Friday, March 18, 2005

Response To The Panchayati Ghost Tulsi Giri


"India is aware of the presence of Maoists (Nepalese) on its territory ..... We need not talk to it about them. The Maoists have links with the LTTE, People's War and Naxalites. How can India be oblivious of this and talk about the political system here? "

"(Bhutanese King Jigme Singhe Wangchuck), "the greatest democrat," also asked for measures to stop the Maoists who have posed a threat to neighbouring countries from Indian soil."

"Indian leaders did not mind shaking hands with him and making him their chief guest on Republic Day, but they refused to go to the Saarc."

Giri also took a dig at friendly nations which called for a "representative government" in Nepal. "It's natural to react to something that you don't like, but you cannot impose your idea on anyone," he said. "It is up to the Nepalese to decide what they want… the king has repeatedly pledged his commitment to multi-party democracy… he has taken this step (the February 1 takeover) only to re-energise this system."

Giri criticised multi-party leaders for allowing themselves to be "remote-controlled" by others. "Diplomats host dinners for them, but they don't call us," he said. When asked to name the countries that were backing the politicians, Giri replied, "It's up to you to guess."

"The present government is not in favor of talking to the Maoists. Talks in the past were just a show."

"You cannot negotiate with ghosts that need to be dealt with the stick."

"I don't agree to sit across the negotiating table with the Maoists unless they lay down their arms and stop the violence."

"The Maoists were accorded a heroic welcome and the PM shook hands and sat with them at functions. But the rebels at the end suddenly backed out of the negotiating table."

“Only time will tell whether the Royal Proclamation was ill-advised or well-advised, but it was constitutionally advised.”

“So, it is also the responsibility of the political parties to help root out terrorism.”

“After their initial reactions, some foreign governments have even started commenting which shows they have begun to understand the situation.”

Talking about the rumours of the suspension of foreign assistance, Dr. Giri said if foreign aid was meant for Nepal or for the multi-party system. “If it is for the latter, it is not fair.”

“The multi-party system will not come to an end, rather it will come up in a re-energized form.”

 “Therefore, it is the demand of time to shut our eyes to the areas of disagreement and work on areas of agreement.”

“I ask them to come together for peace instead of wasting their energy by shouting in the streets.”

“Let’s do homework at our level first, form a political package and then go to the King.”

"If the political parties are averse to sit down with me, they can always talk to Bista."

“His Majesty the King had only tried to shake (the parties) up from their deep sleep.”

“I can assure you that we are fully equipped to sanitize the areas infested with this dirty thing.”

“If the terrorists succeed, the political leaders will be the first ones to receive the terrorists’ bullets on their head.”

"The political parties now could not claim to be the representatives of the people. There can only be the government comprising the representatives of the political parties."

"Call them what you will. People's War, Maoist Communist Centre, Maoists or even the Al Qaeda - terrorism is terrorism whatever names you give it."

"The leftist government of West Bengal was in no mood to hold unconditional talks with the Naxalites (an ultra left group that staged an armed uprising in the 1970s). The terrorists hide in jungles from where they attack people and grab headlines. That is not the way to resolve problems."

"The defence forces were demoralised by the previous governments. Now they are ready to sanitise areas infected by these people smelling of dirty things and eradicate them. If they don't respond to words, they will be made to respond to kicks."

"The media raised a "hue and cry" when the army killed people but made tame noises when the Maoists violated human rights."

"Girija (Prasad Koirala, Nepalese opposition leader) and Madhav Kumar Nepal (leader of the biggest Communist party) will get the first bullet from their terrorist friends."

"They have been issuing statements from India and Bangkok, dreaming of taking the king's place."

"The Indian dailies have been writing about Maoists receiving medical treatment in Uttar Pradesh and Patna (in Bihar). The Indian government is also reported to be concerned and has stepped up security along the border."

"We want them to come to terms with reality. They must feel sorry for what they did."

"The prime minister refuses to go to Dhaka saying he does not want to shake dirty hands (after the royal coup in Nepal) whereas the greatest democratic king in Asia, the king of Bhutan, is invited as a guest of honour during India's Republic Day and shakes hands with the Indian leadership."

"They (referring to the US and India) are “policing” in the name of democracy."

He was of the view that the United States, India and other nations are trying to influence the internal affairs by demanding the restoration of multi-party democracy. He also lambasted the diplomats in the capital for holding dinner parties with leaders of various political parties. “I am never invited to these dinner parties.”

How can the international community say that it would continue support only if there is multi-party democracy, questioned Giri, saying that the donors care more about multi-party democracy than the country itself. “Otherwise, why can’t they provide assistance to Nepal which has a multi-party democracy?” He accused the parties of being “remote-controlled” by countries “policing” in the name of democracy. He used the term “remote control” several times during his first-ever press conference to indicate the “influence” of other countries on parties.

