Comrade Ramesh Nath Pandey And World Revolution

Ramesh Nath Pandey: “The future of democracy, peace and stability of India and the entire region and ultimately democracy in the world is at stake because of the Maoist insurgency.”

He has made this statement in various permutations over weeks. One can understand the compulsions of this King G stooge. He is trying to get the major powers to lift their sanctions on military aid, and otherwise normalize things with the junta, but such outlandish statements!

Some other outlandish comments have been made by others in the gang. I think it was Giri who said the leaders might be released but that does not mean they will not be tried for corruption. Another minister claimed guidelines had been provided to the media, but that does not amount to censorship. Yet another claimed leaders had been arrested "for their own safety."

These outlandish statements are symptoms. They show this regime has lost its compass from day one.

In The News Today

• Pakistan extends olive branch to Nepal: New Kerala, India Islamabad's offer has come as no surprise.In October of 1999, army chief Pervez Musharraf himself led a coup against Pakistan's democratic government before anointing himself president...... Even the United Nations has slammed King Gyanendra's move to muzzle democracy...... India won't be charmed by Islamabad's growing clout in Katmandu ..... landlocked Nepal cannot ignore India's wishes for long ..... Many Nepalese compare Gyanendra's style to that of his autocratic father, King Mahendra, who staged a coup in 1960.
• Pakistan offers arms to Nepal Daily Times .....a move that could upset India and Britain ..... Nepal which needs anything from boots for its 80,000 soldiers to helicopters
  
• International spotlight on Nepal ISN India and the US will not cede influence in Nepal too easily to Japan and China ..... The Maoist rebels' demands have shifted since 1996, but their insistence on the removal of the monarchy's power has remained constant...... Nepal's weak economy and geographic position make it largely irrelevant to the global economy ...... In 1994, Prime Minister Koirala quit his post after defeat in parliamentary vote, beginning the current period of political instability....... King Gyanendra quickly demonstrated that he would use the throne to dominate political debate, interjecting and disrupting the process whenever he disagreed ......most Nepalese appear to feel trapped between the two warring parties, neither of which has their support ...... Deuba was given a Herculean task of bringing in opposition parties into the political fold, ending the Maoist insurgency and laying the ground work for elections to be held this year ...... the rebels favor a single-party, communist system of government ...... the Nepali public has demonstrated its discontent with the sacking of the government ..... The blockades have proven an effective tactic for undermining the government, but they are highly unpopular with the public and often require a high casualty rate for the rebels. The decision to end this blockade was not based on a weakening of resolve, but was a tactical decision. ...... India's own Maoist rebels, the Naxalites, have proven to be an intransient threat in half a dozen Indian states ...... the government's military will run out of ammunition in two months at the current usage rate ...... The king, so far, has proved unwilling to bend...... Japan announced that it would extend a US$17 million grant to Nepal for food and development assistance after the US and India pulled their aid. The grant will free up funds for Kathmandu to spend on military outlays. This is a move to gain influence on China's southwestern border, an attempt to contain Beijing's "peaceful rise" on the western front. ...... emerging conflict between the US and China and the rivalry between Japan and China ...... Should the king hold out for much longer, the US and India would likely push for a UN role in the country, an action that Japan would likely go along with...... a new geopolitical realignment
  
• King’s men free Deuba, 18 leaders in Nepal Indian Express .....to deflect some of international criticism ...... Pandey was bluntly told by New Delhi that it would not be ‘‘business as usual’’ unless political detainees were freed......Nepal’s political parties have decided to start a ‘‘fill the prisons’’ movement on March 14 ...... Gyanendra’s regime is desperate for military assistance and had been giving in to some of the demands made by India.
  
• Nepali FM says foreign policy to address Nepal's interests Xinhua
• Major Nepal parties gear up for massive anti-King protests: New Kerala, India The party neither has any plan to go underground nor to be exiled, but to challenge the authoritarian rule by going to the street
• Amnesty to take on Nepal at UN rights meet Indo-Asian News Service
• Maoists abduct Nepal scribe Rediff
• Nepal: Human rights concerns for the 61st Session of the UN ... ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland The Commission should call on the Government of Nepal to allow the United Nations to deploy human rights monitors throughout the country...... Both parties have engaged in systematic human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law with impunity...... in 2003 and 2004, Nepal recorded the highest number of new cases of "disappearances" in the world ......Because the constitution does not allow the King's actions to be challenged in court, Nepal's population is effectively at the mercy of the security forces, which have a history of widespread and serious violations of human rights....... the parties sign a Human Rights Accord that would allow for independent and professional investigations into alleged human rights violations ...... support the NHRC's work as an independent, effective, and legitimate institution ....... The Nepalese judiciary lacks independence, professionalism, training and resources. .......