Maoists’ ‘threat’

RAMECHHAP: A member of the Ramechhap district committee of the CPN (UML), Sanjay Karki, has accused Ramechhap district in-charge of the CPN (Maoist), Rajan Dahal, of threatening to take action against him. Talking to this daily, Karki said the Maoists demanded a huge sum of money from him after he acquired a contract for building the Rampur road. He accused the Maoists of threatening him as he was unable to pay the money. The Maoists were unavailable for comment. — HNS

Arrested woman freed

SIRAHA: The sister of Tufan Singh Bidrohi, the district in-charge of the Jwala Singh-led Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha, was set free by the police on Thursday. Pawan Kumari Sadaya, 17 was arrested by Armed Police Force personnel from Bishnupurkatti VDC-8 on Wednesday. Sadaya was freed in the presence of media persons and rights activists. However, others arrested with her, including the JTMM-J area No1 in-charge Prashant, are still in custody. — HNS

Sahana off to Lanka

KATHMANDU: Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sahana Pradhan, left for Sri Lanka on Thursday on a seven-day visit. Before her departure, Pradhan said at the Tribhuvan International Airport that during the visit, she will take up issues of trade and tourism development between Nepal and Sri Lanka. — HNS