Why Nepal needs monarchy

Nepal's unrelentless propulsion toward republic could create another disaster ala Sikkim and Tibet. Look at Poland's history. It was divided between Hitler and Stalin and the Poles bombed and driven out. Is this the fate Nepalis deserve? Prachanda the would be Saddam Hussein of Nepal ought to understand this.

When Nepal's institution of monarchy is dissolved, Nepal would be no more. The massive forces of globalization coupled with new trends has the potential to wipe out monarchy. When Kenichi Ohashi, world bank rep speaks of feudalism, he better be careful. He is one of the special interest group supporting Maoist Nepal. Dictatorship of the proletariat like the 1917 revolution means end of national entity for Nepal.

The only Hindu Kingdom which displayed tolerance toward all the religions has now to be transformed into a secular state like India. Ha! Ha! And, nagar and gaun panchayats have been transformed into palikas. What a joke? His Majesty King Gyanendra is still the avatar of Lord Vishnu coz he takes care of his people here and abroad. And Prachanda a tin pot non-official wants to be the president of Nepal. C'mon this must be some sort of a crude joke. A guy who ought to face Nuremberg tribunal will become Nepal's leader. Ha!

The International Criminal Court in Genev is a joke. So many white men in Nepal pandering to Maoist criminals. When Baburam Bhattarai started the people's war in Nepal, he oght to have faced the court. Such men are allowed to conduct politics in Nepal, what as shame? His supposedly highly Sanskritized Nepali language articles following the bum Karl Marx, Lenin and Engels ought to be strongly countered.

Their followers want to uproot thhe monarchy in Thailand? What a pity. Siam was one of the nicest places on earth. And they want to incarcerate King Bhumibol. Wow, journalists of Nepal and lawyers. You have beaten the whole world. These movements like the Socialist International should not be allowed to conduct programs in Nepal.

Ant there are special interest groups like the SASANET who want to disarm Nepal's army. Pls go back home! So it will become easier for Chinese army units to enter Nepal's border and kidnap all the Mongolian people. (Remember Dhaibung 1793(BS)

Chronicle on new Nepal

Nepal appears to be in doldrums. Now the Maoists seem to rule Nepal, having tied down the hands of the all powerful prime minister and everyone else in the government. What kind of system is this? People are led to believe that the problems are due to the so-called transitional period. Don’t the people in Nepal deserve better? There’s jacked up food prices, petroleum supply is unavailable on demand, there is load shedding and what not. Wake up Nepali leaders! Give the nation’s helm to the youth and let them lead please. March to the tune of globalization and exactly there lies Nepal’s road to prosperity. Out with you old people of politics, you’ve completely kowtowed to the Maoists’ illegitimate and ungainly demands. Please redeem your souls before Nepal is totally "red". Red with blood of its own hardworking and would be enterprising citizens. Isn’t it a pity that every youth wants to go abroad? Even lesser educated ones prefer Gulf region and get a break. If there had been any meaningful economic growth and business promotion braced by solid foreign investment, Nepal would have joined the ranks of Shining India and Growing China. Please do something to really move Nepal up the ladder of the underdeveloped club. No more behind Somalia, the image just doesn’t suit for our once glorious land of the brave Gurkhas and hardy Sherpas. Wake up people! Its 2007 not 1007 AD!!

Prachanda's Swiss watches

To the surprise of many proletariats, Maoist chairman Prachanda is said to be sporting expensive Swiss made Rolex and Rado watches. This has been noticed by eagle-eyed reporters at the frequent press meets organized by the rebel supremo. While there was much clamor over the king's lavish taste for tropical fruits from Thailand and misti curd from Bangladesh, much ink has not been spared to describe the exquisite tastes of the so-called leaders of the proletariats, the Maoists. Such lavish lifestyle is in stark contrast to the working class image, which the Maoists would like to project themselves. Just imagine life in one of the cantonments where lowly Maoist rank and file eat and sleep.

As this post is being written, Maoists are already designated to join the government (the executive branch). Some of the ministries are about to be handed over to the rebels. The announcement to be made in legislature on March 31, 2007 would mark the culmination of the ten year long armed struggle launched by the Maoists. This would be a landmark of their achievement after their entry into the interim legislature.

