Saturday, July 02, 2005

Nepali Congress Slumber Party


The Nepali Congress looks like headed towards a convention. The reports are not all that encouraging. If the party that fancies itself the soul of Nepali democracy is about to inch towards internal democracy and internal reforms, it has not shown any signs yet. Massive irregularities have been reported as members gear towards renewing their memberships and electing representatives to their district committees.

The price the NC will pay is of ending up a shrunk party. I think its days as the largest party in the country are permanently over. The glory days are behind it. Primarily because it messed up the 1990s.

But despite its defects, and despite its arrogance on the issue of a respectful, sustained dialogue with the Maoists, and despite its continued chauvinism towards the smaller parties, the NC continues to be a major element of the seven-party coalition. The NC cadres are energized, most actually have turned republican, leading to a major disconnect between the leadership and the bases.

Girija Koirala has the inflexibility of a freedom fighter who has recently tried his hands at the flexibility of a political operative, not with much success. Old habits die hard. He is a mixed bag for the party by now. He continues to be the most visible person among the democrats. On the other hand, he has not kept with changes in ground realities. The "market" is fast shifting away from the large "company."

What do I mean by flexibility? Finally coming around to the idea of a Constituent Assembly, that is flexibility. You have to remember, for weeks after 2/1, the NC was still against the idea of a Constituent Assembly. If the NC had gone for the Assembly idea back in 2000, the country would have been spared much turmoil.

So what do I mean? Well, flexibility towards the king. Girija has turned the parliament revival issue into a prestige issue. He is going to rub the king's nose in the dust. That is not statesmanship. That is warlord mentality. Another issue is of the existence of the monarchy. No matter what, the king is nowhere close to what the apartheid whites were in South Africa. But look at how Mandela negotiated a peaceful transition with them. He did not try to rub their nose in the ground.

At the risk of sounding egotist, I keep coming back to my Proposed Constitution. The seven parties are in this erroneous mentality that once the country has a Constituent Assembly, suddenly all will be okay. All will not be okay. There will be major political action within that Assembly. Major dialogue, major give and take. Major heartburn, disagreements, dissent, squabbles. That is how it will work when it will work.

There was a JFK quote I bumped into a long time ago that I have tried to locate again but without success. But let me par
aphrase that. It goes something like this: Always put yourself in your opponent's shoes, look at the world through his or her eyes, always assist to save face.

JFK tried this approach on Khruschev. It might have saved the world a nuclear war. The warlord approach would have been to not realize that Khruschev is not this all poweful head of a monolithic state, but someone who fell to an internal coup.

And the Girija-Gyanendra dynamic is not exactly the proportion of a JFK-Khruschev dynamic.

Think a few steps ahead. I don't think the king sees himself as someone trying to take over. He sees himself as someone trying to survive, trying to save the monarchy from extinction. He feels like a cornered cat.

He gets blamed for the October 2002 dissolution of the parliament. That was Deuba. More accurately, that was where the country was at the time. Even if the parliament had not been dissolved, once it expired, the Maoists would not have allowed another elections for another parliament under the existing constitution. Progress depends on realizing the 1990 document is dead.

These are the kinds of innovations you see if you are engaged in dialogue with your opponents. I think the king and the leaders should talk. I think the Maoists and the leaders should talk. On a sustained basis. Never end the conversation. Pick up the phone and talk whenever you feel like it. The telephone has been around over a hundred years.

Speed things up: talk!

