REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, Sept 4: Various TV stations here have aired a controversial and explosive audio tape, supposedly of a phone conversation between Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara and a Chinese official.
In the phone conversation, Mahara (as claimed by the TV stations) asks the man at the other end of the phone, who spoke with a Chinese accent, for financial help of 500 million rupees, needed to influence 50 lawmakers to vote for the Maoist chairman in the upcoming election for prime minister.
Republica could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio tape. We also could not talk to any Chinese embassy official for their comment on the contents of the audio tape, but Maoist leader Mahara has refuted the audio tape, in a statement issued late evening on Friday.
Mahara refutes TV reports
The UCPN (Maoist) has refuted news broadcasts by several television stations about purported talks between the party´s leader, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, and Chinese officials.
Issuing a press statement, Maoist International Bureau chief Krishna Bahadur Mahara said the presentation tilted Exclusive News aired by the Nepal 1 channel on Friday evening has left him stunned.
“I wish to clarify that the broadcast audio tape purportedly on exchanges with Chinese officials for purposes of horse-trading and to which my name has been linked is fabricated and totally baseless, misleading and fictitious,” he said.
Mahara said in the statement that the news report was a fabrication of lies in a calculated attempt at character assassination against him personally, and to sabotage the positive initiative taken by the party to end the current political deadlock. “I urge one and all not to be misled by such lies,” he added.
*********************************************
The text below is a transcription of the audio aired by the Nepal1 TV station:
Unknown person with Chinese accent: Mr Mahara, how is the trend in Nepal? And the next election is coming up and do you think hoping in the result?
Mahara: It is very near, right now it is also not clear.
Unknown person: Do you think Maoists can get enough seats?
Mahara: No chance. We are trying but it is so difficult.
Unknown person: What causing the problem to enough seats?
Mahara: We have already 10 to 15 seats but maybe around 50.
Unknown person: You need additional 50? And Mr Mahara what kind of help could help you to get the 50 seats?
Mahara: That is most difficult task, because the south center there are guided, control to them. So the first thing, it is necessary to neutralize south. Second thing some of the money also needed.
Unknown person: What the amount you are talking about?
Mahara: It is not clear. It must be discussed with our chairman.
Unknown person: Mr Mahara, I have one of my friends who is thinking about to help but he cannot come to Nepal. So we are wondering if there is possible we can set up a meeting somewhere else.
Mahara: Where is his convenience?
Unknown person: Do you think Hong Kong is possible for you?
Mahara: With whom does he want to meet?
Unknown person: For this matter only, you and the chairman. Nobody else.
Mahara: It is very difficult to move here and there to our chairman. When he goes to the Hong Kong everybody propagates. Because he was … (as heard) prime minister and he is the candidate of the prime minister also.
Unknown person: So you represent him to meet with my friend?
Mahara: Yes, I am ready, everywhere I can go, here and there, but this message must be sent to him - to our Prachanda. If you send the message to Prachanda and if it is difficult to you, then he can give me all authority.
Unknown person: OK, this our plan, Mr Mahara. We are thinking about to meet you first to talk about detail how to help Maoist to get the 50 seats.
Mahara: The most important place is if you have the China, China means in the Chengdu. It is the best place nobody knows.
Unknown person: This is very sensitive and we don´t want to have anything to do with between the government, you know that what I mean.
Mahara: Then Singapore is another place. In Hong Kong, there are lots of Nepalis, but Singapore is best.
Unknown person: …let me talk to my friend.
Mahara: Hong Kong also maybe... This evening I will call you.
Unknown person: Can you let me know me the possibilities of Hong Kong, next two days?
Mahara: In this phone?
Unknown person: Yes, I am waiting for your call by this number.
Mahara: From your source you must send this message to our chairman.
Unknown person: You want me to talk to Mr Chairman? I will call, OK.
**************************************************
Mahara: Your suggestion - I have talked with my chairman and we have also discussed. One thing is that someone is also talking with our chairman, that is correct.
Unknown person: I don´t know, so far from my side only my friend, me, you and Mr Chairman.
Mahara: But he has not concrete only this is the but I have discussed with my chairman. And he says because the election is now only four days left - from outside, minimum 50 members need. For 50 members, if we cost them then they minimum 10 million Nepalese rupees (1 crore) per person.
Unknown person: 10 million per person, that is 100 lac per person?
Mahara: Yes, 100 lac Nepalese rupees per person.
