Gyanendra ready to leave palace, says Nepal govt.

Nepal’s ousted monarch has agreed to leave the palace, the government said on Saturday, offering to provide security and a temporary accommodation to Gyanendra who was apparently having a rift with his son.

Home Minister Krishna Sitaula said though the government has not yet directly talked to Gyanendra, he has been assured by palace officials that the former ruler was ready to vacate the Narayanhiti palace honouring the decision made by the Constituent Assembly.

“If Gyanendra asks for temporary settlement before he arranges for his permanent stay, the government may consider giving the property (Nagarjuna Hill resort) for some time,” Sitaula said on the sideline of a tea hosted by Federation of Nepalese Journalists to celebrate Nepal’s transition to a republic.

Gyanendra’s son Paras is living at Nirmal Niwas, the only private residence belonging to the former king as Narayanhiti and other palaces have already been nationalised after the Constituent Assembly abolished the 240-year-old monarchy on May 28.

“I have heard that the relation between Gyanendra and Paras is not good, so if he needs a separate place we may consider it,” Sitaula said.

It is the responsibility of the government to provide security to Gyanendra and his family members after he leaves the palace, the minister said.

‘Issue of Khaleda, Hasina’s release being considered’

Education Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman Saturday said issues raised by political parties, including the matters of detained ex-Prime Ministers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, are now under full consideration of the government amid many initiatives, reports UNB.

“Many initiatives and efforts are on. These issues are being considered with importance,” he told reporters after attending the launching ceremony of ‘Halkhata’, an annual publication of a government project on quality education.

In his changed stance, Dr Zillur, on behalf of the advisers, urged the major political parties to join the ongoing dialogue. He said since all are looking for a solution of the problems, the initiatives would end up with success.

The adviser, who acts as government spokesman in the ongoing dialogue with political parties on the modalities of transition from the interim period, said discussions with main political parties that represent vast majority people of the country are important to reach consensus on national issues.

He forewarned that time is running out and for that all will have to make the best use of the time to work out a solution.

“We are trying to reach consensus at national level and participation of major political parties in dialogue is very important,” the adviser said.

On Thursday, Dr Zillur told reporters that it should not be taken into account who joins the dialogue or who does not. He also blurted out that concept of major players is dangerous for democracy.

His remarks triggered sharp reaction among major political parties, including Awami League and BNP.

Correcting his position the adviser said his expression or body language perhaps could not reflect what he actually meant to say while replying to questions from journalists.

Bangladesh detains 50 grassroot leaders: police

Nearly 50 grassroot leaders were detained in Bangladesh late on Friday, police said, after the country’s key political parties rejected an offer of talks with the army-backed interim government on elections scheduled later this year.

Most of those detained belonged to the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the country’s two main political parties.

“It was confirmed that the detainees were trying to instigate the people against the interim-government,” a senior officer of the joint forces said on Saturday without giving details.

The Awami League and BNP are seeking the release of their respective leaders, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia respectively. Both parties have threatened to launch countrywide protests if their leaders were not released.

Both Hasina and Khaleda are in detention on graft and corruption charges, which they deny.

Their parties last week rejected the offer of talks with the interim government, along with three other smaller political parties.

Leaders of Awami League and the two factions of BNP said the fresh wave of crackdowns was planned to foil a move by the parties to reorganize activists and supporters to launch a nationwide protest to press for the release of their leaders.

Khaleda and Hasina are among more than 170 political figures detained as part of a crackdown on corruption that the government launched soon after taking over in January 2007.

Source: Reuters

All eyes on palace for Nepal king’s eviction

Holed up within his high- walled Narayanhiti palace, Nepal’s king Gyanendra kept a studied silence Friday after a historic assembly abolished his monarchy and gave him a two-week eviction order.

Quite when he will leave the pink-hued palace in the heart of Kathmandu is unclear, although royal-watchers said he was packing his bags and could leave Friday.

The royal flag was taken down early Thursday within hours of a constituent assembly voting to sweep away the monarchy and turn this Himalayan nation into a republic, ending 240 years of dynastic rule.