"Emergency rule at a time when anarchy is at its peak is not a matter of great wonder."

Giri said Gyanendra's actions had not been understood by the international community, which has sharply condemned the power grab.

"The US and EU countries reacted quickly to the king's action without correctly understanding the fundamental reality of Nepal's major problems."

"The Maoist terrorism and the maintenance of peace and security are the major problems facing the country."

"If the donor countries don't understand our real problems ... there is little we can do."

"We need foreign aid for our development," he said. "(But) if they insist on stopping their aid on the grounds of democracy we cannot touch their feet and beg for alms ... and economic cooperation.

"It will be unfortunate for us if they think a poor and underdeveloped country like Nepal should go unaided. (Aid is necessary) for the progress and prosperity of its people, its fight against terrorism and it attemps to alleviate poverty," Giri said.

The king was "totally committed to the functioning of democracy", he added.

"This is only a temporary measure because the biggest issue in the country now is the maintenance of law and order. The King enforced emergency in the country for some time to control terrorism.

"If the people's fundamental rights are suspended for some time it cannot be called an undemocratic step," Giri said.

"All fundamental rights are intact as laid down in the country's constitution," he said.

Referring to an ongoing transport blockade in the world's only Hindu kingdom which has been imposed by the rebels since the weekend and which has reduced transport to a trickle, Giri said: "We cannot stop them everywhere altogether and for that matter, no country in the world has succeeded in totally stopping such activities.

"Our security is trying to strike them down and stop their activities soon," Giri said.

"The national economy and tourism have gravely suffered because of the Maoist menace."

Dr Tulsi Giri said the Ministry of Land Reform and Management has a very important role in cooling down the present state of conflict and directed all employees of the Ministry to work with full commitment in the land reform and management sector.

"Unfortunately, friends have not understood the King's motive and created fear psychosis for the Nepalese people by talking in terms of suspension of aid after the February one royal takeover."

"A military solution to the problem is achievable, and we can do it by ourselves."

About the political leaders who were under house arrest, Giri said they would be released soon but added that whether or not they would face corruption charges in the future would be an altogether different matter.

Giri said the political leaders were continued to be detained for fears that with their release they would start civil movement to divert the government's attention away from battling the Maoist insurgency.

 "I don't agree to sit across the negotiating table with the Maoists unless they lay down their arms and stop the violence."

"The Maoists were accorded a heroic welcome and the prime minister shook hands and sat together with them at public functions but the rebels at the end suddenly backed out of the negotiating table."

"In over the past one decade, none of the multi-party governments was able to stop the Maoists killing innocent villagers and expelling them from their native villages."

"The army and the police were humiliated by the governments that failed to stop the rebels from committing heinous crimes."

"If polite talks cannot resolve the Maoist problem, the solution to it should be sought by crushing them militarily."

He said the state of emergency would not last more than three months provided the political parties which support democracy and the constitutional monarchy cooperated with the king to normalize the chaotic situation.

Giri also ruled out the possibility of Gyanendra inviting party leaders for a dialogue on political prospects unless they jointly come forward with a concrete proposal to solve the country's problems.

"The king's declaration of emergency is directed against the terrorists but not against democracy."

To: Tulsi Giri.

I don't know if I should start out by greeting a fellow Janakpuriya, but I believe I will follow my hunch and skip that for now. I am taking my cue from Ganeshmanji. He came to Janakpur in 1990 after the successful movement to address a mass meeting. Girija was on the dais. Ganeshmanji was sitting on a chair, Laloo-style, as he addressed the large crowd. And for most of the speech, he raved and ranted against your character, or lack thereof. That is the first I ever heard of you.

If democracy is a deficient system, that it is incapable of producing the best leaders, that one has to do what the king did on 2/1 to give the country the very best it deserves, I am to believe you personally are more qualified than any of the names associated with the country's political parties. But I distinctly remember some of the things Ganeshmanji had to say about you. And if I am to go by his words, as I am inclined to, I do not get the impression you are particularly qualified to lead the country in any capacity.

Mahendra's greatest crime was that he deprived the country of someone like BP Koirala and foisted a lowlife like you on the country. Who is to say where Nepal would be today in terms of economic development if 1960 had not happened? But do not mistake 2005 for 1960. Your days are numbered. The days of this junta are numbered. We the democrats expect to be confronting the Chinese authorities in less than 10 years. Who are you?

You and all the elements of the junta all the way to the very top remind me of Trent Lott, the disgraced Senator from Mississippi. The guy made a racist comment, and lost his job as Senate Majority Leader, but he never came around to seeing he had made a racist comment. He just never "got it." You do not "get" democracy. It might not be in your DNA to get it. And the Nepali democrats are not trying to change your heart and mind. That would be a waste. We are just trying to push you out and return you back to your irrelevance. The king might have resurrected ghosts like you and Bishta, but the people will send you back to your political coffins.

