Nepalese doctors strike to protest alleged nepotism =

Kathmandu (dpa) - Hundreds of doctors in Nepal went on strike in support of a colleague's hunger strike against alleged political senior hospital appointments, police said Monday.

Three dozen protestors were briefly detained for demonstrating in a prohibited zone after marching toward the government's administrative hub of Singha Durbar, police said.

Doctors stopped providing all but emergency treatment at hospitals across Nepal Sunday to support doctor Govinda KC, whose hunger strike entered its ninth day Monday.

The doctor says the dean of the Institute of Medicine at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital where he works was appointed thanks to his political connections. He has asked the government to revoke the dean's appointment, and reconsider several others.

More than 300 members of the Nepal Medical Association gathered in Kathmandu, saying they would continue their strike unless Govinda KC's demands are fulfilled.

Doctors treating him said his health was failing.

The government has directed Tribhuvan University to reconsider its recent appointments.

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## dpa Contacts
- Reporting by: Pratibha Tuladhar
- Editing by: Chris Dickson
Tel: +66 2 7142073; <englishservice@dpa.com>
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First member of Nepal's new constituent assembly sworn in =

Kathmandu (dpa) - The first member of Nepal's Constituent Asssembly was sworn in Monday, as the body prepares to pick up the task of drafting a constitution, pending since 2008.

Surya Bahadur Thapa, 85, took the oath in front of President Ram Baran Yadav, and was to serve as the assembly's chair until an official speaker is nominated.

Thapa, also the chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantara Party, served as prime minister five times under three different kings.

Nepal's first Constituent Assembly, elected in 2008, was dissolved in May after failing to agree a draft constitution on time.

The country's 10-year civil war ended in 2006, but persistent disagreements have held up the drafting of a new constitution.

The remaining members of the new assembly were to be sworn in on Tuesday, with the first meeting due Wednesday.

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## dpa Contacts

- Reporting by: Pratibha Tuladhar
- Editing by: Chris Dickson
Tel: +66 2 7142073; <englishservice@dpa.com>
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Fast, doctors strike held in Nepal to protest political appointees =

Kathmandu (dpa) - Doctors stopped providing all but emergency treatment at hospitals across Nepal Sunday to support a colleague on hunger strike to protest political appointments at hospitals, the Nepal Doctors Association said.

Govinda KC, a doctor at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, started his fast a week ago, asking the government to revoke the appointment of the dean of the university's Institute of Medicine and reconsider other recent appointments.

Doctors said they would continue their strike unless KC's demands are fulfilled.

Doctors attending KC said his health was failing.

The government directed Tribhuvan University to reconsider recent appointments.

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## dpa Contacts
- Reporting by: Pratibha Tuladhar
- Editing by: Lea Ann Schnakenberg
Tel: +49 30 2852 31472; <englishservice@dpa.com>

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Nepal's "living goddesses" to receive allowance after retirement =

Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepal's famous Kumaris - prepubescent girls considered to be incarnations of a Hindu goddess - will receive retirement benefits starting June, the government announced on Tuesday.

The provision, which sees former Kumaris receiving a monthly allowance of 10,000 rupees (101 dollars), will benefit around 10 girls who were stripped of the title upon reaching puberty.

"This is a gesture to extend our tribute to the former Kumaris," Kathmandu Metropolitan City chief Laxman Aryal said at a press conference.

The Kumari is a virgin deity, regarded as the protector of the ancient Kingdom of Nepal. The girls are selected at an early age and have to go through rituals to attain the title, including spending time in seclusion.

The tradition is a controversial one, with rights activists criticizing the practice of installing the girls at such an early age. Kumaris received no formal education before 2008.

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## dpa Contacts

- Reporting by: Pratibha Tuladhar
- Editing by: Friederike Heine
Tel: +49 30 2852 31472; <englishservice@dpa.com>

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Nepal's highest court rejects blanket amnesty plan =

Kathmandu (dpa) - Nepal's Supreme Court said on Thursday it had asked the government to amend an ordinance calling for a blanket amnesty in cases relating to the country's decade-long Maoist uprising.

The Maoist insurgency, between 1996 and 2006, ended with the signing of a peace pact. More than 16,000 people died in the war, and there were more than 1,200 forced disappearances.

The ordinance has been criticized by human rights activists and the international community because it proposed an amnesty for all crimes committed during the period of conflict.

The National Human Rights Commission objected to it, saying it breached international standards.

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The following information is not for publication

## dpa Contacts
- Reporting by: Pratibha Tuladhar
- Editing by: Andrew Bolton
Tel: +49 30 2852 31472; <englishservice@dpa.com>

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Seven killed, four missing in Nepal landslide =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Seven members of one family were killed in a landslide brought on by incessant rainfall in eastern Nepal, police said.

   Four others went missing in the incident that swept away three houses in Taplejung district.

   Security personnel with the help of locals were searching for the missing. Three people were rescued.
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Protesters demand end to "slavery" in western Nepal =

   Kathmandu (dpa) - Former child labourers are demanding the government abolish Nepal's kamalari system of bonded labour that protesters called a form of slavery, Wednesday.

   Girls from poor communities in the western plains region are often sold by parents into indentured servitude.

   Nepal outlawed slavery in 1921, but the practice continues in various forms, enslaving families for several generations.

   A strike called by the Freed Kamalari Struggle Committee affected 22 western districts, shutting schools, markets and industries this week.

   The protesters also demanded an investigation into the murder of a girl who was allegedly burnt to death by her employers.

   On Tuesday, police broke up demonstrations and arrested protesters.
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