Gyanendra has a tight deadline to vacate the Narayanhiti palace, which the assembly-now dominated by former rebel Maoists-has agreed to turn into a museum.

“He is said to be leaving the palace Friday,” said Kishore Shrestha, who is editor of the royal-watching Nepali- language weekly Jana Aastha.

The king has yet to comment on the constitutional assembly vote that ended his rule.

An estimated 1,500 army soldiers guard the king in his palace, but an army spokesman said they were ready to pull back the security when the government orders.

For now, the palace and its surrounding roads are heavily guarded by riot police. Demonstrations have been banned, but revellers celebrating Nepal’s new republican status skirmished with police Thursday on the road leading to the complex.

Police baton-charged and tear-gassed the revellers when they tried to climb a statue of the unloved king’s father in order to put a national flag on it.

Nepal has been brimming for weeks with rumours over the king’s plans, with each and every departure from the palace in recent days-including a weekend trip to his summer home and a drive to his sister’s house for tea-watched with bated breath.

“The king is going to have to leave within the next 10 days,” said Bimal Sharma, a shopkeeper strolling past the royal residence with his family.

“I don’t like this king. This wouldn’t have happened with the previous king,” said Sharma, referring to Gyanendra’s popular older brother Birendra, who was slaughtered in a palace massacre.

That 2001 massacre-most of the royal family was slain by the then crown prince Dipendra, who was allegedly fuelled by a cocktail of drugs and alcohol-was what led Gyanendra to ascend the throne.

Dipendra, who had been forbidden from marrying the woman he loved, gunned down his parents the king and queen, and seven other royals before apparently turning the gun on himself.

Gyanendra was at the centre of many conspiracy theories linking him to the killings, and his unpopularity only deepened when he sacked the government and embarked on a period of autocratic rule in early 2005.

Mass protests against Gyanendra’s rule led to a landmark peace agreement in 2006 that culminated with the abolition of the monarchy late Wednesday.

Source: AFP

Bangladeshi convict faces firing squad in Bahrain

Bahrain is set to execute a Bangladeshi cook through a firing squad in a fast-track decision for killing a fashion designer, said a US news website Thursday, reports bdnews24.com.
The case dates back to 2006 but the execution plan was expedited apparently after the murder of a Bahraini national by a Bangladeshi mechanic last week.
Mizan Noor Al Rahman Ayoub Miyah, a cook, was convicted of murdering Bahraini fashion designer Sana Al Jalahama in 2006.
‘Miyah will be executed by a firing squad, but a date has not yet been set,’ said All Headline News (AHN), based in Wellington of Florida, US.
The case against Miyah was pending in the court for two years and was put on the fast track after reports that King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa gave permission to general public prosecutor Dr Ali Al Buanin Thursday to carry out arrangements for the sentence, AHN said.
Following the murder of Mohammed Jassim Dossary, a Bahraini national, by a Bangladeshi mechanic on the outskirts of
Manama last week, some Bahrain lawmakers urged the government to expel all Bangladeshis.
The Bahraini government then stopped issuing work permits to Bangladeshis.
Bangladeshis make the second largest intake of foreign workers in the kingdom. According to official figures, there are 86,000 Bangladeshis in the Gulf kingdom.
Activist Nabeel Rajab, from the defunct Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, criticised the decisions saying: ‘This decision comes at a time when the entire attitude of the country is anti-Bangladeshi.’
‘This is a frightening decision at the wrong time. Was the Bangladeshi given fair trial and had access to a lawyer? Were the proceedings monitored by their embassy? There are several questions but no answers at this critical juncture,’ AHN quoted Rajab as saying.
Meanwhile,
Bangladesh has expressed regrets for the latest murder and urged Bahrain to lift the ban on workers.
Foreign affairs adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, now in
Singapore, Wednesday telephoned Bahrain’s state minister for foreign affairs.
‘The whole nation should not be punished for one’s crime,’ he said.
Iftekhar urged the Bangladeshis living in the
Middle East to obey local laws for their mutual benefits.