Say, do you think this king never got over the fact that he got dethroned at the age of four? Because ever since he got back onto the throne, he has been inducting all the Prime Ministers he misssed in between. Like Chand and Thapa, and now Bishta and you. To me it looks like he were trying to reclaim those 50 years in between. But that is just a thought.

You say, it is for the Nepali people to decide what they want (not the foreign powers). That is exactly what the foreign powers are saying. That is what we democrats are saying. But the difference is we "get" it, you don't. An unelected junta does not speak for the people, and is not the guardian of the country's sovereignty.

The junta says it started out by inviting the Maoists for talks. What is there to talk about? They want an all-party government and elections to a Constituent Assembly. So do the democrats. The new democrat-Maoist alliance is for a multi-party democratic republican framework. But you Monarchists are anathema to the idea that monarchy could come as a gift from the people to this royal family, instead you would like to keep the veneer that "democracy" is going to be a gift from the monarch to the people.

You will go down in history as the guy who finally helped bring the monarchy down. How do you feel about that?

So if India, Europe and the US do not support the junta, it is because they do not "understand!" Keep deluding yourself.

You say the emergency might last three months, but then it might last longer, proving the 1990 constitution does not exist anymore, has not for some time now, that Girija and the like might be released, but there is no telling they might not face corruption charges, which I am reading as code for saying they might be shifted from their house arrests to "proper" jails. You and the coterie are trying to do a replay of 1960, not because that is what the country needs, but because you lowlives do not know how to do anything else. Because you have only 10 fingers, you can not count up to the number 11. That happens to be your limitation.

The army was not demoralized by the democrats. The democrats never had the army, thanks to the pseudo democracy earned in 1990. But that mistake is not to be repeated.

Your newfound power must be intoxicating, because in one breath you manage to challenge major world powers like India and the US. Very few officials in the world give themselves that honor. I guess you are special, after all.

So you want Moriarty to invite you over for dinner? Why? The dinners at Narayanhiti do not cut it for you, or what?

You can not even stop a Maoist nationwide blockade, but you are going to go village after village and "crush" them militarily. I guess it is not your sons who are the foot soldiers in the Nepali army. This shows your total disregard for the hapless Nepali people who are getting "crushed." But then what can one expect from someone who does not "get" democracy! You do not get it that what the country needs is a political solution.

You are against talking to the Maoists. You are against talking to the democrats. I am not surprised. You come across as someone who spends most of his waking hours talking to himself.

My message to you is rather short. Restore all fundamental rights of the Nepali people, because those rights do not belong to you, they are the Nepali people's birth rights. Or face consequences. That light you see at the end of your tunnel is the train of democracy speeding towards you.
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Thursday, March 17, 2005

Indo-US-EU Alliance Needs To Do A US-In-Haiti In Nepal


A forging of a Indo-US-EU alliance for democracy might be a "gift" of Nepal's 2/1. Let's face it, ultimately the alliance will have to face China itself. I don't know if it will be 10 or 20 years from now, but that time will come. It will not be more than a generation. And Nepal is no Taiwan. China will not go to war with the Indo-US-EU alliance just because the alliance might end up opting for miltary action. The best thing about publicly putting the military option on the table might be that force might not have to be used. The threat will be enough.

China, Pakistan, Russia, Cuba. When they say 2/1 is Nepal's internal matter, they are not saying they support it. They are definitely not saying they will fight for the junta should the need arise.

Unilateral disarmament is ineffective politics. When the junta keeps its "emergency" in place with threat of force, and you demand that it restore all fundamental rights, but you do not back that demand with possible use of force, then you are disarming unilterally. It will not work.

A junta that has taken away the fundamental rights of the Nepali people is not the representative of the sovereignty of the country.

Step 1: Cut military aid.
Step 2: Cut all aid.
Step 3: Economic sanctions and blockade.
Step 4: Seize all property held by the junta outside the country.
Step 5: Threaten to come in.

Of course, the better option would be for the three powers to fund the Nepali democrats in India and elsewhere to organize in a massive way while also keeping steps 1-5 on the table. How about the three powers pumping in $1 million each to start with? I call this the Ukraine option.