Maoists are yet to change their 'jungle' attitude and have failed to win the confidence of such segments like the businessmen and foreign powers. US Ambassador to Nepal, James F Moriarty is said to have cautioned PM and other some Seven Party Leaders to be careful in inducting Maoists into the Cabinet. Despite the suggestion, political scenario is such that Maoists would receive ministries whether anybody likes it or not. The Seven Party Alliance are compelled to share power with the Maoists as per their various agreements with the armed rebels. Analysts would be interested to monitor Maoist attitude after they become Nepal's rulers, albeit sharing power with other political forces.

Imbroglio for Maoists

The armed group which calls itself the CPN-Maoist party is in the process of joining the executive branch of Nepal government. Maoist cadres already have 83 seats in the interim legislature, which was formed through nominations after the old parliament was dissolved. Despite the signing of the historic peace agreement with the Seven Party Alliance led government, the Maoists have simply not given up violence and joined the political process. The recent misbehavior by a Maoist legislator where he flaunted of possessing arms inside the parliament building and his use of abusive language demonstrates that Maoists are very much ‘jungle dwellers’.

More disturbing is the arms registration issue. While registering 30,000 armed cadres, Maoists only presented 3,000 arms. The mismatch is simply unbelievable. This points to the fact that Maoists may be hiding a greater portion of their arms for future confrontation or just armed takeover. Armed Maoists mounted in jeeps were seen in some districts. The arms carried by them were apparently ‘registered with the UN’ as claimed by the Maoists. The UN had said it wasn’t sure whether all arms were duly registered. This leaves plenty of doubt, thanks to Maoists aggressive posture.

Maoist chairman Prachanda recently said his cadres would not call any strikes and would also prevent others from organizing such stoppages. This would surely lead to further clashes with the cadres of Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) and possibly the janajatis. The Maoists created the ethnic based movements to propel their own agenda. Now, they are facing the brunt of the problem.

People's movement should yield positive results

The ongoing people's movement which began from April 6 should aim to introduce reforms in Nepali political system. Nepal should do away with feudalism and backwardness; it should move forward towards peace, development and prosperity. It is sickening to see that economic growth in Nepal is merely 2 percent according to ADB, while South Asian average growth stands at around 6-7 percent. This itself shows the impact of political upheaval and pandemic violence in Nepal.
Look at the example of Singapore. A port hamlet in 1940s have now transformed into Southeast Asia's economic powerhouse. We also need mission, vision when we think interms of developing this country. We cannot do this all by ourselves. Our diplomats abroad should convince friendly and prosperous countries to invest in what we have-- like water resources. Key to Nepal's development is foreign investment, whether you like it or not.
The country is in transitional phase. At one side ther is violent revolutionary movement which seeks to overthrow the present suystem with its own dicatorship. At the other side is the seven party alliance which is driving the present people's movement. We do need change. But what change?
One solution which I would like to propose is one which can bring the Maoists to the mainstream by meeting one of their key demands--constituent assembly. If the King and his government allow the election of constituent assembly, maoists can be asked to lay down their arms and participate in this process. But, here all sides need to compromise anfd agree to work this out. Its a great gamble for the king, but he has to agree as it would be a condition for Maoists to lay down their arms to a third party like the UN. The constituent assembly would draft a new constitution which should guarantee inclusive democracy. In this system, all peoples of Nepal would get equal opportunity. No one group or caste or family can rule over others. All leaders in the new system would be fully accountable to the people and nobody would be above law.
Let us just hope that we can find a peaceful resolution to all the crises affecting this country. Long live Nepal and its countrymen!