In The News
  • Nepal's king hit by fallout from royal coup World Peace Herald, DC Gyanendra is facing consequences he did not expect when he carried out a royal coup Feb. 1 ..... Gyanendra had been flexing his muscles against the democratic parties since becoming the king in June 2001..... Riding on the bandwagon of the Bush administration's "war on terror" ... his own fight against Maoist "terrorists." ..... Gyanendra went on a political-diplomatic tour to Indonesia and China in April and to the Persian Gulf countries in June seeking legitimacy for his regime....... support from major donors -- Washington, London, Brussels and New Delhi -- is still on hold ..... Support from the seven-party alliance for the Maoist agenda of a Constituent Assembly, however, is not unconditional: They want the rebels to lay down their arms and join the mainstream....... Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as "Prachanda," described the alliance proposal as "double-edged and seeking credit without collateral." But he also welcomed it as a "step forward," and urged his cadres to support any struggles by the alliance against the monarchy...... Baburam Bhattarai and Krishna Bahadur Mahara -- to New Delhi, where they reportedly assured Nepali parliamentary leaders that the Maoists are also committed to multiparty democracy...... met Indian leaders secretly to tell them of their commitment to multiparty democracy ...... the country has clearly tilted toward the idea of a Constituent Assembly as proposed by the Maoists, which had been unacceptable for the parliamentary parties before the Feb. 1 royal coup ...... Gyanendra is digging his own grave. ..... the country is heading toward abolishing the monarchy ..... part of the Indian intelligentsia increasingly discounts the threat of a Maoist takeover in Nepal to India's security ..... "Should [the Maoists] come to power as a result of our denial of arms to the king, they are unlikely to be unfriendly to us." ..... the idea that a king-party alliance can defeat the Maoists..... the Maoists had disabled the government even when the king and parties got along before the October 2002 dissolution of parliament ..... Gyanendra, who does not see monarchy's future in a constitution drafted by a Constituent Assembly, remains uncompromising..... how private companies could supply arms to landlocked Nepal without India granting them use of its air space...... "soldiers who were suspected of involvement in extrajudicial executions have subsequently benefited by being deployed on U.N. peacekeeping duties." ...... Since the RNA began to "fight the guerrilla like a guerrilla," armed soldiers travel in civilian buses in contravention of the laws of war, and the PLA has begun blowing up civilian buses that might hold troops....... In the five months of Gyanendra's direct rule, the violence has taken the lives of more than 1,100 people, mostly civilians killed as "suspected Maoists" ...... Despite government propaganda claiming that the Maoists are weakening and that the RNA is gradually re-establishing its position, press reports say the guerrillas, despite losing some battles, have become bolder. In June alone, PLA battalions inflicted heavy casualties on the RNA in seven armed encounters around the country and captured several dozen automatic weapons...... in post-monarchy Nepal, the Maoists will have no choice but to respect multiparty democracy and participate in politics.
  • Nepal: The True Obstacle To Reconciliation Scoop.co.nz (press release) Camp clearly suggested that the real priority for Nepal was to ensure that the Maoists lay down arms and return to the peace talks..... a delay in a shipment of 4,000 M-16 rifles pending further moves toward democracy by King Gyanendra ..... U.S. military assistance to Nepal – in place since 2002 -- has included training in such areas as the rules of engagement, investigating alleged human rights abuses and battlefield medical skills...... conflicts and contradictions within the political establishment. The king’s three-year roadmap begins with elections to municipal bodies within a year culminating in parliamentary elections....... Clearly, the monarch is seeking a greater political role for himself. ..... between 1990 and 2002 ... The people had the right to complain, but their leaders seemed to exercise a greater right not to listen...... The monarchy was expected to bear silent witness to the political class’s self-serving machinations....... Nepalese leaders began believing in Indian “blessings” more than in their own constituents’ trust.With the entire political class making a beeline to New Delhi, the Indian Embassy became a major power center. Through rampant politicization of the bureaucracy and police, the Nepali Congress and the Unified Marxist-Leninists monopolizing maintained a stranglehold on the system....... Advocates of a “constructive” monarchy, like this writer ....... Chinese officials have repeatedly stated that the open Nepal-India border represents a threat to their country’s security by among other things, exposing China to drug traffickers and the worst forms of criminals. ...... an unstable Nepal could become a base for Islamic separatists active in China’s north-western Xinjiang region...... the principal obstacles to reconciliation come from the seven-party alliance, which has Nepal’s priorities wrong..... The mainstream alliance demands the revival of the last House of Representatives, dissolved by the last elected prime minister exercising his constitutional prerogatives. The Supreme Court has upheld the legality of the dissolution. A political class whose endless bickering prevented a single House of Representatives since 1991 to complete its full five-year term is struggling to define how reviving the legislature would help end the conflict......
  • Nepal army to get assistance: US official:- Webindia123 Camp said Gyanendra's takeover Feb 1 was a "bad move".... Democracy is the only idea powerful enough to overcome division, hatred and violence.
  • Colgate-Palmolive pulling out of Nepal?:- Webindia123, India started operating in Nepal in 1997 and the next year commissioned a state-of-the-art factory, is planning to relocate the manufacturing facility to either Thailand or Himachal Pradesh in India .... the factory was likely to down shutters within a month..... Last year, an indefinite blockade called by the guerrillas resulted in the firm temporarily suspending operations due to the scarcity of raw materials..... The economic policies of subsequent governments, red tape and procedural problems have also added to the difficulties...... also been affected due to its leaning heavily on export activities. Unlike its competitor Unilever Nepal, it has not tried to integrate with the local market and cater to it...... With the company's factory ruling the landscape in the Hetauda industrial area, if it does make an exit, investor confidence in Nepal is going to take a further toss.
  • Colgate Palmolive discontinues toothpaste production at Nepal India Infoline.com
  • With Rebels Roaming Nepal, Tourism Plunges New York Times, NY Amber Manners got a practical tip. If you see guerillas on the road, she was warned, do as they say, even if they ask you to get off your bus. "If they burn your bus," she recalled being told, "they'll ask you to get off first." ..... When a man came walking up behind her, she mistook him for a local resident, peddling tourist kitsch. "Excuse me, excuse me," he said, as Ms. Manners recalled. She replied "No, no, we don't need anything." Then he said, "We are with the Maoist party." ...... In exchange for the requisite tax that the Maoists impose on trekkers - she paid $1.50, at 65 Nepali rupees to the dollar - Ms. Manners returned from her trek with a receipt from the rebels: it was stamped with portraits of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and, of course, Mao...... If Nepal once marketed itself as a land out of time .... If a bandh is called, do not travel during it and keep an extra low profile until it is over ..... Small clashes continue, and the Maoists continue to deploy their key weapon - strikes that can shut down huge swaths of the country for tourists and locals alike..... The Maoist insurgents, who have been fighting the government since 1996, officially welcome foreign tourists..... A hotel chain owner reported to having paid close to $9,000 in 2003 as extortion money to the Maoists. In short, there is no question that local people are at far greater risk than any visible foreigner...... Peace Corps activities were suspended last September. Nonessential members of the United States Embassy's staff pulled out of Katmandu last September, but began returning the following month..... "It's not like going to Iraq." .... There are no front lines in the war between the Royal Nepalese Army and the Maoists, and there are few firefights anyway between the warring parties. Vast swaths of the countryside are effectively no man's land, where the rebels or government troops may be present..... "We went to the hotel, and they said, 'Pick a room.' Every room was open." .... "It was like being in a western." ..... "It's hard to convince people that the system that works in their country doesn't necessarily work in this country."