The Ukraine option is my preferred one.
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Revolution .....a series of protests and political events that took place throughout the country ..... the capital city of Ukraine and center of the revolution where a large 24-hour tent city was set up ..... series of nationwide protests, sit-ins, and planned general strikes .....the Orange Revolution reached its successful and peaceful conclusion ..... massive protests began in cities across Ukraine: the major one in Kiev's Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) attracted an estimated 500,000 participants ..... The demonstrations in Kiev were of an unheard-of scale. By many estimates, on some days they drew over 1 million people to the streets, in freezing weather...... though apparently spontaneous, was the result of extensive grassroots campaigning and coalition building among the opposition ...... extensive work by student activists ......
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Sharp .... Sharp's key insight is that power is not monolithic. According to Sharp, as a dictator continues to discredit himself or herself, more and more police officers and soldiers will do things other than follow the dictator's orders, and once a critical mass is reached, will openly disobey. The activists need to have a positive program, he argues.
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolent_resistance Gene Sharp has identified 198 methods of nonviolent action which may be used to defend countries from invasion, undermine dictatorships, block coups d'etat or challenge unjust social systems. They include:
  • symbolic protests
  • hunger strike
  • paralysis of transportation
  • social boycotts
  • specific and general strikes
  • civil disobedience
  • economic shutdowns
  • political noncooperation
  • "disappearance" under false identity
  • economic boycotts
  • public demonstrations
  • slow-downs
  • publication of banned newspapers
  • deliberate inefficiencies
  • assistance to persecuted people
  • broadcasts about resistance on radio and television
  • judicial resistance
  • defiance by the government
  • denial of legitimacy to the usurpers
  • non-cooperation of civil servants
  • legislative procrastination and delays
  • declaration of defiance
  • persistent continuation of old policies and laws
  • student defiance
  • children's demonstrations
  • individual and mass resignations
  • refusal of collaboration
  • maintenance of autonomy of independent organizations and institutions
  • subversion of the usurpers' troops, and incitement to them to mutiny
In The News
  • STARK WARNING ON NEPAL Special Broadcasting Service, Australia
  • UN and donors say Nepal is close to humanitarian crisis Channel News Asia .... The joint statement was issued by 11 foreign missions and donor agencies including the Canadian International Development Agency, Danish International Development Agency, Britain's Department for International Development, the UN in Nepal, German Technical Cooperation, USAID/Nepal and the Finnish and Norwegian embassies.
  • Nepal 'near humanitarian abyss' BBC News ....Children are among the worst affected, it says, with many suffering from a lack of vitamins and essential dugs...... Credible reports have emerged in recent weeks that some women died in childbirth because they were unable to reach medical help, the statement adds...... There is also concern for the fate of 100,000 Bhutanese refugees in eastern Nepal, who are dependent on relief but find the flow of aid regularly blocked.
  • Students protest for democracy in Nepal Seattle Post Intelligencer .....detained dozens of students protesting ..... Hundreds of police dragged demonstrators from the main market in Katmandu. .... The protests were organized by 10 different student groups linked to the main political parties. They are urging colleagues to join banned street protests ..... "Our only goal is restoration of full democracy and we will battle to the end. This is the beginning of our decisive battle against the autocratic regime," student leader Gagan Thapa said in a telephone interview..... Police have been hunting down student activists, jailing them and harassing their families .... the government has strictly censored the media and sought to justify strict crackdowns on rallies by citing intelligence that they were being infiltrated by communist rebels ....
  • Protests erupt in Nepal NEWS.com.au "I was told the news report in my paper which said around 750 protesters across the country had been nabbed for holding anti-king protests on Monday, had gone against the spirit and norms of the royal proclamation of February 1," Wagle told reporters.
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Are The Democracies All Talk And No Action?


This king has been challenging every person and power that has advised him to restore the fundamental rights of the Nepali people. You have Tulsi Giri badmouthing Manmohan Singh. You have King G himself challenging Condi Rice. You have a regime that has actively tried to play the so-called Pakistan and China cards. The basic thinking is that because the junta has physical force at its disposal, it does not need to listen to democratic powers like India, US and the EU, because all they do is issue statements. As the king said, "They have to say what they have to say. We have to do what we have to do."

It is time the democracies stepped up and responded in kind.

The only force the regime has used has been against the common people. The foot soldiers of the Nepali army are demoralised. These are people who went into the army for the monthly paycheck, not to get killed. And they are showing it.

After the democrats take over the reigns in Nepal, I believe the Dalai Lama should be invited to set up a winter home in Lumbini, and should be encouraged to set up a second Dharmashala in the vicinity, funded by international donors. I am sure someone like Richard Gere could lead the fund-raising efforts.

China needs to be responded to for its current support to the junta in Kathmandu.

It is a global struggle between the democrats and the autocrats in Nepal now. It is for the democrats to show they mean more than press statements.

