Friday, March 24, 2006

Hridayesh Tripathy Released


General Secretary of NSP-A released

General Secretary of NSP-A released

The government on Friday released Hridayash Tripathi, general secretary of Nepal Sadbhawana Party-Anandidevi (NSP-A), following a Supreme Court (SC)’s order.

A special SC bench of justices Gauri Dhakal and Rajendra Koirala ordered the authorities to release Tripathi, saying there was no valid reason to prolong his detention.

Tripathi was in government detention from January 19, a day ahead of the proposed mass meeting of the seven-party alliance in the capital.

Talking to journalists upon being released Tripathi said, “There is no alternative to going to constituent assembly elections to resolve the present political stalemate of the country.” nepalnews.com pb Mar 24 06

NSP (A) leader Tripathi arrested; Pradip Nepal released

Phone Talk With Madhav Nepal, Hridayesh Tripathy 28 Nov 2005
Madhesi 25 Nov 2005
Hridayesh Tripathy
Phone Talk With Hridayesh Tripathy 14 May 2005

This piece of news speaks to me personally. Kudos Supreme Court. I am glad Tripathy is finally out.

I am set to meet up with Sher Bahadur Deuba and Arzu Rana-Deuba in less than three hours at their hotel here in New York City. This will be the third time in less than three days. And there is another event with him this evening.

The first time I met him was at a private dinner party. Then there was the program at Columbia. Now I am set to video interview the couple.

Some of the anger at the regime I expressed during the program was partly to do with Tripathy's arrest. His arrest has felt personal.

But they are still misbehaving with Madhav Nepal big time. That is not in their best interests. Madhav Nepal has to be released, plain and simple.

No talks are possible unless all political prisoners are released immediately and unconditionally.

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Nepal's 'rhino diplomacy' raises a stink in Austria

March 22, 2006

By Sudeshna Sarkar, Indo-Asian News Service

Kathmandu, March 22 (IANS) An attempt by isolated Nepal to reach out to Europe by gifting a pair of rhinos to an Austrian zoo has raised a storm in that country, with the opposition there warning the government not to have any truck with visiting Crown Prince Paras.



In the latest twist to the 'rhino diplomacy', the foreign policy spokesperson of Austria's Green Party, Lunacek Ulrike, has urged the Austrian government not to have any contact with a 'regime that violates human rights'.

The storm erupted this week after Nepal's media reported that Paras, the highly unpopular heir to the throne, was to visit Austria, France and the United Arab Emirates, with his wife, Crown Princess Himani, Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey, and an entourage that would cost the cash-strapped government about Nepali Rs.60 million.

Since the budget allocated for high-level visits - about Rs.90 million - had already been spent, the obedient finance ministry diverted the money meant for government employees to foot the bill, the Kathmandu Post daily reported.

The Nepal government, increasingly cold-shouldered by the international community since King Gyanendra seized power last year and refused to step down, tried to project Paras' Austria trip as an official one made at the invitation of Chancellor Wolfgang Schusel.

However, the local media said the invite actually came from the Zoo Schonbrunn. Nepal had gifted two one-horned rhinos for the zoo's rhino park. The reports were lent credence by the fact that no Austrian government officials were present at the Vienna airport Monday to receive the Nepali entourage.

Now, alarmed by the snowballing controversy, Chancellor Schusel, who was earlier scheduled to attend the inauguration of the rhino park, has instead deputed Minister of Economics and Labour Martin Bartenstein and State Secretary of Finance Alfred Finz to attend the ceremony.

But even that decision has come under fire from the opposition.

Ulrike has warned the Austrian government that at a time when Austria holds the presidency of the European Union, it would be 'a very sensitive matter to have contact with a regime that violates human rights'.

The royal regime in Nepal would misuse such contact as an official visit and try to legitimise itself through the EU, the Green Party warned the government.

Asking the two deputed government officials not to attend the zoo ceremony, Ulrike also delivered a tacit warning.

'It looks more important to the two officials to have a photo with rhinos along with the prince, a representative of the autocratic monarchy of Nepal, in view of their upcoming parliamentary election rather than respect political rationality,' she said.

'But they might find themselves at the centre of a scandal if they meet the crown prince of Nepal during the official opening of the rhino park.'

To: bundesbuero@gruene.at, michaela.sburny@gruene.at, ulrike.lunacek@gruene.at, planet@gruene.at, presse@gruene.at, jvoggenhuber@europarl.eu.int, elichtenberger@europarl.eu.int

Thank you for expressing solidarity with the democracy movement in Nepal.

Green Party, Austria

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