Gagan Thapa October 22 Saturday 2 PM Columbia University

Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Nepal, USA
Proudly Announces

“Bichaar Bimarsha”
A periodic socio-political discussions on Nepal

Co-Sponsors:

Human Rights Working Group, CIPA, Columbia University
South Asian Institute, CIPA, Columbia University

Struggle for Democracy in Nepal
Roles and Challenges of Youth

Interaction with Gagan Thapa

Former General Secretary of Nepal Student Union, student wing of Nepali Congress, the largest political party in Nepal, Gagan Thapa is undoubtedly the most prominent student leader who has become one of the leading figures in the current struggle for democracy in Nepal. He was jailed a number of times by King Gyanendra’s government after the royal takeover of February 1st, 2005 on charges of “sedition against the state,” for his outspoken stance against the King’s regime. The Amnesty International had considered him a prisoner of conscience, as he had been detained for his peaceful and legitimate activities in support of democracy and human rights in Nepal. He was released each time only under tremendous pressure from human rights organizations and international governments.

*Mr. Thapa’s presentation will be in Nepali. Written English transcripts of his major points will be available for non-Nepali audience.

** Q & A session will be held in English, with a translation help from the moderator if needed.

Venue:

Columbia University, W. 116th Street and Broadway.

Prentis Hall

632 West 125th Street

Room # 312 (Third Floor)

Columbia Uniiversity

New York, NY 10027.

Subway:

# 1 or # 9 to 116th Street Station.

Time: 2:00 pm

Date: Saturday, October 22nd, 2005.

Admission: Free

Questions? Call Anil: 917-670-1057 or, Sanjaya: 917-902-2667

Gagan Thapa October 22 Saturday 2 PM Columbia University
A Day In The Life Of Charlie Szrom
Gagan Thapa Talk In Boston: Two Hours Audio
Anil Jha, Bimal Nidhi, Jimmy Carter
Timi Sadak Ma Utreko Dekheko Chhu
Anil Jha, Bimal Nidhi US Tour Logistics
Bimalendra Nidhi US Tour
Gagan Thapa US Tour
September 16 Protest Rally
Sharad Chandra Shaha Is A Dazzling Person
Bharat Mohan Adhikari Is In Town
King Cancels UN Visit
Opposition To The Idea Of Meeting With The King
Anatomy Of The Conflict In Pokhara
Girijaspeak: When Republicans Are Royalists
5 Steps To Democracy
Renaming The Blog In Honor Of Gagan's Release
Gagan Thapa Released
Chargesheeting Gagan: This Regime Has Gone Berserk

Bill Clinton Had Icecream For Lunch
Bill Clinton Has Left The Building
Jesse Jackson On Martin Luther King Boulevard
The Saudi Royal Family Has Got To Go
I Am Running For Dean 2008 Campaign Chair
Soaking In Howard Dean
Dean Was In Town Yesterday

A Day In The Life Of Charlie Szrom

If I had met Robert Mayer (Publius Pundit) this past weekend, and it almost happened, and I met up with Charlie Szrom yesterday, and I will be seeing Gagan Thapa this coming weekend, that would have been three weekends in a row with some major student leaders. (Soaking In Howard Dean)

So I got to see Charlie. He flew in from Bloomington, Indiana, for a scholarship interview with some kind of a Polish American foundation. Looks like you get a thousand bucks for saying you take pride in your Polish heritage.

First we were to meet around 10 in the morning, then maybe around 11:30, when I showed up at the southern tip of Central Park. And I got a call from him. Can meet around 4:30 PM. So I got a few hours to stroll all over Central Park, and I also ventured north into Harlem. I watched some soccer at a Hispanic pizza establishment there.

And then there was this text message from Charlie. He was running a little late.

But then we met, and he said he had to catch a bus at the Grand Central Terminal by 8 PM. And so we had a few hours. We went to Ground Zero first. And then after we walked the unimpressive Wall Street walk - it is but a little pavement - I thought I was taking him to see the Statue Of Liberty.

"Is that not the Brooklyn Bridge?" Charlie asks.

"No," I said. And I pulled out my left hand, and made my palm the shape of Manhattan. I was trying to explain to him how we had walked to the other side of the southern tip. Considering this was Charlie's first time in New York City.

But he was right. It was the Brooklyn Bridge. Considering I live in Brooklyn. But Charlie did not hold it against me.

Then we crossed the Manhattan landmass again, and got to see the Statue, all the time talking. I was trying to emphasize upon Charlie that the moral support he and his organization, the Students For Global Democracy, had been extending to the movement in Nepal, and the simple fact that he was part of the conversation, was itself a major help to the movement in Nepal. He was already being helpful in a major way.

After the Statue, we headed north. The idea was to cross into Central Park, walk down to Times Square, and then walk over to the Grand Central. But we were running late. We skipped Central Park: it was kind of dark too by then. But he got a glimpse of the Upper East Side. And he took the train shuttle from Times Square to the Grand Central.

The train ride back home for me was confusing. They do all this construction work during weekends, and trains don't go where they are supposed to go. Routes not on the subway map get revealed. It has got to be mysterious down there.

Charlie can be hilarious sometimes. Like there was this story he told me about the movement in Ukraine last year. There were people who thought there was some sort of conspiracy going on, all these people out in the streets, out of the blue.

"No. They just wanted democracy," he related.

Charlie has interned at the National Endowment For Democracy. Considering how committed we both are to a global spread of democracy, I can so totally see us meeting again and again down the line.

We sure will stay in touch.

40 Photos.

Charlie
Dear Charlie
Email To Charlie Szrom
Email From Charlie Szrom


Mary Joyce, Demologue

Protests

Art Of War, Art Of Peace

The Maoists waged a decade long war. They started from scratch, from nothing, and they spread all over the country. They have lost thousands of cadres. The whole thing could not have been easy. There was a time when it was thought they will not attack the state army, that would be too much for them. But they managed to bring the RNA to a military stalemate.

That was the art of war.

Used to be the Maoists were for a communist republic. Now they have made an ideological transformation. They need to make that official.

To: Dr. Baburam Bhattarai

They need to formalize that ideological transformation.

They have proved themselves at the art of war. The unilateral ceasefire was their most brilliant military move ever. It was so brilliant the king was pushed to an unimagined global isolation.