This is one Active Monarch. He is not only out to get the political parties. He has also shown the major powers fall in the same category. He is all tit-for-tat.
  • Nepal king's deputy rules out talks with Maoists: New Kerala, India .... Tulsi Giri .. said he did not favour holding talks ..... was recalled from his political exile in Bangalore in India ...... "Call them what you will," Giri told the media, "People's War, Maoist Communist Centre, Maoists or even the Al Qaeda - terrorism is terrorism whatever names you give it."....... the chief minister of West Bengal was critical of peace talks between the government of Andhra Pradesh and Maoist rebels there....... "The leftist government of West Bengal was in no mood to hold unconditional talks with the Naxalites (an ultra left group that staged an armed uprising in the 1970s). The terrorists hide in jungles from where they attack people and grab headlines. That is not the way to resolve problems." ...... army was "fully equipped" to deal with the Communist guerrillas - who have rejected the king's offer of amnesty. ...... The defence forces were demoralised by the previous governments ....... "Now they are ready to sanitise areas infected by these people smelling of dirty things and eradicate them. If they don't respond to words, they will be made to respond to kicks." ...... the media raised a "hue and cry" when the army killed people but made tame noises when the Maoists violated human rights....... Accusing the multiparty governments of Nepal of abetting the insurgents, the minister said "Girija (Prasad Koirala, Nepalese opposition leader) and Madhav Kumar Nepal (leader of the biggest Communist party) will get the first bullet from their terrorist friends." ...... They have been issuing statements from India and Bangkok ....... "The Indian dailies have been writing about Maoists receiving medical treatment in Uttar Pradesh and Patna (in Bihar) ...... "The prime minister refuses to go to Dhaka saying he does not want to shake dirty hands (after the royal coup in Nepal) whereas the greatest democratic king in Asia, the king of Bhutan, is invited as a guest of honour during India's Republic Day and shakes hands with the Indian leadership." ....... Nepal's bitterness stems from over 100,000 Bhutanese making Nepal their home for over a decade after fleeing ethnic cleansing in their country. While Nepal wants the Bhutanese refugees to return to Bhutan, the Druk kingdom has been dragging its feet on their repatriation. ........ He said the present emergency may be withdrawn before three months or extended after the period, depending on the security situation........ According to Nepal's constitution, it can be imposed for three months. To be extended, the government needs parliament's approval.
  • Climate of fear exists in Nepal, say jurists Sify A team from the conglomerate of judges and lawyers visited Nepal from March 13-16 ...... presenting a report entitled "Nepal: Rule of Law Abandoned." ..... the suspension of fundamental rights "is not lawful under Nepali and international law and will not help to win the war against the Maoists."
  • No talks, rebels must be wiped out: Nepal govt Indian Express, India .....future saying the rebels needed to be ‘‘wiped out’’ even as it asked political parties to come forward for a dialogue, offering them berths in the cabinet if they cooperate with it in certain areas....... The rebels ‘‘need to be wiped out and the areas under their control will be sedimented,’’ he said, adding the government ‘‘is fully equipped to crush’’ the Maoists.
  • Royal coup emboldening Maoists in Nepal, says international ... New Kerala The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has slammed the claims saying its own findings reveal otherwise and that the crackdown is disproportionate to the demands of the situation. ...... it has emboldened the Maoists politically, it has not given a military advantage to the Royal Nepalese Army ..... very selective arrests, selective surveillance, selective late night calls, selective warnings that the King's proclamation should be read carefully, through selective restrictions banning criticism of the royal proclamation or the actions of the Royal Nepalese Army ...... more than a 1,000 people have disappeared in the last few months as the state tries to "break the backbone" of the revolt. ........ The rebels on the contrary have stepped up action against those who are pro-monarchy. ...... so far Nepalis seem resigned to their fate.
  • Chinese FM will visit Nepal Daily Times, Pakistan Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing is to visit Nepal at the end of March during which the possible sale of arms to the Himalayan country by Beijing will be discussed ...... A Nepalese foreign ministry source confirmed other sources of supply were being investigated....... Li’s visit would also pave the way for a visit by the king to China to participate in the Boao regional economic forum on Hainan island between April 22 and 24 ..... Kathmandu on Wednesday coming out in support of a law passed by Beijing which allows it to attack Taiwan
  • Nepal: Students activists demand restoration of democracy Jerusalem Post
  • Rescue Nepal from human rights crisis: jurists' body: New Kerala, India The commission, founded in Berlin in 1952, comprises 60 eminent jurists who are representatives of the different legal systems of the world...... "There is no neutral space for civilians; they are trapped between brutal Maoist tactics and an unaccountable army that since Feb 1 is under increasing pressure to show successes"
  • Jurist fears Geneva trip may cost Nepalese dear: New Kerala
  • Gyanendra counters Rice visit with China card: New Kerala ..... Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Sun Heping met King Gyanendra's deputy, vice-chairman Kirti Nidhi Bista ...... Gyanendra's nailing his colours to the Chinese mast indicates Nepal is no longer depending on Indian or American support at the ongoing session of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva ...... the US has been asking the European Union to continue its 15-year-old arms embargo against China on the ground that weapons from Europe might be used against US forces if a war ensues over Taiwan
  • Kathmandu scratches China’s back over Taiwan Statesman
  • Nepal's king uses media to seek edge over rebels International Herald Tribune, France Maoist rebels and the army have issued separate statements almost daily, claiming victories on the battle front
  • Nepal claims rift in Maoist top rung Times of India
  • Nepal army reports rift in rebels BBC News ..... there have been frequent newspaper reports alleging a rift between him and rebel leader Prachanda - apparently over Mr Bhattarai's wish to resume peace talks
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Finally The Democrats Make Sense


