Monday, October 03, 2005

Tales Of Torture


Suchana Oli is an eighth grader of Banki in Dang district. Her tale of torture and detention shows that there is little difference between the brutality of the Maoists and the security forces.

Suchana’s father was a policeman who was killed by the Maoists. Her mother died when she was little. She lived with her stepmother who was a rebel sympathiser and allowed the Maoists to come to her house, eat and stay overnight regularly. Last summer, a group of Maoists led by a local girl named Bihani came at night and took Suchana with them. Earlier, they used to come to Suchana’s school and abduct children above grade six so this wasn’t new to her. Suchana walked for six hours to a place called Panchakule and had to listen to their instructions. Two-and-half months later Suchana managed to escape from Maoist clutches at midnight. She walked all night fording rivers and across forests back to her home. Her stepmother refused to let her enter the house but Suchana forced herself in.

The next morning the Maoists came to the house and Suchana’s stepmother told them she had returned. They interrogated her and Bihani took her knife out and cut off one of Suchana’s right toes. She writhed in pain and bled profusely but before they left the Maoists warned that no one was to give Suchana medical treatment. Her sister finally came and took her to a health post. Her foot had been infected but despite that Suchana enrolled in grade nine of the local school. She covered her swollen foot in a plastic bag to cross a stream.

Barely three weeks after she started classes, six Maoists came, locked the school up and told the students to follow them. Most refused but 10 children were blindfolded and forced to walk. When the blindfolds were removed Suchana found herself back in Panchakule. They were then sent to Deukhuri and Bardiya to extort money. Suchana’s group was assigned to travel to Kathmandu for three months and had to walk nearly all the way through jungles, coming to the highways only to cross bridges.

They were led by a comrade named Tarak and a woman named Pabitra. One night, she pretended to go to a toilet and escaped. But there was nowhere to go in Kathmandu, so she went to a police station and surrendered. The police took her to Hanuman Dhoka where they interrogated her but didn’t believe her answers.

What the police did to her in Suchana’s own words: “They blindfolded me and asked questions, I kept answering. Someone held my hand and another slapped me in the face, in the darkness I saw sparks flying. But I didn’t cry. He asked me: ‘Who sent you?’ I said I couldn’t go anywhere that is why I surrendered, if you don’t believe me, go ahead and kill me. After that they slapped me again on both cheeks and boxed my ear.

They used dirty words. Next morning they said you are hiding something, we’ll electrocute you. I was alone, and there were these two men interrogating me. They tried to take my T-shirt and trousers off. The next day six people took me in a van, they said it was Janai Purnima. They took me to the police headquarters. One of them whipped me in the thigh with his belt while another held my head. Then one of them hit me in the stomach with his finger. They made me do situps. I begged forgiveness but they beat me repeatedly. Again and again they told me I had to help them, they even told me they’d allow me to join the police force or go abroad. After they got what they wanted, they brought me back to Hanuman Dhoka and locked me up again. What do I do now? If I go back the Maoists will kill me. If I knew this ws to happen I wouldn’t have surrendered. My life is in shambles but I am worried about my brother. The Maoists had said they’d take him away him if I escaped again. I’m sure they have abducted him. I really want to study. If I could find a job, I’d work. What will my future be? How will I survive?”



Maoist student leader Krishna KC has been detained for 25 months in the army barracks. Despite being released by the Supreme Court, police rearrested him and the District Appellate Court of Patan instructed that he be kept in police custody for 20 days. KC was interviewed in detention and had a speech impediment, which he said was caused by torture in detention.

I was blindfolded and kept in a dark room. Then they started asking about the whereabouts of Baburam and Prachanda. They interrogated me for two hours and tortured me brutally. When I fainted they beat me mercilessly. There were blood clots all over my body. There were hundreds of detainees. In Bhairabnath, I met 225 prisoners on my way to the toilet. I could hear screams of tortured prisoners in every barrack.

It’s not possible to talk about all the mental and physical torture. Many have died as a result. I was electrocuted and hit on the face until I bled. The worst torture was being blindfolded for two years. For twenty-two months they tied my hands behind my back and kept me blindfolded. I was kept at Bhairabnath, Yudha Bhairab and Ranger Battalion. These are the main barracks where people are tortured and killed.

Officials from the NHRC, UN High Commission and ICRC visited me. Whenever news about a detainee is published in the press, that person is moved to another detention place where he is tortured severely. When I was taken from Bhairabnath to Yudha Bhairab I was taken to the jungle, put in a sack and beaten. A prisoner named Khadka Buda died asking for water. He was not a Maoist. Padam Nakarmi died the same way. I spent days eating rice grains from the floor.

They kicked me while reading the news from Amnesty International and Kantipur. When the papers wrote about Matrika Yadab and Suresh Ale Magar they were also tortured. Matrika Yadab is still very ill. Both are in the Ranger Battalion in Chhauni.

They have said openly they will not spare anyone. A general by the name of Biplab Gurung told me that I was lucky. When I was arrested I was the Kathmandu Valley bureau chief. When I was taken in, there were hundreds of detainees in the hall but very few were real Maoists. They end up torturing and killing hundreds of innocent civilians.

(Source: Nepali Times.)