Now the challenge for the Maoists is if they can prove themselves equally deft at peace.

Would they consider a unilateral disarmament in exchange for a common minimum program of a Democratic Republic by the seven parties?

These could be the steps.

1. The Maoists tell the seven parties they will take the next step beyond the unilateral ceasefire. They will unilaterally disarm in exchange for a joint alliance.
2. Then a formal eight party alliance will be formed. It will formally elect a leader.
   
3. It will chalk out a program. A democratic republic would be at the core. I have suggested a 10 point program: Alliance Of Steel. I believe you need something as comprehensive to really get the masses riled up.
   
4. Then you put forth joint protest programs. Parties do not put out separate programs.
   

As long as the seven party alliance would be willing to agree to 2,3 and 4, the Maoists should be able to do 1.

Think about it. The Maoists are going to disarm anyways. The whole idea of seeking UN mediation is to suggest they will disarm. So if you are willing to do it anyways, and if the UN option is not forthcoming, thanks to the king, why will you not do it on your own and speed things up? You are republicans, why do you so insist on the king having veto power?

And forget integrating the two armies. Fight for 27 million Nepalis, not 10,000 armed cadres. Liberation of 27 million people is more important than job security of 10,000 of your armed cadres. Let them all put down their weapons, and dedicate themselves to a peaceful achievement of a democratic republic. Especially now when the peaceful option is more effective.

If laying down your arms means a democratic republic will be achieved faster, why will you insist on keeping the arms and slowing things down? Speed things up. Lay down your arms permanently.

Instead of slowing things down, bargain hard with the parties on points 1,2,3,4.

Make them come around to 2,3 and 4 first. Then you come around to 1.

How can the parties trust you did 1? Invite them to monitor it. Invite the civil society to monitor it.

There is immense time pressure. If this regime is still in power on February 8, the seven party alliance and the Maoists are going to be locked in tough corners.

And send Girija this way. I will take him on a tour of 50 states myself. For five months.

Badri Mandal: Winner

The King's February 2006, April 2007 Offensive

The seven party alliance will not be an alliance.

It will not do what it takes to launch a revolution.

It will not do what it takes to launch a movement.

Which leaves room for a negotiated settlement. But that asks for dialogue.

But if the Monarchists act unreasonable, forging an alliance with the Maoists is an option. But that also asks for dialogue.

Dialogue is political work.

The Maoists will not do what it takes to for forge a strong alliance with the democrats.

They continue to think of another military offensive as an option. And if they prepare for that, that weakens the possibilities of an alliance with the democrats. And if they can not forge an alliance with the democrats, what are their chances for a soft landing?

So the Maoist-democrat alliance is nowhere close to gelling.

The seven party alliance is in disarray.

Girija's House revival stance is the litmus test. As long as he still holds that position, the seven party alliance will continue to be in disarray.

The February 2006 elections for the towns and cities that the king has announced, and the April 2007 parliamentary polls. That is a political challege to the seven parties, and a military challenge to the Maoists.

Hopefully the Maoists have weakened. But if they have not, and there is no telling, and even if they make bungled attempts at disruption, that will still be bloodshed that could have been avoided. And if there is bloodshed, there will be a new gap of trust between the Maoists and the democrats.

But the election announcements might gradually erode some of the international support for the democrats. They have wasted too much time so far this year. They let months pass.

Especially if international observers are allowed - first they said they will be allowed, then Tulsi Giri came out saying they will not be allowed - then the parties are going to come under additional pressure.

And Girija is going to keep parroting the House revival mantra.

And Badri Mandal's Sadbhavana and Pashupati Rana's RPP are going to contest elections. And they are going to win 30 mayoral seats each roughly.

Gajendra Narayan Singh could not have seen this coming.

Considering the parties have been allowed to function more or less at normal, there is no outright persecution, the parties will face additional pressure.

All because there is this refusal to do political homework.

Genius Girija.

If the king could revive the House, that would make null and void the Prime Minister's prerogative to dissolve the House. That would go against the norms of a parliamentary democracy.

The democrats were trapped between the Monarchists and the Maoists, now they are trapped between February 2006 and April 2007 also.

Does the seven party alliance ever hold meetings?

Needed: a goal and an action plan.

Or maybe there is an Article 127 in the Nepali Congress constitution that we could use to revive the House, and Girija would be happy, and the rest of us could move on.

The King's February 2006, April 2007 Offensive

The king has gone on the offensive.

Muncipal polls in February 2006, and parliamentary polls in April 2007.

He is seizing the initiative.

The seven party alliance is in disarray. The UML is going ahead with its own programs. Amik Sherchan's People's Front is doing the same. Girija's idiotic House revival stance is pushing the seven party alliance to a breaking point.

The seven party alliance should be holding joint programs. And if they are not, that shows they are refusing to come together and agree on a common platform.

If you can not even come together for democracy, what can you come together for?

Reagan claimed he increased the defense expenditures so much, the Soviet Union imploded. It is possible the king might say that about the Maoists. And take credit for it.

On the other hand, what if the Maoists call the king's bluff? They have already vowed to actively disrupt the polls.

If democracy is about elections, as it is, why will the king instead not opt for elections to a constituent assembly? That will end the civil war.

The seven party alliance has the option to get together and:

• Formally elect a leader.
  
• Create a five or a ten point political platform.
• Launch joint nationwide protest programs.
  

Or forget the idea that you will bring hundreds of thousands out into the streets.

But so far they have been unwilling to come around to it. Beats me. The king has a clear action plan. The seven party alliance does not. Even the Maoists have more clarity.

JFK made that point in his college thesis: Why England Slept?

That democracies are less prone to respond well to an impending threat like the Nazis were.

The seven party alliance is making no attempts at clarity. They are still trying to "convince" the king to revive the House. They are banging their head against the wall.