Their shifting their compass from the parroting of constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy to now calling for a Democratic Republic is a major development and should be welcomed.

Now I wish they hammered a more concrete understanding with the Maoists which, if they can, will result in diminished violence in the country, a stronger possibility for the elections to the Constituent Assembly, and overall peace.

As for protests. They need to be organized in ways that overwhelm the police and the army. Say, in all cities at once, in large numbers, along many streets. If this can be done well, that will also mean less violence in army-Maoist clashes.

On another note, why Bangkok? I have a feeling the Indian politicians like Chandrashekhar, who is strongly behind the Nepali cause, suggested the Nepalis go to some foreign place, like Bangkok, and get "inspired" there. If the good idea comes to them while they are in Delhi, it might smell a little like Indian influence. I am just guessing.

In The News
  • Maoist Deal with Nepal's Political Parties May Doom MonarchyInter Press Service, World A new deal in the offing between Nepal's main political parties and Maoist rebels has the potential not only of returning the Himalayan kingdom to democracy but also ending a constitutional monarchy ..... representatives of Nepali Congress, Nepali Congress (Democratic), Nepal Communist Party (United Marxists-Leninists) or UML, People's Front Nepal Party and the Nepal Sadbhavana Party meeting in Bangkok issued a joint-call to redraft the country's constitution through a constituent assembly and force the ouster of King Gyanendra ..... ''We want the promulgation of a constituent assembly, and through the constituent assembly we will decide whether to have the king or not to have the king'' ..... is in consonance with the Maoist stand ..... the coming together of the political parties and the Maoists was ''a surprise ..... parties whose second-line leadership managed to escape to India and set up base in New Delhi have been demanding that the host country support the idea of democratic republic ..... ''If a democratic republic is good enough for India it should be good enough for Nepal too'' ...... Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai, entitled 'Underdevelopment and Regional Structure in Nepal: A Marxist Analysis.'' ...... Originally submitted as his doctoral thesis while studying at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi during the late 1970s, the book details the grossly inequitable land ownership pattern in Nepal which has remained steeped in medievalism
  • Political Parties Compromise With Maoists, Vow Fight to the EndInter Press Service, World Nepal's political parties, at a closed door meeting in the Thai capital, have vowed an all-out fight against the monarchy after agreeing to the main demand of Maoist rebels to redraft the Himalayan nation's constitution ..... ''This will be our last fight with the king. There will be no compromise anymore. ...... 700 pro-democracy demonstrators have been arrested ....The largest number of arrests occurred in Janakpur ..from where, UML estimates that about 500 of their cadres were rounded up ..... ''We appeal to the international community to withhold aid to Nepal ..... ''The Maoists have been demanding for elections to the constituent assembly - that has been their primary demand. And all the political parties, meeting in Bangkok, have agreed to that demand'' ...... ''How we can conduct those elections and what are the forces inside and outside, that we need to discuss during our negotiations with the Maoists.'' ..... All the five political parties agreed to form a joint interim government after the ouster of King Gyanendra. This interim government, according to UML's Bhattarai, will then pave the way for the constituent assembly elections.......
  • Nepal: Students activists demand restoration of democracy Jerusalem Post, Israel ..... goal is restoration of full democracy and we will battle to the end ..... Gyanendra has ignored repeated calls from the international community to restore democracy.
  • Journalists in Nepal demand restoring of press freedom? (updated ... China Post
  • US secretary of state puts pressure on Nepal during India visit Radio Australia
  • Maoist stir flops: Nepal police Times of India, India
  • Maoists go on rampage in eastern Nepal Indo-Asian News Service, India
  • Asian human rights watchdog slams America for helping Nepal King: New Kerala The AHRC said more than a 1000 people had disappeared in the last few months as the state tries to "break the backbone" of the revolt...... You can be shot anywhere in Nepal..... Jitman Basnet, a lawyer and editor of the Sagarmatha Times, a weekly magazine, who was arrested for being an alleged Maoist sympathizer, termed his 10-month detention as akin to hell. ..... Having confided with the human rights groups, Basnet says he is now facing a life threat. ...."Only three things I could say were toilet, water and food, any other I could not say. They did not give me permission to talk to other. For all the 10 months they covered my eyes 24 hours in a blindfold and tied my hands at the back.
  • India, USA in complete agreement on Nepal Statesman “That simply must happen and we are in complete agreement that it needs to happen very, very soon”
  • India-Nepal hydropower talks put off indefinitely Indo-Asian News Service, India
  • 'Regime may send tutored activists to Geneva': New Kerala Nepal is expected to come under the scanner at the meeting attended by over 3,000 delegates. .... Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey told the session that Switzerland supported a proposal to condemn Nepal for human rights abuses. The resolution asks the Nepalese government to start peace talks with the Maoist insurgents and to end arbitrary arrests....... Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, are advocating the appointment of an intentional investigator to look into allegations of human rights violation in Nepal....... the army said it would take action against the soldiers involved in "some wrong actions" in Kavre district in central Nepal last year. ...... The "wrong action" was the killing of a 15-year-old schoolgirl, Maina Sunwar, whom soldiers took away from her house in February 2004 to prevent her relatives from talking about the shooting of two women they had witnessed.