In The News

  • Government ready for talks with parties: Dr Giri NepalNews .... Dr Giri said he was “cautioning the leaders about their disregard for the constitution”. Since they yanked reference to monarchy from their party statute and started talking in shrill terms on a republican set-up, the royalists also have the right to say that they believe in a “monarchical democracy,” he argued...... Giri said the crisis may be further complicated, if the parties remained obdurate on their stance for agitation by disregarding the imminent place of the king in the country.
  • Maoist insurgency to most serious threat to Nepal: German envoy called all legitimate political forces to unite to bring Nepal back into a multi-party democratic framework and to address the Maoist insurgency by peaceful negotiations.
  • RNA responsible for Palpa incident: Civil Society The Civil Society's Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (CSCMC) has said that six Maoists and one civilian were not killed in crossfire by army personnel on September 24 in Bhadrapur area of the Palpa district..... The field report of the CSCMC has said that the Maoists were killed during unilateral action of the RNA at a gathering of armed Maoists...... several rounds of 'rampant firing' is reported to have taken place, and the 'civilians have been found injured, terrorised and local teachers manhandled.'..... the Maoists had not fired in the incident, but they were with arms and the army patrol fired at them without any warning...... earlier the RNA said that the Maoists were killed in a retaliatory action of the RNA after the Maoists attacked the patrolling security force. RNA is yet to comment on the report of CSCMC.
  • NHRC calls upon the govt. to ease surface travel The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the government to lift curfew orders clamped along all the eastern and western highways in order to facilitate public travel by bus during the Dashain festival, which kicks off from Tuesday..... Passengers traveling by buses along the Mugling-Narayangarh-Hetauda-Pathalaiya road section in the east and Dang-Lamahi-Nepalgunj-Mahendranagar section of the Mahendra highway in the west have been facing serious ordeals of having to spend whole night at various places even without food due to curfew imposed along the highways from 8 p.m. to 4 a. m next day ..... since the citizens' right to move freely has been hindered due to the night-time curfew, it must be lifted.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Anil Jha, Bimal Nidhi US Tour Logistics



A Question For Mahara
Bimalendra Nidhi US Tour
Gagan Thapa US Tour

Anilji, Bimalji.

Both of you have written to me about your visits. I think you are going to have a wonderful time in the US. It's a great country. See democracy in action.

First thing, the State Department will keep you on a very tight schedule. And they are professionals: you will be taken care of very well.

Second, so far you should stick to it.

As for your subsequent tour, I have not received enough details from either you or from the ANTA (Association of Nepali Teraian in America) contacts to say something concrete for now. Usually if you show up in a big city, hopefully there is someone who will host you, take care of the fooding and lodging part. Especially true of NYC.

Personally I can only look into New York City for sure. And that too by tapping the ANTA network. My place is too small for hosting and I maintain crazy work hours, thanks to Nepal! But I can find some Madhesi families who might be interested if I tried, which I will be happy to.

How will you move between the cities? There is a Chinatown bus from DC to Boston and places in between that is really cheap. That transportation part you might have to take care of on your own.

Whatever happens, we need better communication to chalk out the details.

Anil Jha, October 13-26 Boston, DC

Bimal Nidhi
13 oct. --- Departure from KTM to Boston.
20 oct --- Boston to Washington
24 oct ---Washington to Atlanta
From 26 oct we are free to roam arround at our own.

Sage is in Boston.
Kiran Sitoula is in DC.
Pramod Aryal is in Atlanta.
Rajesh Gupta is in Augusta, Georgia.

Lalitji, Ratanji. What are the ANTA contacts in Boston, DC and Atlanta?

It would be best to make use of the contacts in cities where you surely will be. If additional programs are to be organized locally.

How long do you have after the 26th? When do you fly back to Nepal? From where? Boston? DC? Atlanta?

I am not sure I understand the "free to go wherever" part. Is this the State Department way of saying go join the American economy!

If they are also responsible to fly you back to Kathmandu, they must be wanting to keep track of you during that "free" part. Maybe they have plans to take you for some sight-seeing after that. And if they are saying, here, you have one week to go around on your own, and then come to this airport to fly back, I'd think they will give you an allowance for travel and other expenses.

Ask them, the State Department folks in Kathmandu. Culturally we are prone to tap into our personal networks whereas the State Department has a professional approach to the whole thing. I understand that. It is okay.

Short answer: I don't have enough details at hand, but if you show up in New York City, I'd love to see you. And if you want me to try and do more, let me know the specifics.

Happy Landing. Gagan is having a great time, I hear.

Gagan Thapa on Radio Dovaan, DC

A Question For Mahara


100,000 Unarmed Maoist Cadres
The Maoists Could Do More

Over five dozen Maoists surrender; abductions still on

Over five-dozen Maoists have surrendered before the district administrations of Gulmi and Jumla districts.

According to state-owned Radio Nepal, 60 Maoists including the heads of the self-styled ‘ward people’s governments’ on Sunday. Some of the surrendered persons are members of the militia force the rebel outfit.

Similarly, six Maoists have surrendered before the District Administration Office of Jumla, mid-western Nepal. The Maoist defectors have been identified as Padam Pariyar, Parek Pariyar, Kamal Bahadur Nepal, Mukesh Pariyar, Alka Devi Acharya and Nar Bahadur Rawat.

Meanwhile, the Maoists continue to abduct civilians, violating the three-month unilateral ceasefire they declared on 3rd September.

The insurgents have abducted over 100 civilians from the far-western districts of Bajura and Doti districts, according to the army.

