A regime that has imposed a total blackout of democracy and human rights in the country through sheer threat of force has managed to challenge virtually every power on the global stage. This is a total mockery of democracy as a way of life. Is democracy a great idea, but one that is weak? Are democratic governments weaker than autocratic ones? If democracies are not weak, let the democracies show some teeth. Will they go beyond statements of condemnation? Because that obviously is not working.
Now that the regime has been totally isolated - the so-called Pakistan and China cards do not exist, thank you US and others - its continued defiance means it will keep on keeping on, and in desperation it might end up inflicting a lot of harm on the common Nepalis before it sees its sunset. One has to make room for the key figures in the regime being out of touch with reality. The goal is not only to bring down the regime, but to do so in ways that bring the least interim discomfort and worse for the Nepalis.
The noose has to be tightened. The protests inside the country will have to get more effective. The foreign powers will have to get more specific with their threats. It might soon be time for Indian economic sanctions, like in 1989.
Royal Diktat
Hindustan Times, 21 March 2005
China rejects Nepal aid plea
Nilova Roy Chaudhury
Hindustan Times, 21 March 2005
Contrary to the Nepalese monarch’s expectations, China has rebuffed requests for Beijing to step in to fill the arms supply deficit faced by the Royal Nepal Army in its war against the Maoists. According to diplomatic sources, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has refuse to visit Kathmandu during his forthcoming visit to South Asia in April, despite Nepalese request.
Such visit would have lent a some acceptability to the royal coup and made in India’s position more difficult. Faced with a monarch who refuses to even meet the Indian envoy in Kathmandu, Shiv Shankar Mukherje, or listen to "fraternal" Indian advice, New Delhi’s options have been limited to steadfastly adhering to the pro-democracy line.
Official sources also indicated that there has been no rethink on the part of the Indian government on suspending military aid to Nepal until the emergency is revoked and multi-party democracy restored.
Indian venture gets a rude wake-up call from Kathmandu The gloves are off. Far from trying to pacify New Delhi, King Gynanendra seems to be going out of his way to infuriate it. After he refused to meet Indian envoy Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, his government has rubbed salt into the wounds by imposing fresh restrictions on an Indian business venture.
- Nepal journalist's killing comes to light 22 months later New Kerala, India Nepal ranked with China, Cuba and Eritrea as being the deadliest countries for journalists ...... The most publicised case of the security agencies killing journalists was the arrest, torture and death of Krishna Sen, editor of the Maoists mouthpiece, Janadish.
- Fear Rules in Nepal's Maoist Heartland
ABC News A boy in green combat fatigues emerges at the trailhead. The child, scarcely taller than the rustic rifle he is carrying, stops to take a rest. Around his head, a scarf from the movie Titanic...... among the ripening wheat fields, remote mountain terraces and forests, there is no sign of his army, only rebels and their guns..... "They want to send their children away before they are taken by the Maoists." ..... The rebels, who control much of Nepal's countryside, demand at least one person per household work for the party....... "Anyone who is 14 could be asked to go." ..... Some work as porters and messengers ...... The Royal Nepal Army scarcely ever sets foot here, and when it does it is usually to harass and arrest people indiscriminately. Locals say the Maoists are more disciplined ..... "Maybe only 30 or 40 percent of people here support them" ...... Rebel soldiers demand food, shelter and taxes from people who have scarcely enough to survive. Several days a month, villagers are forced to leave their fields and attend unpopular indoctrination sessions...... Maoists are polite, but feared and unloved in the town, he said, his voice little above a whisper..... "They ask for money to support the fighters and for the welfare of the people, but the way they live is extravagant." ..... Alcohol, gambling and prostitution are outlawed in Maoist-controlled Nepal, crime rare....... "We only execute people who inform on us to the police and army and get our people killed," said Comrade Current, a local area chief. "If they get 30 or 40 of us killed, then what is wrong with executing two or three of them?" - Grinding poverty, oppression fuel Nepal's civil war
Stuff.co.nz Here, the king and his army seem a world away......Six years ago, he sat with four friends in his desperately poor mountain village of Gumchal, bemoaning the lack of development, electricity, opportunity. The police burst in, accused them of being Maoists and beat them with rifle butts. The next day he ran away to join the "People's Army". ...... "The government has no interest in the problems of ethnic minorities and the poor. If the government was sincere in providing health, education and transport, we would have no need to shed our blood." ....... Four girls walk past in the opposite direction, on their way to rejoin the rebel army after their week's leave. Their hair freshly cut in bobs, some with fresh nail polish, the only give-away a pistol which one conceals beneath her T-shirt...... Development money almost never reaches the remote mountain villages where the minority ethnic Magar group make their homes..... The army and police rarely set foot outside Liwang, and when they do it is usually to harrass and arrest people ...... Comrade Darvin said rebel soldiers went without pay, just receiving food, clothes, shelter and medical care. Nepal government working to lift emergency rule soon Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates Bista, however, did not elaborate on a timetable for the change. - Nepal army claims success against rebels
Daily Times The troops found and destroyed at least two bomb-making factories and several of the Maoist rebels’ base ...... claimed the operation had foiled attacks being planned by the rebels. ..... hundreds of troops combed mountainous remote in Nepal’s remote western region, believed to be a rebel stronghold..... Prachanda said a week ago that his forces would step up attacks on government troops and set up roadblocks, then call for an 11-day nationwide anti-monarchy strike beginning April 2. Nepal arrests scores of activists Aljazeera.net Gyanendra's transition from constitutional to absolute monarchAt least 149 arrested for holding anti-king protests across Nepal Channel News Asia The demonstrators distributed leaflets in the streets and shouted slogans .....
