Govt-Maoist talks today

Second round of government preliminary talks is going to take place at the capital Thursday afternoon.
"We are going to hold talks with the government at the Himalaya Hotel in Kopundole at 2 pm this afternoon," Krishna Bahadur Mahara, head of the Maoist talks team told eKantipur over the phone.
The second round of talks is expected to decide upon the high-level talks between PM Koirala and Maoist supremo Prachanda.

18 protestors still missing.

At least 18 pro-democracy protesters are still missing since the janaandolan, said a new book released Tuesday by human rights NGO, Insec.
According to the book entitled "Jana Andolan: A Witness Account", some of the missing have been identified as Nal Kumar Rai, Rajendra Rai, Sunil Moktan, Yadav Khadka, Kuma Kami, Yagya Dangal, Ram Hari Kharel, Dinesh Ghimire and Ganesh Sapkota.
Similarly, Balika Giri, Min Prasad Gautam, Rajendra Ghimire, Shanti Rai, Sambhav Chettri, Usha Kusum Oli, Hari Bahadur Thapa, Narendra Lohani and Hem Khadka are also missing. According to Subod Raj Pyakurel, Chairperson of Insec said, "We are still investigating the whereabouts of the missing."
The book is a documentation of atrocities meted out to pro-democracy protesters by the king-led government during the 19-day "Janaandolan". The book contains chronological description of abortive attempts by the royal government to suppress the people's movement. The book presents chronologically the violations of civil and political rights, excessive use of force, deliberate attempts of massacre, government propaganda, among others during the janaandolan.
Releasing the book, Speaker Subash Nembang said that it would help to address impunity in the country and the ongoing investigation into atrocities committed during the movement.

Seven Nepali labourers killed in India

An unidentified gunman killed nine people including seven Nepali labourers in the Indian city of Kashmir on Monday.
According to Indian news reports, the deceased labourers were working in a brick kiln at Budroo village in Kulgam, about 75 km from Srinagar.
“They segregated the Kashmiri labourers, lined up the non-Kashmiri labourers and fired at them from point blank range. While six died on the spot, three succumbed in hospital, the Hindu quoted an official as saying.

EC provides €5 million .

The European Commission (EC) has allocated €5 million to assist conflict-affected vulnerable people in Nepal as well as Bhutanese refugees living in the country.
A press statement issued by the EC in Kathmandu said, “This new funding will help to provide access to clean water and sanitation, nutrition, food security, health care and protection for the victims of this forgotten crisis.”
All funds are channeled through the Commission’s Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid, ECHO, under the responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel.
Of the total assistance, €3 million is dedicated to assisting vulnerable rural populations affected by the conflict which started in 1996.
Under this Global Plan, at least 170,000 people living in remote rural districts in Nepal will receive protection assistance and will see their living conditions improved through the provision of health as well as water and sanitation facilities, and through food security operations, the statement adds.
€2 million will be dedicated to helping the 107,000 Bhutanese refugees who have been living in camps in eastern Nepal since the early nineties with no political solution in sight. This funding will allow them receive food rations, the statement further said.
Since 1993, the Commission has provided nearly €22 million in humanitarian aid for vulnerable people in Nepal.

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Maoist Gov. hold talks in Kaski .

Chief government negotiator and Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula held talks with top leaders of the CPN (Maoist) began talks at a village in the western district of Kaski .
Reports said Sitaula held talks with Maoist supremo Prachanda, senior Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai and members of Maoist negotiation team, Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Dev Gurung, at Siklesh, a tourist village in Kaski.
Sitaula and Mahara landed at Siklesh together by a Dynasty Air helicopter at around 3:00 p.m. Sitaula was the only participant in the meeting representing the government side.
Reports quoting locals said Prachanda and his team had arrived in Siklesh, which is a 6-hour walk from Pokhara, a few days ago, to provide training to the senior level Maoist cadres.
Talking to BBC this evening, Mahara confirmed the meeting and said it was part of the informal contacts between the two sides. He did not provide details.
First round of government-Maoist talks were held in Kathmandu on May 26, finalising a 25-point ceasefire code of conduct.
It is said that Maoist chairman Prachanda and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala will hold ‘summit talks’ to give final touch to the agreements reached by both the talks teams. The date for the second round of direct talks is yet to be announced.

Three ministers inducted in Koirala cabinet .

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Sunday expanded his Council of Ministers, inducting three ministers including a deputy Prime Minister.

People’s Front Nepal chairman Amik Sherchan has been appointed as deputy prime minister along with the health portfolio while Nepal Sadbhawana Party leader Hridayesh Tripathi has been appointed as minister for commerce, industries and supplies.
Similarly, Gyanendra Karki of the Nepali Congress (Democratic) has been appointed as minister of state for water resources.
With the induction, the number of Koirala cabinet has become 21.

