The Bombing Of A Bus

This really made me think. I was beginning to wonder if the recent dialogue between the Maoists and the parties was not the lifting-the-emergency moment on the part of the Maoists. I was getting ready to propose a hardliner approach to the democrats.

But I decided to wait for a day. To see as to which group will take responsibility for the dastardly act. This blast has been a turning point.

The Maoists have come forth apologizing for it. This is the second best thing they could have done, the best being never having let it happen in the first place. They need to internally probe this incident thoroughly if they are not to lose the recent gained limited trust of the democrats.

The blast has had a serious jolt on the peace process and the process of Maoist-democrat reconciliation.

June 7

• Bus attack further dims hopes for peace in Nepal ANALYSIS ... Bangkok Post, Thailand ..... Hardly anyone believes that King Gyanendra, who seized power on Feb 1 with a promise of peace, will be able to keep his word...... He may not be very popular, but King Gyanendra is far less loathed than representatives of Nepal's political parties. Often decried as corrupt and preoccupied with clinging to power ...... The Maoists are now active in 70 of Nepal's 75 districts, and in wide swathes of the country the government is nowhere to be seen....... Kirti Nidhi Bista, who was appointed by the king, demands ``outside help to end the conflict''. ..... the king, who named himself prime minister ...... Brigadier-General Dipak Gurung, the army's spokesman, frankly conceded that Nepal lacked the resources to fully ``neutralise'' the Maoists. ...... Unless the king comes up with successes soon, he might be the one who ushers in the end of the monarchy.
• Nepal rebels 'regret' bus deaths, launch probe ABC News ..... they had been aiming for a passing army convoy instead...... at least 72 people were wounded ...... "We are seriously pained at the death of a large number of … supporters of the people's war," Prachanda said, adding the guerrillas were investigating if "infiltrators" were responsible....... the rebels have not been known to aim for civilians ..... at least 20 people, including 14 soldiers and policemen, had been killed in a gun battle on Monday in Kailali district, a Maoist stronghold ...... "So far six bodies of the Maoists have been recovered from the site" ...... Monday's blast hurled the bus several feet in the air, left a deep crater on the road and flung bodies and body parts around the site, by the side of a river......
  
• Nepal Floats Tender To Buy Arms SouthAsia Network ..... The government of Nepal has floated a global tender to procure weapons and other equipment from foreign manufacturers. ...... the Armed Police Force that was created recently, causing the government to double its security spending from 1.5 percent of the GDP in 2000 ..... The latest advertisement points to a deepening rift between India and Nepal over military supplies.
  
• women dance naked for rain in Nepal Rediff, India The women gathered at a local school, smeared their faces with black powder and danced naked
• 100 Nepalese women dance naked for rain Monsters and Critics.com "People in this area believe Mahadev will be happy and provide rain once women perform such a nude dance"
  
• Authorities seek explanation of Nepal bar chief United We Blog, Nepal Shambhu Thapa (pic), president of Nepal Bar Association, umbrella organization of some 15 thousand Nepali lawyers....... Kathmandu District Administration office seeks explanation from Shambhu Thapa, NBA president, for the Saturday rally of lawyers...... “All I am doing is for the shake of constitution and independent judiciary” ..... One of the top and most successful lawyers in the country, he also earns top bucks. He has..largest and busiest law firm in Kathmandu and charges up to Rs. 20 thousands per pleading..... he pleads for up to five cases in a day ...... authorities. ..have not resumed the service of his mobile .... “It is understood that you led a rally in Putalisadak, Bagbazaar area,” the letter signed by Sushil Ghimire, Chief District Officer (CDO) of Kathmandu reads, “ignoring the orders from this office not to hold any kind of rally and mass meeting on that area.” ...... “It is understood that you have violated the point 6 (3) (A) of Local Administration Act 2028,” letter claims, “clarify your stand within 3 days why we shouldn’t take action against you as per the provision of point 6 (4) of the same act.” ....... “I have called on a meeting of fellow and senior lawyers tomorrow..We will discuss the matter in the meeting. It is not just about me. It is about all of us lawyers. We will have one voice and act accordingly.”
• UN to probe Nepal bus blast(LEAD):- Webindia123, India Annan condemned as "senseless" and "utterly reprehensible". .... "This terrible incident constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law, for which the perpetrators should be brought to justice," Martin said .....
• Maoists admit 'grave error' over Nepal bus blast Newindpress, India For the first time in the nine-year-old Maoist uprising in Nepal, the guerrillas have expressed regret over an attack .... Within minutes of the UN human rights monitoring team based here condemning the ambush and announcing it would send a team to investigate the incident, the top leader of the guerrillas, Prachanda aka Pushpa Kamal Dahal, issued a statement ..... statement said the Maoists had always condemned the army's use of civilians as "human shields" and followed the principle of not conducting any "military operation" against innocent civilians. .... Also for the first time, the rebel leader said action had been taken against the cadres and leaders involved in the ambush. "They have been suspended for now," he said....... He, however, expressed the fear that the ambush could have been engineered by "enemy forces" who had infiltrated the organisation and were trying to discredit it at a crucial time when the rebels are trying to forge an alliance with members of civil society and Nepal's political parties opposed to King Gyanendra.