Ceasefire breakup, possible artillery acquisitions

The ceasefire is no more. The Maoists have broken the ceasefire on their own terms. They probably wish to target the government's municipal polls. The parties have said their 12 point understanding still sticks despite bombings which have followed the breakup of the ceasefire. Maoists have targeted flea market and public offices. They do not seem to have guts to attack the security forces. Their aim is to create panic among the public so as to create pressure upon the government to give in to their demands or at least appreciate their power.
Also on the news was the wrap up of military operation by government in Rolpa. Army units should keep up the pressure on Maoists in their strongholds. At least that's gonna keep many cadres busy on the defensive and on the run. The government should never hand over the initiative to the rebels. Limiting government action to reactive moves will leave the rebels with the upper hand.
A local weekly reported some time back that Maoists wanted to import artillery pieces to step up their war effort. Artillery is useful only agianst fixed positions. Positional battles for territory will involve artillery duels and bombardments to support infantry offensive. If in any case, the rebels do acquire artillery, the government should quickly acquire attack helicopters and fixed wing strike capability aircraft. These aircraft should be equipped with thermal sensors to detect artillery pieces under intensive camouflage. Artillery raids on built up area can cause horrendous civilian casualties in previously unseen proportions in Nepal.
Artillery was extensively used by such insurgent forces like the Viet Minh in the 1950s, LTTE in present Sri Lanka. If it can persuade India, Indian military assets should be tasked to destroy any heavy arms which find their way in the rebel arsenal. But it is always wise to rely on one's own defense forces to do clean up one's own backyard.

Highway security

Ever since the Maoists bombed a passenger bus in Madi,Chitwan killing about thirty people, travel in the national highways has been a nightmare to many. The Maoists try to target security personnel who regularly use buses for transport. Now, the army has issued directive ordering soldiers to refrain from using buses while on duty. Despite this, security problem persists in the highways and many more people are likely to die in the future.
The Maoists use roadside bomb to target military and police vehicles. These explosives concocted with explosive materials imported from India are triggered by 'button pushers' who observe their quarry before pushing the button to detonate the bomb. It is extremey difficult to locate both the bomb and the 'button pushers'. It is said that these 'button pushers' position themselves close to a few hundred meters of the bomb at a vantage point to observe the target area.
There is no technology to detect bombs laden at roadside apart from crude metal detectors which a soldier in outlying areas is likely to get into his hand. These devices are nothing like ones used in Iraq by US troops who also are victims of suicide bombers. All soldiers in patrol must keep a keen eye for the 'button pushers' who are often cleverly camouflaged with the terrain. To locate these elusive foe, is one hell of a task for underequipped, unmotivated Royal Nepal Army men who are often poorly trained.
Anytime another bus might go off like an ignited matchbox, at the mercy of whim of some trigger-happy Maoist executive. With th ecoming of festival season, tens of thousands of Nepalis return to their home villages and towns. Public buses are the chief means of transport for these people. Although a truce can be expected during Dashain, small miscalculation by the rebels can trigger a human catastrophe. Travelling by buses is ticking time bomb. Anytime it can go off. Not only buses, private cars and SUVs are also potential targets. Incidents of Maoists stopping and torching vehicles, although passengers have been spared, is quite common. A non-insured vehicle can be a source of terrible loss to its owner.
Army has recently purchased WZ-523 APCs from China. these can be used for highway security. however, the army needs more than the six purchased to patrol the major highways.

Country under threat

Nepal has seen the continuation of internal conflict. Currently the King of the country has taken the reins of poewer into his own hands. His Majesty's public stance has been that he shall provide relieve to the embattled citizens. Lack of democratic rights has further jeopardized united resolve to solve the problem of violence in the country. Only a national consensus can solve the country's problems according to many experts. Suspension of several rights has meant that people do not have proper channel to voice their concern and protest. The resumption of private telecom provides a breathing space, but yet to open mobile service has only served to curtail the right to communication of citizens. Government's argument that the telecom service is being misused by the Maoists does not give it the mandate to simply take these basic rights away from citizens. The country has suffered in terrible scale in terms of loss of revenue (to Nepal Telecom, United Telecom Limited), loss of businesses, difficulty in contacting mobile people and lot of other opportunities.
The Maoist threat to the country is acute as ever. There has been reports in state media that Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, a prominent Maoist leader and ideologue and his wife have been expelled from the party. This has not yet been verified despite government's claims. Is this some kind of a misinformation campaign to discredit the Maoist rebels? Government has to come out with concrete evidence to support its claim. If it is true, it is a great victory to the cause of peace and freedom as any division in rebel ranks serves the government. But, our present government is not elected and therefore not responsible to the people. Maoist rebellion has served to uproot democracy in the country by allowing people who are against democracy to align themselves with the King to suspend fundamental rights in this country. But it is to be remembered that His Majesty the King has stated his commitment to democracy in the country. So therefore one can assume he means it and will restore democracy once he sees other systems are no better than democracy.

