Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Army Under Parliament, Now


We don't have to wait for a constituent assembly and peace talks with Maoists and a new constitution to get the army totally under the parliament. The seven party alliance has enough votes in the parliament to amend the constitution fundamentally. It needs to take care of this detail. Now.
Army men kill 6 civilians in Morang NepalNews Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) soldiers have shot and killed six innocent civilians and wounded two dozen others in Belbari area of the eastern district of Morang. RNA solders sprayed bullets on the local residents who had gone to protest in front of the security base camp in Belbari this afternoon after army men allegedly raped and killed a 22-year-old local girl, Sapana Gurung, last night ...... the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement this evening confirmed the death of six civilians but claimed that the security forces opened fire in self-defence as the crowd turned violent and tried to vandalise the security post...... The MoD said six persons were killed on the spot while 11 others were injured in the incident.
This case has to go to a civilian court. The soldiers who raped and killed Sunita Gurung need to be brought to civilian justice. And an inquiry has to be made into the details of the shooting incident. Looks to me like some soldiers will end up in civilian court also on this count.

This incident is of huge symbolic importance. It is for the SPA to show it is now in control.
Nepal’s Army ‘positive’ about mergence with Maoists Expressindia.com, India "The RNA is positive about the merging of the Maoist militants with the national Army," said Royal Nepalese Army's Chief of Army staff Pyar Jung Thapa."We can incorporate some of the Maoist cadres into the Royal Nepalese Army on the basis of their capability and qualification," he said. The Army is willing to work with any government and it would continue to be answerable to Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, he said.
Maoists can join us: Nepal army chief NewKerala.com
It is not for the army to decide if it will merge with the Maoists or not. The army is not an autonomous institution.

The parliament has to bring the army fully under its control. After it does that, it might as well order that army to wage a war on the Maoists. Who knows? I hope not, I think not. But the parliament has to have that option open, otherwise the army is not yet under the parliament. We will know that much.

And should there be integration, it will not be for the army to decide which Maoist soldiers they will take, and which they will not. It will be for the civilian government to decide on the framework.

After the parliament brings the army totally under its control, the seven party government will have several options. It could hire, fire, promote and demote individuals in the army. It could order the army to wage war on the Maoists. It could order it to declare a ceasefire. It could later order the command of the army shifted to the UN temporarily, if peace talks might thus warrant. It could even order the army dismantled.

That is what it means to have civilian control over the army.

The seven party government has the option to conduct extensive investigations to identify individuals guilty of human rights violations so as to bring them to justice. And you can do that without demoralizing the entire institution.

Good Thing Maoists Lifted Blockade
Maoists withdraw blockade NepalNews A statement issued by the Maoists said they called off the blockade till the first meeting of the reinstated House of Representatives (HoR)
Declare Constituent Assembly On First Day Of Parliament

I am glad for it. There are many people who share their sentiment that a constituent assembly is the bottom line. I doubt anyone in the seven party alliance will disagree. But a continued blockade would have been against the spirit of the people.

In The News

Speaker Ranabhat resigns NepalNews
SPA leaders all set to take up the reins of the new govt.
Transportation services return to normal
EU, Australia welcome king's proclamation to reinstate parliament
The new govt. should stick to its roadmap: Editorials
WFP urges resumption of food aid deliveries
House restored: What next?
UK, Denmark welcome reinstatement of parliament
India, China welcome new political developments in Nepal

We'll be a separate party in parliament too: NC-D Kantipur Publications
NC expels Pun, Koirala; discusses agendas for parliamentary meet
Maoists lift blockade until first meet of Parliament
Soldiers kill 6 people protesting rape in Morang
‘House should go for constituent assembly’
India welcomes restoration of multiparty democracy
'Maoist militia could be incorporated in RNA'
सात दलद्वारा संविधानसभाको निर्णय
अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय समुदायको स्वागत
ँमाओवादीका सेना समाहित गर्न तयार’
संसद् सचिवालयमा कामको चटारो
खुसियालीमा देशभर सभा
प्रदर्शनमा संविधानसभा माग
सहिद परिवारलाई दस वर्षसम्म १ हजार
ँआन्दोलनको दबाब जारी’
पुनर्निर्माणको थालनी
परिवर्तन जनताका लागि
सात दलको निर्णय
पुनःस्थापित संसद्को कार्यसूची
जनताको रोडम्याप

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From: "Nepal" nepal@forum-asia.org
To: nepal@forum-asia.org

Subject: [forum-asia] FA Statement on Nepal Situation - Nepalese King retreats in the face of People's power

Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 18:32:35 +0700

Please find herewith attached the statement of FA on Nepal.

We have emphasized that:

“The government of King Gyanendra must be directly held accountable for the atrocities committed by the Nepalese security forces against the unarmed protestors, as well as other gross and systematic human rights violations, repressive laws and restriction on basic freedoms imposed since 1 Feb. 2005.”

We also called upon the Seven Party Alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) to immediately declare a nationwide ceasefire and pursue a just resolution of the armed conflict through dialogue and political settlement and Seven Party Alliance to fulfill its six-point Joint Declaration for a United Effort to Resolve the National Crisis brought out on 8 May 2005, which speaks about their road-map towards democracy and peace.

Once again in solidarity with people in Nepal,

Anselmo Lee
Executive Director

--------------------------------------------------------
FORUM-ASIA Secretariat
Baan Vichien, Apartment 3B, 220 Soi Sukhumvit 49/12,
Klongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel : +66 (0)2 391 8801(ext. 502) / Fax : +66 (0)2 391 8764 / Mobile (0)1 868 9178
info@forum-asia.org / anselmo@forum-asia.org / www.forum-asia.org

Asian Solidarity and Human Rights for All


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