In The News

• Nepal to have Parliamentary polls in 2007 Expressindia.com, India
• Polls by early 2007: Nepal King Hindu
• Nepal king promises parliamentary elections in 2007 Reuters AlertNet
• Nepal on the brink Indian Express, India
• Nepal's 7-party alliance holds informal talks with Maoists Press Trust of India
• CPJ flays press curbs imposed by Nepal King NewKerala.com, India
• UN report raps Nepal on human rights record NewKerala.com, India
• CRY FREEDOM Calcutta Telegraph
• UN report raps Nepal on human rights record Webindia123
• Royal Nepal Army soldiers killed due to 'misunderstanding' NewKerala.com, India
• Nepal cracks down on Tibetan refugees afresh Webindia123, India

Crackdown On Media Is Crackdown On People

"Ideas are more dangerous than guns. We wouldn't let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?" -- Josef Stalin

If anyone needed evidence this king lacks a democratic character, now he has tightened the screw on the media. This step takes confrontation to a whole new level. Tulsi Giri was right, it really is a choice between monarchy and democracy. I know where I stand. This step asks for underground pamphleteerig to bring down the monarchy itself.

Movement time is over. Now it is revolution time.

You don't hold dialogue with this regime. It is now a fight to the finish.

The king has invited a polarization that leads to an end of the monarchy.

The seven party alliance now needs to formally adopt Democratic Republic as its common slogan.

King promulgates media ordinance NepalNews .... In the new laws the authorities have been authorised to slap heavy amount of fine to publishers and editors if the published materials are found to be “helpful to terrorists”. The ordinance has also incorporated stricter provisions regarding publication or broadcasting of materials likely to create communal or religious disharmony...... According to The Kathmandu Post, there are provisions in the new ordinance to increase the penalty to editors and publishers - for publishing defamatory items - up to Rs.100,000 from Rs.10,000 while anyone publishing, translating or importing banned items will be subjected to a penalty of Rs.500,000.......

United We Blog is down. Looks like the media crackdown is already having major effects in terms of self-censorship.

• Nepal King promulgates ordinance to control media Hindu, India
• Gyanendra declares new measures to muzzle media Indian Express
• Nepalese Govt. clips wings of press, FNJ to intensify protests Hindu
• Nepal govt clips wings of press; FNJ to intensify protests Outlook (subscription)
• Nepal govt clips wings of press, FNJ to intensify protests Hindustan Times, India
• Nepal King promulgates ordinance to control media Webindia123, India
• Nepal govt clips wings of press, FNJ to intensify protests Press Trust of India, India
• Nepal tightens media control Calcutta Telegraph, India
• Nepal announces stringent media restrictions Hindustan Times, India
• Nepal announces stringent media restrictions NewKerala.com

In The News

• What type of democracy do Koirala, Nepal want? Gorkhapatra
  
• Poll announcement in Nepal may trigger fresh violence NewKerala.com .... "only a constituent assembly election can address these issues. Holding local elections instead is like putting medicine on your belly button when you have a headache." ....Ram Chandra Poudel: "When the country is in a political crisis, it is meaningless to hold municipal polls without resolving it first. If the government wants to hold polls, they should hold elections to parliament and a constituent assembly." ...... Rashtriya Prajatantra Party, said while it was committed to participating in the polls, it wanted the government to create a conducive atmosphere for major parliamentary parties to participate in them...... Surya Bahadur Thapa said his newly formed Rastriya Janashakti Party was still considering its participation. "Elections are meant for the parties," Thapa told IANS. "If they stay away, there is no point of holding polls."
  
• Madhav Nepal Reiterates Poll-boycott Stance Himalayan Times, Nepal
• Parties promise peaceful putsch after festivals Kathmandu Post ..... prepare for a firebrand action after Dashain and Tihar ..... planning to field hundreds of thousands of people on the streets and complete the peaceful putsch. Senior leaders of Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and People's Front Nepal claimed that the post-festival movement would be decisive...... the NC will launch its nationwide awareness campaign immediately after Dashain. They will make aware people on a whole gamut of issues ranging from constituent assembly, role of political parties in democracy and the king's retrogressive activities...... party will deploy its central-level leaders in all 75 districts and they will sensitize people about the king's regression, revitalize party organization, and go strongly for pro-democracy movement..... campaign would monitor the Maoists' unilateral ceasefire. "It will be a test case for us to know whether the Maoists will really allow political parties to carry out their activities in local level" ...... CPN-UML, another large party in the seven-party alliance, has already launched a nationwide "Loktantra Awareness Campaign" for the next two months...... party has already deployed its central level leaders in all 75 districts for the campaign. "The party has set local level programs like meetings, interactions, and wall-paintings to sensitize people about democratic republicanism" ...... UML has already announced its nationwide protest programs on November 11, immediately after Tihar. Similarly the party has also called its nationwide cadres' gathering in Kathmandu on 14-15 November..... Amik Sherchan, chairman of Peoples' Front Nepal (PFN), said that his party had set a two-and-a-half month long awareness campaign at local levels.
• Polls will increase confrontation: Nepal ....the seven-party alliance is holding an informal negotiation with the Maoists. "But the Maoists should first make their position clear about multi-party democratic system, human rights and peoples' sovereignty," he said. "I think the Maoists are now holding their internal meeting regarding these issues and the formal talk will take place after they come out with a decision" .... the parties were expecting harsher moves in the days to come. "New constitution may be introduced, political parties and unions could be banned," he said, adding, "But we are undeterred in our mission and will continue with our movement until democracy and peoples' sovereignty is restored." ..... "Autocratic governments always attack free press because it is the real voice of the people," Nepal said. "It is a clear example of the government's autocratic attitude" .... "If you keep quiet, autocrats throttle down, but once you protest, they withdraw"
• Polls will only complicate problems: Parties
  

The King Has Gone On The Offensive

Muncipal polls were to be in April. Now he says February. So the democrats have at best three months to get hundreds of thousands of people out into the streets, possibly less. If it is January already, and you still are only getting a thousand people here, a thousand people there, then you are going to come under some international pressure.

Tulsi Giri has said no to international observers, so this gang seems set on their program of what they might call guided democracy.

Municipal polls conducted by an illegitimate, unconstitutional regime, without international observers, with no political party participation, with the Maoists still lurking in the wings, possibly plotting to mess up the polls: it does not look all good.

My dear fellow democrats are refusing to do basic political homework. Girija is the number one villain. Either he should let go the ridiculous House revival idea, or he should go ahead and participate in the king's municipal polls. Those are the only two options he has.