Maoist raid in Kathmandu valley

The Maoists in Nepal have recently intensified their attacks against government and civilian targets. They even managed to stage a spectacular raid right inside the Kathmandu valley in which a police post was attacked resulting in deaths of a handful of policemen. Security agencies in the capital were caught off guard as Maoists planned and staged this high profile attack. Despite being able to launch attacks right inside the valley, the Maoists choice of their target was rasther mundane, a police post at Sankhu, a town in northeastern part of Kathmandu. It is not known how Maoists successfully smuggled arms right into the valley. It was reported that the rebels used automatic rifles like INSAS and AK-47. Security checks leading to Kathmandu have all but failed to check weapons smuggluing by the rebels. The government appears to be apprehensive that thorough checking will infuriate tyhe public. This misguided policy has resulted in token checking of which the current incident is an ineviatble outcome.
Rebels have been successfully utilizing mobile warfare against security forces. They never engage in territorial offensives for they know that such positional warfare would be prohibitively costly for the rebels who are inferior in equipment and material support enjoyed by the Royal Nepalese Army(RNA). So the rebel strategy is hit and run raids. Attack and disappear. RNA's only option would be to decentralize its forces, use guerilla tactics to defeat guerillas, and avoid being encircled by larger rebel force by utilizing a combination of improved situational awareness and timely intelligence. Government forces enjoy international support. However, support should not be seen as blind support. Human rights indicators if it goes unfavorably against the government could cost it international support. Therefore, the Army must enforce human rights irrespective of what the rebels decide to do.

Pokhara mayor assassinated

The mayor of Pokhara, a scenic tourist city in western Nepal, was brutally assassinated by Maoist rebels. Late mayor Harka Bahadur Gurung was gunned down reportedly by three assassins Friday July 2nd, 2004. This latest assassination comes amid reports that Prime Minister Deuba’s government has repeatedly hinted its willingness to sit down and settle scores with the rebels. The late mayor Gurung had repeatedly decided to refuse rebel demand that he resign from his office. Analysts believe the latest rebel stunt will give additional leverage to the rebels so that they can now easily coerce other would be deifiers to yield to rebel pressure. The Maoists do not want to be labeled terrorists by the government. However, they carry out killings, torture and abuse repeatedly so it is surprising they abhor the word terrorists.
Some time back, the Maoist rebels also crippled several Dalit (scheduled caste) for defying rebel diktat. These unfortunate fellows had their lower legs crushed by the rebels. Now, the rebels wish to portray themselves as “liberators” of dalits and Janajatis (ethnic groups). Instead, they brutally exploit these backward groups to participate in warfare and terror.
The real solution to the Maoist problem is nowhere in sight. This is exactly where the international community comes into play. Nepal’s neighbours have hopeless record of doing nothing against the Maoists. India has so far made only token efforts to round up rebels in its territory. China, the ideological heartland of the rebels, have remained quiet citing non-interference in internal affairs of Nepal. Can’t it denounce the Maoists the same way it wants Nepal to keep tight control of anti-China Tibetan activists? The best international intervention into Nepa can come in the form of UN’s auspices. However, UN representative to Nepal, Mathhew Kahane rules out UN intervention? Does he wish more Nepalese children to become child soldiers? Or does he expects the unruly mob of Nepalese politicians to hammer out a solution to this endemic crisis which is bleeding Nepal white? The UN Secretary General should be convinced to recommend to the Security Council to authorize a sizable peacekeeping mission in Nepal. In addition and to complement this force, there should be special UN representative to give momentum to the political process to find a lasting solution to this problem.

