KATHMANDU, AUG 31 -
The High-Level Political Committee ( HLPC ) on Saturday informed President Ram Baran Yadav and Chairman of the Interim Election Government Khil Raj Regmi about the consensus forged with the Upendra Yadav-led Federal Democratic Front.
The HLPC also submitted the copy of the agreement to President Yadav and Chairman Regmi.
The top leaders of all five political forces included in the HLPC formally informed President Yadav and Chairman Regmi about the consensus after meeting the president at Sheetal Niwas and Chairman Regmi at Baluwatar.
During the meeting, the top leaders also informed the president and chairman about the progress in talks with the Federal Socialist Front.
They also said that options have been kept open for talks with the CPN-Maoist-led 33 parties to bring them on board the upcoming Constituent Assembly (CA) election.
"The HLPC submitted the copies of consensus made so far with the Front to the president and chairman," Nepali Congress leader Minendra Rijal said.
He also said that level of confidence in talks has increased after the talks with the Ashok Rai-led Federal Front and options were kept open to bring the Mohan Baidya-led 33-party´s alliance. RSS
CHINA, AUG 31 -
A liquid ammonia leak from a refrigeration unit in China 's commercial hub of Shanghai killed 15 people on Saturday, the official Xinhua news agency said.
The leak also sickened at least 26 others, Xinhua said, after updating the death toll from 11.
The incident occurred shortly before midday on Saturday in the city's northern district of Baoshan at a cold storage unit owned by a seafood company, media reports said.
The company, Shanghai Weng Pai Cold Storage Industrial Co., is engaged in the import and export, storage, processing and sales of aquatic products, according to its website.
Photos on the website of the Xinmin Evening News, a local newspaper, showed fire trucks at the scene with hoses on the ground.
KATHMANDU, AUG 30 -
Anfa on Thursday said that it is fully prepared to organise the Eight SAFF Championship at the programme organised at the Dasharath Stadium.
‘We are all ready to go. We would like to ask for the support of peace and cooperation from our desperate fans as Anfa is very concerned about the security aspects throughout the tournament.
Making a floodlight inspection in the evening along with AFC officials, Anfa declared about accomplishing all the preparations. Meanwhile, Anfa have announced an award of an apartment and a pension of Rs 10,000 for each member of the squad if they will win their maiden SAFF Championship title.
The tickets booking will be open from 8 am on the match day and can be obtained from Sundhara, Tripureshwor and Thapathali. The ticket is priced at Rs 300 for the open while Rs 700 for the closed parapet.
MUMBAI, AUG 30 - A group of women hurled eggs at three accused in the photojournalist gang-rape case when they were being brought out of a court here on Friday, while confusion prevailed over the age of another suspect whose family claimed he was a minor.
Shiraz Rehman Khan, Vijay Jadhav and Kasim Bengali faced the wrath of the women, who attacked them with eggs while they were being escorted to a jeep after being produced before the court in Mumbai.
The women, claiming to be members of a political party, raised slogans and demanded that alleged rapists be hanged.
Earlier, the trio was further remanded in police custody till September 5.
The custody was extended after Crime Branch told the court that they are yet to recover some clothes of the accused and hence their remand was required.
Meanwhile, another accused could not be brought before the court after his family produced a "certificate" saying he is a minor. However, the police did not reveal as to what sort of certificate it is.
Asked if he will be produced in a juvenile court, DCP and police spokesman Satyanarayan Choudhari said discussion regarding this was currently underway. "As of now, we cannot say anything about which court he will be produced," he said.
In the meanwhile, Bengali, a history-sheeter, moved an application before additional metropolitan magistrate Uday Padwad, saying he was a minor and cannot be produced before the regular court.
The judge, however, rejected his claim and observed that last year, when he was tried before a court in Girgaon in another case, he was treated as an adult. Also, his physical appearance does not suggest he is a minor.
The fifth accused , Salim Ansari, who was nabbed from Delhi, is already in police custody till September 5.
The 23-year-old photojournalist was sexually assaulted in defunct Shakti Mills compound in Parel area on the evening of August 22.
KATHMANDU, AUG 30 - Various organisations staged sit-in outside Bir Hospital in the Capital on Friday demanding investigation into the murder of Krishna Prasad Adhikari of Gorkha district.
Members of organisations including Conflict Victim Orphan Society Nepal, Displaced Families National Network Nepal, Conflict Victim National Society Nepal, Bandarmudhe Victim Concern Committee and Social Justice Committee Nepal staged an hour sit-in in front of the Bir Hospital.
Chairman of the Conflict Victim Society Nepal for Justice, Janak Bahadur Rawat, said that life of father and mother of Krishna Prasad should be saved by searching those involved in the murder of Krishna Prasad soon.
Father, Nanda Prasad Adhikari, and mother Ganga Maya Adhikari of Krishna Prasad, have been staging hunger-strike demanding justice.
Human rights activists including Charan Prasain and Kanakmani Dixit, among others, also participated in the sit-in to express their solidarity to them.
The Adhikari couple, who have been launching agitation from January, have been kept at ICU from August 20 after their health condition deteriorated.
The government had admitted the Adhikari couple to Bir Hospital on July 31. Before this, the Adhikari couple had staged hunger-strike near the official residence of the Prime Minister at Baluwatar for a few days.
The family members of Krishna Prasad have alleged that then Maoist-leaders Januka Poudel, Chhabilal Poudel, Bhimsen Poudel, Parsuram Poudel, Bishu Tiwari, Kali Prasad Adhikari and Sita Adhikari, among others, had kidnapped Krishna Prasad on June 6, 2004 and killed him while he was going to meet his grandparents in Chitwan.
KATHMANDU, AUG 30 -
Price of gold has decreased by Rs. 1000 and is being traded at Rs. 61,200 per tola on Friday.
The gold was traded at Rs 63,300 on Wednesday and Rs 62, 200 per tola on Thursday.
Similarly, Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association (NEGOSIDA) has fixed the price of silver at Rs 1055 per tola today.
The price of yellow metal and silver has decreased in Nepali market as their prices have also fallen in the global market.
KATHMANDU, AUG 30 -
The Home Ministry has identified 17 types of crime s committed on its border with India, of which nine have links with international gangsters, officials said Friday.
Some of the crime s include smuggling of drugs and small arms, robbery, abduction, extortion and homicide. The crime s with involvement of international gangsters are mostly related to fake currency notes and terrorist acts, including bomb blasts and other forms of explosions.
A team of experts recently studied the situation of crime in the southern border areas, following which a Cross-Border Crime Control Action Plan 2013 was prepared and enforced.
The study revealed that various nexuses exist among underground armed outfits of Nepal, India and the international criminal groups.
According to the action plan prepared after the study, records of criminal groups active in the border area will be maintained through sharp vigil and coordination among all security bodies, including the Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force and the National Investigation Department.
The criminal groups will be traced, trapped and prosecuted, so that they could be discouraged effectively, added the plan.
"Criminal groups always attempt to disrupt law and order situation. It is our duty that we thwart their ill attempt. Maintaining security of Nepal and reducing cross-border crime is our prime goal," said Govinda Kusum, a former home secretary.
KATHMANDU, AUG 30 -
A massive fire broke out at Jyoti Bhawan in Jamal on Friday morning.
According to sources, the fire erupted from the first floor of the building at around 8 this morning.