Say if the king does not do what Girija wants him to do, and there is a violent overthrow of the monarchy, then do you think that revolution will revive the House? That is a laughable scenario.
I can not trust Girija unless he lets the House revival idea sink.

The biggest reason the common people are not coming out into the streets in large numbers is because of this idiotic House revival idea. The people are not for the king's autocracy, but they also do not like the idea of the 1990s democracy, sham, half-hearted democracy. The House revival idea is like going back to the 1990s. The people do not want to go back. They want to go forward.

You let go the House revival idea. That is step one. Unless that is done, nothing else is possible.

Girija is Tulsi Giri's best friend. Tulsi Giri could not stop a mass movement even if he wanted to. But Girija single handedly is in the way of a mass movement.

You get rid of the House revival idea. Then the seven of you sit down, and elect a formal leader for the movement. And you also come up with a political program.

The leader has to be formally elected by the seven members, preferably by consensus. That election has never taken place. You can not have a movement without a leader.

The Bahun democrats will not look at the 10-point program I have suggested because I talk of federalism there. And they also don't like the idea of putting their family property statements online.

Face it, there was some major corruption in the 1990s, maybe not as bad as the royal corruption, and the army corruption of today, but there was some major corruption. And the people do not want a repeat of that. And you are going to deliver, or you are going to disappear.

What do these democrats do all day? I wonder.

They will not take a look at my 10-point program. (Alliance Of Steel)

They will not take a look at my Proposed Constitution. You could look at my document and finish the job within weeks (Wish Me Luck) or you could drone through the process for six years like in South Africa. Save time, take a look at my proposal. The Bahuns will not because that might lead to federalism!

The king just went on the offensive. Now you are under some added time pressure.

He says February 8.

The challenge for us is can we make that the deadline for an end to this regime? Can we kick this regime out by February 8? That is the question facing us.

But so far the dishonest Bahuns show no signs of budging. They would rather go down than give in on issues of social justice.

There is a refusal to think through things. There is a refusal to think through the endgame. There is a refusal to think through scenarios.

Girija is in no hurry. He has declared this is to be the final struggle of his life. So if he is 83, and he is to live to be 93 or 103, are we in for a hundred years' war? Makes you think.

Finish it off. Give yourself three months, and finish this movement off. The real challenge should not have to be democracy, the real challenge has to be the economic growth challenge after democracy.

And Girija is in the way.

In The News

• Efforts are underway to restore peace in the country: HM NepalNews
• Dates for municipal elections announced
• NRN conference concludes, keeps mum on democracy and human rights
• Upadhaya warns not to abrogate the present constitution
• I/NGOs not to accept Code of Conduct
• NRNs: A progress report after two years
  

The Maoists Need To Come Clean Or They Go Down With The King

The Hardliner Democrat Approach
The Bombing Of A Bus

The Maoists are not capable of militarily taking over the country. They never will be. And even if they were, they will not be able to sustain a regime for long. Communist republic is too archaic an idea to stick.

The myth that the king and the Maoists are stronger than the democrats is fast running out of the news cycle.

I am seriously disturbed by the INSEC report (Homework For Another Round Of Civil War) that the Maoists have abducted over 8,000 students and teachers since they declared the ceasefire.

This royal regime is on its last legs. It has only a few months left.

Why would the Maoists declare a ceasefire and not mean it?

One, they honestly declared a ceasefire, but it was not reciprocated so they had to start preparing for another round of fights. That does not hold water. You declared a ceasefire to forge a strong alliance with the democrats to seek a common minimum program of a democratic republic. The king is not part of the equation.

Two, don't blame them. If the RNA is going to come after them, they need to prepare for another round of fights. That does not hold water. There will not be another round of fights. The democrats are on their way to kicking the king out.

Three, they mean to deceive the democrats. They want to use the democrats against the king, and then crush the democrats. That would be like digging their graves. The democrats are going to take over power. That power can not be displaced with a ragtag army of 10,000 armed cadres. 10,000 armed hooligans are not going to take over 27 million freedom loving Nepalis, are not going to rule over them.

The reason the Maoists need to honestly stick to the ceasefire is because now is the time for a decisive movement. This regime has only a few months left. And a ceasefire has to be a total ceasefire. No armed action, no abductions, no extortions. Anything less is not a ceasefire.

But if the Maoist talk of a constituent assembly and a democratic republic is a sham, the democrats will march on to victory on their own, and then push the Maoists into irrelevance by eating their political and social lunch, giving mass amnesty to most of the Maoist cadres, and conducting decisive surgical operations against the leadership with the sole intention of sending them to a country tribunal. Maoists hiding in India would be hounded with Indian help.

The Maoists do not have the option to play hide and seek. They can not talk democratic republic and mean communist republic. They fool noone.

So have they or have they not abducted over 8,000 people recently? That is not a RNA claim that they have.

Another round of civil war is not an option. If the Maoists engage in another round of civil war, they stand to permanently close doors on possibilities of any alliance with the democrats and any hopes of a soft landing.

The offer of a soft landing from the democrats has not been the voice of weakness and should not be understood as such.

Or if they mean to stick to a communist republic, they should say so. On the other hand, if they mean a democratic republic, they should stick to it.

And if they stick to the communist republic mantra, I challenge them to an open ideological debate on the topic. If you are Marxist scientists, you should open yourself up to analysis. Let's debate.

Another round of civil war will seriously hamper the movement. And the democrats do not have to take it lying down.

It is very possible for the democrats to get rid of the king, and then get rid of the Maoists. The two guns are vastly overestimating their reach.

Or the two came together, they go down together.

The Maoists are not indispensable to the success of the democracy movement.

The Maoists need to come clean.

Are they serious about their ideological transformation, or Baburam Bhattarai and Prachanda do not both talk for the same party, what is it? Are they serious about a constituent assembly? A democratic republic?

If they are serious, preparing for another round of civil war is the worst possible thing they could do at this jucture of the movement.

The democrats could steal the Maoist political and social thunder like the king never could. And beyond that they will be reduced to being a law and order problem.

They will burn out. Their organization would implode.

That or the Maoists could cooperate with the democrats and hope to become one of the larger parties in a democratic Nepal. If they launch another round of the civil war, they shut doors forever.

