Kathmandu, August 2, 2007

Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Matrika Yadav today tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala through Minister for Information and Communication and government spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is also Maoists’ parliamentary party leader, saying he had differences with the PM on “nationality, democracy and daily life of the people”.

His resignation coincides with the CPN-Maoist holding its fifth plenum. A copy of the resignation addressed to the PM and faxed to this daily stated that the PM did not pay attention to his demand of declaring the country a republic on federal lines, proportional representation of all the communities in all state affairs.

He has also accused the PM of failing to control criminal activities in Madhes and charged him with cooperating with those criminals directly or indirectly in the name of holding dialogue with them. “Many friends of ours are in foreign jails, cases of disappearance have not been made public, people injured during the Jana Andolan and families of martyrs have been deprived of relief, medical treatment and compensation despite our presence in the parliament and the government,” said the faxed copy.

Minister Yadav has also blamed the General Administration Ministry’s interference, preventing him from transferring some of the civil servants with a view to curbing corruption and commission racket within his ministry.

Protesting flood victim dies, Inaruwa tense

Inaruwa, August 2, 2007

Inaruwa in Sunsari district remained tense today after flood victims said an old woman succumbed to injuries sustained during a protest demonstration yesterday when the cops rained batons on the agitators.

Police yesterday interceded a demonstration of irate flood victims who were claiming that they did not get the relief as promised by the government. Flood victims from Ward No 6, 7 and 9 of Inaruwa staged a protest saying the promised relief did not reach them. Seventy-year-old Kushmi Devi Sada succumbed to her injuries in the savage baton charges mounted by the police. Demonstrators held another protest with her corpse.

In view of the spiralling situation, the administration ordered curfew from 1 pm to 7 pm today in entire Inaruwa. More than 50 demonstrators were injured in the police baton charges yesterday. Those severely injured have been taken to the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences at Dharan. Twenty of the injured are being treated at Inaruwa hospital.

Most of those injured are women and children. Four policemen were also injured in the brickbatting by the demonstrators, said deputy superintendent of police Rupam Lama at the area police office. The flood victims were protesting since Monday to decry the non-availability of relief promised by the government.