Unknown person: Alright. Actually, the friend that I have mentioned he might be… but I don´t want to mention his name over the phone for his own protection. Mr Mahara, you can come up with some kind of help; he wants to talk to you first because he needs to know detail due to his … if you will be able to pay a visit in Hong Kong.
Mahara: Yes, it is OK, but Hong Kong is there are so many Nepalese.
Unknown person: For other countries he will need the special visa and that will be people´s attention that he does not want but for Hong Kong he can go there and nobody will know from here.
Mahara: When?
Unknown person: We are open at any time but for you when will be good time?
Mahara: But it is only four days because we need before four days but I will try to tomorrow or today.
Unknown person: How long you need to stay in Hong Kong? One night?
Mahara: Yes, one night is sufficient.
Unknown person: OK, we can go anytime. So it is upto you.
Mahara: So I call to this 10 or 12 o´clock this afternoon. I can go this evening also. For discussion to me it is not sensitive but I can arrange anything in another side - another side means the side I suppose just I called an another name and please see my email. Please open after 10 minutes.
Unknown person: Yes, I am going to meeting, probably I will be able to check my email around 10 am Nepalese time and Mr Mahara if you go to the Hong Kong you just need to tell me the place where I can pick you up.
Mahara: OK.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=22907
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Ban Ki-moon may propose ending UNMIN's Nepal mandate
KATHMANDU, Sept 4: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that he will propose termination of the mandate of UNMIN, the United Nations Mission in Nepal, if parties here fail to reach consensus on fulfilling their commitments on the future of the Nepal Army and the Maoist combatants and the phasing out of UNMIN.
Ban´s warning relating to the future of UNMIN, whose next term extension beyond September 15 is under discussion, appears in his new report to be submitted to the UN
Security Council. The Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, September 7.
An advance copy of the report has been circulated to Nepal and UN Security Council members only.
“Should these discussions [on UNMIN´s mandate] offer neither clarity over the role of the Mission [UNMIN] nor any prospect of consensus among the parties to the CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement] and AMMAA [Agreement on Management and Monitoring of Arms and Armies] regarding a realistic and time-bound fulfillment of their commitments concerning the armies and the phasing out of UNMIN monitoring, then I will propose alternative measures to the Council, including the possible termination of UNMIN´s mandate,” Ban said in the report.
Established in January 2007 by the Security Council, UNMIN´s sixth term expires on September 15 and its next term has become a matter of controversy among political parties. The government is likely to take a decision on the future of the UN´s political mission next week, according to Peace Minister Rakam Chemjong.
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who received a copy of the report on Friday, is currently busy in consultations with parties and ambassadors representing the UNSC countries in Kathmandu over what should be done about UNMIN.
Earlier in the 10-page report, Ban expressed his concern over Nepal´s request for short term extensions and frequent attacks on UNMIN by the government and other agencies at different times. Ban has further said that the mission has been repeatedly made a “scapegoat for matters which lie beyond its mandate”.
"I am not in favor of repeated extensions of the Mission´s mandate in an atmosphere of persistent and unfounded criticism that complicates its ability to function.
-- Ban Ki-moon"
“Since January 2010, the Council has acceded to two requests for four-month extensions of the mission. I am not in favor of repeated extensions of the Mission´s mandate in an atmosphere of persistent and unfounded criticism that complicates its ability to function,” Ban has said.
Politicians and senior ministers representing non-Maoist parties have often criticized UNMIN for its role in monitoring the peace process. Since its last term extension in May alone, the mission has been dragged into two major controversies.
It was widely criticized after its 60-week plan of action for management of Maoist combatants was leaked to media. UNMIN was accused of doing something that does not fall under its mandate. Second, the army recently accused the mission of being tilted toward the Maoists.
In the past, UNMIN was accused of not properly monitoring the Maoist combatants in cantonments.
Ban, in his report, further expressed dissatisfaction over the parties failing to implement their commitments on the peace process that, he said, has made no notable headway since his last report to the Council in April.
“The six extensions of UNMIN´s mandate have taken place on the unfulfilled expectation, and the commitment of the government, that remaining key tasks of the peace process would be brought to a close,” he said, adding that the commitments have become unrealistic in the absence of a consensual approach.
