Ex-combatants rallying against Dahal, govt

KIRAN PUN/GAJENDRA BOHARA
KATHMANDU, March 15: The Maoist hard-line faction led by Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya is rallying ex-combatants to bolster its move against the party establishment and the government.

“We are launching a nationwide campaign against the anti-national and anti-people government. We expect your active participation in this campaign,” former PLA commander Udaya Chaulaune quoted party General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa as saying at a national gathering of ex-combatants held in Dang, Wednesday.

The ex-combatants, who have opted for voluntary retirement, are from the Baidya faction and Thapa and Netra Bikram Chand, another key leader of the hardline faction, reached Dang on Wednesday to rally the ex-combatants against the government and the party establishment.

Former Japanese PM Naoto Kan on the Fukushima Disaster

By Naoto Kan
My father was an engineer, and when I was a child, he told me the story of Prometheus, a famous Greek myth in which Zeus grows angry at Prometheus for giving humans the wisdom of fire, knowledge capable of bringing on disaster. As punishment, Zeus chains Prometheus to a rock, where an eagle pecks incessantly at his liver. Today, I cannot help but remember that story when I think about the development of nuclear technology, a modern-day incarnation of the wisdom of fire.

In college, I studied science and technology, and ever since, I have had a great admiration for the Pugwash conferences, a forum dedicated to the elimination of nuclear weapons (the group won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993). That is because nuclear weapons, which have the power to kill large numbers of people indiscriminately, are fundamentally at odds with the purpose of science, which is to contribute to people's well-being. To put it another way: Nuclear weapons contradict the very nature of humanity. In fact, this concern was the major reason why I aspired to be a political leader.
Long before the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, I knew there were serious unresolved issues regarding the safety of nuclear power and the disposal of radioactive waste. I took the position that these issues could be overcome by technology. With adequate safeguards, nuclear power plants could be operated safely and utilized wisely. Especially in recent years, in order to prevent global warming, nuclear power has been an effective replacement to power plants that feed on fossil fuels and pollute the atmosphere. In fact, before Fukushima, Japan had a plan to expand its network of nuclear plants.

Limited senior posts leaves commanders in dilemma

KIRAN PUN KATHMANDU, Mar 11: PLA Battalion Commander Debu Budha Magar abandoned his family in Rolpa 10 years ago to join the Maoist insurgency, and subsequently became a commander in the PLA hierarchy by virtue of his valor. After languishing in the cantonments for five years, SLC graduate Magar happily opted for integration into the Nepal Army (NA) during the categorization process after reckoning that he will get the plum post of major in the NA hierarchy. Magar aka Jwala, however, has lately been in dilemma over whether he should seek a career in the military as there are only a limited number of senior positions available for the former rebels in the NA Directorate.

नेपाली गुरु 'प्रेरणादायक शिक्षक'

ज्ञान न्यौपाने, काठमाडौं, फागुन २६ -आफैंले पढाएका विद्यार्थीहरूले सिफारिस गरेपछि एक नेपाली शिक्षक अमेरिकी विश्वविद्यालयबाट पुरस्कृत हुने भएका छन्। अमेरिकाको प्रसिद्ध विश्वविद्यालय 'मासाच्युसेट इन्स्टिच्युट अफ टेक्नोलोजी' (एमआइटी) ले बुढानिलकण्ठ विद्यालयका शिक्षक लालबहादुर राना मगरलाई 'सन् २०१२ का प्रेरणादायक शिक्षक' उपाधिले विभूषित गर्न लागेको हो।
उक्त विश्वविद्यालयले विश्वभरका ३३ शिक्षकलाई प्रेरणादायक शिक्षक घोषित गर्न लागेकामा दक्षिण एसियाबाट मगरबाहेक भारतको बेङलोरस्थित सोफिया माध्यमिक विद्यालयका शिक्षक लाली पुर्कायस्था पनि छन्।
एमआइटीमै अध्ययनरत शंभुबाबु कोइराला, राम रिजाल र उद्धव शर्मा कुनै समय मगरका विद्यार्थी थिए। उनीहरूले आफू अध्ययनरत अमेरिकी विश्वविद्यालयलाई नेपालका पुराना गुरुको वर्णन गरेपछि मगर छनौटमा परेका हुन्। उक्त विश्वविद्यालयले हरेक वर्ष विश्वभरबाट आएका आफ्ना विद्यार्थीलाई उनीहरूले अनुभव गरेका प्रेरणादायी शिक्षकबारे निबन्ध लेख्न लगाउनुका साथै विभिन्न प्रश्न राख्ने गरेको छ। त्यसै क्रममा यी तीनैजना नेपाली विद्यार्थीले एकैजना गुरुको नाम लिएका थिए। यसरी उक्त विश्वविद्यालयको सम्मान पाउने मगर पहिलो नेपाली शिक्षक बन्न पुगेका हुन्।

13 cantonments to be vacated by Thursday

KIRAN PUN KATHMANDU, March 7: The PLA is likely to begin vacating 13 cantonments from March 8 as per the decision of the Special Committee to bring down the number of cantonments by half. "We will leave the cantonments beginning March 8 or 9," said Kamala Naharki, commander of Krishna Sen Memorial Brigade, Sainamaina, adding that her brigade is being merged with the PLA fourth division headquarters in Jhyaltungdanda, Nawalparasi. The Special Committee had decided to reduce the number of cantonments following the release of 7,000-plus combatants who opted for voluntary retirement.

Dahal pledges payment to YCL from Sunday

KIRAN PUN KATHMANDU, March 6: Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Monday assured the disgruntled members of the Young Communist League (YCL) that the party will begin from Sunday the process of distributing relief packages to them on par with PLA members, and also pledged to show the PLA´s financial accounts as per their demands. The embattled chairman of the Maoist party made such a pledge to the YCL on Monday in the presence of party leaders Netra Bikram Chand and Janardan Sharma, who have been tasked with holding talks with the YCL to address their problems. "The chairman told us that he will hold a meeting with us in the presence of the top office bearers and seven division commanders of the PLA on Thursday to finalize the size of the relief packages and show the finances of the PLA on Thursday and begin the distribution process from Sunday," said Dilip Prajapati, chief of the YCL Newa State, after participating in the meeting.

Former PLA commanders plan national gathering

KIRAN PUN KATHMANDU, March 4: Maoist ex-combatants, who opted for voluntary retirement, are planning to hold a national gathering, seeking active roles in the party organization. Retired PLA commanders say they are compelled to hold the conclave as pressure tactic since the party brass has remained silent over their future political life under the changed circumstances. "We are also in need of a forum to articulate ourselves, and our concerns. We have almost lost hope with the party and the state. So we are taking the initiative to organize ourselves," said Ram Lal Roka Magar, former vice-commander at the fifth division. A meeting of the former commanders in Nawalparasi last week had decided to hold such a gathering.