You don't punish the democrats for mistakes made by the king. If you do, the democrats do not have to take it lying down.

The King Is Intent On Visiting France And Russia

Like child abusers tell children, don't make me hit you. That is how the king talks of the political parties.

The 1990s democracy had many deficiencies and yes there was corruption, but it was far superior to the monarchy before and after. Far, far superior.

The king might not have massacred his elder brother for the throne in 2001, but he did disapprove of his elder brother's "giving in" to the 1990 democracy movement. He might pay lip service to democracy, but he does not understand it. His actions as king have shown he is an autocrat, a militarist. Birendra's softball approach to a mass movement was the politically more skillful move because it preserved the monarchy. Gyanendra's hardball approach will bring the monarchy to an end. Birendra's softball approach to the Maoist insurgency kept it in a few isolated districts. Gyanendra's hardball approach spread it to virtually all districts. The proof is in the pudding.

This guy does not know statecraft.

If the king is in power, and the solution to the country's problems is that the parties and the king talk to each other, but the talks are not taking place, then it is the king who is failing. Because he holds the seat of power. He is the one who has to take initiative.

Tulsi Giri Interview

I recently strongly criticized the parties for not taking the October 2, 2002 offer of forming an all party government. But as the person in power, the king is primarily responsible for that failure. He did not present himself well. He should have spent time selling the idea to the parties. Instead he threw it as a slap in the face of the parties. He soon started laying down conditions. He asked for a "clean" figure.

He should never have moved beyond the all party government idea. He should have worked on it until he sold it. He gets paid too well to have bungled that basic point.

He set Deuba for failure. A Prime Minister who does not command the army can not have looked into a military solution to the insurgency. A Prime Minister who could not have looked at the constituent assembly option could not have solved the insurgency through talks.

He set Chand for failure. Maybe he has grudges against Chand for Chand was the person who ensured a soft landing for multi-party democracy at the end of the Panchayat rule.

He should have sold the idea of an all party government to the parties. Otherwise he is way too overpaid and way too incompetent. If you can't even sell the idea of an all party government to a bunch of power hungry parties, what can you do? What else can you do?

He set Surya Bahadur Thapa for failure.

It is almost like he never forgave his family for taking the throne from his four year old self. He hired the people Birendra hired, then he hired people Mahendra hired. Then he hired himself.

He used Chand to vastly expand the royal budget. And then shunted him aside. Chand was given six months to prove his incompetence. If you helped end the Panchayat autocracy, how competent can you possibly be!

The army budget has gone through the roof.

This man is so detached from reality. Obviously he watches too much television. He thought he was going to declare a war on terror, and become George Bush's new best friend in South Asia. How far fetched was his fantassy!

His best option right now is to take a second shot at the all party government idea through the use of Article 127. As the chief executive he should come up with the idea, present the idea, and then sell the idea until it is sold. It is that political work of selling he has never exhibited a propensity for that is the best evidence he is not a democrat. He does not understand the democratic process. He has a master-slave mentality. Subjects don't question, they take orders.

This guy is the ultimate Mandale.

His goal right now is to launch a guided democracy, which is a fancy term third world dictators use for autocracy.

He does not have that kind of time.

He stands to be swept away. And he will have noone to blame but himself.

He has a roadmap. He claims he has one.

This guy is so going down.

He is going to change course, or he is going to go down.

We live in a day and age when the national boundaries are pretty much fixed. The last person to have challenged that assumption was Saddam Hussein, and his experiment in Kuwait did not have a happy ending for him. Similarly we live in a day and age when no regime can afford a military crackdown upon peaceful demonstrators. We live in an era of instantaneous global coverage, an era of global outcries, an era of conscious citizens. The king does not have the crackdown option.

But he does not realize that.

What if he is more incompetent than he is evil? What if he just does not know. Leonid Brezhnev was a feared leader of a superpower. But when he died, his diaries of his final years were full of simple details of his daily rituals. The superpower was running on autopilot, presumably.

That is a good reason not to have a monarchy. The guy can just have ritualistic breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday and noone will ever know how incompetent he really is until there is a total collapse.

A person so bent on self destruction has health problems. It is possible he is depressed.

It is possible his staunchest sycophants secretly want his kingship to end. That pull-down tendency of the Nepalis is well documented. MaHa documented it a long time ago in their joke about Nepali frogs getting exported in open vessels.

How little he understands democracy gets exhibited more through his municipal polls stunt than anything else.

If he is so hellbent on elections, he should work towards elections to a Constituent Assembly. That would end the civil war! But then that would be democracy!

King G played cruel political football with Melamchi, and now he wants Melamchi back! This guy has started to go round and round in circles.

In The News

• KTV doesn’t have license for sat transmission: MoIC NepalNews The MoIC said that the government had granted license for terrestrial transmission aiming at ensuring people with minimal income could also have access to the broadcast of television. The satellite transmission is out of the reach of ordinary people because they need to install expensive instruments including separate antenna (to access its transmission), the Ministry said....... Kantipur Television Network—that has been running its programmes for nearly last two years-- is yet to respond to the clarification furnished by the government.
• No int’l observers for municipal polls ..... the date for polls to the municipalities will be announced between Dashain and Tihar...... leaders of major political parties have said that elections of the constituent assembly should be held under the involvement of the United Nations to resolve the problems dogging the country.
• India to doubles its troops along Nepal border The number of troops guarding the border is now expected to rise to around 45,000..... troops would be given armour-plated vehicles to protect them from landmines.
• UN OHCHR report on Nepal next week The report will be discussed and debated at the Third Committee of the United Nations, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural affairs. The session of the Committee started on October 3 and will come to an end on November 23.
• Nepal-India to Start Border Entry Records from Nov 1 Himalayan Times, Nepal
• Nepal security forces kill unarmed Maoist girl NewKerala.com, India
• Maoists free 500 abducted students, teachers Hindu
  
• Norway snubs govt request on Melamchi Kantipur Online, Nepal ... Nepal government's request to review its decision of pulling out of Melamchi Water Supply Project
• Events following king's takeover darken the prospects for peace ... OhmyNews International, South Korea Nepal is on the verge of political collapse and that the steps taken after Feb. 1, 2005 to impose King Gyanendra's rule are self-defeating...... unless all involved move quickly to address the country's problems effectively, there is a strong risk of political collapse .....the Maoist ceasefire, notwithstanding the tactics behind it, offers an opportunity for a government response to create a truce
  