The rebels, army said, have in the last few days marched at least 61 villagers from Kuldebmandu area of Bajura and four each persons from all nine wards of Gajari VDC in Doti district. The whereabouts of the abducted villagers remain unknown.

Maoists refute allegations of extortion, abduction NepalNews .... Krishna Bahadur Mahara said that the entire rank and file of the party were engaged in political and activities aimed at serving people as per the spirit of the ceasefire. He said it was not the policy of his party to `abduct’ teachers and students and that such reports were nothing but the ‘planned propaganda’ of the royal regime...... Mahara has also alleged the security forces of taking into custody their six unarmed cadres at Bahadurpur of Palpa district in western Nepal and executing them last week (Sep. 24). The Royal Nepalese Army, however, said the Maoist cadres were killed in two-way clashes after the security personnel opened fire in self-defense after they were attacked.

So, Mr. Mahara, what is the truth here?

There's a news piece where you claim the Maoists are not engagd in activities that could be called abductions. The news of Maoists surrendering is not big news. The RNA is known to have 200-300 defections a month.

But there are specific cases of abductions identified here: "....in the last few days marched at least 61 villagers from Kuldebmandu area of Bajura and four each persons from all nine wards of Gajari VDC in Doti..."

That is quite specific, don't you think? So is this true, or is this not true? Is it possible that some of your cadres at the grassroots level have not heard the news of the ceasefire? Or are deliberately disobeying? Is this a case of inefficiency? Are these isolated incidences? Does your party do internal fact finding? What's going on?

If the RNA is not telling the truth, your party needs to offer rebuttals in as great a detail.

Bijay Kumar

Nice to know Bijay Kumar is back. He apparently has a show called Frontline with Kantipur TV. Too bad his shows are not archived online as was the case with Dishanirdesh.

Email From Anil Kumar Jha
Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2005 22:41:16 +0545
From: "Anil Kumar Jha"
To: "Paramendra Kumar Bhagat"
Subject: Re: I want to meet u in USA.

Dear Parmendra Ji !
This is Anil Kumar Jha. I am Joint General Secretary of NSP-A. Our General Secretary Sri Rajendra Mahto ji had given your e-mail address. I am starting for USA from Kathmandu on 13th October and firstly I will be there in Boston then DC then and lastly on 26th October we will be free for any where to go as we want. I want to come on 26th in NYC. As u know we r on road's it is not possible for mine to be in NYC for long time on my own expance, but I want's to make this trip useful.Can u suggest me how is it possible ?
Anil Kumar Jha

Tulsi Giri And Reconciliation

It is uncharacteristic of Giri to tone down. But he does not exactly sound reconciliatory.

“I think the problem (with parties) is medical level. So it could be treated easily. I don’t think it needs surgical attention.”

What about problems with the king? Hereditary? What about problems with Tulsi Giri? Constipatory?

.... foreign interference very less between 1950-1960, that was nil in the Panchayat period and was very much in effect from 1990 to present day .....

This false nationalism of the Mandales really ticks me off. That is only one step away from virulent anti-Madhesi prejudice.

Could the seven parties take up on this offer and seek an all-party government promulgated through Article 127?

The seven parties have not been doing the homework. Girija's puppy love with the 1999 parliament might never go away. The parties have not committed themselves to federalism yet. Where is the anti-corruption plank?

The parties also will have to think through the endgame. What will it be like?

Will it be like in France and Russia where the monarchy meets a violent end? Will it be like in Iran where the Shah had to flee the country? I am not against these two options as long as the seven parties adopt them as options. In a formal way.

On the other hand, considering the Constituent Assembly has become the meeting ground for the seven parties and the Maoists, will the seven parties leave some room for the king? In that, if he will use Article 127 to form an all-party government that will hold peace talks with the Maoists whose outcome is already known, is that acceptable?

If the goal is elections to a Constituent Assembly, does it matter if we go there through a ton of possible bloodshed, or we go there because the king forms an all-party government using Article 127?

If the king talks unreasonable, he loses politically, and that fuels the movement further.

I think what the king is saying is he is willing to use Article 127 to form an all-party government, but that he does not see how he could use it to revive the House.

At this point, I lose my dear fellow democrats. Why not take it? One gripe is, oh, if we form an all-party government under Article 127, we will have to do the king's bidding. No, you don't. What that all-party government will do is already clear. That government will hold unconditional peace talks with the Maoists, respectfully disarm the Maoists, then invite them into the government, and then take the country through a constituent assembly.

That is what the all-party government will do, so does it really matter if that all-party government will be formed through a bloody revolution or through a royal use of Article 127? Personally I prefer the Article 127 option. Revolutions are weapons of last resort. I am the only democrat who has been espousing an unilateral declaration of an interim government. But that is a big leap. You got to get huge numbers of people into the streets. And then you got to get the foreign powers to come along, a big if.

Article 127 is the much better option.

What do I think of Article 127? I think it should no longer exist. It should have been like an appendix, never used. On the other hand, to give the king the benefit of doubt, if a state bordering on a total collapse is not an emergency, what is? How he used it is a whole another topic. And he looks even worse in that department.

I think it is a question of emotion and logic. Some of Girija's arguments have been "He should listen to me because I am older than him." And similar. What kind of logic is that?

There is nothing in the 1990 constitution - a constitution that I think is disgusting - that allows the king to revive the House. But Article 127 can be used to form an all-party government. That government would include the seven parties to start with. And once it is formed, it already has a clear roadmap.

