Few ministers against putting off elections

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: At the cabinet meeting called by prime minister Deuba today, some senior ministers sprang a surprise on him by opposing the idea of postponing the polls. But a majority of his cabinet colleagues heartily endorsed the idea of delaying the elections. The cabinet, which will continue the discussion when it meets again on Thursday, did not reach any decision on the recommendation of yesterday’s six-party meet to postpone the election. “The cabinet favoured the postponement of the elections though some differed in its interpretation,” a cabinet minister told The Himalayan Times. Though it was widely expected, today’s cabinet meeting did not make any recommendation to postpone the polls. The meet centred on the polls, among others. Speaking on the present political turmoil, leader of the CPN UML, K P Oli, branded the Deuba led government, a government driven by “interest-centred motives.” “The activities and comments coming from the leaders and ministers of Deuba’s party clearly indicate that they are motivated by personal rather than national interest,” Oli said. Oli said the prime minister should take the six-party consensus positively and move forward accordingly rather than appeasing vested interests. “The consensus is a great achievement for Deuba,” Oli said adding that the prime minister should not let it go astray. The UML leader also suggested the government to resolve the crises within the framework of the Constitution rather than becoming self-centred. He hoped that the cabinet would come up with a decision soon.

Two American tourists shot at near border



KATHMANDU: Two Americans who were trekking in the Everest region, near the Nepal-China border, said that they were shot at by two men who appeared to be Chinese soldiers. They said the assailants were not Maoists. “We were acclimatising and checking out the route when the incident took place. Two men who appeared to be Chinese soldiers fired at us, while we were near Lunag village on September 20 at about 10.45 am. There were at least five shots,” David Morton told The Himalayan Times on Monday. “We don’t know why we were shot at, it is hard to say. We presume that they might have mistaken us for helping the Tibetan refugees, maybe.” Morton, 31, and Jeff Lamoureux, 36, from Seattle, Washington, who arrived here on Saturday, were trekking a trail used by traders and refugees to sneak in and out of Tibet in China when the incident occurred. The Americans were attempting to scale 7,312-metre Mount Nagpai Gosum peak near the Nangpa La in the Khumbu in Solukhumbu district. “We first met a man and we gave them some food. He was wearing an army uniform inside his jacket and was carrying an automatic weapon,” said Morton.