• ‘Constitution not hurdle’ Kathmandu Post, Nepal Satchit Sumsher Rana .... "There might be some loopholes in the current constitution, but it is in no way a hurdle to achieving peace in the country."
• Conference cautions of possible betrayal At the end of the conference, senior Indian politicians like Laxmi Sehgal, a former contestant for the president's post, and Dr Surendra Mohan, cautioned that there were still high possibilities of making a tri-partite agreement between the king, parties and the Maoists under international initiatives, and keep the roots for anti-people conspiracies alive..... held to garner international support to Nepal's ongoing movement for a "democratic republic" ...... Sehgal, her party would leave no stone unturned to assist the ongoing movement for absolute democratic system of governance in Nepal..... Nepali delegates in the conference included Medeni Prasad Keval of NC, KP Oli of the UML, Amik Serchan of Peoples Front Nepal, Khemraj Bhatta Mayalu of NC(D), Mohan Bikram Singh and Chitra Bahadur KC of CPN (Unity center) and Chandra Dev Joshi of Unified Left Front.
• OHCHR report on Nepal on Oct 11 Kathmandu Post, Nepal
  
• Troops, Maoists ignore child rights: NHRC Kathmandu Post, Nepal
  
• Parties think foreigners have magic rod, they don’t Gorkhapatra, Nepal one things that our parties must be applauded for is their ability to bring an unending stream of foreign troupes to investigate, intervene, interfere, and to sermonise us on our national scenario. The state in this regard has been outdone in term of networking, contacts and mobilisation of Nepali’s and friends living abroad.
• Vietnamese monk in Nepal proposes venue for peace talks Nhan Dan, Vietnam offering his monastery
  
• Royalists criticize incumbent minister's performance Nepalnews.com, Nepal
  

Gagan Thapa Talk In Boston: Two Hours Audio

Real Media, 12 MB Video file downloaded from sajha.com

I was really impressed to hear Gagan Thapa speak. He is articulate. He is analytical. He is the clearest voice to emerge from the new generation. It is only a matter of time before democracy is back in the saddle. I think. I think Gagan's importance will be more after democracy. To help lead the country's economic growth. The current struggle is a matter of months. The economic growth part will be years, decades. That second challenge is the real challenge.

I am like Gagan, I do not subscribe to the Knight In Shining Armor thinking. I don't think one hero will save the country. The commitment is to the democratic process. It is the democratic process that will save the country. It is that process that will grow the economy.

I think Gagan personally will play an important role, and I hope to be part of it, telecommuting (21st Century Nepal), but the major way Gagan or anyone can contribute is through a firm commitment to the democratic process. That commitment is clearly there.

He keeps emphasizing what we do at this end helps back there in Nepal. I knew that. But it is good to hear it from him, so that we end up doing even more down the line.

What can I say, I look forward to seeing him in NYC. I think we are going to meet like old friends. I talked to some people he met in DC. They are all impressed.

"The most impressive, articulate leader after Madan Bhandari" was one comment. That is really saying something.

Gagan has been born a high caste male. But his thoughts on social justice are cuttinge edge. That is important. You can not dissociate peace from democracy and democracy from social justice.

His criticisms of the parties are welcome, as his criticism of the Nepali organizations in the US. I am glad he did that. My only formal membership in the city is with DFNYC. I participate in the Nepal events as a DFNYC member. I have to keep it manageable. I don't wish to spread myself too thin!

He is good in the streets. He is good at the podium. He is good one on one. He is good talking business with top American bureaucrats.

This guy is good!

Thanks Sage for the audio clip. We really need to capture him on video and put the video online at Google Video.

MP3 audio file, 14 MB (16kbps, 124:25)

I am here on a State Department program: I was invited twice before but this is the one time I finally accepted the invitation.

The Nepali diaspora in the US has been a huge help for the movement in Nepal. That help should be extended even more down the line. I met many officials in the State Department as well as other groups like the International Crisis Group.

It has become hard to present oneself as a Nepali. I am used to saying I am from the most repressed country in the world. The old identity has broken down. A new identity has not yet emerged. Our generation has to intervene.

This king is not a hereditary, obvious king. And he has character deficiencies.

Peace is the primary agenda item.

For the first time in history the monarchy is part of a vigorous debate. That debate has been raging in all villages, all towns, not just in Kathmandu. The myth that there will be no Nepal if there is no monarchy sustains the monarchy. Another source of power is the army. The king is at a crossroads. One, a slight compromise. Two, further crackdowns.

The Maoists. They have an army. 60-70% of the countryside has been controlled by them. Their weakness is the global failure of communism. They have an ideological clarity. The state is too weak. They are strongly committed. They also are at a crossroads. One, intensified violence. Two, accept multi-party framework and unite with the parties.

The third force, the parties. Ideologically, politically confused. Standing at a four-way. Their positive aspect: commitment to democracy. Lack of self-confidence among leaders, propensity to cut deals with the king. The parties have lost the trust of the people. The leaders are the main weak links.

I am not here to represent the Nepali Congress or my student organization. I am here to represent a generation.

Is this a problem or a crisis? This is a crisis. Small solutions will not help.

There is no need for a monarhcy in Nepal. This is not a statement made in rage. This is not an emotional statement. "Shree pench hamee jalaun chhaun, desh hamee chalaun chhaun." The monarchy is a feudal institution, nothing else. The hierarchical society we have, if we want to smash it, we need to get rid of the monarchy. There was a Shakya republic. Nepal has done without a monarchy in the past. We should move from superstition to science. I do recognize that Prithvi Narayan Shaha unified Nepal. History is full of incompetent, insane kings. But they still are great. What was the mistake of the people that the people had to put up with the Ranas for 104 years? We have been taught wrong history. 235 years of history weighs us down. What has only hurt us should not stay. The king and the ruling elite.