I think the seven party coalition should consider this option.

Especially since they have exhibited an inability to come up with a forward looking political platform, this option looks even more attractive.

The biggest reason the parties should go for it is because it leads to elections to a constituent assembly.

I think the king is confident that if free and fair elections are held, the people will retain the monarchy. And I agree with that reading of the situation. At the end of 2004, more than 60% of Nepalis were for a constitutional monarchy and more than 20% were for an executive monarchy. I think the monarchy has done itself some major damage since. But the people might bounce back on the monarchy if the king were to speed up peace and democracy by forming an all-party government through Article 127.

For the parties, it might get embarrassing.

Look at the logic of it. Deuba dismissed the parliament in 2002. It was not the king. Then he had six months to hold elections, which he knew he could not hold right when he dismissed the parliament. There is no provision in the 1990 constitution for a Prime Minister to dismiss the parliament and then crown himself prime minster forever. There is not, and there should not be. So the king dismissed Deuba, which was the constitutional thing to do. Then he did invite an all-party government.

At that point all parties in the parliament should have met, and then agreed on a candidate. Going just by size, it would have been Madhav Nepal. A Nepali Congress vertically split is no longer the largest party. But if instead they went by seniority, which is bizarre and undemocratic - Girija ends up looking like a high school bulley - and they instead opt for Girija, that would be their democratic right to do so.

The parties messed up. And then the king has been messing up since. And on 2/1 he really messed up. And he has not stopped messing up since. So the two camps should rectify the situation by going back to that point of departure.

The 1999 House has been dissolved. It can not be revived. But an all-party government can be formed using Article 127.

When you look at these details, Girija looks like a major league villain.

First, he has this really idiotic stance that the 1999 House has to be revived. Revive how? Because there is a provision in the constitution called because-Girija-says-so?

Second, he wants to be the Prime Minister of the all-party government even though his party is no longer the largest. Because-Girija-is-Girija.

The first is unconstitutional, and the second is undemocratic. The 1999 House can not be revived. And Madhav Nepal should be Prime Minister of the all-party government. Girija can not be, should not be. When Girija becomes Prime Minister, he gets lost, he needs a democracy movement to stay relevant, he has that Arafat problem.

Let's face it, the days of the Nepali Congress being the largest political party in Nepal are permanently over.

But then, at this point, there is no formal offer from the king that he is willing to use Article 127 in this way. So the ball is still in his court. I think the king should give the parties a second chance for the sake of peace. The country has already gone through plenty of pain.

And this time the parties should take it, and get the ball rolling.

Then we can look back and say it took a 2/1 for the Congress and the UML to come for a constituent assembly!

In The News
  • Jittery judges put off trial of Maoist leaders NewKerala.com, India indefinitely adjourned with the judges saying they did not have the power to take statements against King Gyanendra..... Yadav too professed he was innocent and blamed the system of governance in Nepal for the kingdom's poverty and political instability...... When Yadav, who was part of the Maoist team that held peace talks with the government in 2003, started coming down heavily on King Gyanendra, who seized direct control by force this year, he was stopped by the judges...... a day after the International Committee of Jurists said ever since the king assumed direct control, Nepal's courts have been frightened of discharging their duties when it meant going against the government.
  • Letter from Nepal: Tulsi Giri talks soft in a Bijay Kumar show United We Blog, Nepal One of the most conservative politicians Nepal has ever seen who thinks of nothing but absolute royal autocracy as the only way forward has stressed on the need of patch between the monarch and agitating political parties..... Bijay Kumar .. a brand on his own in TV journalism, has ventured into the private sector silver screen with a bang....... he is a big shot in print journalism too...... I have seen equal number of people who hate and love Bijay Kumar. For some, including myself, he is a top-shot professional and for some he is a real moody fellow (with which I do not completely disagree!). His style of questioning an interviewee and his on-screen aroma is such that he is the only celebrity journalists I have seen until now in Nepal with real star-attraction. He was the first journalist I saw giving autographs in Nepal....... Bijay Kumar overshadowed Dr Giri ...... “Reconciliation is the most,” he said. “Parties should come to us for talks if they want any solution of the problem. With having an understanding on political level (with Vice Chairmen), we can go the monarch with a package. But it should be clear that the role of the head of state should be specially defined.” .... parties can’t directly hold talks with the king since that is not the appropriate way ...... “I think the problem (with parties) is medical level. So it could be treated easily. I don’t think it needs surgical attention.” ..... also blasted foreign interference in strong words. Saying that foreign interference very less between 1950-1960, that was nil in the Panchayat period and was very much in effect from 1990 to present day...... “Tapaiharu sambhidan ferne chakkar ma hunuhunchha re ni? (Are you guys in the game of changing this constitution?)” was Bijay Kumar’s question to Dr. Giri. “No,” Giri promptly responded. “Who am I to change this constitution?”
  • Govt ‘bans’ foreigners from visiting remote districts

100,000 Unarmed Maoist Cadres


My figures might be off the mark, but let's say the Maoists have 100,000 unarmed cadres and 10,000 armed cadres.

My suggestion would be to pull back the 10,000 armed cadres deep into the jungles where the RNA can not find them even if they tried. Move around if you have to. Play hide and seek if you have to. Because it is not a question of defending physical territory. The Maoists do not need to defend an inch of territory.

Absolutely no abductions and extortions. Even if you call them education and donations, halt them, stop them.