Stating that Nepal is being governed by a caretaker government and the parties are paying more attention to the formation of a new government, Ban has recommend that the Security Council roll over UNMIN´s current mandate in order to permit the necessary discussions to take place with a duly formed government.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=22919
Ban´s warning relating to the future of UNMIN, whose next term extension beyond September 15 is under discussion, appears in his new report to be submitted to the UN
Security Council. The Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, September 7.
An advance copy of the report has been circulated to Nepal and UN Security Council members only.
“Should these discussions [on UNMIN´s mandate] offer neither clarity over the role of the Mission [UNMIN] nor any prospect of consensus among the parties to the CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement] and AMMAA [Agreement on Management and Monitoring of Arms and Armies] regarding a realistic and time-bound fulfillment of their commitments concerning the armies and the phasing out of UNMIN monitoring, then I will propose alternative measures to the Council, including the possible termination of UNMIN´s mandate,” Ban said in the report.
Established in January 2007 by the Security Council, UNMIN´s sixth term expires on September 15 and its next term has become a matter of controversy among political parties. The government is likely to take a decision on the future of the UN´s political mission next week, according to Peace Minister Rakam Chemjong.
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who received a copy of the report on Friday, is currently busy in consultations with parties and ambassadors representing the UNSC countries in Kathmandu over what should be done about UNMIN.
Earlier in the 10-page report, Ban expressed his concern over Nepal´s request for short term extensions and frequent attacks on UNMIN by the government and other agencies at different times. Ban has further said that the mission has been repeatedly made a “scapegoat for matters which lie beyond its mandate”.
"I am not in favor of repeated extensions of the Mission´s mandate in an atmosphere of persistent and unfounded criticism that complicates its ability to function.
-- Ban Ki-moon"
“Since January 2010, the Council has acceded to two requests for four-month extensions of the mission. I am not in favor of repeated extensions of the Mission´s mandate in an atmosphere of persistent and unfounded criticism that complicates its ability to function,” Ban has said.
Politicians and senior ministers representing non-Maoist parties have often criticized UNMIN for its role in monitoring the peace process. Since its last term extension in May alone, the mission has been dragged into two major controversies.
It was widely criticized after its 60-week plan of action for management of Maoist combatants was leaked to media. UNMIN was accused of doing something that does not fall under its mandate. Second, the army recently accused the mission of being tilted toward the Maoists.
In the past, UNMIN was accused of not properly monitoring the Maoist combatants in cantonments.
Ban, in his report, further expressed dissatisfaction over the parties failing to implement their commitments on the peace process that, he said, has made no notable headway since his last report to the Council in April.
“The six extensions of UNMIN´s mandate have taken place on the unfulfilled expectation, and the commitment of the government, that remaining key tasks of the peace process would be brought to a close,” he said, adding that the commitments have become unrealistic in the absence of a consensual approach.
Stating that Nepal is being governed by a caretaker government and the parties are paying more attention to the formation of a new government, Ban has recommend that the Security Council roll over UNMIN´s current mandate in order to permit the necessary discussions to take place with a duly formed government.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=22919
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Nepali doctor claims first use of NOTES
KATHMANDU, Sept 2: Senior gynecologist and laparoscopic specialist Dr Gyanendra Karki claims to have first used Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) in December, 2006 though it is internationally accepted that the technique was used for the first time on human beings in 2007.
Wikipedia says a NOTES Research Group in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil lead by Dr Ricardo Zorron performed the first series of trans-vaginal NOTES cholecystectomies (removal of gall bladder) on four patients in early March, 2007.
But Dr Karki said he conducted a trans-vaginal NOTES appendectomy (removal of appendix) at Birat Nursing Home in Biratnagar in December, 2006. Dr Karki said he has conducted many trans-vaginal NOTES cholecystectomies after that.
“I even presented papers at a conference of the Society of Surgeons of Nepal (SSN) in 2007,” Dr Karki, 50, said over the phone from Biratnagar. Executive committee member of SSN Dr Sunil Sharma confirmed that Dr Karki had presented papers verifying his use of the technique.
“I´m just a surgeon doing my work. I don´t have time for publicizing my deeds,” Dr Karki said in a matter-of-fact manner when asked why he didn´t tell media about it then.
“I don´t have any regrets over not getting international recognition personally but it would have been great to have Nepal´s name figure in the international medical community. Maybe SSN could have forwarded the papers and pushed for international recognition then,” he added.
NOTES is the technique special in that it leaves no surgical scar. NOTES is performed by passing an endoscope through natural openings like the mouth, urethra, vagina and anus.
