US Terrorism Report on Nepal

Through April 2006, Nepal's primary counterterrorism focus remained the Maoist insurgency but the focus shifted dramatically after Nepal's political parties, the Maoists, and civil society led a popular uprising against the King. King Gyanendra was compelled to restore parliament and cede his authoritarian powers to a government run by an alliance of the seven main political parties. The Maoists declared a unilateral cease-fire on April 27. The government followed suit on May 3, formally lifting its designation of the Maoists as a terrorist organization. Months of negotiations resulted in a comprehensive peace agreement on November 21 that formally ended the insurgency. The agreement also provided that the Maoists would be admitted into an interim government once Maoist combatants were in camps and relinquished their weapons under UN monitoring.

From January to November, Maoist rebels were responsible for the deaths of 165 security personnel and 46 civilians. During the same time period, the government killed 182 suspected Maoist militants. Nepal's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) reported that murders by Maoists lessened after the cease-fire in April, but still totaled 28 from May until November. Security force killings of Maoist insurgents were also significantly lower after the cease-fire, totaling nine during the same period.
Despite the cease-fire, Maoist rebels continued to conduct abductions, extortion, and violence. In the Kathmandu Valley, Maoists took advantage of their dramatically increased presence and the government's reluctance to upset the peace process to expand their use of extortion and efforts to undermine trade unions and student groups affiliated with the political parties. They also continued forced recruitment of schoolchildren, with thousands targeted after the signing of the initial November 8 peace accord. On September 20, and again on December 19, the Maoists declared nationwide transportation strikes. Both events were accompanied by the stoning of vehicles, and each lasted only for the declared period, demonstrating Maoist command and control.

This year also saw the beginning of a disturbing new trend with the activation of the separatist Maoist-splinter terrorist group called the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM), which aimed to bring about the secession of the southern Terai plains from the rest of Nepal. This group was responsible for the assassination of a Nepali Member of Parliament in September.
"Imperialist" United States and "expansionist" India were the targets of considerable Maoist venom, especially in the period leading up to the April uprising. A trip by Maoist Supremo Prachanda to New Delhi on November 18, however, seemed to mark the culmination of a shift in the Maoist view of Nepal's large neighbor to the south. At the end of the year, the United States was the only country to maintain its designation of the Maoist insurgency as a terrorist organization. Several countries, including India, were waiting for the Maoist entry into government to authorize open contacts at all levels. The United States provided substantial antiterrorism assistance and training to Nepal's security forces, including courses on crisis management and critical incident management.

Source: The Telegraph Nepal, May 3, 2007

United States: India Changed Its Views On Nepal's Maoists

Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) - The United States said that India changed its view of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) after Maoist Chairman Prachanda traveled to New Delhi in November last year.
The "Country Reports on Terrorism," released by the U.S. Department of State's Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism on April 30, said the U.S. was the only country that still classified the Maoist insurgency as a terrorist organization at the end of 2006.
"Imperialist" United States and "expansionist" India were the targets of a considerable amount of Maoist venom, especially in the period leading up to the April uprising.

Prachanda's trip to New Delhi on November 18, however, seemed to mark the culmination of a shift in the Maoist view of Nepal's large neighbor to the south, the report said under its "Nepal" section.
"Several countries, including India, were waiting for the Maoist entry into government to authorize open contacts at all levels," the report added.
The report said that despite the ceasefire "Maoist rebels" continued to conduct abductions, extortion and violence.
"In the Kathmandu Valley, Maoists took advantage of their dramatically increased presence and the government's reluctance to upset the peace process to expand their use of extortion and efforts to undermine trade unions and student groups affiliated with the political parties," the report said.

Source: AHN Media Corp, May 2, 2007

Time to be right

At a time when the trust deficit among the alliance partners seems to be spiralling after the deferral of the constituent assembly polls, Monday’s Maoist attack on a police post in Banke sends a wrong signal to the public. Reports indicate a dispute between a Maoist district member and a police constable over the latter’s attempt to conduct a security check on the former ultimately developed into this untoward incident. Thankfully, there was no casualty, and four of the policemen who had gone missing during the Maoist attack are reported to have come into contact. Accusations and counter-accusations have surfaced. But the attack cannot be justified by the nature of the dispute, and Maoist cadres should also understand that they have now become a part of the government and their responsibility has increased. This certainly stresses the need for them to adapt their ways to the new situation fully and soon.