  • UN makes grim projections for 14 Asian countries Daily Times, Pakistan Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal and East Timor .....Better access to international markets could prevent this .... these countries are often ignored amid spotlights on African poverty and the image of a new prosperity sweeping Asian nations like China and India. ...... explode a certain myth — that Asia is a happening place ..... I’m not saying: ‘ignore Africa.’ I’m saying: ‘Do not ignore Asia...... suggested the removal of import duties and other trade restrictions against these countries to help them fight poverty. .... accounted for some 260 million people. . ..... China and India, together accounting for nearly 40 percent of the world’s population and ranking among the fastest-growing countries ...... Afghanistan’s forests are likely to be gone in 20 years, and in Bangladesh, about half of all citizens aged 15-24 will be illiterate in 2015...... “Global zero-tariff market access is a critically important issue,” the report said. In 2003, “import duties on apparel exported from Bangladesh, Cambodia and Nepal to the US amounted to $520 million, more than three times greater than net disbursed bilateral aid of $150 million received by those countries.”
  • Humpty Dumpty in Kathmandu Samudaya.org, AZ ...... the professed bewilderment is nevertheless diverting because the predictions of Kathmandu street gossip were apparently more accurate than the acute calculations of so many seasoned diplomats .....a certain gentleman, recently surfaced from exile, who insisted that if anything constructive was to be undertaken there was time only till February ...... His analysis is also not the kind that will be entertained by pedestrian diplomats who lack the capacity to accommodate too many variables that demolish their petty theorems about the architecture of Nepali polity and society ..... compelling enough to motivate a loose group of individuals to form a systematic international information and advocacy network and set up a website that has, despite the current blockade of news, become one of the primary channels of non-official communication out of Nepal ..... An outcome that could not be precluded eventually transpired, and after the event the international community confesses that it did not know what even the fruit-vendor on the Kathmandu side-street knew...... According to the reigning formula, in force since May 2002, the palace and army control the country, cunningly masked by a front office manned by one or more of the political parties. This tripartite combine of real and nominal forces is to be the foil against the red menace in Nepal. Ordinary Nepalis were not expected to penetrate this tattered disguise...... a monarch restrained by few scruples in the exercise of his highly developed political skills. But since October 2002 there has, for all practical purposes, been no constitution in Nepal...... In the period that the king's three main international supporters increased the level of financial and military aid to him, he managed, simultaneously, through brute force and diplomatic assistance, to gain complete ascendancy over the parliamentary forces and lose half his kingdom to the Maoists...... The more territory passed from the kingdom to the republic the more a vindictive brutality was unleashed on the countryside, so that the loss of real power was compensated for by exponential increments in apparent power over a demoralised civilian populace, or "my subjects", as he is fond of calling them..... In this fictional narrative, the king as the lynchpin of the campaign against the Maoists requires the united obedience and support of the political parties, whose perpetual wrangling has been responsible for the reverses suffered by the army. In this fiction, too literal an interpretation of personal rights and too close an examination of the military's human rights record are also impediments to the efficient prosecution of the war. Periodically, the Chinese red herring, the ISI, the ULFA, the Naxalites and the insurgent corridor from Nepal to Andhra, were thrown in for good measure. Pol Pot, no less, has also shown up from time to time. Given time, Al Qaeeda too could join the party....... diminishes the possibilities of rolling back totalitarian monarchy...... The odds are that the coup will be legitimized in due course. South Block may fret, but all it takes is for the US to recognise the regime on grounds of 'counter-terrorist' expediency and everyone else will humbly follow suit...... The king cannot offer the Maoists more than what he was not willing to give the parliamentary parties..... the movement for the constituent assembly to decide, among other things, the king's own future, has been crushed with jackboots, stenguns and the hail of bullets from helicopters...... the plot is thicker than it looks ...... an incompetent army with a quasi-hereditary command structure ..... Fighting a non-conventional war requires skill, competence and morale of a very high order. ...... 12 January ... the military spokesman conceded that the war against the Maoists was unwinnable .... the scintillating intellects in charge of directing firepower against socio-economic grievances...... the defenseless Nepali citizen who will bear the brunt of this bleeding war
  • Nepal parties lay down conditions for talks with govt, Maoists Press Trust of India, India Shrestha's remarks came after member of the Royal Council and former Army chief Sachit Shumsher Rana called for declariing political parties as anti-national elements accusing them of joining hands with Maoists. He also alleged the political parties' leaders were operating under the direction of "foreign elements", without naming any country.
  • Parties set conditions for talks with king, Maoists Kathmandu Post Pari Thapa, leader of Peoples' Front Nepal, said reinstatement of parliament would be the beginning of the constitutional process.
  • In its drive to eradicate democracy, royal Nepal regime has one ... United We Blog, Nepal In autocratic Panchayet days, parties were banned and were called Ata (Nepali acronym for non-nationalistic elements or Arastriya Tatto). Rana is not only a former chief of the Royal Nepalese Army but also a pro-king activist. This member of Rajparishad Standing Committee, the king’s advisory council, has been strongly advocating for the king-should-be-active-and-take-charge-of-everything campaign initially initiating by a small group of ultra-royalists..... the attack was started when the parliament was dissolved without the knowledge of the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in early 2002.... I will not be surprised if this regime formally banned the political parties within next few weeks.
  • ‘Parties should be declared anti-national’ Kathmandu Post Sachit Shumsher Rana, member of Rajparishad Standing Committee and former Chief of Army Staff ...... "Why shouldn't political parties, who join [hands] with the Maoists and dance to the tunes of foreigners, be declared anti-national elements?" ..... "Though Deuba was cleared in the Dashain allowance case, I believe, he will be caught in the Melamchi scam" ....
  • Maoists break legs of 2 civilians Kantipur after mercilessly beating two persons, including a 70-year-old, broke their legs..... elderly Harilal Dhakal of Kalimati village had his legs and rib broken in the incident.... The villages lie close to an army barrack in the district headquarters...... Attacks on civilians continue unabated despite the commitment expressed by CPN (Maoist) chairman "Prachanda" not to assault civilians under any circumstances ..... the Maoists have killed 24 civilians in as many days
  • FMs submit appeal to King on restrictions Kantipur Save Independent Radio Movement (SIRM) appealed to King Gyanendra .... The movement has also condemned the propaganda of state-owned print and electronic media directed at curbing the rights of FM stations...... radio workers have expressed surprise over the restrictions, which are contradictory to the letter and spirit of the royal address of February 1. Since government orders explicitly state that the ban on news is to be in place during the state of emergency, the appeal has argued that it is inexplicable why the ban is still in force while the state of emergency is no longer in place..... appeal has also cited the constitution, National Transmission Act, Supreme Court Verdict of 2001 and licenses awarded to the FM stations as bases for the lifting of restrictions...... radio workers have urged Panchayat-era "media experts" to go through those documents before passing their expert comments on FM stations..... FM stations aired the news of their appeal at 8:00 pm Saturday.
  • Law is the king of kings: Aryal Kantipur Former justice of Supreme Court Laxman Prasad Aryal on Saturday said that the state has been continuously imposing unconstitutional restrictions on the free press and civil liberties due to the absence of the rule of law...... "The law is the king of the kings; however, the king and his aides are defying this concept in the modern era," he added. Coming down heavily against ex-army generals for their definition of the constitution and the rule of law, he said, "They have been doing this for their petty interests."..... anyone from any level could take the initiative for a dialogue with the rebels to reach a peaceful solution.
  • Top Maoist leader killed in Andhra Pradesh Kantipur The rebels were holding a meeting when the police team surrounded their hideout. "Despite repeated warnings by policemen, the ultras did not surrender. Instead, they opened fire at policemen who retaliated in self-defense" ..... With Riyaz's killing, the prospect of reviving peace talks has further dimmed. "It was a clear case of fake police encounter. Our comrades were killed in cold blood," the Press Trust of India quoted former Janashakti emissary Chandranna as saying.