Why only men? Why only Brahmins? Why only Thakuri? The Dalit and the Janajati have risen through the Maoist insurgency. The Newars, the Tamangs. They are asserting their languages. There is voice that Chhath should be recognized. All these voices show the king does not unify Nepal. There were over 500 kings in India. China also had a king. Nepal does not need one either. Why keep a white elephant? Like Madan Bhandari used to ask. A dozen people a day are getting killed. But the prince rides the capital city streets in his expensive motorcycle. You know how much the monarchy costs. Why not keep a constitutional monarchy like in some European countries? But our monarchy does not have the character. We tried. There will have to be another democracy movement against King Paras, another against King Hridayendra.

People question Girija Koirala, Madhav Nepal. Will they lead the country? In 2046 B.S. there was a power shift from one elite to another. Like there was a shift in 2007 B.S. from the Rana to the Shaha.

What we have is a predator state. It is centralized. But the nation is diverse. We can not have democracy without decentralization. A primary school teacher in Jumla gets his appointment in Kathmandu. We did not change the state in 1990. Our problems are not new.

If I were born as a Gagan Bishwakarma, I would not be standing here today.

The Madhesh issue is huge. That problem started with Prithvi Narayan Shaha. Khasbadi, Purushbadi, Kathmandubadi, Rajabadi, Hindubadi.

Corruption continued after 1990. Noone can deny that. There are mistakes made in a democracy. But there also are laws to remedy, to punish the mistakes. The king is immune. He can do whatever. That pollutes the culture. 12 years of corruption, the solution is to strengthen the laws. The political parties are our representatives. There is hope the new generation can do better. A deviation to think is the parties failed, we need a master, we need a king. In summary, we don't see any use for the monarchy.

What is the difference between a Maoist republic and our republic? We don't want Prachanda to get the crown.

The people should be free to speak, but they also should be heard. The people are not just voters and taxpayers. The majority rules, but the minority is also heard. We have a vision for democracy.

How do we get there? Through a Constituent Assembly. I had no say in the 1990 constitution. But now the next constitution will be different. I will have a say in it. I represent a large section of the population, I think. But I can't be sure. That I have to prove during such elections. 75% of us under 35 have mostly seen democracy. We are not capable of accepting anything except democracy. And this is to be the final fight.

Some members of my team are from India. They talk of India as a future superpower. What do we have? I get jealous of them. You are in America, the oldest democracy. You have rights. We want the same rights. We have risked freedom and life. For what? This is a freedom struggle. How much can you help? When we heard of your DC rally, our morale was vastly boosted. Don't blame the parties and disown the democracy movement. Freedom is not free. This will be our final fight for democracy. In 10 years, you should be able to come back to Nepal. That is our vision. But we need your help now.

Question Answer Session

Comment: He is a great speaker. He is very analytical. I am impressed. It is hard for you and others to rise up the party ranks. The current leadership has failed. How does this hurt the prospects of democracy? Running a movement and running a country are different. Could you run the country?

Answer: I still don't have a lot of hope in the party leaders. But I have great hopes in our generation. There is a disconnect between the leaders and the cadres. The civil society movement has grown strong. The party leaders have few options left to compromise. I got kicked out of my General Secretary position of the NSU a year and a half back for speaking against the king. To run a country, you need brains, an environment, a commitment. We are working to create that environment, and we do have the commitment. We are a conscious generation. We have plans. We did not run the country well after 1990, true. But now we feel the need to do the homework. We will not repeat the mistakes of the previous generation.

Comment: If the crown is burnt. Girija said he will turn Nepal into a Singapore, instead turned it into a Jhingapur. What's the difference between Girija and you? What about Deuba? Deuba also was a student leader. Why should we trust you?

Answer: All heroes turned into villains. So I understand. I thank you for the question. But I only have the option to express my commitment that I will do my best. A lot of my friends do not think of politics as a career. This is a sacrifice. We have been at the forefront of the street demonstrations. There is one elected Dalit in the Congress central committee.

Comment: Your party is full of Bahuns and Chhetris.

Answer: In 1990 the elite got larger, that's all.

Comment: If you were to become Prime Minister, what would be your first act?

Answer: This thinking that one charismatic leader will come along and all problems will be solved, that can cause an accident. My focus is more on pointing out there is need for a decisive fight against the monarchy. We once told Girija Koirala, our generation will not have a Tulsi Giri or a Radha Krishna Mainali or a Parshu Narayan Chaudhari or a Prakash Koirala.

Comment: If you were to become Prime Minister, what would be your first act?

Answer: We first have to change this political structure. The power should be shifted away from the Singha Durbar to the lowest levels. To the village level. As for the hypothetical question what if the king wants to make you Prime Minister. Nobody from my generation will be interested. Then people asked, what if you become President. (Laughs)

Comment: China had Mao. India had Gandhi. Do you see you picking up the weapon? How committed are you?

Answer: Non-violence is our only weapon. That is the strongest weapon. Because the people are our power. What the Maoists could not do through eight years of violence, we did through eight months of non-violent demonstrations just in Kathmandu.

Comment: We hear some party cadres are getting ready to pick up weapons. Some Congress and UML cadres.

Answer: That is not true. That is wrong. There might be a few isolated individuals.

Comment: Some people think if the king and the Maoists will not lay down arms ......

Answer: We need to expand our political space through non-violence. Non-violence is the source of our power.

Comment: Your party itself is not democratic. How could we accept Girija?

Answer: Internal reforms, restructuring. There is a school of thought that says we should not raise these questions, that hurts the movement. Another says, the movement can not even begin if we don't reform. I am with that. How do you reform the parties? How to make them inclusive? That should reflect in the party structure. Parties do not do transparent book-keeping. They have 2-3 women in the central committee. We have not included the Dalits in the party structure. More people show up for civil society programs than for party programs. Since 1990, the NSU had eight central committees, three elected, five nominated. We can change Girija Koirala and Madhav Nepal. But we have to participate. If we don't participate, we can not.

Comment: Trust ....

Answer: The people are our power. We have to stick to non-violence. We have to rebuild the trust.

Comment: The Maoists are also Nepalis.

Answer: The Maoists want a Constituent Assembly. That Assembly has no substitute. Our proposal to the Maoists is that you lay down your weapons, and we can go ahead together. That will take us to a constituent assembly. That will give them a safe landing. We can not ignore the Maoists. That is why we don't agree with the king's idea of elections.