The Maoists and the other constituents of the eight-party alliance should tackle such unfortunate incidents as this through consultation and talks. There are also sporadic reports of activists of the Maoist-aligned Young Communist League (YCL) resorting to high-handedness such as physical action over disputes with others. This week they also clashed with the Armed Police Force in Bardiya over a difference concerning the use of a building. There have also been reports of clashes between workers of other political parties and YCL cadres from time to time. Though informed comment on individual cases can only be made after an independent verification of the facts, the number of reports alleging the YCL’s wrongdoings should, by itself, be enough to draw the serious attention of top Maoist leaders, who should identify areas of YCL misconduct and take corrective action.But other parties should also self-introspect whether their cadres have been in the wrong or where. Rival parties have almost always taken the sides of their sister organisations or cadres even if they were wrong and tend only to blame the others for wrongdoing. As for the YCL, it has done good work too — its cadres have been involved in social work as represented, for example, in their “New Kathmandu Valley Campaign” launched to make it clean and organised, and under which they have, among other things, helped to widen the road along the Kalanki-Soaltee section, facilitated garbage disposal, planted trees at certain places along the Bagmati and Vishnumati.

But, if any YCL cadres, and for that matter anybody else, are engaged in criminal activities, the government should show the courage to bring them to book. The public will not support the wrongdoers. But the practice of indulging only in criticism without matching action won’t help. The growing distrust between the political parties over certain major political issues, particularly the one relating to monarchy v republic, is threatening to break the eight-party alliance. Then much worse things are likely to happen. Displaying statesmanship in such a critical hour is a must, as it will test the leadership of the major constituents of the alliance.

Source: The Himalayan Times, May 3, 2007

Monarchy an obstacle to development: Maoist

GALKOT (Baglung), May 2: Minister for Local Development, Dev Gurung has said the institution of monarchy which has been exploiting the people for 238 years is the main obstacle to development.Inaugurating the Malma-Pandavkhani motor road, located some 15 Kosh west from Baglung Bazar, Wednesday, Minister for Local Development Gurung said nationalisation of the property usurped by the king who is better known as the 'rich king of a poor country' would alone be enough to meet the budgetary needs of the country for five years.He said both expansionist and conspiratorial designs would continue to be staged in the country until the institution of monarchy continues to exist and that this would pose a grave damage to the nationality.On the occasion, Minister Gurung pledged to extend maximum possible assistance from his side for upgrading the Baglung-Burtibang Road and construction of the road linking Burtibang via Malma-Pandavkhani.

The 11-kilometres long road was build at a total cost of Rs 4.1 million. Part of the cost was met through local voluntary labour and the financial assistance provided by the Nepali Gurkha soldiers in Singapore, Hong Kong and the U.S.A.The road will benefit the local population of 11,000 and help in the transportation of non-timber forest products, lead ore, copper ore, fruits and vegetables from the area.Nearly 12 vehicles ply on the road daily at present.At the programme, Nepali Congress Legislator Tanka Prasad Sharma Kandel said that since development is possible only with the people's participation, efforts should be made to enlist the maximum participation of the people in the development works.The programme was presided over by President of the Road Construction Committee, Chham Bahadur Kaucha.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 3, 2007

Unity For Democracy

GENERAL Secretary of the Nepali Congress and Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Ram Chandra Poudel has said that freedom, justice and solidarity are necessary to create a new social paradigm and to strengthen democracy in Nepal. Addressing an interaction programme in Kathmandu on Tuesday, Minister Poudel called upon all the political forces and the people to extend a helping hand and work together for the common cause of the nation and the people. As observed by Minister Poudel, economic, political, social and cultural freedom is crucial for overall social change. The present situation was created by the unprecedented unity and solidarity of the eight political parties, civil society, professional groups and general people through the April uprising last year. The achievements of Jana Andolan II are yet to be institutionalised and consolidated. Thus, stronger unity is necessary until the ongoing political and peace process is complete.

The common national agenda at present is the election to a constituent assembly, which would write a new constitution and end the present political uncertainty. All the political parties are committed to holding the constituent assembly elections as early as possible. But there are certain things that need to be completed before going to the polls. Elections should be held in a free, fair and peaceful manner so that people can cast their ballot without any kind of fear, which alone would reflect the genuine feelings and will of the people. Moreover, some regressive elements are trying to obstruct and sabotage the present political process and constituent assembly elections. The conspiracies of the regressive elements can be defeated and foiled only by the meaningful and strong unity and solidarity of the eight political parties and the people. This unity must be kept intact to achieve the political goal and accomplish the mandate of Jana Andolan II. The election to a constituent assembly is the only way out for the present political crisis. For this, the political parties need to sit together and decide on the new dates for holding the polls and ensure that they are free and fair. It is not the time to blame one another. If the unity of the eight parties is broken, it would only help the reactionary and regressive elements. People want peace, stability and development, which can be ensured only through the unity and collective approach of the democratic forces. Thus, the political parties, instead of pointing fingers at each other, need to take collective responsibility. This is the spirit of a democratic and coalition culture, which alone would serve the interest of the nation and people.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 3, 2007

Delayed Election To Constituent Assembly

Madhavji Shrestha

NOW that the proposed election to the constituent assembly has been delayed, a political quandary has set in. Indeed, it has dampened the enthusiasm for putting the democratisation process on track. Knowledgeable people have even cast doubts as to whether the eight-party coalition government will be able to agree on a date for the election. Pessimists think that the history of the early 1950s, when the much-promised election to such a constituent assembly was derailed, will revisit Nepal. In such a scenario, Nepal's democratic journey would face an insurmountable roadblock.