INSN And Samudaya Blocked In Nepal


This is so ridiculous. I guess this is Nepal going the China route. Blocking websites and stuff. Trying to muzzle dialogue. When dialogue is the only way out.

Looks like it is that Information Minister guy again. That joker who routinely gets into the crosshairs with the Supreme Court.

Free speech is a sacred right. It has been violated.


My blog has not as wide a readership. And it has not gained the Minister's attention, looks like. But I personally know the people behind the two blocked sites. And I have felt a personal jolt. I am beginning to feel a small amount of what the FM Radio people and other journos must have been feeling on the ground in Nepal.

Both these sites have made tremendous contributions to the dialogue.

State repression in Nepal right now is like pushing the basketball to the bottom of a swimming pool. The deeper you push it, the stronger it comes back, greater the backlash. As they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

I was reading about this RCCC guy active in Birgung. Even the CIAA officials find him offensive. Imagine that!

There Monarchists. They are not Monarchists. They are Anarchists, they are Chaos Theory people. They need to be exiled to Lake Baikal. I think.

INSN.org Blocked In Nepal INSN “No route to host: The remote host or network may be down. Please try the request again.” ..... a press conference in Kathmandu today, Army spokesperson Brigadier General Deepak Gurung answered, “Yes, they have been blocked. We might block all other web sites that encourage Maoists activities in Nepal.” ..... RNA Major Sushil Dahal .... “Don’t be confused: both sites have been blocked not by RNA but by Ministry of Information and Communication.” .... February 1st .... the official website of the CPN(M) - www.cpnm.org .... The Nepali Post (www.nepalipost.com) ... Several proxy web services have also been banned. Proxy web services allow people to access blocked sites, but if they are also blocked, then people cannot use them...... The INSN.org and Samudaya.org websites are both dedicated to expanding the civil space for dialogue toward human rights and a democratic peace. Neither site advocates for either of the armed parties in the conflict.

Samudaya.org Press Release: Samudaya.org concerned over the blocking of its website

According to United We Blog, the selective blocking of Samudaya.org and INSN.org was announced at an RNA press conference. We want to emphasize that in a time of crisis, it is every individual's right and need to stay informed for their own interest -- whether it be for safety concerns or matters that affect personal decisions. Therefore, Samudaya.org is deeply concerned with the current regime's overall authority over Nepali media, not just the recent blocking of our website.

While Samudaya.org has never taken a pro-Maoist stance as has been implied, it must be pointed out that making information available to the general public supports a culture of intellect and knowledge, whereas the suppression of it supports the opposite: a culture of
ignorance. If there is a reason -- other than the inaccurate interpretation of our content as "encouraging Maoist activities" -- we would like to request the Ministry of Information and Communication to kindly share the specifics. If the Ministry believes that we have supported the Maoists, we request the Ministry to point out where, when and how.

Samudaya.org would also like to clarify that although Nepal's current affairs has become a popular topic on the website, its main intention is to provide a platform for progressive values through discussions. As a result, our content has been critical of all parties responsible for
the downfall of Nepal, including ourselves -- the citizens. The difference between supporting the Maoists and having a progressive outlook on Nepal, therefore, seems to have been grossly misunderstood by the Ministry of Information and Communication. We are very concerned
about where Nepal as a country is headed without members of the government being able to make important distinctions such as this.

For the purpose of further clarification, Samudaya.org is not affiliated with any party nor does it have a unified political agenda among its members, and would like to express support to INSN.org for being a great educational resource.

In The News
  • Clash In Arghakhanchi: Two Versions INSN Maoists and security forces clashed in Arghakhanchi district in Nepal’s western region on 25 June. According to the Royal Nepalese Army’s Western Divisional Headquarters, Pokhara, a fierce close-range gun battle between security forces and Maoists began at 11:45 a.m. and continued till 2:30 p.m. at Khandaha VDC in the district on Saturday. Army sources confirmed that six policemen and six soldiers were killed in the fighting........... According to the pro-Maoist website www.krishnasenonline.org, 19 security personnel including an officer-in-command have been killed and 30 injured in the battle. Commissar of Mangalsen first brigade, middle division Com. Sunil (he is also Central committee member) has given a statement that the Maoists have captured 18 weapons along with a two-inch mortar and thousands of bullets from the RNA. According to Sunil, two rebels among them brigade vice-commander Jwar and S.T.F. battalion vice-commander were killed in the clash, and seven cadre wounded. An STF Battalion of Mangalsen First Brigade was involved in the battle.
  • Surprise Me Samudaya Whether or not I support the decisions made by our king on February 1st makes no dent to the disaster ..... You threw the bomb where civilians were around — outside a hospital, furthermore — and you are certainly not trained enough to rule out the possibilities of missing a target altogether! ..... But to be honest, until I hear a response from them, my faith in the army and dirty politics is so miniscule that I wouldn't be surprised if it was someone in the army truck itself that threw the bomb ...... what good is the army if it means that its presence — a mere passing by — poses a threat to the civilians as opposed to providing protection? ..... leave the civilians alone — do what you have to do, just don't go near them; don't ride the same bus with them..... the Maoists are as close from us as they choose to be, and that they continue to do whatever the hell they please...... I'd have to pinch myself numerous times if the army attacked Jamuna to rescue one journalist
  • No Kidding Samudaya most of the Nepalis abroad in support of the king's "roadmap" are inconsequential to how events really unravel in Nepal...... whatever little beeps of pro-democracy movement we've witnessed thus far has come from within Nepal, where the common people, journalists, professors, other intellectuals, and politicians have to actually bear the consequences of the king's decisions....... the king's war against the Maoists is really a war of the elite — specifically from Kathmandu or abroad — against everyone else from Nepal...... if we are to assume that the king is serious about resolving the conflict — for ego's sake, for people's sake, or whatever the case may be — ...... His idea, it seems, is to shake and rattle the Maoists so that they finally understand their place, and then they realize there is no victory for them. Let me just make a quick point that this hasn't actually happened yet — all of the incidents so far have been attacks on the army or the police by Maoists and not the other way around. But let's assume that it happened — that the army was on full offense, out to kill the insurgents. This means old folks, normal folks, good folks, bad folks, young folks would be all equally subject to being what they call a casualty of war — a necessity for a larger good — if they happen to be in areas with a Maoist presence, which is 73 out of 75 districts. Almost all of Nepal......... it's easier for Nepalis to dismiss Maoists as useless bastards if they're away from it all (i.e. the Kathmandu region or abroad)...... they've not gone without shaking up deeply-carved notions of women and lower ethnicity people, or of the political parties and the monarch for that matter ...... One thing that we, the elite, don't want to find out is if the Maoists really mean something to a substantial number of rural Nepalis, despite the brutality...... even most of the soldiers and policemen out on the battleground are poor people. Here we have it — the best we've got to offer is poor Nepalis fighting poor Nepalis under the command and approval of the Nepali elite. Jai Nepal, indeed.
  • Maoist Radio On The Rise Samudaya ... Gulmi, Arghakhanchi and Pyuthan.... London-based BBC Radio or the Maoists' Janaganatantra Nepal's broadcast ..... scouring for locations at a height in order to listen to the evening and morning news...... In addition to Gulmi, Arkhawang, Purkot, Dhurkot, Nayagaun, Arkhale and the district headquarter Tamghas, one is able to listen to Radio Janaganatantra in various locations of the eastern region....... Radio Janaganatantra has displaced the government's Radio Nepal...... On the topic of Radio Janaganatantra, a journalist from the Kathmandu-based newspaper Kantipur has said, "When an incident occurs, to obtain rightful information we have been listening to Radio Janaganatantra in Kathmandu over the phone." ...... When there is any incident, BBC Nepali service is also heard, and the people have taken it upon themselves to decide the truthfulness of any news...... India Radio or the Chinese broadcast; some watch BBC, and some CNN.