Violence becoming tradition in Nepal

It is a sad fact of Nepal that the country is wrecked with violence. The newly appointed Prime Minister Deuba has said peace will be his main agenda. However, his effort to include other political parties into his cabinet is yet to gain nmomentum. In the rural areas, rebel grip is tightening. The radical totalitarian Maoist party has attemped to penetrate deeply into socio-economic structure of areas under their control. They intervene into in house quarrels and disputes. They have established people's courts to try opponents and dissidents to their rule. They tax the populace and billet guerillas and other rebel activists into households. Some time back the rebels bombed a passenger bus apparently for defying their shutdowns. Recently, for refusing to pay their ransom, an Indian run school in the capital was bombed with damage exceeding the ransom demand. People are having second thoughts whether to pay the rebels.
Royal family also has been targeted. A lodge in scenic tourist city Pokhara in mid western part of the country was bombed. Surya Tobacco company from whom rebels have demanded nearly $100,000 was also bombed. The only thing preventing the situation to go out of control is the fact that explosives being used by the rebels are primitive technology, home made stuff which are explosives of low yield. Had they possessed high quality powerful devices like in the Middle East, the human and material toll would have been far greater.
Advocacy groups in Nepal have romantic notion that rebels who are in fact intoxicated with raw power at their hands will come and negoptiate peaceful end to the problem. By taking alienated groups and communities into their hands, rebels are proud of their so called legitimacy. They even threaten US; barring travel by US citizens whom they fear as government spies.
The international community has to step forward and help Nepal solve the problem. They can't simply watch and let Nepal fall into abyss of violence. Do something, friends of Nepal.

Continuing violence in Nepal

Each day scores of people get killed in Nepal. This isn't caused by any accidents. It is in fact caused by direct violent action. In the districts, people die regularly. The Maoist rebels are the instigators of much of the violence. These rebels move across remote villages asking for food from locals. They use force if their requests are denied. Anyone having thoughts which defy the rebels are brutally beaten sometimes killed. Goats, buffaloes, even cows are sometimes commandered and taken away for food. The rebels regularly slaughter cows which are sacred in Nepal's majority Hindu religion and forcibly feed beef to even Hindu priests. The rebels have become champions of minorities and ethnic groups who had long been disregarded by ruling elite in Kathmandu, the capital city. The Maoist rebels say they will give equal and just representation to these marginalized groups including regional autonomy. The rebels have already declared areas under their control as "free self governing zones". The government hasn't come forward with programs with which it can win back support of these indigenous communities.
Tourists are also having to pay "special transit taxes" to the rebels. Up till now there hasn't been deaths of tourists at the hands of rebels. The insurgency has cost the once thriving tourism industry severely. There are travel warnings posted by embassies including the US Embassy, whic warn would be travellers to avoid rebel controlled territory.
Nepal's problem has to be internationalized. It cannot be simply regarded as an internal matter of Nepal. Foreign countries as they provide economic and development aid should provide security assistance to protect the lives of ordinary citizens. So foreign intervention should be encouraged especially that of India and China. It would be good if these countries constitute some type of stabilization force inside Nepal which bothe rebels and government dare not challenge. For this kind of concept to materialize, Nepal needs support from US and Europe. Please help Nepal achive peace!

Violence in Nepal

Since 1996, south Asian least developed nation Nepal has witnessed violence which has killed nearly 9,000 people. The chief cause of the violence is the revolutionary people's war launched by Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist). Calling for the overthrow of traditional setup in the country, these devout communists want to establish a people's republic. They have made many demands like constituent assembly, round table conference and all party government.
Despite reasonable aims, the rebels are resorting to violence to elimininate opponents, attack army, police and government official. Rebels also kidnap schoolchildren and conscript them for military service. They kill with impunity. Reign of terror has been unleased by these people who can be called terrorists.

The government forces and police lead by people with low awareness are also committing gross human rights violations. The number of people killed by security forces has excceded those eliminated by rebels. The security forces claim all people killed by them are rebel activists.

Nepal needs international mediation to solve this problem. However, local leaders do not agree with this and say there is no need of foreign assistance to resolve this problem. Best solution would be invite UN peacekeepers and deploy them across Nepal.