Dr Karki did his MD (Doctor of Medicine) from the First Leningrad Medical Institute in Russia in 1986 and his MS (Master of Science) and PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) from the same institute in 1991 and 2007 respectively.
“I am a gynecologist very familiar with the vagina. I mulled why did I have to make a scar in the abdomen to remove a woman´s appendix when it could be done through the vagina, and tried out the technique,” Dr Karki said about his inspiration for using the novel technique in 2006.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=22847
Wikipedia says a NOTES Research Group in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil lead by Dr Ricardo Zorron performed the first series of trans-vaginal NOTES cholecystectomies (removal of gall bladder) on four patients in early March, 2007.
But Dr Karki said he conducted a trans-vaginal NOTES appendectomy (removal of appendix) at Birat Nursing Home in Biratnagar in December, 2006. Dr Karki said he has conducted many trans-vaginal NOTES cholecystectomies after that.
“I even presented papers at a conference of the Society of Surgeons of Nepal (SSN) in 2007,” Dr Karki, 50, said over the phone from Biratnagar. Executive committee member of SSN Dr Sunil Sharma confirmed that Dr Karki had presented papers verifying his use of the technique.
“I´m just a surgeon doing my work. I don´t have time for publicizing my deeds,” Dr Karki said in a matter-of-fact manner when asked why he didn´t tell media about it then.
“I don´t have any regrets over not getting international recognition personally but it would have been great to have Nepal´s name figure in the international medical community. Maybe SSN could have forwarded the papers and pushed for international recognition then,” he added.
NOTES is the technique special in that it leaves no surgical scar. NOTES is performed by passing an endoscope through natural openings like the mouth, urethra, vagina and anus.
Dr Karki did his MD (Doctor of Medicine) from the First Leningrad Medical Institute in Russia in 1986 and his MS (Master of Science) and PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) from the same institute in 1991 and 2007 respectively.
“I am a gynecologist very familiar with the vagina. I mulled why did I have to make a scar in the abdomen to remove a woman´s appendix when it could be done through the vagina, and tried out the technique,” Dr Karki said about his inspiration for using the novel technique in 2006.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=22847
Manpower biz remembers 'Black Day'
RSS
KATHMANDU: Foreign employment entrepreneurs celebrated Sept. 1 as a Black Day.
In memory of the riots that followed the murder of 12 Nepalis in Iraq vandalised manpower agencies on the day in 2004, they took out a rally from Minbhawan and converged into an assembly at Thapagau.
Addressing the gathering, chairman of Foreign Employment Entrepreneurs' Association Som Lal Bataju said the government should provide compensation for manpower agencies for the damage incurred in the vandalism.
Association's former chairman Tilak Bahadur Ranabhat said the foreign employment sector has developed as one of the backbones of the country's economy.
KATHMANDU: Foreign employment entrepreneurs celebrated Sept. 1 as a Black Day.
In memory of the riots that followed the murder of 12 Nepalis in Iraq vandalised manpower agencies on the day in 2004, they took out a rally from Minbhawan and converged into an assembly at Thapagau.
Addressing the gathering, chairman of Foreign Employment Entrepreneurs' Association Som Lal Bataju said the government should provide compensation for manpower agencies for the damage incurred in the vandalism.
Association's former chairman Tilak Bahadur Ranabhat said the foreign employment sector has developed as one of the backbones of the country's economy.
Ktm belle sashays to Miss Nepal 2010 title
THT ONLINE
KATHMANDU: Sadichha Shrestha from Kathmandu was crowned Miss Nepal 2010 in a glittering ceremony in Kathmandu on Wednesday evening.
Sahana Bajracharya became the first runner-up and Sanyukta Timsina won the second runner-up title. There were 18 finalists in the beauty pageant.
Shrestha won three other titles--Miss Photogenic, Miss Smart Walk and Miss Personaltiy--also.
Shrestha will represent Nepal in the Miss World 2010 to be held in Sanya, China.
She bagged a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a Chery QQ3 Car.
The pageant was live telecast by the state-owned Nepal Television.
The first runner-up received Rs 35,000 and 125 CC Mahindra Scooter, while the second runner-up won a purse of Rs 25,000.
The Dabur Special Hair Oil sponsored the pageant while co-sponsors were Safety Sanitary Pads and Bama Motors. The other supporters were Mahindra Rodeo, Nepal Airlines, Philippines Airlines, Creative Photo Session Studio, Dreams and Idea, Orbit International and Ganapati Jewelers.
