agreed to call off its three-day strike but the capital's hotel industry remained fearful following an order by the Maoist guerrillas to shut down within seven days.
Two of the capital's five-star hotels, the Indian-owned Yak and Yeti and Hotel de l'Annapurna, in which Nepal's royal family has a sizeable stake, said they were visited by the trade union of the Maoists Wednesday and given a week to find alternate accommodation for guests and close within a week.
While some of the hotels in Thamel area, the hub of Western tourists here, said they were not taking any new guests, others said the situation had improved after the business strike was called off Wednesday night following talks between traders, Maoist leaders and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
The government and the Maoists agreed to take stern action against people threatening businessmen.
Following the understanding, the police swung into action, arresting 16 Maoist cadres for trying to force hotels to close.
The trouble had started Monday when over 70 commercial and professional organisations in Nepal united to call an indefinite business strike to protest growing extortion, abductions and violence by Maoists.
The immediate provocation for the protest was the abduction of an hotelier and printing press owner from the capital. Hari Lal Shrestha, owner of Hotel Woodland in the upmarket Durbarmarg area, said the Maoists thrashed him for resisting their demand for Nepali Rs.2 million.
Shrestha was released after he signed a paper agreeing to pay the rebels Rs.10 million and allow them the free use of 10 rooms in his hotel.
The strike called by Nepal's business community drew the support of professional and human rights groups, showing the Maoists up in a bad light and putting them under pressure.
Rebel supremo Prachanda apologised for the incident, and the Maoists said they had suspended two cadres associated with the attack on Shrestha.
However, when the traders refused to be appeased and said they would continue with the strike till they received a firm commitment from the government and the guerrillas that there would be no further attacks on the business community, the Maoists decided to retaliate.
The All Nepal Trade Union Federation (Revolutionary) called protests of its own in the capital Wednesday, demanding action against traders for misbehaving with employees and defaulting on bank loans.
Its cadres also began visiting the capital's hotels, asking them to shut down. The student wing of the Maoists declared a two-day strike from Thursday, alleging that protesting traders had vandalised its office.

EC to warn leaders over CA timetable

As the deadline of mid-June approaches, the Election Commission (EC) is getting increasingly anxious over the lack of political, legal and security atmosphere to conduct the elections of Constituent Assembly (CA).

The EC is planning to hold crucial meeting with top leaders of eight parties including the Prime Minister on Monday to discuss about the timetable of the CA. At the meeting, the EC is expected to warn the leaders that it will not be able to hold the polls on time.

Time and again, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr. Bhoj Raj Pokharel has been urging the political leaders to expedite the formulation of necessary electoral legislations and create conducive environment for the polls. At present, four electoral legislations are under discussion at the parliament while the fifth one has just been tabled. Moreover, the issues of recruiting necessary manpower and security personnel for the purpose of holding free and fair polls have also not been resolved yet.

Last week, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala had publicly said that the current situation was abnormal. He even expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of law and order.

Senior Congress leaders like Ram Chandra Poudel and Laxman Ghimire have also publicly doubted that the CA polls could be held on stipulated time.

Talking to Nepal FM on Monday morning, UML senior leader Pradeep Nepal also stated that it was impossible to hold the CA polls on time. "Only two and a half months remain and the EC is yet to complete voters' rolls and everybody knows the situation of law and order. Besides, the Maoists still behave as if they are above law," he said.

Nepal even urged the political leadership to tell the 'truth' to the people and announce postponement of elections.

8-party homework on interim govt continues; top level meet on Sunday

The eight-party parley continued on Satruday as part of finalising the common minimum programme (CMP) and code of conduct for the ministers of the upcoming interim government.

A taskforce comprising the second-rung leaders of the eight parties met at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar to finalise the CMP and the code of conduct from 2:00 pm. According to C.P Mainali, a United Left Front leader who was present at the meeting, the taskforce was close to giving final shape to the draft of the CMP and the codes.

Mainali said the taskforce had already reached agreement on the code of conduct, working guidelines of the interim cabinet and a common mechanism of eight parties and added that agreement on the CMP and issue of creating conducive environment for a Maoist-included transitional government was expected later today.

A meeting of the top leaders on Friday had formed the taskforce.

The taskforce also discussed the make-up of the interim government, it is learnt. Meanwhile, Mainali denied that the delay in taking decisions was because of the wrangling within the eight-party coalition for portfolios in the interim government. "The taskforce will submit its recommendations at the meeting of the top leaders tomorrow morning," he said.

Top leaders including Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Maoist chairman Prachanda and CPN (UML) general secretary Madhav Nepal had gathered in Baluwatar, but formal meeting could not be held as the taskforce failed to finish its job on time.