The Maoist Ceasefire: The Devil In The Details

It is hard to declare and then maintain a unilateral ceasefire when the state security forces continue to hunt you. It is an action-reaction thing. The Monarchists do not recognize the Maoists, and the Maoists return the favor. The Monarchists did not want to talk to the Maoists, and the Maoists don't want to talk to the king.

The king has no intention to either reciprocate the ceasefire or to seek international mediation to monitor the Maoist ceasefire, or to engage in mutual trust-building measures.

And so it would be unrealistic to think the Maoists would suddenly get all pure and all that.

There are continued reports of abductions and extortions. The Maoists might see that as taxation and education. But the Maoists have to realize it is no longer time for just what they think. Got to make room for what the democrats think. If the democrats think it is abductions and extortions, that is what it is, or at least there is a major disagreement.

Besides, you don't order a people into a movement. You inspire them into it.

So the Maoists need to go one step further and stop their non-violent violence as well. It is great they have dramatically brought down the violence. But there can be a meaningful alliance only if they also give the impression they know what peaceful protests are all about. The people should join you out of free will, or not.

My first choice is of a transformation of the Maoists into one of the largest parties in Nepal within a multi-party framework. And they can not be half in this boat, and half in the other boat.
So, yes, no longer firing upon the RNA soldiers is not enough. It is even more important to stop the abductions and the extortions. Because that is to do with the unarmed general population, the very people who this democracy movement is being organized for.

If the Maoists can cooperate with the democrats more fully, the movement can see a positive resolution earlier. Otherwise, there will be unnecessary delays.

So, good thing you stopped the violence. Now stop the abductions and the extortions. Let the seven parties organize peaceful protest programs in every village, every town. Join if you can. Or organize your own peaceful protest programs separately.

In short, go beyond the ceasefire to strengthen the Maoist-Democrat alliance.

The Maoists are not indispensable to success for the democracy movement. But it would be nice if they came along. For them as well for us.

You would abduct to recruit more people for you. You would extort to make your party richer.

Both are self-defeating. If you abduct, and word spreads, you end up with fewer supporters in the long run to the constituent assembly. Extortion does the same thing.

The Maoists did the hard part with the ceasefire. Now they should not fail to do the easy part, to refrain from abductions and extortions.

In The News

• Govt forms probe committee on Krishna KC’s re-arrest Nepalnews.com, Nepal government today formed a committee to investigate into the re-arrest of Krishna KC, former vice-chairman of the Maoist-aligned All Nepal National Independent Students Union (ANNISU-R), even after a release order by the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday...... one-member panel under former secretary Narendra Kumar Shrestha has been give a seven days timeframe to present a report on the incident.
• Another royal move in the offing: Madhav Nepal Nepalnews.com, Nepal .... the royal palace is preparing to stage a fresh ‘regressive move’, which "will be worst than the royal proclamations of October 4 (2002) and the February 1 this year" ..... “I would describe such a move as ‘crackdown’” ..... Accusing the royal palace and ‘royalist elements’ of trying to impose absolute military rule and threaten the very existence of the political parties .... “The days ahead will be very tough” ..... also directed the party workers to stay prepared for a decisive stir against ‘royal autocracy’. “I call upon the party ranks to be prepared to create a storm of agitations without having any fear or sense of terror.”
• Madhav Nepal Points at Worst Case Scenario Himalayan Times, Nepal
  
• King promulgates four new ordinances Nepalnews.com, Nepal the Ordinance Related to Insolvency (2005 B.S), the Security Transaction Ordinance (2005 B.S), the Ordinance Related to Securities (2005 B.S) and the Ordinance Related to the Amendment of Some Nepal Acts Concerning Import and Export and Intellectual Property
• Turning To China For Weapons Strategy Page In the last week, Maoists have kidnapped over 2,000 students and teachers in western Nepal. Kidnapping is used to indoctrinate the young, and recruit some of them into rebel combat units. Those who resist are killed. The Maoists do not consider these operations a violation of their truce....... the Nepalese have decided to buy assault rifles and ammo from the Chinese..... India is preparing a large scale attack on its own 9,000 Maoist rebels, who are becoming increasingly active, and violent, throughout eastern and central India....... The Maoist truce is largely a sham. The rebels continue to kidnap, extort and intimidate. They apparently consider "truce" to mean no mass attacks on government bases. The army and police are not observing the truce, and continue to pursue rebel units in rural areas.
• Academics stage protests across the country Kantipur Online, Nepal
• A Study Of NRN Ordinance PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
  
• : Villagers Await Gov't Nod to Peace Inter Press Service (subscription), World
  
• Academics take to streets in Pokhara Kantipur Online, Nepal
• Guide Aims to Help Bloggers Beat Censors Wyoming News, WY
• Nepalese welcome king’s first public walkabout Gulf Times, Qatar
• Support for Nepal's king vanishing Washington Times, DC
• US for King, parties reconciliation Kantipur Online, Nepal
• Maoists not a legitimate political force: US Nepalnews.com, Nepal
• Senior citizens to hold rally Nepalnews.com, Nepal
• Dr Tulsi Giri Kathmandu Post, Nepal
• ‘King's indifference pushing nation to crisis’ Kathmandu Post, Nepal
• Maoists, parties share common forum Kathmandu Post, Nepal For the first time, Maoists and members of the seven political parties agitating against the "regression", came together at a gathering organized in Phulbari of Kailali on the occasion of the International Day of Peace on Thursday..... representatives of Maoists and political party leaders stressed that democratic republicanism and constituent assembly were the only means to end the ongoing conflict in the country...... Kailali district secretary of CPN-UML, Yagya Raj Bastola, maintained that they shared a common mission with the Maoists only for abolition of monarchy...... Maoist representative Krishna Bahadur Chaudhary urged political parties to run their activities in the rural area against the Feb 1 royal move.......
  
• NC deploys leaders across the country representatives will address zonal mass meetings and carry out protest rallies of the alliance on September 27...... Bal Bahadur Rai, Ram Chandra Poudel, Chandra Singh Bhattarai and Bhim Bahadur Tamang have been assigned to go to Mechi, Koshi, Sagarmatha and Janakpur zones, respectively. Arjun Narsingh KC, Krishna Sitoula, Mahesh Acharya and Sujata Koirala have been assigned to work in Narayani, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini zones, respectively. Similarly, in Rapti, Karnali, Bheri, Seti and Mahakali zones, Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Mina Pandey, Sushil Koirala, Dil Bahadur Gharti and Dr Sashank Koirala have been deployed....... CPN-UML Central Peoples' Movement Committee, on Friday, discussed deploying its leaders and cadres across the country in order to sensitize the party's policies and decisions. Addressing the meeting today, party General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal ruled that party leaders and cadres must go to the local level and collect peoples' support for the movement. "We have to bring 500,000 people to the streets of Kathmandu in the coming winter," Nepal said..... The octogenerian leader who was re-elected for the third consecutive term last month is planning to stay on leave for a few months for medical check up and and rest.
• KC's rearrest draws flak Kathmandu Post, Nepal
• US to coax king for peace .... the US is working with India and the UK to persuade King Gyanendra to reconcile with political parties and lay the groundwork for national elections.....