And mobilize the 100,000 unarmed cadres. These cadres are physically safe. The state security forces may not attack them just because they belong to the Maoist party. If unarmed cadres doing peaceful organizing are physically attacked, that would be a serious violation of some major international laws. So your unarmed cadres are protected by national and international laws. Just keep track of them. Document any attacks and publicize them immediately.

So, no, your unarmed cadres do not need physical protection from your armed cadres.

And, very important, as important as doing all this, engage in the war of words. Use words like they were bullets. Publicize all this on a regular basis. This is where the real fight is now. At the level of words. Always keep one step ahead of the Monarchists. Follow all they say, all lies they spread. And counter them in real time. If they put out something false at one in the morning, you respond by two in the morning.

If you are already doing all this, but Ram Sharan Mahat is begging you to lay down your arms, and this and that, obviously you have not been doing a good job of fighting with words. Work on it.

Having 10,000 armed cadres on standby is expensive business. So if I were the Maoists, I would rather I had to do that for three than six months. And that is why it is important for the Maoists to truly act like there is a ceasefire and to give total political space to the seven party coalition. Because then the movement can be launched sooner and concluded sooner. The Maoists stand to save money. It makes more sense to save than extort. That saved money will help you after the peace talks are concluded.

Even if it is about money, it would make more sense for the Maoists to say during the peace talks later on, that it would really help if they could get $50,000 in foreign aid to attain a total transformation into a peaceful party. Or $60,000. That would be more money better, easier way. I can totally see that money coming if asked for in the right way. Powers that have been willing to give millions for peace will not mind giving away a five figure sum.

And what is this news from Jhapa about Maoist students shutting down schools? The Maoist leadership should also ask their student wing to step back.

On another note, Gagan Thapa's US trip is coming along really well. And Charlie Szrom, who I have nicknamed the American Gagan, will be in New York City some time this month. I get to meet him for the first time. So it will be like I get to meet the Nepali and American Gagans the same month.

The RCCC threatening the Supreme Court. Hah. Jab gidar ki maut aati hai, to o shahar ki taraf daudta hai.

In The News

The Onus Is On The King


The Maoists Could Do More

The Maoists have refuted allegations of abductions and extortions. It is important that they are hitting back with words like this. They should do more of this and more often. When your enemies spread lies about you, and you don't hit back with rebuttals, the people end up believing the lies.

Maoists refute allegations of extortion, abduction NepalNews .... Krishna Bahadur Mahara said that the entire rank and file of the party were engaged in political and activities aimed at serving people as per the spirit of the ceasefire. He said it was not the policy of his party to `abduct’ teachers and students and that such reports were nothing but the ‘planned propaganda’ of the royal regime...... Mahara has also alleged the security forces of taking into custody their six unarmed cadres at Bahadurpur of Palpa district in western Nepal and executing them last week (Sep. 24). The Royal Nepalese Army, however, said the Maoist cadres were killed in two-way clashes after the security personnel opened fire in self-defense after they were attacked.

This war of words will take them much further. I urge them to offer rebuttals on a regular basis. I think now the question no longer is if there will be elections to a constituent assembly. It is only a matter of when, and which party will win the most votes, and which party will emerge the largest, second largest and so on.

It is only a matter of time that elections to a constituent assembly will be held in the country. The Maoists should function within two parameters.
  1. Do things that aid the peaceful mass movement for democracy so as to hasten the interim government and the constituent assembly. Continue the ceasefire, no abductions and extortions. Massive grass roots organizing. Major peaceful protest programs. Peaceful co-existence with the seven party coalition.
  2. Do things to try and emerge one of the largest parties in the country during and after the elections to a constituent assembly. They will also have a lot of time to do this after they have become part of the interim governemnt after the peace talks. So do it step 1, step 2, step 3. The time for competition among the parties will come. But that time is later. And there will be plenty of time.
By the way, I got to meet Howard Dean the other day: Dean Was In Town Yesterday. That was a great feeling. (What's Going On In Nepal, Email From Madhav Kumar Nepal, To: DFNYC)

The onus on the king has been building.
  • There is a widespread belief nationally and globally that the king did not react to the ceasefire the way he should have. It has become so obvious to the whole world the king's goal is not peace. Tell me of another instance anywhere else on earth where a major armed group declared a unilateral ceasefire. These Nepali Maoists did a really cutting edge thing. That was their best military move during the entire decade of their insurgency.
  • If it is also true the Maoists are not engaged in abductions and extortions, the king stands further exposed. Why are his people spreading lies? Since they failed to derail the ceasefire, now they want to spread lies about the Maoists?
The country needs a new constitution not because the 1990 constitution is wrong or inadequate, which it was, but because the country as is has no constitution. There is an unconstitutional government in power right now. There is this major constitutional vacuum.

The Maoist-Democrat alliance needs to vigorously fight the war of words. There has to be massive grass roots organizing by all eight parties. The work is to get hundreds of thousands of people out in the streets.

The RCCC has managed to attack the Supreme Court itself. That shows there is much desperation in the Monarchist camp. This has got to be one of their last hurrahs. The regime is slowly but surely imploding.

I have been telling my local DFNYC comrades, just wait a few months, Nepal is going to hit the world headlines. When people overflow into the streets in the hundreds of thousands.