Five fire brigades have been deployed in the area and personnel from Armed Police Force, Nepal Army, doused the fire within 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, security personnel have been able to rescue three persons from the building.
The building has Hero Honda showroom in the ground floor, Kantipath branch of Nepal Bank Limited and Grande Hospital.
Transportation has been affected in the area.
The cause behind the fire is yet to be known.
KALAIYA, AUG 29 -
Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) Chairman Mahanta Thakur has ruled out the possibility of deferring the second elections to the Constituent Assembly slated for November 19 and changing the current government.
Thakur said so while imparting election training to the party activists in Kalaiya on Thursday.
"The necessary environment has been created for Nov polls, all the parties except Baidya-led party have been busy in election campaign, the election will not be deferred," Thakur said.
On the occasion, Thakur urged the underground armed outfits of Tarai to come to the mainstream politics.
"Our demands are common, so, we would continue struggle in unity for language, identity, integrity, provinces, constituency delineation issues, among others," Thakur said.
KATHMANDU, AUG 29 -
Price of gold has decreased by Rs 1,100 on Thursday after it hit an all-time high of Rs 63,300 per tola on Wednesday.
According to Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Associations (NEGOSIDA), the gold is being traded at Rs.62, 200 per tola today and silver at 1,085 per tola.
Yesterday, the yellow metal, which has been on a gradual upward trend in the past month, jumped Rs 3,400 per tola overnight.
KATHMANDU, AUG 29 -
Chairman of Interim Election Government Khil Raj Regmi met Nanda Prasad Adhikari and Ganga Maya, who have been staging the fast for more than a month, demanding their son’s killers be brought to book.
Regmi was accompanied by Home and Foreign Minister Madhav Ghimire and Health Minister Vidhadhar Mallik. They met Adhikari couple in the Intensive Care Unit of Bir Hospital at around 9 Thursday morning.
Emerging from the meeting, Regmi said, he requested Adhikari couple to look after their health as the government has already initiated investigation to book the culprit.
The couple, however, told the visiting team that they don’t want to live to see the culprits walking scott-free.
Krishna, then 19, was abducted from Bakulahar chowk in Ratna Nagar Municipality in Chitwan in June 2004 by Maoist cadres and killed the next day. His family had to then flee their hometown of Fujel VDC in Gorkha following threats from the Maoists.
KATHMANDU, AUG 29 -
Hu Bei Sunlight Electric Co, one of the suppliers of power transformers to Nepal which were found to be of substandard quality, has offered to replace them following the arrest of two of its employees.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has arrested 22 officials from the Nepal Electricity Authority ( NEA ) and two Chinese nationals, Hu Bei staffers Hu Zheng and Zou Yi Tian, in connection with the transformer case. Another employee of the Chinese company, Li Dao Gu, has absconded.
NEA Acting Managing Director Lava Bahadur Ghimire said they received a letter from Hu Bei on Aug 20 admitting responsibility for supplying shoddy transformers and promising to dispatch 1,940 new sets to replace them.
Last November, the Chinese company had sent 56 new transformers as replacements after a probe committee set up by the buyer NEA concluded that the products it had supplied were of inferior quality. According to a NEA source, during the inspection of those 56 transformers, problems were found in only one of them. An NEA official said the Chinese company had promised to replace all the substandard transformers unconditionally. “In its letter signed by the chairman Li Dao Gu, the company has also asked the NEA to appoint an official to initiate dialogue and fix a schedule for the replacement of the faulty transformers,” he added. Hu Bei’s chairman Gu is also under the CIAA’s scanner.
Meanwhile, Upendra Dev Bhatta, deputy managing director of Distribution and Consumer Services at the NEA , said they had not responded to the Chinese firm’s letter so far.
“At a time when the case is under CIAA’s control and the official who has sent the letter is also being sought by the anti-graft body, how can we initiate talks?” said the official. “Who will be responsible if the company’s chairman or other officials are arrested by the CIAA during the negotiations?”
Another official said that none of the staffers at the NEA , terrified as they are by the CIAA’s crackdown, would take the initiative to hold talks with the company to get new transformers. This is not the first time Hu Bei has tried to correct its mistake. NEA officials said that since corruption in the purchase of transformers was made public and received attention from all quarters last year, the buyer had received several letters from it. NEA Acting MD Ghimire said the company was willing to replace the inferior transformers for fear of being blacklisted in Nepal which will have an immense ill impact on its international market.
After problems appeared in the equipment imported from China and Thailand in the last five years, the NEA in 2012 had formed an investigation committee to study the matter. The inferior transformers had resulted in higher power leakage, and a number of them had broken down. The committee led by NEA board member Krishna Prashad Dulal had examined 4,657 transformers installed at several stations and sub-stations.
The NEA has imported transformers from a Thai company Sahabhant Electric and four Chinese companies - Shenyang Dongneng Electricity Equipment, SVR Electrical and Sichuan Dongfang Transformer.
The first probe committee had concluded that the imported transformers were technically flawed, and that NEA officials were responsible. When the report of the malpractice by Hu Bei was made public, company representatives had apologized and pledged to replace the faulty equipment.
The probe committee had discovered during its inspection of transformers installed in Sindhupalchok and other distribution centres that aluminium wire had been used instead of copper wire, resulting in inferior quality.
KATHMANDU , AUG 29 -
The Nepali rupee sank to a record low against the US dollar , with the Nepal Rastra Bank ( NRB ) determining the exchange rate at Rs 108.90 a dollar for Thursday.
The US dollar has become expensive by more than Rs 10 in a month’s time, resulting in imported goods becoming expensive, while those going abroad for studies are having to pay more and the remittance inflow has gone up.
The Nepali unit’s depreciation against the greenback is mainly because of its peg with the Indian rupee.
Although currency devaluation is beneficial for exports, Nepal is less likely to benefit because of its small export basket. The strengthening of the US dollar will increase the cost of imports from third countries (other than India), as Nepal should spend more to support import bills.
KATHMANDU, AUG 29 -
Prakash Budathoki and Bishal Shrestha will be making their international debuts as Nepal’s head coach Jack Stefanowski and his assistant Richard Orlowski finalised the squad on Wednesday for the upcoming SAFF Championship, scheduled to kick off from August 31 at the Dashrath stadium.
Budathoki is drafted into the team for the first time while Shrestha is yet to make his debut despite being short-listed in the friendly matches before.
Similarly, Tanka Basnet, Bishal Shrestha, Sabindra Shrestha and Bimal Gharti Magar are marking their international comeback but Nirajan Khadka, Bijay Dhimal, Bijay Gurung, Tek Bahadur Budathoki and Ananta Tamang failed to retain their place.
The squad consist of three goalkeepers, six defenders, six midfielders and five strikers with coaches planning to prepare a strong attacking formation.
Sparking light upon the preparation of the squad, coach Stefanowski said that they had tried their level best to prepare a ‘harmonious’ team that is equally balanced in the defense, midfield and attack.
“We are hopeful about being able to form the strong squad, capable of going all the way. Our foreground of selection was selecting players who are on pick of their form,” he said.
When inquired about the chances of Nepal hunting their maiden SAFF title at home, the tight-lipped coach said that the team is high on confidence with their concern founded upon the match against defending champions India.
“We had a successful Middle-East campaign, so our mentality is unwavering to entreat our desperate fans with biggest gift this time around. Match against India will be the toughest in the group stage but we are prepared to take on any teams in the competition.”