Blame game

Soon after realising that the elections can't be held in June, the political parties, especially the eight coalitional partners, began blaming one another for not preparing well for the democratic exercise. An understanding reached in New Delhi in November 2005 on the issue had indeed provided enormous impetus to the political parties to overthrow the authoritarian royal rule last April. At present, the same political parties don't share the same views nor do they act in unison to realise the long cherished CA polls.There was no surprise when the eight political parties held the sinister activities by the regressive forces responsible for the delay of the election. Some political parties did not lag behind in blaming foreign interference working visibly and invisibly against the election as scheduled. However, shrewd political observers have blamed the eight political partners for the omission of timely political actions and the commission of excesses, both not contributory to creating an atmosphere convenient for holding the election. They further blame the political parties for hoodwinking the people with their non-obliging acts and activities. The political parties knew well about the prevailing situation in the country and held frequent interactions among themselves. Despite having such intimate knowledge and information about the political situation, why the political parties decided on holding the polls on June 20 is anyone's guess. Immediately afterwards, this instigated the Election Commission to tell the people about the practical difficulty of holding the election. This looks like an orchestrated phoney drama to be enacted before the common people. As political co-travellers for 18 months, the political leaders of the eight parties must shoulder the responsibility for not fulfilling their promise.

However, a series of political events in the recent times appear to have led to the polarisation between the leftist political forces and the centrist-cum-rightist political groups. This, in turn, will have a visible effect on the political developments taking place in the near future, indicating competitive politics, which, if it develops into a principled stance, can contribute to the democratisation process and also toward a mature multi-party system. However, the political parties need to remain cautious and cagey to see that the polarisation stays within the limit of the modern party system. Divisive forces and unwanted elements need to be checked to foster modern democracy. Meanwhile, the stalled election process should give the political parties sufficient time and opportunity to educate the masses of Nepal about the enduring importance of the election to the constituent assembly. More than three-fourths of Nepal's population is ignorant of the historically significant functions of the constituent assembly. To translate this into reality, the political parties must gear up their mechanisms and spread their tentacles nation-wide to mingle with the grassroots people, especially in the rural areas. Well-trained cadres and material resources are badly needed to move ahead in this direction.

The delay would also enable the government and the Election Commission to prepare the requisites to hold the election in an atmosphere of peace and security. This, in turn, would attract and enable the maximum number of people to participate in the election, which will help the political parties gain greater confidence and influence in moving ahead in enacting a democratic constitution. Election to the constituent assembly should not be held in haste and under an unruly situation. Loss of a few months will not be that damaging.Postponement as far as it is done with justified reasons has indeed sent a good message to the democratic countries and the international and regional organisations like the UN and the EU, because they would have sufficient time to help and observe the election process in Nepal. Naturally they think the time would bring in a favourable condition to heal the wounds and to reduce the rancour stalking in Nepal. The above presents a positive side of the political picture. However, the other side of the picture reflects the grimmer situation in the country. Regrettably, judged by the performance of the coalition government in the past one year, there is little good to hope for. The dismal failure to maintain the much-desired law and order for peace and security has had its negative effects. To make things worse, the government never exhibited any eagerness or took any initiative to give a ray of hope for the socio-economic uplift of the poverty-grilled people.

Discontent reigns supreme in Nepal. This has reduced the popularity of the political parties and their leaders. Just a year ago, after the resounding success of the people's movement last April, their popularity with the people was at its zenith. Now it is coming down to its nadir. Their inability to guide the society towards accommodative democracy has become greatly visible. Their only indulgence in political wrangling and the rent-seeking attitudes are costing them dearly. With the visible decline of their popularity has come the question of the legitimacy of the political leaders staying at the helm. This has become a far greater dilemmatic concern for those in power and also those in frontal politics. They will, for sure, lose their moral influence and political authority to remain in power in view of their failure to deliver what the masses have expected. As a consequence, frustrations will only rise if some far-reaching improvements cannot be made to win them to their side.

Democratic destiny

If the delay in announcing the date for the CA election becomes unduly long, then it will defeat the purpose and deviate from the democratic destiny. A conducive environment must be created to elect people-oriented representatives to frame a democratic constitution that can nurture the desires and meet the demands of the people, who have long cherished to send genuinely people-serving representatives to replace the ventriloquists who are hardly able to realise what they have promised. The people need only those who can transform words into deeds. Let political ingenuity and visionary statesmanship come their way to rescue the political leaders from the thorny political impasse.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 3, 2007