Friday, July 01, 2005

Getting Interviewed By A Cornell University Student


Date: July 1, 2005
Subject: Blog
From: Ally M Mead, Cornell University
To: Paramendra Bhagat

Good morning,

I am a graduate student at Cornell University in the US. I am interested in conducting a project on blogging in Nepal in the face of the imposed media censorship. I was wondering if you might be interested in corresponding with me via email and answering a few questions that I have. Primarily I am interested in the motivations behind the blogs, the types of risks that you are taking, and what message you hope to get across to whom. I understand that this is a risky endeavor on your part you needn't reveal your identity to me. A first name or a pseudonym would be fine.

I have a good friend who is at Cornell right now, Pukar Malla. Look him up and say hello to him for me, will you? He is doing his Ph.D in wireless something.

Thank you for your interest in Nepali bloggers. One of the things I attempt through my blog is to get as much attention to the Nepali condition as possible. Your project will help. Please feel free to send follow up questions. And I am sure other bloggers that I know and am aware of will happily indulge you.

Motivations behind the blogs. It is that ringing theme in the movie Braveheart: F-R-E-E-D-O-M! My personal motives are several. One, I do it for emotional reasons. I grew up in Nepal, I care about the country, a lot. The way I have reacted to 2/1, I surprised even myself. I realized I cared about the country a whole lot. Second, the cause of peace, democracy and progress. Third, the larger global context. Some of the tools I have developed in the course of cultivating my blog could be used on a larger scale, I think. Reorganized UN, Proposed Constitution, Methods. Check this out, and let me know what you think of it. Do you think this could have wider implications?

From day one, I have kept my name and identity very public. I don't believe I am taking risks. I feel like I am in a rather unique position to contribute to the cause of peace in Nepal. My distance, that I am in America, actually helps. I have been fair to all three warring factions. And I have kept all my comments public. That transparency helps me build some trust. Naturally, I belong with the democrats. But I have been super critical of them as well. And I have praised the Monarchists and the Maoists when I felt praise was due.

And my reach is more than at the level of ideas and analysis and policy positions. Prince Paras is my high school classmate. Although we are not in touch, I have a friend who I have stayed in touch, who is in touch with the prince, but so far that has not been a political channel. I count democrats like Hridayesh Tripathy and Rajendra Mahto among my former colleagues. I could pick up the phone and talk to them any time, and I do as often as feasible. Through them, I have talked to several other democrats. I might be unique in singing praises of Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and his wife. Their progressivism amazes me in a positive way. Dinesh Prasain, a major human rights activist, is a high school roommate. He and his friends run the INSN blog that got blocked in Nepal only a few days back. Dinesh, on the other hand, is at risk. But he does not go into Nepal until the ground reality has changed. Which is what he will do, and as long as that is the case, he is not at risk either.

But I have always presented this blog as a fourth force. A small so far, but a fourth force. I am not a mouthpiece of any political party in Nepal. I am a lone shark. I hope this helps me cultivate some common ground.

My blog is not journalism. This is political work. This is a serious career move for me. I have never been more politically involved before. I have never attempted anything more politically ambitious before. It is just that because I am doing it online, over email and the phone, because I am telecommuting rather than being on the ground in person, to some people I could not be that serious. The internet is the new, big reality. It makes geography much less relevant.

My message is peace, democracy, social justice, economic growth. My attempt has been to reach the leaders in all three factions. My blog is less one of those widely read blogs like Daily Kos and Instapundit, and more like newsletters that get circulated among insiders on Wall Street. It is being read, it has been read by the key people in all three camps. But my influence comes with limitations because the only thing I have to offer is ideas and analysis, I do not hold political power within the context of the ongoing conflict.

First, I am wondering when you began your blog and what exactly prompted it. Do you happen to know how many people visit on a daily basis? How do you come upon your news stories? Do they come from other sources or events you witnessed? Did you ever see anything that you wanted to write about but did not for fear of repraisals from the government? Have you been in fear for your safety because of your blog? Finally, what is it like to be a journalist in Nepal right now? Can you travel about freely and identify yourself or do you need to keep a low profile?

I had a thread at Sajha.com. That was long before 2/1. There I discussed Nepal's precarious political situation with anyone who showed up there. Within weeks after 2/1, it was obvious to me my involvement was expanding rather rapidly. And so I set up this blog, which is so easy to do, as you must know. The blog got launched some time in February.