“We will be going into the tournament with five strikers as we will be resorting into offensive strategy with the mindset of taking the lead first and preserving it throughout.”
KATHMANDU, AUG 29 -
Parents of Krishna Prasad Adhikari, who was killed by alleged Maoists during the insurgency in 2004, on Wednesday rejected requests made by the High-level Political Committee (HLPC) and the government to end their fast-unto-death .
Nanda Prasad and Ganga Maya of Gorkha district have been staging the fast for more than a month, demanding their son’s killers be brought to book.
Two former Prime Ministers, Jhala Nath Khanal and Madhav Kumar Nepal, along with Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala and CPN-UML leader Raghuji Panta, visited Bir Hospital on behalf of the HLPC and met the Adhikari couple at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Separately, a government team including Home and Foreign Minister Madhav Ghimire and Health Minister Vidhadhar Mallik also visited the hospital and requested the couple to end the fast.
The couple, however, told the visiting teams that they don’t want to live to see the culprits walking scott-free.
“If you can, please arrest the culprits and present them before us and then request us to end the fast,” UML leader Panta quoted Nanda Prasad as telling the leaders.
The Adhikari couple accused the government of repeatedly breaching their trust by telling them that the investigation process has begun and that the culprits will be arrested soon.
“Such lip service and fake commitments will not work. We will not budge an inch until the culprits are arrested,” they told the leaders.
Meanwhile, a group of conflict victims demonstrated in front of the hospital, demanding justice for the Adhikari couple and other conflict-era victims.
Nine organisations working for victims of the Maoist insurgency went to President Ram Baran Yadav and requested him to save the Adhikari couple’s lives. They also urged the head of state to instruct government agencies to expedite the investigation process.
In a letter, the organisations urged the National Human Rights Commission to play an active role in monitoring the human rights situation in the country and look into the case of the Adhikari couple.
Arrests soon: Chitwan SP
CHITWAN: Investigators are closing in on suspects behind the 2004 murder of Krishna Prasad Adhikari. It is only a matter of time before they are arrested, Superintendent of Police (SP) Pradhyuman Kumar Karki of the Chitwan District Police Office said on Wednesday. He said investigators are trying to gather evidence to corroborate the involvement of the accused Maoist cadres in the incident.
Meanwhile, the district chapter of the UCPN (Maoist) has demanded that the police abort investigations into the case. In a statement, the party said the ongoing probe was an outright violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. SP Karki, however, said pressure from the UCPN (Maoist) will not affect the investigations. Adhikari, 19, from Fujel-7 of Gorkha district was allegedly abducted and murdered by former Maoist insurgents in June 2004.
KATHMANDU, AUG 29 -
Around 40,000 Nepali migrant workers stare at immediate deportation as Malaysia prepares to begin its ‘’biggest-ever’’ crackdown on illegal migrant workers.
According to media reports, the Malaysian government is planning to start arresting an estimated half a million foreign nationals working illegally in the Islamic kingdom.
The three-month-long crackdown, which is seen as a measure to ‘flush out unwanted foreigners’, is expected to begin on Sunday, The Star, a Malaysia-based English language newspaper, reported on Wednesday.
Malaysia is one of the biggest work destinations for Nepali workers in terms of existing volume of the migrants who number around 650,000.
According to the Department of Foreign Employment, Malaysia took in 156,770 Nepali migrants in the fiscal year 2012-13, up from the 98,367 the previous year.
On the planned crackdown, the Nepali Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said it has not received any official information so far.
“We read the news in today’s newspapers, but I cannot say anything until we get a confirmation from the Malaysian government,” Labour Attache at the embassy Amal Kiran Dhakal told the Post.
According to the embassy, there were 32,000 Nepalis working illegally in the kingdom a year ago, while that data has not been revised.
Former second secretary of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), Kumud Khanal, said there is a big trend among Nepali workers to leave their original workplaces and get into security-related jobs.
“This trend increased after the Malaysian government officially announced it would prefer Nepalis in the security jobs for their veritable reputation in that sector,” said Khanal.
Although workers can change jobs, it should happen under the country’s legal framework and without violating the contract with the former employer. However, instead of going the legal way, Nepali workers often run away from their original employer, leaving behind important documents like the passport, and go to work with other employers without a contract.
Media reports said the Malaysian authorities’ target will be mostly those who registered for an amnesty scheme for illegal workers two years ago but failed to appear for deportation or legalisation. The 2011 mass amnesty had opened doors for around 37,000 workers to get themselves documented.
The Star quoted Malaysian Immigration director-general Datuk Alias Ahmad as saying that the operation would be like “a cat and mouse” game, but “we are fully prepared for it.”
“We are aware that they know we are coming for them, and come Sunday, they will suddenly disappear. They can hide, but how long can they hide? This is not a one-off crackdown but a three-month non-stop operation throughout the country,” he said. The newspaper quoted Alias as saying that the department would seek the cooperation of foreign missions through Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue the illegals with travel documents. Officials have said that the workers will be deported soon after their arrest to avoid chaos at detention centres. The operation will concentrate on Kaula Lampur, Selangor, Penang and Johar provinces where the density of illegal workers is supposedly high. Malaysia, the third largest economy in Southeast Asia, is a prime work destination for Nepali, Indonesian, Bangladeshi, Burmese and Vietnamese nationals.
NEW DELHI, AUG 29 -
Newly appointed Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Ranjit Rae, will be landing in Kathmandu on Monday to take up his third ambassador ial assignment after Vietnam and Hungary. He will present his Letter of Credence to President Ram Baran Yadav on Wednesday, along with two other ambassador s at the President’s office.
A well-known Nepali hand, Rae, who had previously served as Joint Secretary, North (Nepal- Bhutan) from 2002 to 2006, has served at various Indian diplomatic missions at various capacities before taking two ambassador ial appointments.
“I am delighted,” he said, talking to the Post at India International Center, a semi-academic institution in the Indian capital on Wednesday afternoon. Terming Nepal as a “dream country”, Rae said he has always loved to visit Nepal.
At a time when Nepal is bracing for the second elections of the Constituent Assembly, Rae preferred to steer clear from politics, but spoke highly of Nepali arts, painting and architecture.
“Nepal has one of the best stores of handicraft heritage, ranging from Thanka painting to traditional paintings which are equally panoramic. India could be a great market for such paintings, arts and heritage, but they have hardly found markets in India.”
Another reason why he believed Nepal as dream country is Nepali trail and trekking. An avid trekker, Rae had trekked on the Thorangla-Mustang-Muktinath-Kagbeni circuit about ten years ago, which he still remembers vividly. “That was one of my unforgettable moments in my life,” he remembered. He had also visited world heritage sites in Janakpur and Lumbini in the past and expressed desire to travel across Mt Everest region. “There are possibility of developing a Buddhist circuit between Nepal and India,” said Rae.
Rae also expressed desire to travel across Nepal from the hills to the Tarai. “There is no other country in the world that can match Nepal’s natural beauty,” he said, adding
that he had visited Kathmandu at least a dozen times in the past while he was serving as a point man at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs as Joint Secretary (North). He used to travel Kathmandu frequently in those days at a time when Nepal was undergoing a huge political transformation between October 2002 and January 2006.