Malaysia sets new visa rules for Bangladeshi tourists

Malaysia will impose new visa rules for Bangladeshi and Indian tourists as part of its drive to curb the influx of illegal immigrants, a minister said on Friday.

Home (Interior) Minister Syed Hamid Albar said tourists from Bangladesh and India must obtain a two-week social visit pass from their home countries and have a return ticket if they have plans to visit the Southeast Asian nation.

“The social visit pass replaces the visas-on-arrival (VOA) which was discontinued in April,” the New Straits Times newspaper quoted him as telling reporters.

Malaysia introduced the visa-on-arrival facility in 2006 to many countries including India and Bangladesh to boost tourist arrivals, the Department of Immigration website showed.

But last year, immigration officials called for the programme to be scrapped as many Indians and Bangladeshis were overstaying to find work in plantations and restaurants, media reports say.

A magnet for unskilled and semi-skilled Asian labour, Malaysia is home to around 3 million foreign workers, 1 million of whom are working illegally.

Most of the foreign workers are from Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. Malaysia has 26 million people but many locals shun jobs they consider dirty, dangerous and difficult.

Malaysia has resorted to caning to help deter the influx of illegal workers, which human rights groups say is cruel and punitive.

The government denies that the use of the cane is widespread against illegal immigrants and insists it is reserved mainly for the traffickers of illegal immigrants in addition to drug-traffickers and violent criminals.

Source: Reuters

‘Lets Build Bangladesh’ road show kicks off

A road show, ‘Let’s Build Bangladesh’, started from the capital yesterday with five agenda to rejuvenate all classes of people, including farmers, to boost production and fight out corruption.

Agriculture Adviser Dr CS Karim formally inaugurated the road show, which will travel to 55 districts in next 50 days-from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar and Panchagrah-and return to the capital. Eleven trucks joined the road show.

The slogans of the road show include more production to meet the food deficit, fight corruption, free and fair election, and establish honest leadership.

Inaugurating the road show, the Adviser said the program is designed to express gratitude to the farmers for bumper Boro production this year, encourage

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them to go for more production next year and cultivate arable lands, fight out corruption and elect honest representatives through the next elections.

During the road show, the organizers will involve common people in the campaign while passing through different districts. Fairs and cultural shows will be arranged to create public awareness to build Bangladesh as a beautiful nation.

Source: The New Nation

Thousands throng Zia’s mazar: 27th death anniversary observed

President and Chief Adviser are at Zia’s grave

President Iajuddin Ahmed, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, Speaker barrister Jamiruddin Sircar and Deputy Speaker advocate Akhter Hamid Siddiqui paid their respects at the late president’s grave Friday morning.

Malaysia says foreign cars will pay more for fuel

Owners of foreign-registered vehicles will have to pay more for petrol in Malaysia under a plan to curb spiralling fuel subsidies, reports said Thursday.

Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop said the measure was part of a fuel subsidy reform plan to be announced before the 2009 national budget, which is expected to be presented to parliament in September.

The government earlier this week announced an interim measure banning petrol stations near the borders with Thailand and Singapore from selling fuel to foreign-registered vehicles.

The new initiative to permit sales to foreigners, but at a non-subsidised price, is likely to be approved at a cabinet meeting on Friday, the official news agency Bernama reported.

Despite dismay over the plans from tourism operators who rely on business from Singaporeans and Thais who make trips to shop and refuel in Malaysia, Nor Yakcop insisted the industry would not suffer.

“No it wouldn’t. Tourists who come in, they can certainly buy (petrol) in non-border towns … there is no problem but in the border towns … there has been absolute misuse by people along the border who come and buy and go off to sell back (the petrol) to their country,” he told Bernama.

“Why should we give subsidies to foreign smugglers,” he added.

The move is an attempt to minimise fuel subsidies which is expected to cost Malaysia 45 billion ringgit (146.3 billion dollars) this year based on an oil price of 120 dollars per barrel.

“Foreigners will definitely have to pay the full price when we make the announcement and (when we) enforce it immediately,” Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in The Star daily Thursday.

Source: AFP