HR activists return empty handed By Utpal Raj Misra DANG, July 19 - The seven-member Human Rights "observation team" that had walked to Nuwagaun of Rolpa district hoping to free the 69 abducted policemen from Maoist captivity returned here to this mid western district empty handed. They also accused the government for disseminating false news on the issue. "We did not see any Royal Nepal Army (RNA) personnel nor the abducted policemen there. After taking with Maoists there, we felt that the situation is not as tensed as made out," said Dr Mathura Shrestha, one of the team members. [...] ... contrary to earlier reports, the Gorakh Bahadur Battalion (that was said to have been deployed to Nuwagaun as part of the army action) is still here in Dang. "The entire battalion of 600-700 personnel have been camping inside the premises of Bhagwati Prasad Company at Gorahi.They have not been deployed anywhere since the last couple of weeks," military sources said. [...] So far, even the police here seem to be relying on news published by various newspapers. "We don't have any information as we have nobody coming from Nuwagaun and giving us the reports," said District Superintendent of Police Sharad Raj Sharma, at the District Police Office here in Gorahi, Dang. Full text: http://www.kantipuronline.com/kpost_html/kp_frontpg.htm#HR activists return empty handed
Latest from the BBC at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1448000/1448259.stm Friday, 20 July, 2001, 08:19 GMT 09:19 UK Nepal contender urges dialogue One of the contenders for the post of prime minister in Nepal, Chakra Prasad Bastola, says he favours holding talks with the leader of the country's Maoist rebels.