KATHMANDU, AUG 28 -
A meeting of the High-Level Political Committee ( HLPC ) held on Wednesday morning decided to continue initiatives to bring the CPN-Maoist to consensus for the election to the Constituent Assembly (CA).
Discussion on contemporary political situation of the country and other issues focusing the upcoming CA election was held during the meeting at the residence of Nepali Congress President, Sushil Koirala , at Maharajgunj, said Chairman of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF)-Nepal and member of HLPC , Upendra Yadav.
Koirala is now a coordinator of HLPC .
Chairman of the UCPN (Maoist), Pushpa Kamal Dahal, NC President, Sushil Koirala , Chairman of the CPN (UML), Jhalanath Khanal and Chairman of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF)-Democratic, Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, were present in the meeting. RSS
KATHMANDU, AUG 28 -
Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the country’s only metropolis, plans to promote integrated land use for residential purposes.
The KMC has decided to provide 75 percent concession on house map approval fee for those who come up with a proposal for integrated housing plan for an area up to one ropani (5476 sq feet) in the Valley.
The initiative is aimed at discouraging land fragmentation in housing in core city areas and their peripheries for promoting effective land use, said Narendra Shrestha, an urban planner at the KMC.
The KMC charges Rs 10, Rs 15 and Rs 20 per square feet for houses covering 3,000, 3,000 to 5,000 and more than 5,000 square feet, respectively, as the map approval fee.
As per the scheme, if an individual or a group submits a proposal of integrating small plots of land (measuring in aana—that is 342.42 sq feet) into a ropani to build residential buildings, they will get concession up to 75 percent on the approval fee depending on the size of the land. The scheme, however, does not apply to apartment builders.
Over the years, the KMC has been working to promote integrated land management measures for sustainable and planned housing settlements. Various land pooling projects such as those in Naya Bazaar and Sorhakhutte have been completed recently with an aim to develop well-managed residential areas.
The Chamati Land Pooling project covering 1,355 ropanis across the Bishnumati behind Swoyambhu and the Manohara project in Bhaktapur are under way for developing well-managed residential areas.
“Haphazard development of residential areas with unmanaged building structures has ruined the beauty of the city,” said Shrestha. At the land pooling sites, the government plans to develop residential areas with open spaces, broad roads, drains, electricity, drinking water and telephone line.
KATHMANDU, AUG 28 -
Hindu people all over the country have been observing Krishna Janmashtami on Wednesday.
President Ram Baran Yadav in his capacity as the ceremonial head of state is due to visit Krishna Mandir in Patan, Lalitpur to pay homage to the idol of lord Krishna today.
The day is celebrated to mark the birth of Lord Sri Krishna, an incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu. Krishna was believed to have taken birth on the eighth lunar day (Ashtami) of the waning moon in the Nepali month of Bhadra in a jail, where his maternal uncle Kansa had held his parents captive.
Devotees solemnise the festival with lots of joy and enthusiasm and throng to the temples of Lord Krishna.
KATHMANDU, AUG 28 -
UCPN (Maoist) leaders, who were sent to the 240 electoral constituencies across the country, reported to the leadership on Tuesday that grass-roots level cadres want their party to re-unite with the CPN-Maoist before the November 19 Constituent Assembly (CA) election.
Presenting their reports in the party’s Central Committee (CC) meeting, the leaders said cadres are not satisfied with the split and that the party should make maximum efforts either in forging an electoral alliance or going for unification.
Due to the ideological differences among top leaders, the Mohan Baidya faction left the UCPN (Maoist) and formed the CPN-Maoist last year. Baidya had then said his move was aimed at completing the ‘unfinished task of revolution’. Now, the Baidya-led party has been threatening to disrupt the November election.
According to some of the 85 leaders who presented their reports on Tuesday, cadres told them that the split was a blunder and that it should be ‘corrected’ immediately.
On revamping the party’s position across the country, the leaders suggested that the top leaders reach out to people at the local level and convince them that the party would serve their interests and aspirations and draft a new constitution.
According to the leaders, party cadres complained that top leaders rarely visit them and meet the people.
“All the leaders said that the cadres are not satisfied with the leaders’ failure to reach out to people at the grass-roots level after the 2008 election,” CC member Biso Nath Sah said.
According to the leaders, the first round of the poll campaign, when the leaders took stock of the party’s position in the constituencies, was successful in terms of managing the party’s organisational structure. They, however, said it was sufficient enough to drum up people’s support for the upcoming election.
Maoist leaders from the Madhes said the party’s position has strengthened in the region as compared to the 2008 election. Leaders from the hill region, however, said their position has weakened at the grass-roots level there.
The 85 leaders also presented to the party a list of possible candidates for the November polls.
“All the leaders told the leadership that the UCPN (Maoist) will become the largest party this time around too, if we successfully manage the intra-party rifts,” UCPN (Maoist) spokesperson Agni Sapkota said after the CC meeting.
KATHMANDU, AUG 28 -
As political forces weigh up options and formulate their strategies for the upcoming Constituent Assembly polls, stitching up an electoral alliance is the single largest challenge faced by the Madhes-centric parties.
The Madhesi parties have reached such a conclusion following their preliminary assessments based on several rounds of field visits. Leaders maintain that if the Madhes parties can unite during the polls, the possibility of non-Madhesi parties faring well in the election will diminish in the Madhes. “My assessment from the ground is that if the Madhesi parties manage their divisions they will give tough fights to the non-Madhesi parties in the Madhes,” said Jitendra Sonar, joint-general secretary of Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP).
Echoing Sonar, Chairman of Sadbhawana Party Rajendra Mahato maintained that it was very important for the Madhes parties to forge an electoral alliance . “Forging an alliance for the election is a big challenge faced by the Madhesi parties,” said Mahato. He said that his party was open to forge a poll tie-up with any like-minded Madhes-centric party.
Such remarks from Madhesi leaders come at a time when other major parties have also plan to focus on the Madhes. While the UCPN (Maoist) has assessed that it will relatively perform better in the Madhes than the Hill in comparison to the last CA polls, the Nepali Congress is also concentrating on the region, its traditional bastion, where it did not fare well in 2008. An internal assessment of the NC points out that to emerge as the largest party in the polls, the party has to regain the Madhes. Even the CPN-UML has launched a Madhes-centric campaign.
Senior leaders from the UCPN (M), including Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, are mulling over contesting the polls from the Madhes. In such a situation, pressure mounts on the Madhes-centric parties to formulate a clear strategy. In line with their strategies of contesting polls together, the TMLP and the Bijaya Gachhadar-led Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik are thinking of seat adjustment.
However, political observers point out that in addition to maintaining unity, the Madhesi parties will also have to look for new slogans. “Even though they are focusing on federalism and inclusion, these may not suffice as the parties had raised the same slogans in the last CA election,” remarked analyst Chandrakishore.
The Madhesi parties are planning to make these two issues their top election agenda, saying that both are ‘unfinished tasks’ as the last CA could not promulgate a new constitution.
CPN-Maoist bloc to make last-ditch effort for talks
POST REPORT
The 33-party alliance led by the CPN-Maoist is making a last-ditch attempt to give continuity to the talks with the major political parties.
Holding a meeting on Tuesday, the fringe parties’ bloc discussed whether President Ram Baran Yadav should be requested to end the current political crisis concerning the CA election scheduled for November 19.