June 6

• rebels blamed as 38 die in Nepal bus blast Telegraph.co.uk, UK ..... the bomb, which was planted in a bucket by the roadside, threw the bus 30 to 40 feet in the air. Wires leading from the blast site showed that it had been detonated from 200 yards away....... The Maoists, who are fighting to establish a republic, have frequently disrupted road transport but until now they have avoided causing mass casualties among civilians....... the Maoists now control about 80 per cent of the Himalayan kingdom, with state control limited to the few towns and isolated garrisons...... "International humanitarian law prohibits such wilful killing and mass murder committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population."
• ‘Review’ tag stays on Nepal arms lock Calcutta Telegraph, India ...... the RNA is understood to have asked for ammunition, rifles, bullet-proof gear and vehicles
  
• Former Nepal Premier Koirala meets Pranab Mukherjee Outlook (subscription) Mukherjee conveyed India's appreciation over the role Koirala has played in bringing together the seven mainstream parties on an agreed platform which could be the basis for a dialogue on an eventual political settlement based on multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy..... Koirala has been suffering from acute bronchitis and weakness for some weeks
  
• Who are Nepal's Maoist rebels? BBC News, UK ..... The Nepalese Maoists have also made some "homegrown" modifications to Maoist ideology..... The Maoists say that the reason they have so much support is because most of their supporters have traditionally been treated as second-class citizens or worse...... Many analysts say this is the real explanation as to why such a seemingly anachronistic movement has made such dramatic headway...... they have become one of South Asia's most potent rebel groups, rivalling the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka...... The Maoists may not yet have the strength to win their "People's War" but they are too strong to lose it....... development cannot happen until the government gains even limited access to these areas, and access can only be achieved by using highly unpopular and potentially counterproductive military means against a well-organised guerrilla army.
• How to develop the Nepali economy Pressbox.co.uk (press release)
  
• Thapa offers free legal class to Dr Giri Kantipur Online, Nepal ..... Dr Giri's post (vice-chairman) is not recognized in the constitution.
• POLITICS-NEPAL: Battle of Perceptions Favouring King Inter Press Service (subscription), World ..... the nation's beleaguered political parties are finding it increasingly difficult to win public support for their pro-democracy protests. ..... But now he says the rebels have vanished. "They have all gone underground after the king took power. I don't feel insecure as before," he says. ...... Last week an alliance of parties staged a mock parliament in the capital Kathmandu to press for return of democratic rule. However, public participation was poor, signalling citizens' continued disenchantment with the parties. ....... What all this has done is create an impression of security in Nepal's urban centres that has extended to nearby rural areas, such as Pokhariya. Villagers in nearby Bara district also speak of improved security after the coup. ...... ”When the parties were in power, Maoist activity was very high,” says a local businessman who declined to give his name. ”All the businesses here had to pay protection money to keep the rebels away. They demanded huge sums as donations. But now, we are not being bothered. It's as if the Maoists have melted away,” he told IPS........ Sources close to the Maoists say the king's coup caught them unaware, resulting in confusion among their ranks. ........ the rebels have adopted a ”wait and see” approach as the situation unfolds, giving the royal government time to consolidate its position. ..... In the western hills where the rebellion first emerged, the Maoists are in virtual control of half a dozen districts. In the eastern hills and parts of the southern flatlands, called the Terai, the conflict is seesawing. ...... the government simply lacks the capability to win an offensive war against the Maoists. Its forces are mostly dug in defensive positions, protecting the towns and district headquarters....... in the battle of perceptions at least, the royal government appears to be winning, creating more difficulties for the parties. ...... But public perceptions can be fickle ..... A time will come when the mistakes will have piled up so high that the people will have nowhere to turn but to the parties. That will be the time when they will win support for their pro-democracy platform ...... But for now at least, the king appears to be on top of his game.
• Are We Heading Toward Rapid Militarization INSN ..... the Ministry of Defense proposed a budget of around Rs 18 billion (i.e. 1800 crore) and that it plans to increase this budget by 10 percent annually...... RNA plans to recruit and train 13,000 new solders. .... Army to civilian ratio = 1:265 Doctor to people ratio = 1:18439 ..... Cost to train a military personnel = 300,000 Cost to train a doctor (approx) = 300,000 (for 4 years) Cost to train a nurse (approx) = 150,00 (for 3 years)
  
• UML Democracy Bulletin 12
• Taming The King Of Nepal IHT ...... the king mounted a coup and became, once again, an absolute monarch..... Gyanendra seems to be attracted by the idea of a “guided democracy” similar to the partyless Panchayat system ..... Nepal is an ancient, highly stratified society that has not gone through any significant political revolution. ..... a monarch who snatched away the rights of the people.
• Ram Chandra Paudel For Democracy Sans Monarchy United We Blog Poudel has been kept in a warehouse (goadowan) of Agriculture Corporation in Damauli, Tanahu. He looked visibly overjoyed to see us in his room and welcomed us. Spirited Poudel began the conversation thus: you know, now the conflict in Nepal is between parliament verses king...... “This king is not fighting terrorism,” Poudel said. ...... We should never reconcile with the king ...... the political parties should remain cautious of the Maoists’ intention. “If Maoists express sincerity and strong commitment to democracy, negotiation with them can be considered,” he said. “But there won’t be any compromise with democracy.” ...... Once, he said, an army doctor along with a physiotherapist came to check his health on a helicopter from Kathmandu. They suggested me to continue watching Ram Dev, a popular program of health conducted by Ram Dev on TV. “Yes, these days I watch Asstha TV and follow what Ram Dev suggests for the backache,” he said. “Why they should spend so much money on helicopter. I could have gone to Kathmandu on a bus just in Rs. 200 and get treated,” he added....... He also strongly claimed that the current leadership should leave the position. “February 1 is the failure of the current leadership in all the parties and they must quit and let others come,” he said. ....
  
• Images From The Bus Massacre United We Blog