  • Hard for Nepal to Find Friends in Geneva Inter Press Service .... last year, Nepal's royal government narrowly escaped tough measures for its appalling rights record, courtesy of the United States and India. ...... India, the U.S., and most of the international community could be bound by their public pronouncements, and therefore less likely to defend the royal regime ..... 'Kathmandu Post' newspaper summed up the mood in Nepal recently in a headline: ''Government in for tough time at UNHRC session....... the king's government is hoping to pull off the impossible....... The commitments made last year in Geneva was a 25-point plan of action that the government was supposed to implement. It was made to thwart a binding and damning resolution. ..... But so far, none of those commitments have been implemented ..... the Geneva meeting could end up in the appointment of a U.N. special rapporteur to investigate rights abuses in Nepal.
  • Nepal police summon editor CNN International ..... the editor of the country's largest circulating newspaper Kantipur
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Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Various Time Slips


I was just scanning through the news, and I noticed quite a few dislocations.
  1. One headline said GP Koirala meets Patil. And I am thinking, if GP Koirala is out, that would be the number one news of the day. Looks like the paper mistook GP Koirala's daughter Sujata for GP.
  2. Yesterday I read news that the US swiftly reacted to the outgoing Pak ambassador saying Pak was ready to give arms to Nepal. The Pak authorities said the guy was speaking solo. But there are a few news items today suggesting India is acting like Pak is indeed going to give arms to the regime in Nepal.
  3. The Maoists have made repeated statements that they are for a multi-party democratic, republican framework. But today US Ambassador Moriarty is talking of a possible Maoist takeover. I keep seeing the Americans who matter keep seeing Cambodia and Peru, especially Cambodia. I am totally against any possibility of a communist dictatorship, but I believe, if one is to think of the people caught in the crossfire, helping the Maoists save face, and easing them into the mainstream is the better option. The status-quoists are dead set against the idea of a Constituent Assembly, and that, more than anything else, is holding peace possibilities back. If the king really means unconditional talks, he should go on TV and announce elections to the Assembly. But he will not, because he is a status-quoist and worse: he is a throwback to the Panchayat era.
I guess the Democrats will have to better organize themselves and run a sophisticated operation.

There is massive polarization in the country between the three forces. Those who will attempt to bridge the gaps between the three will meet major counter pressures from the extremists in each of the three camps. But peace overtures have to be made anyways.