The Mohan Baidya-led party and its allies will call for a facilitator between the poll-shy parties and the four major forces for a talks breakthrough. In the meeting, the majority of the parties said that it would be too early to launch a decisive struggle as the talks have not broken up completely. CPN-M leaders were positive about giving continuity to the dialogue, but remained unsure about a breakthrough.
“The talks should be our priority till the end as we are not against the election. But I don’t think the four parties will be ready to backtrack as they are under immense foreign pressure,” said CPN-M General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa.
The alliance also discussed about the possibility of holding a dialogue with the government as its leaders preferred the latter to the political parties during the talks earlier. The breakaway faction of the UCPN (Maoist) and some of its allies are in favour of launching a stern protest programme before September 26 to obstruct the election candidate registration process. The Election Commission has set September 26 as the date for candidate registration. The meeting has assigned CPN-M Secretary Dev Gurung to finalise protest programmes. Gurung refused to give any details about the proposed agitation, claiming that they will make it public once internal preparations are over.
“The meeting will endorse a fresh nationwide protest programme tomorrow (Wednesday). The protest will be launched from early September,” said Pasang Sherpa, chairman of the Social Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, the CPN-M has begun a youth march-past in major cities to warn not to hold the CA polls by sidelining them.
UML election preparations intensify
POST REPORT
The CPN-UML has said that it will further intensify preparations for the upcoming Constituent Assembly election.
“We have realised the urgency of changing the power equation that emerged after the 2008 Constituent Assembly election. With this conclusion, our party’s prime goal will be to secure majority seats and guarantee two-thirds majority of democratic forces to draft a federal democratic republic constitution,” said UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel.
UML insiders claim the party will forge an electoral alliance with the parties like Nepali Congress and CPN-ML. They say a democratic constitution is unlikely to be drafted again if the new CA lacks two-thirds majority of like-minded parties.
A Central Committee meeting of UML scheduled for August 30 may launch two campaigns—one in the Madhes and ‘UML with Voters’ in the rest areas—to gain public support.
The party believes its previous stand to adopt federalism with multiple identities, its role in the disbanded CA election and the proposals it put forth in the previous CA election were timely and relevant.
In the previous polls, the party had proposed direct-elected prime minister as head of the government and ceremonial president, while it had strongly lobbied for multiple identity based federalism in the CA.
KATHMANDU, AUG 28 -
As political forces weigh up options and formulate their strategies for the upcoming Constituent Assembly polls, stitching up an electoral alliance is the single largest challenge faced by the Madhes-centric parties.
The Madhesi parties have reached such a conclusion following their preliminary assessments based on several rounds of field visits. Leaders maintain that if the Madhes parties can unite during the polls, the possibility of non-Madhesi parties faring well in the election will diminish in the Madhes. “My assessment from the ground is that if the Madhesi parties manage their divisions they will give tough fights to the non-Madhesi parties in the Madhes,” said Jitendra Sonar, joint-general secretary of Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP).
Echoing Sonar, Chairman of Sadbhawana Party Rajendra Mahato maintained that it was very important for the Madhes parties to forge an electoral alliance . “Forging an alliance for the election is a big challenge faced by the Madhesi parties,” said Mahato. He said that his party was open to forge a poll tie-up with any like-minded Madhes-centric party.
Such remarks from Madhesi leaders come at a time when other major parties have also plan to focus on the Madhes. While the UCPN (Maoist) has assessed that it will relatively perform better in the Madhes than the Hill in comparison to the last CA polls, the Nepali Congress is also concentrating on the region, its traditional bastion, where it did not fare well in 2008. An internal assessment of the NC points out that to emerge as the largest party in the polls, the party has to regain the Madhes. Even the CPN-UML has launched a Madhes-centric campaign.
Senior leaders from the UCPN (M), including Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, are mulling over contesting the polls from the Madhes. In such a situation, pressure mounts on the Madhes-centric parties to formulate a clear strategy. In line with their strategies of contesting polls together, the TMLP and the Bijaya Gachhadar-led Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik are thinking of seat adjustment.
However, political observers point out that in addition to maintaining unity, the Madhesi parties will also have to look for new slogans. “Even though they are focusing on federalism and inclusion, these may not suffice as the parties had raised the same slogans in the last CA election,” remarked analyst Chandrakishore.
The Madhesi parties are planning to make these two issues their top election agenda, saying that both are ‘unfinished tasks’ as the last CA could not promulgate a new constitution.
CPN-Maoist bloc to make last-ditch effort for talks
POST REPORT
The 33-party alliance led by the CPN-Maoist is making a last-ditch attempt to give continuity to the talks with the major political parties.
Holding a meeting on Tuesday, the fringe parties’ bloc discussed whether President Ram Baran Yadav should be requested to end the current political crisis concerning the CA election scheduled for November 19.
The Mohan Baidya-led party and its allies will call for a facilitator between the poll-shy parties and the four major forces for a talks breakthrough. In the meeting, the majority of the parties said that it would be too early to launch a decisive struggle as the talks have not broken up completely. CPN-M leaders were positive about giving continuity to the dialogue, but remained unsure about a breakthrough.
“The talks should be our priority till the end as we are not against the election. But I don’t think the four parties will be ready to backtrack as they are under immense foreign pressure,” said CPN-M General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa.
The alliance also discussed about the possibility of holding a dialogue with the government as its leaders preferred the latter to the political parties during the talks earlier. The breakaway faction of the UCPN (Maoist) and some of its allies are in favour of launching a stern protest programme before September 26 to obstruct the election candidate registration process. The Election Commission has set September 26 as the date for candidate registration. The meeting has assigned CPN-M Secretary Dev Gurung to finalise protest programmes. Gurung refused to give any details about the proposed agitation, claiming that they will make it public once internal preparations are over.
“The meeting will endorse a fresh nationwide protest programme tomorrow (Wednesday). The protest will be launched from early September,” said Pasang Sherpa, chairman of the Social Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, the CPN-M has begun a youth march-past in major cities to warn not to hold the CA polls by sidelining them.
UML election preparations intensify
POST REPORT
The CPN-UML has said that it will further intensify preparations for the upcoming Constituent Assembly election.
“We have realised the urgency of changing the power equation that emerged after the 2008 Constituent Assembly election. With this conclusion, our party’s prime goal will be to secure majority seats and guarantee two-thirds majority of democratic forces to draft a federal democratic republic constitution,” said UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel.
UML insiders claim the party will forge an electoral alliance with the parties like Nepali Congress and CPN-ML. They say a democratic constitution is unlikely to be drafted again if the new CA lacks two-thirds majority of like-minded parties.
A Central Committee meeting of UML scheduled for August 30 may launch two campaigns—one in the Madhes and ‘UML with Voters’ in the rest areas—to gain public support.
The party believes its previous stand to adopt federalism with multiple identities, its role in the disbanded CA election and the proposals it put forth in the previous CA election were timely and relevant.
In the previous polls, the party had proposed direct-elected prime minister as head of the government and ceremonial president, while it had strongly lobbied for multiple identity based federalism in the CA.
DOLAKHA, AUG 27 -
Police here have taken under control 20 youths on the charge of vandalism after alcohol abuse. A brawl had also taken place between them.
It is said a brawl broke out between two groups of youths and they also vandalised a hotel in Dolakha Bazaar. The incident took place at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning in which two youths were injured. Among the injured the condition of Suresh Gautam of Bhimeshwar Municipality-10 is said to be serious. He has been taken to Kathmandu for further treatment. He suffers serious injuries in his head.