The finalists were given grooming and confidence-building exercises by the best professionals in the country with special emphasis on women empowerment, rights of single women, Nepal Tourism Year 2011, among other topics. To help them stay focussed, they were also kept in a three-day closed camp.
1st Runner-up: Sahana Bajracharya
2nd Runner-up: Sanyukta Timsina
Title-------------------Winners
Miss Beautiful Hair: Sujata Swar
Miss Photogenic: Sadichha Shrestha
Miss Beautiful Smile: Anita Acharya
Miss Smart Walk: Sadichha Shrestha
Miss Personality: Sadichha Shrestha
Miss Beautiful Complexion: Priya Rani Lama
Miss Friendship: Chandani Dewaju
Miss Talent: Pushpanjali KC
Miss Public Choice: Sanyukta Timsina
KATHMANDU: Sadichha Shrestha from Kathmandu was crowned Miss Nepal 2010 in a glittering ceremony in Kathmandu on Wednesday evening.
Sahana Bajracharya became the first runner-up and Sanyukta Timsina won the second runner-up title. There were 18 finalists in the beauty pageant.
Shrestha won three other titles--Miss Photogenic, Miss Smart Walk and Miss Personaltiy--also.
Shrestha will represent Nepal in the Miss World 2010 to be held in Sanya, China.
She bagged a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a Chery QQ3 Car.
The pageant was live telecast by the state-owned Nepal Television.
The first runner-up received Rs 35,000 and 125 CC Mahindra Scooter, while the second runner-up won a purse of Rs 25,000.
The Dabur Special Hair Oil sponsored the pageant while co-sponsors were Safety Sanitary Pads and Bama Motors. The other supporters were Mahindra Rodeo, Nepal Airlines, Philippines Airlines, Creative Photo Session Studio, Dreams and Idea, Orbit International and Ganapati Jewelers.
The finalists were given grooming and confidence-building exercises by the best professionals in the country with special emphasis on women empowerment, rights of single women, Nepal Tourism Year 2011, among other topics. To help them stay focussed, they were also kept in a three-day closed camp.
1st Runner-up: Sahana Bajracharya
2nd Runner-up: Sanyukta Timsina
Title-------------------Winners
Miss Beautiful Hair: Sujata Swar
Miss Photogenic: Sadichha Shrestha
Miss Beautiful Smile: Anita Acharya
Miss Smart Walk: Sadichha Shrestha
Miss Personality: Sadichha Shrestha
Miss Beautiful Complexion: Priya Rani Lama
Miss Friendship: Chandani Dewaju
Miss Talent: Pushpanjali KC
Miss Public Choice: Sanyukta Timsina
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
'Black box' found from Agni Air crash site
THT ONLINE
KATHMANDU: The District Police Office, Makawanpur, on Tuesday informed the Agni Air plane crash probe commission that it has found an equipment from the incident site in the district that appears to be black box.
According to Co-ordinator of the panel Kumar Upadhyay Chalise, a senior polic officer told its member secretary Suresh Acharya that the find was dug out from 15 feet down using excavator.
However, it is yet to be confirmed whether it is the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) or Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). Talking to THT Online, Upadhayay said that a team of experts will be sent to Makawanpur tomorrow to examine the equipment.
A five-member panel was formed to look into the fatal air crash in Bastipur, Shikharpur of Makawanpur district on August 24.
Meanwhile, SP Ram Kumar Shrestha at the District Police Office told our Makawanpur reporter that both the FDR and the CVR have been found. According to him, the FDR is slightly damaged while the CVR is intact and alright.
The authorities had announced a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 for the ones who would find the equipment that can help find the reasons of the crash.
All 14 people on board the Dornier aircraft were killed when it was returning to Kathmandu after failing to land in Lukla of Solukhumbu in the rainy morning.
KATHMANDU: The District Police Office, Makawanpur, on Tuesday informed the Agni Air plane crash probe commission that it has found an equipment from the incident site in the district that appears to be black box.
According to Co-ordinator of the panel Kumar Upadhyay Chalise, a senior polic officer told its member secretary Suresh Acharya that the find was dug out from 15 feet down using excavator.
However, it is yet to be confirmed whether it is the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) or Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). Talking to THT Online, Upadhayay said that a team of experts will be sent to Makawanpur tomorrow to examine the equipment.
