Kathmandu, March 28, 2006

Home Minister Kamal Thapa said here today  that the government would take all possible measures to thwart the protest programme of the seven-party alliance scheduled to begin on April 6. He was speaking at an interaction programme here. Thapa added that the government would deal with the agitators and the Maoists “very differently”.  “The government would not treat the alliance the way it would treat the Maoists,” Thapa said, but added the government would not remain a mere spectator during the protest programme “since there would be heavy presence of the Maoists”. He also urged the parties not to join hands with the Maoists. He said the government would take every possible measure to thwart the protest programmes because the “Maoists who have been branded terrorists both nationally and internationally are not supposed to carry out protest programmes in whatever form.” Indicating that the government would take “every possible preventive measure”, he said such measures could  even be problematic to the common people. Citing “authentic information of infiltration of Maoist guerrillas to the capital”, he said the Maoists would have a key role in the protest programmes and that the government would take necessary but legal actions against both the Maoists and the parties. “The Maoists had started to lose their spirit and confidence, but the 12-point understanding helped revive them,” he said accusing the alliance of forging an alliance with the Maoists.

NHRC staffer succumbs to bullet injuries

Kathmandu, March 28, 2006

The National Human Rights Commission staffer, Dayaram Pariyar, who was reportedly shot by the police in Janakpur, died this morning at Teaching Hospital. The doctors who had performed surgery on him could not extract the bullets from his body, said an NHRC source.  According to the source, the concerned surgeon said Pariyar slipped into coma after the surgery on Saturday evening. “Since the experts did not extract bullets from Pariyar’s body even during post mortem, his family is reportedly seeking another post mortem to remove the bullets,” said the source. “The doctors had said they would extract the bullets once his wounds healed but Pariyar did not regain consciousness and succumbed to his injuries,” the source said. Pariyar was reportedly shot in the midriff.  NHRC chairman Nain Bahadur Khatri confirmed that the “initial investigation shows that Pariyar was a victim of police firing in Janakpur. We will send an additional team to the spot for thorough investigation.” Khatri said the bullets were not removed from Pariyar’s body. “The body was brought to NHRC for a memorial service before being taken to Aryaghat for cremation,” he said.