I have not put a page hits counter at my blog. But I do display Google Ads. I have a mechanism to measure how many ads got displayed on any one day. That figure also I only chance upon once every few months. There have been days when upwards of 400 Google ads got displayed on the blog. But that has not been the norm.

I get my news primarily through Google News. But I also visit the INSN site regularly. And a few others. All of those are linked to from my blog and are prominently displayed on the front page.

I am not in Nepal. I am a New Yorker. Some of your other questions do not apply to me. The United We Blog people might be in a much better position to answer those. But I also get on the phone as often as I can. To get people's feedback, and ideas. And see what they are thinking. I am not in the business of getting scoops, more into offering tactics and strategies. Although I did get the scoop on Baburam' release from Maoist protective custody from Hridayesh Tripathy who was in Delhi at the time.

I was in Nepal last year conducting research, and it is amazing to me all the changes that have occurred in this short time. My project won't reach international acclaim by any stretch, but I would like to present this at a national conference at the end of the year and hopefully raise awareness about Nepali bloggers and the situation in Nepal. I hope to hear from you soon.

Please do spread the word. All the best to you. Thank you.

Paramendra.

Dhanyabaad.

Ally Mead
Cornell University

Tehelka Interview With Baburam

The impression I get is the Napali Maoists will set up a democratic republic even if they were to come to power on their own. But that is what Baburam thinks. Is that where they collectively stand? I am not so sure. Prachanda's definition of a democratic republic in the past has been as imaginative as King G's definition of democracy. So one has to be wary.

On the other hand, the democrats are being of disservice by not engaging the Maoists more directly. Talks do not mean you have gotten into a working alliance. Talks can mean as little as that you have opened up a channel of communication.


There is also a trust issue. As long as Prachanda does not reinstate Baburm as second in command and head of state inside his organization, I will continue to be distrustful. Because Prachanda's decision to put Baburam under "protective custody" was a major mistake. That mistake can be corrected by putting Baburam back where he was in the organization before.

But that is of secondary importance to the democrats. What is of primary importance is to maintain the lead if possible. The movement will have to be more innovative than holding a mass meeting here and a rally there.

By now the Maoists are no longer talking of a ceremonical monarchy. They want the monarchy out. Period. That new line is a loss to the Monarchists who did not see wisdom in going for a Constituent Assembly.

The democrat line should be No Constituent Assembly Without Maoist Disarmament.

And the other day there was a bomb explosion within the compounds of Singha Durbar. Is it possible the Maoists have infiltrated the RNA ranks that they could get that close to the Prime Minister's office? Well, for now, it is Tulsi Giri's office.