A Contact Group comprised of the EU, US, UN and India is underway to being formed. That group is the one that will recognize Nepal's unilaterally declared interim government. All of Nepal's current ambassadors will get derecognized immediately.

Even the RPP is tilting towards coming out into the streets. That should really tell you which way the winds are blowing. If they don't take part in the street protests, they are going to disappear as a party. It is a question of survival.

In The News

  • Reciprocate ceasefire, hold talks with parties: European Parliament NeplNews .... welcomed the ceasefire declared by the CPN (Maoist) and calls for an indefinite extension of the Maoist ceasefire...... establish a Contact Group, made up of Nepal’s key partners and international organisations (the EU, the US, India and the UN), in order to provide coordinated international action with regard to Nepal....... provide rehabilitation for the 30,000 Kapilvastu villagers displaced by violent conflict...... renewed its firm call upon the Nepal government to re-establish the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office (TRWO) in Kathmandu and to allow the representative office of the Dalai Lama to resume operations in providing relief services to Tibetan refugees as an implementing partner of the UNHCR........

  • Giri orders to register the land of National park to individuals ..... 13.79 hectare (407.14 kathha) of land at Bardiya's Kalwariphanta in the name of specific individuals ...... Luv Shumsher JB Rana, Siddhi Sumsher JB Rana, Bel Sumsher JB Rana and Phanindra Sumsher JB Rana..... Som Shumsher Rana had written to Dr Giri claiming that they missed out the registration of the land in the 2021 BS survey....... the District Development Committee Bardiya has seriously objected to the move.....

  • RPP criticizes the government's performance ..... the party will go for the agitation demanding restoration of the democracy...... RPP is in the view that formation of all party government is essential to find the negotiated settlement of the Maoist insurgency ..... Intra-party rift is widening in RPP over whether the party should side with the king or political parties.

  • Laborers organize protest against amendment in Labor Act Nepalnews.com, Nepal

  • Pro-democracy rallies continue Kathmandu Post, Nepal

  • Problems of Madhesis highlighted Gorkhapatra, Nepal Leaders of various political parties and intellectuals have expressed the view that the Madhesi community has been oppressed and neglected for centuries ...... Nepal Terai Intellectuals Society .... the media has also not given due coverage to the problems of the Madheshi community...... leader of Nepal Sadbhavana Party Devendra Mishra, CPN-UML leader Jitendra Dev, leader of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) Hridayesh Tripathi and a host of speakers said that the Madhesi community has still not got the right place in the national politics.......

  • Police Offices’ Renaming Reminds of Panchayat Days Himalayan Times, Nepal

  • ‘King wants new statute’ Himalayan Times, Nepal

  • Seven-party Front ‘keen’ to Avoid Friction With King Himalayan Times, Nepal “Giving up the desire to rule would solve the problem.” ..... “in the event the monarch does not act in the right light, Indian support to the alliance may further solidify.” ..... The King, however, can be said to be having three options — cracking the whip on political parties, playing the civic polls card or yielding to the demand for an all-party government.... a larger section of the political forces, including the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and Rastriya Janshakti Party (RJP), however, are backing the idea of an all-party dispensation which would shape up as a measure of reconciliation.

  • Stir to be more intense after Tihar: Leaders ..... a well-managed and much bigger people’s movement will be launched this winter. It would culminate in the termination of the political crisis in the country...... another stage of the movement would be started after the Dashain-Tihar interval. “An ocean of people will be seen in the capital this winter that will sweep away the monarchy and its autocracy altogether,” said Yubraj Karki, central committee member of the CPN-UML........ thousands would court arrests and prisons would overflow with activists, and it would result in what the Nepalis have been dreaming of for the past two centuries. “Autocracy will be thrown out of the scene as it happened to Hitler, Suharto and many other dictators in history. We strongly hope the King of Nepal may not have to meet the fate that the King of Iran met” ........ Krishna Sitaula, Nepali Congress central committee member, said despite the government’s threat to brand anybody who contacts the Maoists as a terrorist, the seven political parties would continue their efforts to hold talks with the Maoists and try and bring them to mainstream politics......... the King has created two pillars — the Maoists’ activities and the Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC). The first failed with the unilateral ceasefire, and the second failed after Sher Bahadur Deuba and Prakash Man Singh challenged the RCCC ........ Tanka Rai of the CPN-ML said the King’s allegation that foreign money has flooded the capital was a direct insult to the local people. “The King should either prove it or retract his statement.......

  • Govt Defends RNA Action The Ministry of Defence said in a press release on Saturday that the action taken by the RNA against three of it’s servicemen in reference to the Maina Sunuwar case was in accordance with the country’s prevailing law. It said even though the court martial handed down a six-month jail sentence on the accused, in addition to suspension of promotion for two years and ordered to pay compensation worth Rs 100,000 to Sunuwar’s family, the three accused officers served six months in army custody. The ministry expressed deep regret over comments made by Human Rights Watch that the action taken by the RNA against the guilty was a “cosmetic gesture” and said the army’s action has sent a clear signal that those guilty of rights abuses will be punished irrespective of their ranks.