The local Bhimeshwar Hotel was vandalised by the youths in course of the clash that took place between two groups of drunk youths at the time when the Bhairav Kumari festival was underway in the Dolakha Bazaar.
Meanwhile, Tara Bahadur Sunuwar, a worker at the Khanekhola Hydropower Project at Marbu VDC, died when he was hit by a falling rock in course of work. Sunuwar of Okhaldhunga Khijichandeshwari-5 died on the way to hospital, police said. RSS
BHAKTAPUR, AUG 27 -
Another page was added to the country’s history on Monday when 70 former Maoist combatants formally entered the Nepal Army (NA) as officers. Former PLA combatants’ integration into the national army, a key component of the peace process, came to an end as government Chairman Khil Raj Regmi and Chief of Army Staff Gaurav SJB Rana handed the insignia to the new Army officers, including four women, amid a special ceremony at the Nepali Military Academy in Kharipati, Bhaktapur.
A total of 1,352 of the 1,462 former PLA combatants selected for integration into the national army had already entered service in junior ranks in July. While 71 former combatants had been selected for the officer ranks earlier, one opted for voluntary retirement as they underwent a nine-month training.
The Cabinet, on the recommendation of the Special Committee for Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist Combatants, had decided to induct the 1,462 former Maoist combatants into the Army.
Regmi was the chief guest in Monday’s programme attended by former prime ministers, ministers, heads of constitutional bodies, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, party leader Baburam Bhattarai and leaders from the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist. According to the NA, the new entrants will be given various positions after a three-month ‘departmental bridging course.’ As per the decision of the Special Committee, former division commander of the PLA Yam Bahadur Adhikari will be given the rank of a colonel, while Padam Lama and Bashudev Ghimire will be given the post of lieutenant colonels. While 13 will be made majors, 30 will become captains and 24 lieutenants.
Addressing the function, Regmi said the integration of the combatants into the national army is a ‘great achievement of the peace process.’ “The successful integration has opened a way for drafting a new constitution through a new Constituent Assembly,” he said.
While Dahal refused to comment on the integration process, UCPN (Maoist) leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara said the successful integration has ‘laid a foundation for drafting a new constitution.’
The new entrants, on the other hand, said they were proud to become part of the national army in serving the nation. “I am very happy. I don’t want to comment on the past,” said Sashi Kala Bhattarai, 33, who had joined the Maoist army when she was 17.
Though the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) had envisaged completing the integration and rehabilitation process within six months, the same could not make headway until 2011. The process gained momentum after major political parties on November 1, 2011 made an understanding to integrate into the NA a maximum of 6,500 of the 19,000 combatants verified by the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN).
However, only 1,462 former PLA fighters applied for integration and the rest opted for the voluntary retirement scheme the government had prepared.
“Among the many facets of the peace process, the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants has successfully been completed,” said Bala Nanda Sharma, a top former NA officer who headed the secretariat formed under the Special Committee.
“The task of preparing the integration modality began during my tenure and the process has been completed as per the norms and values of the Nepal Army ,” said former Army chief Rookmangud Katawal.
UN lauds development
KATHMANDU: The United Nations in Nepal commended the completion of the integration process and congratulated the Nepali people and the political parties.
“It marks a milestone in the Nepali peace process that began with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in the presence of the UN in November 2006,” UN Resident Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick said in a statement.
However, other prominent aspects of the peace process such as formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Disappearance Commission and drafting of a new constitution remain incomplete, the statement said. (PR)
KATHMANDU, AUG 27 -
The Election Commission (EC), which is racing against time to keep up with its schedule, has intensified work to arrange for logistics to hold the Constituent Assembly (CA) election s as planned on November 19.
EC officials say they have already awarded contracts to companies to purchase 485 metric tonnes of paper for ballot paper printing.
“The paper will be supplied in Kathmandu within 15 days, while the Janaksiksha Samagri Kendra Limited (JSSKL) will be authorised to print the ballot papers,” Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety told the Post on Tuesday.
Keeping in mind the number of political parties that has gone up this time around, the EC is arranging additional printing machines, while the old ones are being repaired.
Only 54 political parties had contested the 2008 election s and the EC had to print 42.5 million ballot papers then, which had taken 26 days. According to Uprety, USAID has committed to provide a web-tech machine to the EC.
The UNDP is also providing two cutting and numbering machines upon the EC’s request. “These three machines will be installed within a week,” said Uprety.
CEC Uprety further said the EC will print the ballot papers and the voter ID cards in Nepal itself. “The EC has never printed ballot papers outside the country and this time too we will print all these materials in the country,” he said.
However, while Uprety’s words may hold true to some extent, experts with past election experiences do not rule out the possibility of the EC having to print the ballot papers in other countries that have more advanced printing machines that can print the papers on a very short notice. And this, especially, if negotiations with poll-opposing parties drag on and the time required by the EC to take a final call on the ballot papers stretches until the November 19 election is almost at hand. The experts say the EC has to look beyond the printing machines at its disposal if this situation arises.
Uprety also reiterated the EC stance that it will go ahead with the election s even if the poll-opposing parties refuse to join the poll process.
WASHINGTON , AUG 27 -
Secretary of State John Kerry laid the groundwork on Monday for possible military action against the Syrian government over a chemical weapons attack, implicating President Bashar al-Assad's forces in a "moral obscenity."
In the most forceful U.S. reaction yet to last week's gas attack outside Damascus, Kerry said President Barack Obama "believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapons against the world's most vulnerable people."
Kerry spoke after U.N. chemical weapons experts interviewed and took blood samples from victims of the attack in a rebel-held suburb of Syria's capital, after the inspectors themselves survived sniper fire that hit their convoy.
"What we saw in Syria last week should shock the conscience of the world," Kerry told reporters. "Let me be clear: The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity."
Kerry's tough language marked an increased effort by the administration not only to point the finger at Assad's government but to prepare the war-weary American public for a potential military response.
He accused the Syrian rulers of acting like they had something to hide by blocking the U.N. inspectors' visit to the scene for days and shelling the area.
"Our sense of basic humanity is offended not only by this cowardly crime, but also by the cynical attempt to cover it up," Kerry said.
Information gathered so far, including videos and accounts from the ground, indicate that the use of chemical weapons in Syria was "undeniable," Kerry said, adding that it was the Syrian government that maintained custody of the weapons and had the rockets capable of delivering them.
A STEP CLOSER TO MILITARY RESPONSE
There were mounting signs that the United States and Western allies were edging closer to a military response over the incident, which took place a year after Obama declared the use of chemical weapons a "red line" that would require strong action.
Obama, who withdrew troops from Iraq and is winding down U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, has been reluctant to intervene in two and a half years of civil war in Syria.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Saturday showed about 60 percent of Americans opposed U.S. military intervention, while only 9 percent thought Obama should act.
However, with his international credibility seen increasingly on the line, Obama could opt for limited measures such as cruise missile strikes to punish Assad and seek to deter further chemical attacks, without dragging Washington deeper into the war.
The United States has started a naval buildup in the region to be ready for Obama's decision, and an administration official said Obama's aides were continuing a series of high-level meetings to determine a course of action.