HoR Proclamation

HoR Proclamation

1. LEGISLATIVE

1.1 All the rights regarding the legislative body of Nepal shall be exercised through the House of Representatives. The procedures for formulating laws shall be as specified by the House of Representatives.

1.2 The procedures for moving on the path of Constituent Assembly shall be as fixed by the House of Representatives.

1.3 Calling of the session of the House of Representatives and its conclusion shall be as follows:-

a. The calling of the session shall be by the prime minister and will concluded by the speaker on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

b. The speaker shall fix the date for the session or meeting to hold within 15 days if request is made before the speaker by one fourth of the total members at the moment in the House of Representatives citing that it is appropriate to call a session or a meeting when the House of Representative is not being held or if the meeting is stalled.

1.4 The House of Representatives shall formulate and implement the House of Representatives regulations.

2. ON EXECUTIVE

2.1 All the executive rights of Nepal as a state shall rest on the Council of Ministers.

'His Majesty's Government' shall be termed 'Government of Nepal' from now onwards.

2.2 Persons who are not the members of the House of Representatives can also be nominated in the Council of Ministers.

2.3 The Council of Ministers shall be responsible towards the House of Representatives. The Council of Ministers and the ministers collectively and for the works of their ministries shall be personally responsible towards the House of Representatives.

The administration, army, police and all the executive organs shall be under the purview of the government that is responsible towards the House of Representatives.

2.4 The allocation and transaction of business of the government shall be presented at the House of Representatives after its passage from the Council Of Ministers.

3. ON ARMY

3.1 The name "Royal Nepal Army" shall be changed to "Nepalese Army".

3.2. The Existing provision regarding the National Security Council has been repealed. There shall be a National Security Council under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister in order to control, use and mobilize the Nepalese Army.

3.3. Chief of the Army Staff of the Nepalese Army shall be appointed by the Council of Ministers.

3.4. The existing arrangement of Supreme Commander of the Army has been revoked.

3.5. The decision of the Council of Ministers on mobilizing the Nepalese Army, must be tabled and endorsed within 30 days from the special committee assigned by the House of Representatives.

3.6. The formation of the Nepalese Army shall be inclusive and national in nature.

4. ON RAJ PARISHAD

The existing provision of Raj Parishad has been revoked. Necessary works being performed by the Raj Parishad shall be as per the arrangement made by the House of Representatives.

5. ON ROYAL PALACE

5.1. The right to make laws, amend and nullify regarding the succession to throne shall rest on the House of Representatives.

5.2. Expenditure and facilities for His Majesty the King shall be as per the decision of the House of Representatives.

5.3. The private property and income of His Majesty the King shall be taxed as per the law.

5.4. Acts performed by His Majesty the King are questionable in the House of Representatives or in court.

5.5. Existing Royal Palace Service shall be made part of the civil service.

5.6. The security arrangement for the Royal Palace shall be as per the arrangement made by the Council of Ministers.

6. THE EXISTING PROBLEM REGARDING CITIZENSHIP SHALL BE INSTANTLY RESOLVED.

7. THE EXISTING "NATIONAL ANTHEM" SHALL BE CHANGED BY MAKING ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENT.

8. NEPAL SHALL BE A SECULAR STATE.

9. MISCELLANEOUS

(a) All the state organs and bodies shall exercise their rights as having been authorised by this House of Representatives and with full faith towards it.

(b) Specified officials holding public posts shall take oath of office from the House of Representatives in specified manner. Officials who ignore receiving oath of office shall be relieved of their posts.

(c) The inconsistent legal arangements of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990 and other prevailing laws, with this declaration, shall be nullified to the extent of inconsistency.

(d) Any difficulty that may come while implementing this declaration shall be removed by a decision of the House of Representatives.

(e) A committee shall be there in the House Of Representatives for the purpose of implementation of sub-clause (c) and (d) above.

 

The text is available at RSS office or at its website.

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Families of disappeared people announce fresh protest .

Irate by the negligence of the government to declare the whereabouts of their kin, Society of the Family of Disappeared Citizens by the State has announced fresh rounds of protests to pressurize the government to publicise the whereabouts and release their kin.
Speaking at a press meet on Saturday, they said they would hold gatherings in all district headquarters by mid-July and then hold a massive gathering in Kathmandu to pressurize the government to make public the whereabouts of their kin.
They also warned that they would encircle the army headquarters, Singha Darbar and royal palace if their demands were not met.
The society also accused the seven-party alliance government of ignoring the matter.
"Promising to make public the list of the disappeared individuals, the seven political parties asked us to join the movement for the establishment of democracy. Heeding their request, we took part in the movement," said Shanta Bhandari, advisor of the society, adding "Now that they are in power, they have forgotten their promise."
Sharmila Tripathi, the coordinator of the society, said, "The one-member committee comprising Baman Prasad Sharma, which was formed to probe into disappearances, was a conspiracy in itself."
According to the society, the two factions of the Society of the Family of the Disappeared Citizens by the State - one led by Shanta Bhandari and another by Krishna Rai - have united under the coordination of Sharmila Tripathi to take the struggle to a decisive mode.