  • Global law body fears new crackdown in Nepal Peninsula On-line, Qatar

  • Schools bow down to Maoist threat, over 600 students flee PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal

Saturday, October 01, 2005

The Maoists Could Do More


The Foreign Powers Need To Come Clean On The Constituent Assembly Question
The Maoist Ceasefire: The Devil In The Details
The Royal Court
Madhav Nepal, Commander Of The Movement
For The First Time In A Decade, Permanent Peace Feels Possible
Ahobhagya Shaubhagya: Confusion InThe Monarchist Camp
Email From Madhav Kumar Nepal
Tulsi Giri Is Beyond Redemption
Options For The Maoists And The Democrats
The King, The Army, The Ceasefire
Beyond Royal Rule: An ICG Report
Alliance Of Steel

The Democrats are doing their very best, although they still have some clarifying to do. The international community is staunchly with the democrats. The Nepali diaspora is strongly with the democrats. The movement is making progress.

The Maoists have declared a military ceasefire. But they also need to declare a political ceasefire. It was the RNA that benefitted the most from the military ceasefire. But acts of abductions and extortions send the wrong signals. One, that the Maoists are only preparing for another round of fighting. Two, they do not have faith in the democracy movement that is underway. Three, they might do the Lenin thing and step back from the democratic republic tune and still gun for a communist republic.

The abductions are in the hundreds. I don't see how those are helping them in any form or fashion.

So if the Maoists are serious about their democratic republic tune, they need to provide total space to the seven party coalition so the movement can take off faster. This is not going to be a Kathmandu only movement, although Kathmandu will be key. This is going to be a nationwide movement.

I don't think the Maoists are attempting a Lenin here. I think they are just not thinking clearly enough. Intellectually they have moved to a democratic republic from a communist republic, but their habits are still old. To go for a democratic republic means to work to win the hearts and minds of the people.

The movement will still succeed with or without the Maoists. The constituent assembly elections are going to take place, with or without the Maoists. My point being, the Maoists hurt their political future by not transforming themselves more.

The ceasefire was a great move. Now they need to make another great move and bring abductions and extortions to a total halt so as to further strengthen the Maoist-Democrat alliance. The Monarchists will not do business with them, the democrats are willing to.

If the Maoists do that, the seven party alliance as a whole might come clearly for a democratic republic.

If the Maoists stop the abductions and extortions, the seven party alliance will come under tremendous pressure to come for a simple program of an interim government and a constituent assembly.

That is what the Maoists said they wanted. And now they are about to get it. So they need to measure up. They need to do their part.

Bring a total halt to all abductions and extortions, so the country can get a constituent assembly sooner.

The ceasefire was a brilliant move. This move would be even more brilliant. This would really earn them a lot of popularity among the people.

Republic Of Nepal: Blog

A few days back I came across this blog: Republic Of Nepal. It is only three months old, and it has three members. I have been quoted in a recent blog entry. There is a strong republican sentiment among the young, that's for sure.

In the eve of French revolution in 1789 when entire France was suffering from famine and hunger, the French Queen, Marie Antoinette was told that people were dying from hunger and they were rioting and demanding breads, in reply she said “ Don’t do they eat cake”. Many historians believe that it was her lavish life style, like 1,600,000 lives ($ 100 million) diamond necklace, which fueled French revolution. And she was executed in 1793 at the age of 37.

The only reason the ‘protests against regression’ is not taking momentum is suspicions that the general public have on the political leader's credibility. Once they are assured that leaders wouldn't heed any signals from palace for tête-à-têtes as the protests take momentum, no one could save king’s regime, even the god himself.

I recently read write-ups in the second issue of Loktantra, from formidable moist leader Dr. Babu Ram Bhattari to proclaimed socialist think tank Pradip Giri, but today I want to quote Parmendra Bhagat:


अहिले को विश्‍व राजनीति समानताको आदर्श भइरहेको राजनीति होइन . नेपाल मा अमेरिका र भारत भन्‍दा पनि प्रगतिशील लोकतन्‍त्र स्‍थापना गर्न सकिन्‍छ .जित सुनिस्‍चित छ .

I will mention it one more time that 'time makes more converts than reason.' That, even though Thomas Paine said in the circumstances leading to the full-fledged American revolution against the British colonialism, is still valid in our context. We just need to do our duty, and the detractors right now will later come to join us.

हाँगो भाँचेर

देश काँहा बन्‍छर राजा राखेर……….

When I was back home last December, I wasn't expecting to see bombs lying around in the middle of the highway, and people walking by it without even giving it an apprehensive look, as if that thing covered in the bucket was nothing more than a joke. People were stranded on both sides of the town, as there were noone to defuse that bomb. Actually that bomb remained there for next couple of days. I was scared to see kids go near the bucket to peer inside trying to fathom may be the depth of the problem plaguing the society. I was amazed at how those little kids became so brave that they were not afraid of the bombs anymore. Couple of days after, there was another bomb on the middle of the ground. This time somebody actually thought that was just a joke and tried to move it. It exploded. Luckily that person escaped with minor injuries.