A five-member panel was formed to look into the fatal air crash in Bastipur, Shikharpur of Makawanpur district on August 24.
Meanwhile, SP Ram Kumar Shrestha at the District Police Office told our Makawanpur reporter that both the FDR and the CVR have been found. According to him, the FDR is slightly damaged while the CVR is intact and alright.
The authorities had announced a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 for the ones who would find the equipment that can help find the reasons of the crash.
All 14 people on board the Dornier aircraft were killed when it was returning to Kathmandu after failing to land in Lukla of Solukhumbu in the rainy morning.
Black box of Agni recovered
KATHMANDU, Sept 1: On the seventh day of the crash, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of Agni airlines´ Dornier aircraft that crashed on August 24 has been recovered, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has confirmed.
Although two devices have been recovered from the crash site, it is yet unclear whether the second device is Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR).
The FDR and CVR form crucial parts of the black box which can determine the real cause of the crash.
“Local police reported to us that an object was recovered from beneath the crater left by the crash. We are almost certain that it is the aircraft´s black box,” said Suresh Acharya, spokesperson for a committee formed by the government to probe the crash, adding, “A team of experts that is likely to fly to the district on Wednesday will confirm whether it is indeed the black box.”
Both the objects were found by a police team that was carrying out excavation at the crash site, according to Makawanpur´s Superintendent of Police Ram Prasad Shrestha.
“One of the objects is orange in color and weighs about five kilograms. Another, which weighs around eight kilograms, has been slightly damaged by the impact of the crash,” Shrestha told myrepublica.com. The box was identified on Tuesday evening at 5 pm.
It has also been revealed that a chunk of a human body has been recovered from the crash site. In addition, sources have informed myrepublica.com that other charred human remains have been recovered as well.
CAAN sources said that the government will send the FDR for decoding in Bangalore, India, as soon as it is brought to the capital city.
The recovered body parts will be brought to Kathmandu from the site on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the American embassy in Kathmandu has said that it is “pleased” to hear that the black box has been recovered.
“We are pleased that the box has been recovered at this stage and we are sure that the government will do the needful to take the investigation further,” the spokesperson for the embassy said. The US government has its forensic scientists working with the government of Nepal at present.
The families of the crash victims have demanded that the remains not be burnt at the site and be brought to Kathmandu for DNA testing.
Fourteen persons, including eleven passengers and three crew members, died on August 24 when the Lukla-bound airplane crashed in Shikharpur of Makawanpur while returning to Kathmandu after it failed to land at Lukla airport. Among those killed were four Americans, a Japanese and a British national.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=22796
Although two devices have been recovered from the crash site, it is yet unclear whether the second device is Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR).
The FDR and CVR form crucial parts of the black box which can determine the real cause of the crash.
“Local police reported to us that an object was recovered from beneath the crater left by the crash. We are almost certain that it is the aircraft´s black box,” said Suresh Acharya, spokesperson for a committee formed by the government to probe the crash, adding, “A team of experts that is likely to fly to the district on Wednesday will confirm whether it is indeed the black box.”
Both the objects were found by a police team that was carrying out excavation at the crash site, according to Makawanpur´s Superintendent of Police Ram Prasad Shrestha.
“One of the objects is orange in color and weighs about five kilograms. Another, which weighs around eight kilograms, has been slightly damaged by the impact of the crash,” Shrestha told myrepublica.com. The box was identified on Tuesday evening at 5 pm.
It has also been revealed that a chunk of a human body has been recovered from the crash site. In addition, sources have informed myrepublica.com that other charred human remains have been recovered as well.
CAAN sources said that the government will send the FDR for decoding in Bangalore, India, as soon as it is brought to the capital city.
The recovered body parts will be brought to Kathmandu from the site on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the American embassy in Kathmandu has said that it is “pleased” to hear that the black box has been recovered.
“We are pleased that the box has been recovered at this stage and we are sure that the government will do the needful to take the investigation further,” the spokesperson for the embassy said. The US government has its forensic scientists working with the government of Nepal at present.
The families of the crash victims have demanded that the remains not be burnt at the site and be brought to Kathmandu for DNA testing.
Fourteen persons, including eleven passengers and three crew members, died on August 24 when the Lukla-bound airplane crashed in Shikharpur of Makawanpur while returning to Kathmandu after it failed to land at Lukla airport. Among those killed were four Americans, a Japanese and a British national.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=22796
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