Twelve political activists arrested in Nepal New Kerala, India - Nepali parties to work for a new Consitution
Hindustan Times Hrithesh Tripathi, leader of the Sadbhavana Party, was of the opinion that Nepal could be compared to a "mother in her labour pain" and a new constitution to "an able nurse" that can help in the birth of a "new Nepal with total democracy." ...... "The earlier Constitution was granted by the King. We want a Constitution that would be framed by the people," Tripathi said, adding that this was the most oppurtune time for a "united, do or die struggle for restoration of democracy." India says it position on Nepal is unchanged Hindustan Times, India the government was not much amused by the mere release of some political prisoners and wanted urgent restoration of complete democratic processes.....India is also not perturbed by the decision of Pakistan to supply arms to Nepal with officials maintaining "it is unlikely to influence our policy"........ US is believed to be mounting influence on Pakistan not to go ahead with its decision of supplying arms. - Asia ; New watchdog summons five ex-ministers for probe :
Keralanext Since Nepal already has a Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority approved by parliament, opposition parties have regarded with distrust the formation of a new monitoring body, headed by the king himself. ....... the royal commission would be used to rein in protesters and settle scores with political leaders....... They are: former home minister Purna Bahadur Khadka, agriculture minister Hom Nath Dahal, both of who belong to Deuba's Nepali Congress Party, Yubaraj Gyawali, former minister for local development who belongs to the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, Jog Meyer Shrestha, former land reforms minister, and Badri Prasad Mandal, a former deputy prime minister and forest minister in Deuba's cabinet....... It has been given the right to confiscate the property of an accused found guilty and levy a fine or jail term of six months to anyone it considers has shown contempt or has been trying to obstruct its investigation. ..... The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority had earlier asked the Deuba government for clarifications regarding reports that it had distributed about 4.5 million rupees to its party cadre from the Prime Minister's Assistance Fund before Dashain, Nepal's largest festival.
China’s stand on Nepal not to change: Envoy Gorkhapatra, Nepal ..... no matter what changes come to the international and regional circumstances.
- Economic aid to Nepal to go on, says China
Himalayan Times .... the inaugural function of the Sino-Nepal Mutual Support Society..... Pointing to the changed opinion of India, America and Britain after the royal move of February 1 ...... The envoy hoped that rapid social and economic development and economic restoration and social stability would further consolidate the exchange of support. Nepal-China cooperation group set up in western Nepal People's Daily Online, China Nepal-China Mutual Cooperation Society has 10,000 members at present. It is a non-profit, non-political and non-governmental organization - China grants sewing machines to Nepal
People's Daily Online All China Women's Federation handed over 60 sewing machines as gift to the Women's Association of Royal Nepal Army at army officers' club .......
Major parties reject Nepal govt's offer of talks New Kerala, India Tulasi Giri's offer of a dialogue on Thursday with political parties if they were ready to cooperate with the government in tackling insurgency, controlling corruption, economic reforms and strengthening bureaucracy ..... "Much of the issues raised by Giri on Thursday, including controlling corruption and curbing Maoist terror have already been taken up by us long before Giri landed here."
- Nepalese politician says Royal Nepalese Army committing violence ... New Kerala, India ....perpetrating violence to help King Gyanendra get foreign military aid ...... "On one side there is army and on the other there are Maoists. Right now the Maoists are not indulging in violence, but the army is conducting all violence there because the king does not want to solve the Maoist problems so that he can keep getting arms supply and become more powerful," Sujata Koirala, a prominent politician and daughter of a former Nepalese Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, said in an interview in northern Gorakhpur city of where she is presently residing after she fled from Kathmandu last month.
- Rise in extra judicial killings in Nepal: rights group: New Kerala, India A rights group based in India says extra judicial killings in Nepal have gone up "exponentially" since the Feb 1 royal takeover, claiming security forces on an average have been killing eight people a day...... urged for the freezing of assets of the royal family as well as senior officials and army top brass
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