In The News
  • Interview With Baburam Bhattarai Tehelka ..... In an e-mail interview with Ajit Baral ..... Even foreign observers have acknowledged that revolutionaries control the entire countryside and the State authority is confined to the capital city and district headquarters..... the appeal of the seven parliamentary parties to the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) issued on June 18 and the positive reply of the CPN(M) to it on June 19, there are strong chances that a common front will be forged soon to fight the autocratic monarchy on the basis of a common minimum programme...... the leadership of the party, army and State should not be centralised in one person as happened in most of the socialist countries in the past.... when the Central Committee of the party in August 2004 sought to centralise the leadership of the party, army and state in a single individual, it was bound to raise a serious debate in the party...... not true that action was taken against me for making public my differences with Comrade Prachanda..... a case of a serious ideological, political dispute wrongly sought to be settled through administrative or organisational means by the politburo..... all these years we attempted to learn from the mistakes of Stalin, particularly on the question of handling inner-party contradictions, and now the party has repeated the same mistakes and I have become its victim...... My point of view is presented in the 13-point letter and the ‘note of dissent’, the essence of which is learning from the mistakes of Stalin and going beyond Mao particularly on the question of building a new type of party, army and State. I am happy that we are now attempting to go back to the days of Lenin and practising his well-known formulation of “freedom of criticism and unity in action”...... In tactical terms contradiction of the Nepalese people with the monarchy is sharper now than with the Indian ruling classes and any confusion or vacillation on this question will cause great harm to the revolution. There is no need to read more than this in our current tactical line vis-a-vis the monarchy and the Indian ruling classes. .... we view India in class terms and not as a monolith. Hence when we talk of India, we do not see only the Indian State and the ruling classes but also, and more so, the revolutionary and progressive Indian people and different democratic and progressive political parties. Our India visit should be seen in this light. We are not asking for anybody’s mediation but the goodwill of all for the ongoing democratic struggle in the country. ..... We prefer that the conflict be resolved without any external mediation. However, we understand that a stable solution will require the goodwill of all major international players, particularly our immediate neighbours India and China...... we see no necessity and possibility of any peace talks with the king. The need of the hour is total abolition of the feudal autocratic monarchy and proclamation of a democratic republic in the country.
  • Full Democracy by Surendra Devkota
  • Most Corrupt District UWB Top ten corruption-reported districts: Dhanusa (31), Humla (27), Bara (21), Rupandehi (19), Siraha (17), Morang (16), Sarlahi (15), Saptari (14), Rautahat (13) and Parsa (12). (Figures in parentheses: average number of corruption complaints at DAOs during six years from 1998/99)
  • INSN And Samudaya Blocked In Nepal UWB Sarahana from Samudaya.org wrote: “Democracy or not, it should be evident to anyone who understands societies and humans that in this day and age, you make your case strong by presenting strong arguments, not by silencing your opposition. As long as you silence non-violent opposition, your motives will always be questionable, and no matter how well your intentions may be, such enforcements always work against your position.”
  • Nepali Congress In America UWB ‘North America Association of Nepali Congress (NAAONC)’ .....
  • Thapa gets to hear same Indian stand Himalayan Times, Nepal
  • Ex-Nepal PM Thapa meets Natwar Singh NewKerala.com, India
  • 6 RNA cells to probe human rights abuses Kantipur Online, Nepal Gurung said that the Maoist attack across the country was not escalating in the past few weeks.... In fact the army have been launching security actions at Maoist concentrated areas.... Gurung said that the Maoists have killed at least 24 civilians so far after Chitwan carnage last month.....Gurung also said that 4460 Maoists were killed since the breakdown of ceasefire in August 2003. He assumed that around 860 more might have been killed and 360 others injured.....The army spokesman said that 503 security personnel had been killed during the same period. A total of 2771 Maoists have surrendered to the security forces across the country
  • Nepal's media says govt threatening it Hindustan Times, India Nepal's largest media group, which has been critical of the royal government, today said unspecified parties have threatened to bomb its newspaper offices.
  • US official to visit Nepal Himalayan Times, Nepal Tim Rieser, an aide of US senator Patrick Leahy
  • Indian, Nepalese officials to step up security along border Press Trust of India, India
  • Even if Nepali Maoists were not involved in last week’s Naxalite ... PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
  • Bihar to intensify drive against Maoists:- PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
  • Nepal: The True Obstacle To Reconciliation PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
  • The Renewing of Socialism: An Introduction Monthly Review, VA the danger to the world of not countering the mantra that “there is no alternative” to capitalism is now too great, given persistent problems of economic stagnation, the growth of empire and war, and the threat of ecological collapse..... Fourier wrote that “under civilization [i.e., capitalism] poverty is borne of super-abundance itself.” In industrial capitalism’s place they advocated far-reaching reform in factory conditions, education, the situation of women, the relation between town and country, etc...... more revolutionary movements arose from the practical struggles of industrial workers themselves ..... a systematic critique of capitalism ....
  • 'Domestic violence seriously affecting pregnant women' Kathmandu Post, Nepal
  • Parties to hold talks with Maoists Kathmandu Post, Nepal Leaders of the seven agitating political parties, on Thursday, said they would hold dialogue with the Maoists to bring the rebels into the political mainstream irrespective of threats from the government and cautioning from foreigners..... "I will hold open dialogue with the Maoists," said Girija Prasad Koirala, former prime minister and Nepali Congress president, adding, "I am ready to face a jail term if our initiative to stop the killing of innocent people everyday becomes unacceptable to the government." ...... Hinting at direct threats from the government and indirect pressure from Indian and US leaders to avoid holding dialogue with the Maoists..... Nepal claimed that there was no possibility of "patch-ups" with the palace under the present circumstance due to the monarch's refusal to remain merely as a ceremonial head of state. "The longer the situation continues, the slimmer the possibility of our talks with the king..... Nepal argued that there was no alternative to holding constituent assembly elections.... Pashupati Shumsher Rana, chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, however, suggested that the parties should not reach hasty conclusions. "Leaders, especially Koirala and Nepal, should demonstrate adequate patience and a sense of responsibility at this critical juncture," Rana said. "Dialogue between the king and pro-constitution forces is essential to overcome the present crises. Otherwise, the result will be devastating."..... Upper House Vice-chairman, Ram Prit Pasman.... C P Mainali, chairman of United Left Front
  • 'No CPN (M) hand in Bihar attack' Kathmandu Post, Nepal
  • 'Uniting Nepali diaspora is still a challenge' Kathmandu Post, Nepal Dr Upendra Mahato is the President of the International Coordination Council (ICC), Non-Resident Nepalis (NRN) Association.
  • Nepal FM radios to defy royal curbs The Statesman, India
  • SSB head to probe Madhuban attack Indian Express, India
  • Parties rule out immediate talks with King Kantipur Online, Nepal
  • The Asian Age : Nepal King visit raises objections Samudaya.org, AZ "Guwahati: Animal activists plan to oppose the Nepal royal family’s visit to the Kamakhya Temple for offering sacrifice of animals from next year onward. 'If they have to practice animal sacrifice, they should do it in their own country,' said PFA chairperson Sangeeta Goswami."
  • Special Resolution on Nepal United We Blog, Nepal
  • Ten Most Corrupt Ministries in Nepal United We Blog, Nepal The ministries of education and health are ranked to be the top most corrupt ministries in Nepal....
  • Swiss put human rights at center of UN reform International Herald Tribune, France one country is playing a surprisingly crucial role in the process..... Switzerland's proposal to replace the Human Rights Commission, a discredited UN body, with a more powerful panel has quietly received support, from officials including Secretary General Annan and such countries as the United States .... Switzerland can play a role that many larger countries cannot ...... human rights and international law are important counterweights to power politics .... It pressured Nepal this year to accept UN observers and has been a leading critic of U.S. policy at the Guantánamo Bay detention center..... proposing a human rights council in Geneva to replace the Human Rights Commission .... still follows its 400-year-old policy of neutrality, which means it has refused to join such military alliances as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.....
  • ANNISU(R) calls off educational strike Himalayan Times, Nepal
  • A Very Special Police ZNet, MA “human rights, along with democracy and social justice, are one of the best prophylactics against terrorism.”
  • No Nepali Maoists in Bihar attack: India Kantipur Online, Nepal
  • Air Sahara to close shop in Nepal Economic Times, India
  • India to deploy ITBP, BSF on Indo-Nepal border Himalayan Times, Nepal
  • dogs to be deployed along Nepal- India border PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
  • Centre to deploy ITBP, BSF on Indo-Nepal borders: Buta Outlook (subscription), India
  • Maoists attacked Bihar in revenge PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
  • Maoist bomb wounds 16 in western Nepal ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland
  • India discussing an ‘Action Plan’ to deal with the Maoist PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal initiate land reforms, build roads and communication networks and create job opportunities
  • Ghising warns of Nepal-like unrest in Darjeeling Press Trust of India, India
  • UN human rights body to expand network in Nepal Xinhua, China
  • Crown Prince gives away RONAST Talent awards Kathmandu Post, Nepal
  • Vajpayee concerned about Nepal Kathmandu Post, Nepal
  • Ghisingh goes to Delhi The Statesman, India
  • Blast near Nepal parliament Calcutta Telegraph, India Nearly 10 Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) soldiers were injured in a mysterious blast which occurred inside their barracks at the parliament complex (Singha Durbar) ..... RNA’s public relations wing claimed that a cooking gas cylinder exploded inside the kitchen of the barracks, people living near the parliament claimed that the explosion was so powerful that it rattled the window panes in buildings nearby. They said that a thick plume of smoke was visible a kilometre away and a strong smell of explosives emanated from the site......
  • Alliance with King only if takeover is undone: Gautam Himalayan Times, Nepal
  • Decoding Political Developments by Jana Sharma NepalNews as Girija Prasad Koirala, Baburam Bhattarai and Surya Bahadur Thapa end their political pilgrimages to New Delhi ..... RAW is modeled after Britain’s MI 6 and the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency. But unlike its Western cuisines, RAW has often a decisive say in the “world’s largest democracy.” ..... 1977 ... one of its agents Rabinder Singh – allegedly “cultivated” by the Americans – abruptly showed up in Kathmandu to defect to the United States..... Reading the reference on Sikkim in 1970s is like reading something on Nepal today. RAW prepared necessary grounds for India’s direct military intervention in the former Himalayan kingdom...... the Khampa insurgency smashed by the Royal Nepal Army on the eve of late King Birendra’s February 1975 coronation......
  • The RCCC member terrorizes businessmen in Birgunj NepalNews haphazard raids being carried out by a team of the controversial Royal Commission on Corruption Control..... already raided over two dozen business firms in Birgunj. He has also visited government offices like land revenue, transport, electricity and asked for documents the staff were dealing. Local officials said the Commission had asked with them details of those who had become millionaire overnight.... At one occasion, he said he would be investigating into the cases related to ‘fly-by-night millionaires.’ On the very next occasion, he said he would also be investigating into transfer of school teachers as well as VDC secretaries who had not completed their projects...... Bijay Sarabagi, president of the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), “Agencies like customs, internal revenue and revenue investigation department are already operating in Birgunj. Now RCCC is here. (We don’t know) towards how many agencies do we need to be accountable. If the situation persists, we will have no option but to give up businesses.” ...... Khati had led an anti-corruption rally in Birgunj some one and half years ago with the help of controversial businessmen like Bhola Shah, Rajnish Sindhi and Dipak Manange.’..... An official with the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) said, “When you don’t have to follow rules and regulations then you are free to do whatever you like.” ...... Khati said the RCCC had to be constituted as the CIAA and special court had failed to discharge their duties .....