In The News
  • 'Bridge Nepal political divide' BBC News, UK ..... Moriarty says that failure to do so could result in victory for the Maoist rebels ..... king and the parties must demonstrate statesmanship instead of humiliating and pointing fingers at each other ......an agreement between the king and the parties on a multi-party government comprising of major parties could help resolve the crisis, although he said that it is up to the Nepalese themselves to make a final decision ...... The US has been coordinating closely with the UK and Nepal's neighbour, India, in attempting to bring the king and the parties together ...... two top opposition leaders, currently in detention, have been quoted as saying that they are ready to hold a dialogue with the king if lifts a state of emergency ...... Girija Prasad Koirala and Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) general secretary, Madhav Kumar Nepal, have said that they are ready for talks if restrictions on civil liberty and media were lifted ..... comments are said to have been made to members of a leading Kathmandu-based human rights organisation who were allowed to meet the detained leaders ...... said to be healthy but complained they have access only to government-owned newspapers
  • Nepal claims rift in Maoist top rung Times of India, India .....that the rebels had expelled top politburo member Baburam Bhattarai and his wife from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).
  • Asia: Senior official expelled from Nepal’s Maoist party ... Keralanext, India Maoist party spokesman and central committee member Krishna Bahadur Mahara issued a strong denial. ..... “The reports about the expulsion of our party leaders Baburam Bhattarai and his wife Hisila Yemi, publicised by the government-run communication media quoting the so-called army directorate, are one hundred percent false,” Mahara said in a statement faxed to AFP in Kathmandu. ....... “The fact is that Bhattarai and Yemi have been conferring and closely working together with the party chairman Comrade Prachanda and continuing to play their responsible roles within the party,” he said. ....... “It has been the same old tactics of the reactionaries to divide and rule by spreading confusion and unnecessary propaganda.”
  • Nepal group meets Patil, wants India to consider sanctions Indian Express, India former minister Mahant Thakur and the daughter of former Nepalese PM G.P. Koirala ..... The party included Rajendra Mahto, Hridesh Tripathy of Nepal Sadbhavana Party, Rambaran Yadav, former minister and member of the Nepali Congress, Chhablal Bishwakarma of the Communist Part of Nepal (UML)...... India should consider economic blockade of Nepal or sanctions in addition to suspension of military aid
  • GP Koirala meets Patil, thanks India for its stand on Nepal: New Kerala A Nepalese delegation, led by former Prime Minister G P Koirala, on Tuesday met Home Minister Shivraj Patil ..... 30-minute meeting
  • Nepalis queue to register mobiles BBC News, UK ..... Applicants must provide personal details and photographs for security reasons ...... Only mobile users on contracts are affected. There are no current plans to allow people with pre-paid mobiles (pay as you go) to use them
  • India-US for restoration of democracy in Nepal Deccan Herald, India Addressing a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US had strongly opposed the February one royal coup by the King.
  • Activists threaten to beef up protests in Nepal Financial Express.bd All Nepal National Free Students' Union "is going to hold anti-king protests in all the colleges across the country on March 27 ..... "The protest programmes will include demonstrations, slogans and corner meetings," Upadhyay said. "Our main demand, however is a republic form of government in the country."
  • Police beat, detain hundreds of anti-monarch protesters in Nepal CBC News Baton-wielding police beat protesters and arrested hundreds ...... communist rebels torched buses and threatened to step up attacks .... Nepal needs foreign aid to fight both the insurgents and widespread poverty...... With many of their leaders under detention, political parties have found it difficult to mobilize against the monarch...... Prachanda .. also offered to help the political parties in their campaign against the monarch. But a spokesman for the alliance of Nepal's major parties rejected the offer, citing the rebels' use of violence.
  • Nepal Asks International Community To Support State of Emergency Voice of America ... February 1 was a measure of last resort ..... King made this difficult decision in order to rescue the nation from political instability and unmitigated terrorism ..... more than 11,000 people have lost their lives, thousands of people have been made homeless, many women have been widowed and the nation lives in fear...... "It is of temporary nature and as such it is being continuously relaxed." ..... his government supports the independent human-rights commission that operates in his country ...... He recalls the visit to Nepal by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour on January 23. He says during this visit, she gained a first-hand understanding and deep appreciation of the difficult situation Nepal has with the insurgency....... What he did not say is Ms. Arbour quickly condemned the state of emergency in Nepal and sent a letter to the King telling him that basic human rights cannot be suspended under any circumstances
  • ICRC will be allowed to meet with Nepal's detained Tribune de Genève International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ..... Thapa also said it was not possible to place all those arrested for terrorism since King Gyanendra power grab inside "normal jails." ..... "General Thapa also told the ICRC team that the security forces were always ready and determined to see that human rights of the people are respected and punish those who violate them."
  • VIEW: India may change Nepal policy after Pak offer Times of India, India .... If South Block had any sense, it would have refrained from reacting to Islamabad’s provocation.
  • India wary of Maoists taking reins in Nepal Times of India King Gyanendra has been making overtures to both Pakistan and China believing that India will blink, and things could go back to normal between the palace and India. ..... Ramesh Nath Pandey had failed to make much headway during his visit to Delhi last week, but the king hopes he will be able to convince the European countries about his point of view
  • Pak move may alter India's Nepal policy Times of India ..... the king shows no sign of making concessions ..... the UPA government's conviction that the Maoist menace is India's biggest security threat remains unchanged
  • Newspaper editor seriously wounded in targeted shooting in Nepal Big News Network.com, Australia Unidentified gunmen shot and seriously injured a newspaper editor at his office ..... shot twice in the head ..... reported to be in critical condition ..... In the past, journalists have been targeted for arrest, abduction, and physical attack by both sides of an ongoing conflict between the government and Maoist rebels..... most of the arrests took place at the nation's biggest protests, in the southern town of Janakpur.
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