In The News
  • King to visit Western region from 4th Oct NepalNews
  • Return to the constitutional fold, ICJ tells the govt. Howen called upon the Nepal government to respond to the three-month-long unilateral ceasefire declared by the Maoists nearly a month ago....... “If the two sides really desire peace, they now should not only both declare indefinite ceasefires, but also commit themselves to a human rights code of conduct, which could be monitored by the newly –established UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) field operation,” said Howen. “Monitoring of respect for such a human rights code of conduct, and other confidence-building measures, could significantly reduce violence and create an environment in which peace talks are much more likely,” he added ...... The ICJ welcomed what it called signs of increasing independence and courage of the Supreme Court in considering habeas corpus writs and ordering the release of detainees held illegally by the security forces...... “Especially in the absence of parliament or a democratically elected government the Supreme Court plays a vital role as a protector of people’s rights,” said Nicholas Howen...... Howen said it was up to the Nepali people to decide what type of constitution they wanted........ Howen further said the Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC) was an extra-constitutional entity and that it violated the principle of separation of power enshrined in the Nepali constitution....... Howen said (the mission) found a sense of foreboding in civil society that an intensifying political conflict between the King, who assumed direct power on 1 February on one side, and the political parties and civil society on the other, may lead to a new crackdown by the government....... civilians in the districts continue to be caught between brutal violence and extortion carried out by the Maoists and gross violations such as extrajudicial executions and torture carried out by the security forces......
  • CIAA files Charge-sheet against eight people
  • Government gives one billion rupees to NOC
  • Maoist leaders Yadav, Ale Magar produced in court Yadav and Ale Magar raised their fists and chanted slogans in front of TV cameras as they were driven away in a police van from the court. Both of them are being tried on charge of ordering the murder of then chief of Armed Police Force (APF), Krishna Mohan Shrestha, his wife and security guard in January 2003....... Indian security agencies had detained Yadav and Ale Magar from their rented apartment in New Delhi in February last year and later handed them over to Nepali authorities where they were kept under army custody......
  • RCCC advises court not to poke its nose in royal decision The Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC) has advised the Supreme Court not to intervene in any question regarding its formation or its decision to jail former premier Sher Bahadur Deuba and former minister Prakash Man Singh, among others....... In response to a show cause notice issued by the apex court, the Commission said, “All the works executed by the king are purely political ones and such works related to state authority and exercise of sovereignty cannot be question in the court as per Article 31 of the Constitution,” RCCC Secretary Shambhu Bahadur Khadka said in his written replies submitted to the apex court on Monday.
  • Nepal moving toward democracy: Indian delegation Sify, India .... the movement for restoration of democracy in the Himalayan Kingdom would intensify after the ensuing festival season..... The struggle for democracy in 1990 took 60 days. We hope it will take less time now ..... Asked about the incident of stone-throwing and waving of black flags against them, Yechury said "in a democracy there is a right to protest. We only want the King to give such rights to everybody".
  • Movement for democracy in Nepal to intensify: Delegates Press Trust of India
  • 'Restrain actions that give legitimacy to monarchy in Nepal' Webindia123
  • Guerrillas release 150 teachers in western Nepal Xinhua, China
  • International jurists urge Nepal to reciprocate Maoist truce Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
  • Global law body fears new crackdown in Nepal NewKerala.com, India
  • People want democracy sans monarchy: Nepal Kathmandu Post, Nepal
  • Agitation not for retaining constitutional monarchy: Leaders Kathmandu Post
  • The New York Rally And Further PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
  • Maoists Ceasefire Is A Good Thing PeaceJournalism.com
  • ‘Transfer cease-fire into permanent peace’ Gorkhapatra
  • ‘Front’ cracking up, PEOPLE not responding and FOREIGN money ... PeaceJournalism.com
  • Maoists still terrorising people: ThapaSurya Bahadur Thapa has observed that the Maoists are still giving continuity to terrorising general people by carrying out the acts of abduction, extortion, forced donation, interference on educational institutions and obstruction on the movement of people in the country in spite of their unilaterally declared three-month armistice.
  • Jet Airways bomb hoax triggers panic in Nepal Hindustan Times, India
  • Nepal royalists stone Indian team BBC News, UK
  • ‘Melamchi project to be completed within time’ Gorkhapatra, Nepal Minister Gauchan said that the government needed support from every sector including media, as the Royal Step of February 1 taken by His Majesty King was fallout of the popular aspiration of the people. “The Royal Step was a compulsion to save the nation from the crisis, as the political parties had created chaos in the nation during their democratic practices in the last decade”..... Nepalese people are demanding peace and prosperity instead of agitation, strikes and strife. “The political parties are playing an out of tune music” .....
  • Alliance Will Succeed This Time, says Madhav Nepal Himalayan Times, Nepal while addressing a press conference organised by the Press Chautari Nepal, in Janakpurdham. The international community is also showing solidarity towards the ongoing movement of the seven party alliance, he added. “I’d like to assure you that by the end of December, a huge mass will be protesting against the present government and it will be beyond the government’s capacity to control it” ...... UML alone has plans to organise several other programs in addition to the regular protest programmes of the seven party alliance. UML will organise protest meeting at the regional, zonal and village levels...... General secretary Nepal also accused the government of trying to force the Maoists to break their unilateral ceasefire and resume violent activities...... Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said at a meet in Ghorahi, the district headquarters of Dang, that monarchy would not last even for a minute if the Maoists gave up weapons and joined mainstream politics......
  • Mystery aircraft over Janakpur
  • Three-month detention letter to students Kathmandu Post, Nepal
  • NEPAL: Talks possible with present govt, says Maoist leader Asia Pacific Media Network, CA
  • Nepal Army officials let off in schoolgirl murder case NewKerala.com, India
  • Nepal urges Maoists to join political mainstream Gorkhapatra, Nepal
  • Nepal rebels killed in clashes despite ceasefire Reuters
  • Guerrillas abduct 100 teachers, students in eastern Nepal Xinhua, China
  • ‘Attempt to scrap constitution lethal’ Kathmandu Post, Nepal