Contents

Baburam Bhattarai, Pramod Aryal, Ram Chandra Poudel
Supreme Court, Revive House, Save Country, Hurry
Somnath Ghimire: King G Is Pinochet
Redesigning The Monarchy
Katrina
Messenger Chat With Purandar Ghimire
Protests
Words Matter
Democrats Rebuff Maoists And Monarchists
KC Pralhad: A Misled And Misleading Monarchist
Dialogue Is Give And Take
Nepali Congress Goes The UML Route, Almost
Major Fermentations In The NC And The UML
China: 5000 Years, America: 200 Years
Protests
Narahari Acharya For Nepali Congress President
September 16: Sajha Buzz
NC, UML And A Democratic Republic
Dialogue Is The Democratic Way
Generation Next
Mohi Magne, Dhungro Lukaune
Protests
House Revival Possibilities
Madhesi Hum Lenge Sau Mein Pachas
Prachanda, Order Your Cadres To Live
5 Steps
To Meet Or Not To Meet
Opposition To The Idea Of Meeting With The King
Letter To Sharad Chandra Shaha
Gang Of Four
Protests
Between Drinking Water And Helicopters
You Can Always Trust The Democrats To Be About Two Months Behind Schedule
Hridayesh Tripathy
The Kathmandu Media Ignores The Sadbhavana
Logic For The Maoists
The Democrats
The Two Extremes
The Narahari Acharya Proposal
The King And His Three Years
Somnath Ghimire On Leadership Crisis In Nepali Congress
Narahari Acharya Deserves A Platform
Anatomy Of The Conflict In Pokhara
Protests
Protests
Where I Stand On The Monarchy Question
Girijaspeak: When Republicans Are Royalists
5 Steps To Democracy
Renaming The Blog In Honor Of Gagan's Release
Caste Discrimination Leads To War
Email To Charlie Szrom
$$$
Email From Charlie Szrom
Gagan Thapa Released
The Movement Has Been Gathering Much Momentum
Protests
Proposed Democratic Republican Constitution
Chargesheeting Gagan: This Regime Has Gone Berserk
Protests
Protests
Moriarty Going The Bloomfield Route
Project Take Over Tundikhel: Draft 1
Janata Dal Constitution
Alliance Gathering At Queens Bridge Park
GDF
Melamchi
Protests
Mainstreaming The Monarchy
Amnestry International Report: Nepali Children Caught In Conflict
To: ADHRN
United We Blog Hacked!
Protests
Protests
No, Ambassador, Municipality Polls Are Not An Option
Senator Leahy To US Congress On Nepal
Chitra Tiwari eInterview With Dr. Baburam Bhattarai
BP Koirala: Hoping Against Hope At Sundarijal
ADHRN
Protests
Gagan Thapa Feels Unsafe In Jail
Keith Bloomfield
To: Koirala, Nepal, KC, Pokharel, Tripathy, Mahto And The Rest
Gagan Thapa Case Taken To The United Nations
The Asian Development Bank Report
Protests
2005 Young Republican National Convention (US) Resolution 1 On Nepal
Gagan Thapa Arrested Again
Tom Daschle
UN Security Council Needs To Enforce Human Rights On A War Footing
Royal Family Pictorial
NC UML Pictorial
Deuba Is Not Going Down
Loktantra: Pahilo Patak
Loktantra Launched
South Asia Tribune: What To Believe?
Press Protests
$100,000
Shambhu Thapa On Radio Dovaan
Possible Framework For A Maoist-Democrat Alliance
Kunda Dixit In Jackson Heights
What Has Narayan Gopal Got To Do With It?
Bush's War On Terror And King G
Regime Bent On Repression
Major Student Protests
Political And Military Stalemate: Democrats Stand To Tip The Balance
Adding Video Clips To This Blog
CEO Gyanendra Shaha
Cabinet Expansion: A King Who Will Break, Not Bend
Seize The Moment: Match The Maoists
Democrats, Drop Your Buckets
From The Nepai Language Press Online
Monsoon Break
The Road To The White House Goes Through Nepal
From Li Onesto
Maoist Suicide Bombers In The Offing?
Loktantra: A Magazine In The Offing
Nepali Congress Slumber Party
INSN And Samudaya Blocked In Nepal
Getting Interviewed By A Cornell University Student
Tehelka Interview With Baburam

Contents And Links February-June