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OHCHR to keep HR violators out of peace missions.

Senior human rights advisor at the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal, David Johnson, said Thursday that the office will make sure Nepalese security officers involved in rights violations do not get into UN peacekeeping missions.
"We are taking steps to ensure no officer involved in rights violations will benefit (from UN peacekeeping opportunities)," Johnson said, speaking at a multi-stakeholders roundtable on prospects of democracy and peace in Nepal, organized in the capital by INSEC.
While Johnson hoped that the conflict is finally over now, he stressed that rights monitoring would go on. He also noted that violations are continuing and this will eat like a cancer into the hopes of the Nepalese people. Speaking at the same program, CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said that no officers involved in rights violations, including those from the army, police and armed police, would be spared this time.
"No one will be spared this time. The mistakes of 1990 will not be repeated," he said, adding that the high-level commission formed by the government to probe rights violations will see to that.
Nepal also said that contrary to the Maoist demand, parliament should not be dissolved. "We will have no legitimate weapon or institution with us (if parliament is dissolved)," he said. Nepal highlighted the need to form an interim constitution to provide a legal basis for house declarations. "The interim constitution, in turn, would be replaced by a constitution drafted by the constituent assembly," he said.
Nepal noted that there is some crisis of confidence between the Maoists and the political parties. "The Maoists, due to their historical experience, are suspicious whether the constituent assembly elections will take place at all. On the other hand, the parties are suspicious of Maoist sincerity about laying down arms," he said.

House wants king out of parliament.

A meeting of the House of Representatives Wednesday unanimously endorsed a proposal to consider sweeping amendments to the HoR Regulations, leaving the king totally out of House proceedings.
The Regulations, once endorsed formally by the House most likely on June 10, will allow lawmakers to discuss matters related to the royal family, any matters under consideration in a court of law, and anything done by a judge in the course of discharge of his duties, among other things.
These new provisions will come into effect as the new regulations propose to omit the 11th point in the old regulations that specified topics which, as per Article 56 of the Constitution, can't be discussed or debated in the House.
The new regulations have also made amendments to the Constitution as simple as amending a bill, as per the spirit of the HoR proclamation. Under Clause 136 of the new regulations, any amendment to the Constitution - as long as it's for "resolution of the violent conflict and establishing lasting peace" - can be effected by the House.
Presenting the 77-page draft of the Regulations for consideration in the House, lawmaker Narayan Man Bijukche, head of a committee formed by the House on May 22, said the Regulations were prepared keeping in mind that the HoR is the sovereign body and all state powers can be exercise through it.
Announcing that the proposed regulations were unanimously endorsed for consideration, Speaker Subas Nembang set Thursday as the date for lawmakers to register any amendments, if any, with the House Business Committee. The House is set to approve the Regulations at its next sitting on Saturday.
The Regulations have also changed the Preamble of the old regulations, replacing the phrase "Sub Clause (1) of Article 63 of the Constitution" with "Clause 1.4 of the HoR Proclamation 2006", making it clear that House businesses will henceforth be guided by the HoR Proclamation, not the Constitution.
The draft regulation was discussed and finalized at a series of meetings of top leaders of the ruling Seven-Party Alliance.
Unlike in the past, a House session can be summoned by the prime minister (PM), and the speaker - under the PM's recommendation - can prorogue the session.
The Regulations also propose to form special committees as required. At present, it has finalized at least three such committees - on security, on implementation of the HoR Proclamation and on House hearings.
The 19-member Special Committee on Security, that comprises the prime minister, the speaker, the defense minister, the home minister, the foreign minister and the leader of the opposition, among others, enjoys full authority for mobilizing the Nepali Army.
Likewise, the Regulations propose enacting a separate law on proclaming the heir to the throne or a regent or a council to announce the regent. According to lawmakers, the government is preparing to table a bill in this regard "soon".
The Regulations deny the king authority to place his royal seal on bills passed by parliament and authorize the speaker to take charge here.
The Regulations have scrapped all clauses related to the "Upper House" and "His Majesty the King". The prime minister, not the king, shall present the government's annual policies and programs during the budget session of parliament.
The Regulations make the government answerable to the House for each and every action or decision it makes. Earlier, it was obliged to inform the House only of those decisions deemed to be of public interest.
The Regulation also provide for garnering public opinion before passing any bill. The Appropriations Bill (except for the clause related to taxation) will now be discussed at the Finance Committee of the House before it is presented before the House.
The new regulations also make provisions for a Hearings Committee in the House that will grill in person would-be chief justices and justices, commissioners of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, the auditor general, the chairman and members of the Public Service Commission, commissioners of the Election Commission and Nepalese ambassadors-designate for diplomatic missions abroad.

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