The Nepal Army, which has up until now been loyal first and foremost to the monarch, shall henceforth be under the control of and responsible to an elected civilian government.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Subash Nemwang administers the oath of office to Chief of Nepal Army Pyar Jung Thapa at the Parliament Secretariat on Thrusday. With the introduction of new House Regulations, it has become mandatory for the chiefs of security and constitutional bodies to take a fresh oath before a Special House Committee.
Photo: PRAKASH MATHEMA

If the Maoists start engaging themselves in more such constructive work, they will no longer need to depend on donation and extortion to feed and maintain their militia.

Maoist “People’s Liberation Army” cadres in a paddy field at Gumi, Surkhet on Monday.
The PLA, kept in temporary camps after a ceasefire, has been significantly working in the development sector.
Photo: Bikash Karki

They said it is lost and yes it is now: The picture says it all

Infamous Home Minister of the erstwhile royal government, Kamal Thapa, who has received bulk of the criticism and blame for the death of 21 people and injuring more than 6,000 people during the popular April uprising, meets his then chairman King Gyanendra, on the latter’s birthday at Narayanhity Royal Palace on Friday. The King’s birthday celebration was abandoned by the present government as the Council of Ministers decided that the ministers will not go to the palace to wish the king happy birthday. The Cabinet also decided to send an official letter wishing all the best to the king in his 60th birthday today.

Only staunch royalists, including Nepali Army Chief Pyarjung Thapa, and other members of the royal coterie attended the ceremony. In the past, all government officials, including ministers, civil servants and students were forced to visit the king on his birthday.

The ministers today remained out of contact and did not attend any public function.

-Azad Swetaketu

Senior Leader of the CPN-UML, Bamdev Gautam, planting paddy siblings during the Rice Plantation festival, also known as “Ashar Pandhra”, at Bungmati village on Thursday.

Photo: Narendra Shrestha via Ekantipur

How safe is Nepali sky?

Nepal’s skyways are by no means busy, nor are the airports crowded with frequent fliers, but air disasters are frequent in Nepal. Aging fleets, hostile mountaneous terrain, overloading, and daredevil pilots are some of the reasons behind these disasters.

The national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines’ fleet of over-two-decade-old Canadian-built Twin Otters with the same old flight equipment still service Nepal’s remote mountain destinations. Private airlines aren’t any better. Barring a few, most private airlines have been operating similar types of old aircrafts - some of them with zero flight hour engines. Necon Air’s grounded fleet of Avros and Cosmic Air’s grounded Fokker 100s are just a couple of examples.

Cosmic was operating those planes till the leasing company put pressure on the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, CAAN, to ground them.

Security personnel recover bodies of passangers killed in the Yeti Airlines flight to Jumla that crashed just before landing at Jumla airport on Wednesday killing all nine on board, including 3 crewmen.
Photo: Navaraj Shahi via Kantipur

Local residents gather at the crash site.
Photo: Navaraj Shahi via Kantipur

Updated…..

Students of the Amrit Science College (ASCOL) protesting against the transfer of Inspector Aabhusan Timilsina on Thursday. Timilsina faces action from Valley Police Office for handcuffing a top royalist Bharat K. Singh along with his two sons at Lainchour on Tuesday night. According to a police source, Timalsina was being made a “scapegoat” under direct pressure from the royal palace.
Photo: Narendra Shrestha via Ekantipur

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President of World Hindu Federation and a top palace loyalist Bharat Keshar Singh, along with his two sons-Ajaya Keshar and Ananta Keshar, was beaten badly by the locals and students at Lainchaur on Tuesday night. 

The enraged locals also torched their Toyota Corolla car, registration number Ba 1 Cha 6689.

Eyewitnesses said a scuffle between the Singh brothers and locals ensued after the car hit a motorcycle parked in front of Malla Hotel. As the Singh brothers began scolding and beating up the motorcycle owner, Angdawa Sherpa, over 3,000 people gathered at the site.

The situation turned worse after dozens of students from Amrit Science Campus hostel joined the locals at the site. Eyewitnesses said the students turned violent soon after they learnt that Bharat Keshar, a close aide to the king, had beaten a youth. The agitated locals beat up the Singh brothers, leaving them seriously injured.

Following the incident, Bharat Keshar and his sons had rushed inside Malla Hotel for safety. The mob pelted stones at the hotel and burnt down Singh’s car left near the hotel gate.

Police patrols that reached the site handcuffed Singh and his sons and took them outside the hotel premises. The mob pelted stones at Bharat Keshar while he was being taken outside the hotel. He was seriously injured in the incident. The locals beat up the trio even after they were put in a police van.

Police said Bharat Keshar was taken to the Army Hospital, Chhauni while his sons were placed in custody at Kathmandu District Police Office (KDPO), Hanumandhoka.

Now Bharat Keshar Singh including other royalists must have realized the power of people. With their heydays gone, they have to surrender to the civilians, otherwise they know what to expect from the people!

The police inspector, who handcuffed Singh yesterday, has been transferred from the Area Police Office, Durbarmarg to District Police Office, Hanumandhoka.

Followup news   (english) (nepali)

Angadawa receives death threat from Bharat Keshar Singh’s men

Bharat Keshar Singh is being taken towards the hospital after being beaten by locals and students at Lainchore, Kathmandu.
KANTIPUR PHOTO: NARENDRA SHRESTHA

Ajaya and Ananta, sons of Bharat Keshar Singh, are being beaten by angry students and locals at Lainchore, Kathmandu on Tuesday night.
KANTIPUR PHOTO: NARENDRA SHRESTHA

A private car belonging Bharat Keshar Singh is set ablaze by locals and students at Lainchour in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
PHOTO: NARENDRA SHRESTHA

File photo, taken on May 30, 2006, 8:40 PM; Lansing, MI, USA, altitude 860 ft - The sun was hidden behind the clouds most of the day and it was already dark, but then the rain stopped at around 8:30 PM and - lo and behold - there was sunshine again, and a rainbow too.

The sun set at 9:08PM on that day, but it was twilight till 9:42 Pm.

For today (June 19, 2006), Length of Day (time between sunrise and sunset) is 15h 20m and Length Of Visible Light is 16h 30m.

President of CPN Maoist (PLA Cheif) Puspa Kamal Dahal (aka Prachanda) talks to journalists following a 11-hour-long “historic summit meeting” with PM GP Koirala at the latter’s official residence at Baluwatar on Friday, June 16, 2006. Prachand is flanked on the left by Maoist second-in-command Dr Baburam Bhattarai and on the right by CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, government chief negotiator and Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula and former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Photo: Bikash Karki/Kantipur

Hundreds of left-leaning, anti-monarchy students at Kathmandu’s Amrit Science College burned an effigy of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Thursday, 15 June 2006. The students were angered by Koirala’s public remarks a day earlier in which he said he was in favour of a ceremonial role for the King.
PHOTO: NARENDRA SHRESTHA/Kantipur

photo: Sarashwoti Karki/Kantipur