Kerry stopped short of explicitly blaming the Syrian government for the gas attack but strongly implied that no one else could have been behind it and said the United States had "additional information it would provide in the days ahead.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said there was "very little doubt" that the Syrian government was to blame but that Obama had not yet decided how to respond.
The administration has not set a timeline for responding but officials are preparing options for Obama with a sense of urgency, the State Department said.
Kerry said the administration, which has reached out to foreign allies to coordinate a response, was "actively consulting" members of Congress, though some lawmakers said they had not been fully informed. Republicans in particular have long pressed Obama to act more forcefully against Assad.
A spokesman for John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, said Boehner had not been consulted before he had "preliminary communication" with the White House about the situation in Syria on Monday afternoon. Boehner told the White House it must present "clearly defined objectives."
A U.S. security source said that as of Monday, Washington and its allies still did not have conclusive scientific evidence that the attack involved chemical weapons, and that such proof could take days or weeks to gather.
But sources said while the evidence may be "circumstantial," U.S. intelligence has "high confidence" that chemical weapons were used by Assad's forces.
"Intelligence agencies are still analyzing data and information related to the attack and are preparing a final assessment for the president," an intelligence official said.
RAMALLAH, AUG 27 -
Israeli troops shot dead three Palestinians during an early morning raid in a West Bank refugee camp on Monday, hours before negotiators met for another round of peace talks, Palestinian sources said.
Israeli border police said they entered the Qalandiya camp, near Jerusalem, to arrest a man and were confronted by a crowd throwing firebombs and rocks.
Witnesses said the Israeli forces opened fire and hospital officials told Reuters three men were killed.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides aid to Palestinian refugees, said one of its employees, a 34-year-old father of four, was among the dead.
"Credible reports say that (Robeen Zayed) was on his way to work and was not engaged in any violent activity. He was shot in the chest," said UNRWA spokesman Christopher Gunness.
A military spokeswoman confirmed that troops had been shot at and returned fire in self-defense. She added that the forces arrested the man they had come to detain.
"Large, violent crowds which significantly outnumber security forces leave no other choice but to resort to live fire for self defense," Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, another military spokesman, said.
The riot had become "so large and violent that it was vital for forces to assist in containing it," he added.
An Israeli security source said an investigation had showed live fire was only directed towards rioters.
PEACE TALKS CONTINUE
The U.S.-brokered peace talks carried on after the clashes, though no details emerged of the discussions.
Talks resumed last month after a three-year stalemate caused by Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in 1967 which Palestinians seek for a state along with the Gaza Strip.
Neither party has expressed much optimism for a major breakthrough and the negotiators have met largely in secret, alternating between Israeli and Palestinian locations.
Thousands of residents of the tightly-packed camp, later carried the three men's bodies, draped in Palestinian flags with their heads wrapped in traditional black and white chequered scarves, in a funeral procession that wound its way through its narrow alleyways.
Around ten masked Palestinian militants fired their automatic weapons into the air in salute.
After the funeral, dozens of local youths threw stones towards Israeli soldiers at the Qalandiya checkpoint, a main crossing between the West Bank and Jerusalem, and they were met with volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets.
Nabil Abu Rdaineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, described the killings as "assassinations".
"The series of Israel crimes and new settlement tenders constitute a clear message on the real Israeli intentions towards the peace process, and there will be negative consequences to these actions," he said in a statement.
The Israeli police arrested a local man who had previously served a nine-year prison sentence for alleged militant activity, residents said. About a dozen protesters were wounded in the clash, they added.
Israeli troops often enter Palestinian-controlled territory to detain people suspected of planning attacks, usually conducting the raids during darkness to minimize confrontation.
Violence in the West Bank has worsened since the beginning of 2013.
With Monday's deaths, Israeli forces have killed 14 Palestinians there this year, most of them in clashes, compared with three fatalities in the same period in 2012, according to United Nations figures.
AUG 26 -
The Chinese town where the Dalai Lama was born is undergoing huge redevelopment, and behind a mountain the exiled spiritual leader's family home has received a makeover of its own, with a three-metre wall and security cameras installed.
The building in Hongai village, at the summit of a towering peak, is the only place in China dedicated to the man Beijing considers a violent separatist and a "wolf in monk's robes".
But the house has become a symbol of China 's bitterly divisive policy in Tibetan regions following its 2.5 million yuan ($400,000) refurbishment, amid concern from international rights groups over the scale and speed of Tibetan housing and relocation programmes.
"This is not modernisation but Sinofication," Tibetan poet and activist Tsering Woeser told AFP.
Hongai, known to Tibetans as Taktser, is in an area that has been culturally Tibetan for centuries but lies deep in the western Chinese province of Qinghai, several hundred kilometres (miles) outside the boundaries of the Special Administrative Region itself.
For Tibetans the building's transformation is a sign of lost traditions, unrecognisable from the simple farmer's dwelling found by a search party of Buddhists who identified toddler Lhamo Dhondup as the Dalai Lama 's reincarnation in the 1930s.
Authorities who funded what appears to be a total rebuild, however, view it as a goodwill gesture to visiting pilgrims and part of a 1.5 billion yuan ($244 million) local regeneration drive.
A typically poor outpost in China 's vast and sparsely populated west, the area is beginning to share in the country's economic explosion, with several overseas companies setting up, according to state media.
"Today, the once bleak, underdeveloped county is closer to a boom town," local official Sun Xiuzong told the official news agency Xinhua.
But near the Dalai Lama 's house, there is little sign of opening up. "You are not allowed in," said a neighbour on a narrow, leafy street in the eerily quiet village.
"No foreigners are allowed in. It is because of the police," he added, as dogs -- kept in many Tibetan households as protection -- barked in the distance.
Local authorities declined a formal request to enter the property. "We don't want to offer the Dalai Lama any publicity," an official told AFP.
The future Nobel laureate was taken to Tibet from Hongai and enthroned before he turned four. He was formally recognised as the 14th Dalai Lama in 1950, at the age of 15, but was forced to flee Tibet nine years later following a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
He later founded the government in exile in Dharamshala after being offered refuge by India, and has campaigned for the preservation of Tibetan culture on the world stage ever since.
Back in Hongai, his house was reportedly destroyed by Red Guards during the decade-long Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 70s, but rebuilt in the 1980s.
It is currently being maintained by Gonpo Tashi, a nephew of the 78-year-old Dalai Lama and former local official, who is understood to live next door.
"The refurbished compound has retained its original look, but the ground is newly paved, beams have been reinforced and murals were repainted," according to Xinhua, who officials said were the only media allowed inside since the works.
There was no response from either the Dalai Lama 's house or the neighbouring property when AFP visited.
Locals say devotees are often allowed in to worship. The top of a large prayer flag pole and a gold temple could be seen from outside, while security cameras and modern waste bins had been installed along the perimeter.
Rudy Kong, a Canadian writer who lived in China for many years and visited the house in 2000 -- one of the few foreigners to do so -- was sceptical about the refurbishment.
"The main building looks totally different, as it was quite open, but now it is filled in, and the roof was not as steep," he said after viewing AFP images.
"It looks like a total rebuild -- and I certainly don't remember a grey three-metre wall surrounding the entire site," he added.
Tibetans fear the destruction of their culture through urbanisation and China 's relentless drive to modernise -- while Beijing says its investments have significantly raised living standards.
