Kathmandu, May 31, 2007

Apologising to the people for not being able to hold an election to a constituent assembly within the previously declared date, a meeting of the eight-party alliance today rescheduled to hold it by December 15. The eight-party meeting, held at the PM’s residence in Baluwatar, approved Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s proposal of holding the assembly election by December 15. The cabinet will fix an appropriate date, according to the 11-point agreement signed by the eight-party leaders.

The eight-party meeting, held at the PM’s residence in Baluwatar, approved Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s proposal of holding the assembly election by December 15. The cabinet will fix an appropriate date, according to the 11-point agreement signed by the eight-party leaders.

Although the parties reached an agreement to hold the assembly election, the CPN-UML, CPN-Maoist, Janamorcha Nepal, and Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) wrote separate notes of dissent and emphasised on proportional representation system. CPN-Maoist and Janamorcha Nepal, in their separate notes, reiterated that the country should be declared a republic by the interim parliament before the elections. Amik Serchan of the Janamorcha Nepal, in his note of

Amik Serchan of the Janamorcha Nepal, in his note of dissent , blamed some alliance partners who have not been able to sever ties with the status quo for the delay. Maoist chairman Prachanda blamed the regressive activities of royalists and the status quoist mindset of some of the alliance partners for the delay.

The NWPP stressed the need to ensure ownership of land to the peasants who till it and proportional representation of workers, peasants and women in all state structures. The party said it was not responsible for the delay of holding the assembly polls.

Team for Tibet to get back stolen idols

Kathmandu, May 31, 2007

A three-member government team is all set to leave for Lhasa to bring back idols and a stupa stolen from a monastery in Dolpa. The team would leave as soon as it receives an invitation from the consular general of Nepal in Tibet.

Twenty-seven Buddha idols and a stupa were stolen in August 2005 from Yetser Jangchur Ling Monastery in Saldang VDC in Dolpa, said Jala Krishna Shrestha, joint secretary of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA).

The team comprises script specialists Shyam Sundar Rajbanshi from the Department of Archaeology, under secretary at Ministry of Home Ek Mani Nepal and the vice-chairman of the monastery Orgyan Dorje Gurung. “The Tibet government has already given capital punishment to the robbers which indicate that the idols are safe and secure,” Jala Krishna Shrestha said. “The monastery had filed an application to the ministry regarding the loss of idols, which said that the idols were of the 15th century,” said under secretary Prakash Darnal, who is also the chief of archaeological officer at Culture Preservation and Promotion Division, MoCTCA, adding that the ministry is in touch with the Consulate General’s Office of Nepal in Lhasa.