Comment: How will you fight two enemies? When you yourselves are not united? You seem to assume the Maoists will come along. Another assumption, you think the monarchy will go away. The truth is both remain strong.

Answer: The silent majority is not with the king. The silent majority is not with the Maoists. They are not with anyone. They are confused. Hence the parties need to reform, need to move ahead without compromising. We should bring the Maoists into the fold and fight a decisive fight against the king.

Comment: How will the Assembly come about?

Answer: It might be a long process. There is a South African example. It took them six years. We need UN mediation. I am not for the current 205 seats: that will be like repeating the mistakes of 1990. I am for a roundtable conference.

Comment: The current wave ...... (long comment)

Comment: How do people participate? The ballot box.

Comment: A revolution is different from a functioning democracy.

Comment: People are scared of criticizing the Maoists. There is biased criticism. You speak against the king. Can you speak against the Maoists?

Comment: What are we doing?

(More comments)

Comments: The Maoists are willing to hand over their weapons to go for a constituent assembly.

Answer: If non-violent ways are blocked, the people might turn to violence. That is there. But let me assure you, I am firmly committed to non-violence. People ask, why do you throw stones? In DC, there are demonstrations around the White House. Let me tell you about an incident. Recently. The New Road had been declared out of bounds. There were hundreds of police officers. We were hit with fire hoses. A friend and I were hit physically with tear gas shells. After that, the demonstrators started throwing stones, burning tires. So you have to look at it both ways. I am not asking you to get involved at the forefront. Look at the American war of independence. Look at the involvement. Must have been huge. Nepalis also have responsibilities. Your criticisms are welcome. But you must also participate. Criticize the leaders, but participate. There are no other alternatives.

Comment: Let's end the discussion.

Comment: How is this being internationalized?

Answer: India has regional ambitions. We should not compare today's India with the India 40 years back. India works out of its self interests. To complain against that is foolishness. There is a new thinking in India. They are willing to help the republican cause. As for Maoists and India. Also look at the EU. They are strongly supporting democracy. In the US. They are strongly opposed to a Maoist-parties alliance. They are willing to further pressure the king to that effect. They wrongly think the Maoists could take over Kathmandu. The January speech was strongly for democracy. Nepal was the first country where democracy was taken away. That was a slap to Bush. It is a prestige issue here. The Amnesty International has been following my case. There has to be intense lobbying. That is your work. You do it. DC rally, NYC rally: these have huge, humongous impacts back there in Nepal. Do not underestimate. The Nepali groups here are just like the parties in Nepal, too much squabbling. I saw. You can be more effective.

Comment: How can people here participate in the movement back there?

Answer: There is this huge Maina Sunuwar case coming along. Mobilize. Over email. Petitions. I met journalists here who know who Krishna KC is. Nepali students need to do similar stuff.

In The News

• Murari Raj Sharma UWB .... Gyanendra’s eight-month-long absolute rule has become a total disaster...... miserably failed to resolve the Maoist problem; his cabinet is an example of what a clean government is not; and the plunder of the treasury under him derides financial discipline ...... Pro-democratic rallies in Kathmandu and elsewhere have increased by leaps and bounds, both in frequency and in the number of participants. Even the pro-king party has said that it would join political protests. ...... economy has crashed...... Despite many overtures from Kathmandu, New Delhi has not found a convenient time to receive the king in India. The royal trip to New York had to be cancelled because no western leader was willing to meet an unconstitutional chairman of the council of ministers ....... regime is fast fraying to its core ....... Pushed against the wall, the king seems to have been contemplating to change the tune without altering the stage...... could go to any length to justify his February 1, 2005 power-grab and do anything to perpetuate it ...... First, he might continue to stick to his present course. Second, he could, ideally, seek the path of national unity and negotiated settlement to the Maoist insurgency. Third, the monarch could decide to reconcile with the parties hoping to weaken the rebels militarily and impose a solution on them. Fourth, he could reach out to the Maoists and work with them to the detriment of the democratic system. Finally, he could create conditions under which the parties and rebels join forces to work against monarchy........ If the king decides to stick to his present course, he will have to take draconian measures to crackdown on political parties and silence civil society, on the one hand, and to stamp out the Maoist rebels, on the other. Such policy will further enrage pro-democratic forces and widen their protests against the government, which in turn will respond with unimaginable brutality. This course will cause a massive loss of life, alienate people, and threaten the very existence of monarchy. World reaction to such a course will be extremely negative........ On the other hand, through his intransigence, the king may force political parties to more closely align with the rebels and work jointly against monarchy. As a result, the palace will be isolated; the violence will pick up as the government clamps down on the parties and rebels; sooner or later, monarchy will be abolished.... the king is sending very mixed signals. He must have been either trying to outfox others or operating out of desperation failing to see through the miasma of total confusion in which he finds himself....... the monarch has been seriously weighing the first option—to crackdown on his opponents, consolidate royal power, give a new constitution and introduce a guided multiparty democracy...... he has taken baseless, cheap shots at his opponents alleging that they are getting foreign funding to make trouble, something he could use as a pretext for a crackdown. Tulsi Giri’s outburst against the existing constitution as an obstacle to realizing the king’s objectives and Ramesh Panday’s rooting for different models of democracy are other pieces of the same puzzle........ his intention to mainstream the rebels by courting or dividing them...... Reportedly, King Gyanendra has maintained close contacts with the rebels from the beginning. Currently, some of his ministers, former Panchayat leaders, former army officials, and advisors have been working as his interlocutors with the rebel leadership in Nepal and India........ the king has described his differences with the parties as a squabble between husband and wife; left the door for dialogue open if the parties make their position clear regarding terrorism, nationalism, governance, and financial discipline. More importantly, the monarch has allowed the Supreme Court to examine the possibility of restoring the parliament for his safe landing if that became necessary........ the palace should rectify its blunders before it is too late. Otherwise, key parties, which have already jettisoned their commitment to constitutional monarchy from their statutes, and people in general might soon give up completely on the possible reconciliation with the king and go for a republican agenda in full throttle....... his anachronistic instincts, wild impulse, and blind ambition for unfettered power ..... No one should forget the fact that the king had anointed his son as crown prince when everyone was celebrating the big festival.