Sophie Richardson, China director for US-based campaign group Human Rights Watch said in June: "The scale and speed at which the Tibetan rural population is being remodelled by mass rehousing and relocation policies are unprecedented in the post-Mao era."
Hongai is a remote village of about 70 houses perched above a wide, green valley.
At the end of a sharply descending narrow road snaking between freshwater creeks and jagged, stony cliffs, the verdant landscape gives way to a large, dusty building site peppered with dozens of cranes and the skeletons of huge tower blocks awaiting completion.
Many of China 's Han ethnic majority have moved into the area as it develops, and Woeser said the local culture had been diluted over the years.
"When I last visited Taktser in 2007 a relative told me only 40 of the households were Tibetan," Woeser said. "The relative also told me Tibetans have adopted Han ways and they don't speak good Tibetan."
Beijing may be using the house as "bait" to convince senior monks to choose the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama within China 's borders, she added.
"Their words are very sweet, but the real situation is very sad, and they are playing games with it."
KATHMANDU, AUG 26 - The United Nations has expressed happiness over the successful completion of the integration of the former Maoist combatants into the state army.
In a press on Monday, the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nepal commended the completion of the integration of the former Maoist Army Combatants into the Nepal Army.
"The UN congratulates the Nepali people, all political parties, the government of Nepal and the Nepal Army for this step which marks the end of a historic phase of the peace process in Nepal," read the press statement.
“Today I attended the Commissioning Parade of Officer Cadet Induction Basic Course at the Nepalese Military Academy of the Nepal Army at Kharipati, Bhaktapur," said UN Resident Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick , "It marks a milestone in the Nepali peace process that began with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in presence of the UN in November 2006.”
Also on the occasion, McGoldrick urged all actors to strengthen the conducive environment for the election and to increase the momentum to implement the outstanding commitments of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including constitution drafting and setting up of transitional justice mechanisms.
“I reaffirm the continued commitment of the United Nations to cooperate closely with Nepal in support of progress in the peace process ", said McGoldrick in the press statement.
Seventy former Maoist combatants selected earlier for the post of cadet-officers were conferred the insignia of Nepal Army Lieutenant rank today, bringing an end to the final phase of the integration process.
CHITWAN , AUG 26 - Nepali Congress Vice President Ramchandra Poudel on Monday accused the CPN-Maoist of forcefully trying to impose their ideology on the democratic parties.
Leader Poudel further said that the very CPN-Maoist behaviour was the reason behind the failure of political consensus among the parties.
The NC leader said so at a press meet organised at Bharatpur Airport today. He went on to claim that the 33-party alliance spearheaded by the CPN-Maoist did not want Constituent Assembly polls.
Their talk of drafting constitution from outside the CA proves that they are not in favour of CA polls , said leader Poudel.
He, however, expected that poll-opposing parties will come onboard the election process as doors for negotiation are still open.
Reiterating that the slated CA polls for November 19 will not be deferred at any cost, the former Minister opined that the public right of casting votes can not be foiled under any pretext.
He added that there was no alternative to polls as the best means for addressing the pleas of the 33-party bloc would be through participating at the CA polls .
BHAKTAPUR, AUG 26 -
Seventy former Maoist cadres have been conferred the insignia of Nepal Army officers (Lieutenant) on Monday.
Those officer cadets were conferred with insignia amid a programme organised at Nepal Army Academy, Kharipati in Bhaktapur. Chairman of the Interim Election Government Khil Raj Regmi was the chief guest of the ceremony.
The new cadets will be given various positions following departmental bridging course of three months.
According to the NA , among them, 13 will be given the position of major, 30 Captain and 24 Lieutenant.
Meanwhile, as per earlier decision, former division commander Yam Bahadur Adhikari has already been nominated for the post of colonel while, vice-commanders Padam Lama and Bashudev Ghimire have been nominated for the post of lieutenant colonels.
KATHMANDU, AUG 26 -
Former Finance Secretary Rameshwor Khanal is all set to join the Nepali Congress formally on Monday.
According to sources, Khanal is due to join the NC amid a programme to be organised at party President Sushil Koirala's residence in Maharajgunj this afternoon.
Earlier, Khanal was the finance secretary of former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.
Khanal had resigned after his ideas of taking action against people using fake bills, supplementary budget, and declaration of emergency of energy clashed with the position of CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and leader Bharat Mohan Adhikari.
NEPALGUNJ, AUG 26 -
Indian Seema Surakshya Bal ( SSB ) personnel arrested a Nepali national with explosives at the bordering town of Rupediya on Monday.
Prabin Shahi, 18, of Rimna VDC in Jajarkot district was arrested while he was returning to Nepalgunj from Kinnaur, India.
Fifteen packets of explosives and 30 detonators were found in his possession during routine security check.
Shahi, in his statement, said the explosives were sent by his brother from India for exploding rocks.
CHITWAN , AUG 26 -
Nepali Congress senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that the Constituent Assembly election will not be deferred as the political parties cannot work against peoples' mandate.
At a press meet organised in Chitwan on Monday morning, Deuba was hopeful on sealing a deal with the CPN-Maoist through political consensus.
"CPN-Maoist put forth various demands instead of committing to election," he said, adding, "Like the Madhes based parties in the past, the CPN-Maoist will also agree on election." Deuba said that parties were continuing their effort to bring the party on board the election process.
The former prime minister claimed that deferring dates and changing government will not ensure election. "We won't accept change in government and deferring polls date. Deferring date won't guarantee election," he said.
RATNANAGAR , AUG 26 -
Nepali Congress Vice President Ram Chandra Poudel has stressed on the need of selecting capable and qualified candidates in the upcoming Constituent Assembly election.
Stating that the party had to face defeat due to many weaknesses in the past, Poudel instructed the party cadres to select the candidates with the thinking that the party is above the individual.
Poudel, who arrived here to attend the Central Convention of Nepal Trade Union Congress (Independent), said this in a meeting with party cadres on Monday. He cautioned the party cadres that the present time was not for wrangling on the party's internal dispute but a time to participate in the election as a single block.
He said that a democratic constitution would not be possible in the country until the Nepali Congress wins in the election.
Poudel reiterated that the election to the second CA election would take place on the designated date itself at any cost.
The top leaders are meeting the party cadres in the district in a bid to resolve the dispute in the Nepali Congress Chitwan district committee. RSS
KATHMANDU, AUG 26 -
Nepali Congress General Secretary Prakash Man Singh has claimed that the slated date to hold Constituent Assembly elections will not be deferred at any cost.
Speaking at a programme in the Capital on Monday, Singh said the date will not be deferred as attempts are underway to bring the dissident parties on board.
He said the political parties have been moving ahead focusing on November polls.
"Polls can not be deferred at any cost, attempts are underway to bring the dissident parties on board," Singh said.
AUG 26 -
A Japanese housewife battered her septuagenarian husband to death with a coffee cup after discovering he was cheating on her, reports said Monday.
The 61-year-old woman allegedly attacked her partner after learning of his affair, battering him repeatedly about the face and head with the mug at their home southwest of Tokyo on Sunday afternoon, the Asahi Shimbun and other media reported.
Yasuo Hirose, a 70-year-old honorary professor with Yokohama National University, was taken to hospital but later confirmed dead.
"He had an affair with a woman I hate," Emiko Hirose told police, according to the reports. "I went mad and hit him more than 10 times with a cup."
The wife has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, reports said. Immediate confirmation was not available.