Republic Of Nepal: Blog

A few days back I came across this blog: Republic Of Nepal. It is only three months old, and it has three members. I have been quoted in a recent blog entry. There is a strong republican sentiment among the young, that's for sure.

In the eve of French revolution in 1789 when entire France was suffering from famine and hunger, the French Queen, Marie Antoinette was told that people were dying from hunger and they were rioting and demanding breads, in reply she said “ Don’t do they eat cake”. Many historians believe that it was her lavish life style, like 1,600,000 lives ($ 100 million) diamond necklace, which fueled French revolution. And she was executed in 1793 at the age of 37.

The only reason the ‘protests against regression’ is not taking momentum is suspicions that the general public have on the political leader's credibility. Once they are assured that leaders wouldn't heed any signals from palace for tête-à-têtes as the protests take momentum, no one could save king’s regime, even the god himself.

I recently read write-ups in the second issue of Loktantra, from formidable moist leader Dr. Babu Ram Bhattari to proclaimed socialist think tank Pradip Giri, but today I want to quote Parmendra Bhagat:

अहिले को विश्‍व राजनीति समानताको आदर्श भइरहेको राजनीति होइन . नेपाल मा अमेरिका र भारत भन्‍दा पनि प्रगतिशील लोकतन्‍त्र स्‍थापना गर्न सकिन्‍छ .जित सुनिस्‍चित छ .

I will mention it one more time that 'time makes more converts than reason.' That, even though Thomas Paine said in the circumstances leading to the full-fledged American revolution against the British colonialism, is still valid in our context. We just need to do our duty, and the detractors right now will later come to join us.

हाँगो भाँचेर
देश काँहा बन्‍छर राजा राखेर……….

When I was back home last December, I wasn't expecting to see bombs lying around in the middle of the highway, and people walking by it without even giving it an apprehensive look, as if that thing covered in the bucket was nothing more than a joke. People were stranded on both sides of the town, as there were noone to defuse that bomb. Actually that bomb remained there for next couple of days. I was scared to see kids go near the bucket to peer inside trying to fathom may be the depth of the problem plaguing the society. I was amazed at how those little kids became so brave that they were not afraid of the bombs anymore. Couple of days after, there was another bomb on the middle of the ground. This time somebody actually thought that was just a joke and tried to move it. It exploded. Luckily that person escaped with minor injuries.

In The News

• King to visit Western region from 4th Oct NepalNews
• Return to the constitutional fold, ICJ tells the govt. Howen called upon the Nepal government to respond to the three-month-long unilateral ceasefire declared by the Maoists nearly a month ago....... “If the two sides really desire peace, they now should not only both declare indefinite ceasefires, but also commit themselves to a human rights code of conduct, which could be monitored by the newly –established UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) field operation,” said Howen. “Monitoring of respect for such a human rights code of conduct, and other confidence-building measures, could significantly reduce violence and create an environment in which peace talks are much more likely,” he added ...... The ICJ welcomed what it called signs of increasing independence and courage of the Supreme Court in considering habeas corpus writs and ordering the release of detainees held illegally by the security forces...... “Especially in the absence of parliament or a democratically elected government the Supreme Court plays a vital role as a protector of people’s rights,” said Nicholas Howen...... Howen said it was up to the Nepali people to decide what type of constitution they wanted........ Howen further said the Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC) was an extra-constitutional entity and that it violated the principle of separation of power enshrined in the Nepali constitution....... Howen said (the mission) found a sense of foreboding in civil society that an intensifying political conflict between the King, who assumed direct power on 1 February on one side, and the political parties and civil society on the other, may lead to a new crackdown by the government....... civilians in the districts continue to be caught between brutal violence and extortion carried out by the Maoists and gross violations such as extrajudicial executions and torture carried out by the security forces......
  
• CIAA files Charge-sheet against eight people
• Government gives one billion rupees to NOC
• Maoist leaders Yadav, Ale Magar produced in court Yadav and Ale Magar raised their fists and chanted slogans in front of TV cameras as they were driven away in a police van from the court. Both of them are being tried on charge of ordering the murder of then chief of Armed Police Force (APF), Krishna Mohan Shrestha, his wife and security guard in January 2003....... Indian security agencies had detained Yadav and Ale Magar from their rented apartment in New Delhi in February last year and later handed them over to Nepali authorities where they were kept under army custody......
• NSP-A to reconsider constitutional monarchy adopted the proposal filed by 21 district presidents of the party demanding to delete the provision of constitutional monarchy from the party statute ..... The party has said that the problems dogging the country could be resolved only through the elections of the constituent assembly...... The meeting also protested the king's directives to shift zonal and regional headquarters from terai region saying it is against the madhesi community.......
• RCCC advises court not to poke its nose in royal decision The Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC) has advised the Supreme Court not to intervene in any question regarding its formation or its decision to jail former premier Sher Bahadur Deuba and former minister Prakash Man Singh, among others....... In response to a show cause notice issued by the apex court, the Commission said, “All the works executed by the king are purely political ones and such works related to state authority and exercise of sovereignty cannot be question in the court as per Article 31 of the Constitution,” RCCC Secretary Shambhu Bahadur Khadka said in his written replies submitted to the apex court on Monday.
• Nepal moving toward democracy: Indian delegation Sify, India .... the movement for restoration of democracy in the Himalayan Kingdom would intensify after the ensuing festival season..... The struggle for democracy in 1990 took 60 days. We hope it will take less time now ..... Asked about the incident of stone-throwing and waving of black flags against them, Yechury said "in a democracy there is a right to protest. We only want the King to give such rights to everybody".
• Movement for democracy in Nepal to intensify: Delegates Press Trust of India
  
• 'Restrain actions that give legitimacy to monarchy in Nepal' Webindia123
  
• Guerrillas release 150 teachers in western Nepal Xinhua, China
  
• International jurists urge Nepal to reciprocate Maoist truce Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
• Global law body fears new crackdown in Nepal NewKerala.com, India
• People want democracy sans monarchy: Nepal Kathmandu Post, Nepal
• Agitation not for retaining constitutional monarchy: Leaders Kathmandu Post
• The New York Rally And Further PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
• Maoists Ceasefire Is A Good Thing PeaceJournalism.com
• ‘Transfer cease-fire into permanent peace’ Gorkhapatra
• ‘Front’ cracking up, PEOPLE not responding and FOREIGN money ... PeaceJournalism.com
• Maoists still terrorising people: ThapaSurya Bahadur Thapa has observed that the Maoists are still giving continuity to terrorising general people by carrying out the acts of abduction, extortion, forced donation, interference on educational institutions and obstruction on the movement of people in the country in spite of their unilaterally declared three-month armistice.
• Jet Airways bomb hoax triggers panic in Nepal Hindustan Times, India
  
• Nepal royalists stone Indian team BBC News, UK
• ‘Melamchi project to be completed within time’ Gorkhapatra, Nepal Minister Gauchan said that the government needed support from every sector including media, as the Royal Step of February 1 taken by His Majesty King was fallout of the popular aspiration of the people. “The Royal Step was a compulsion to save the nation from the crisis, as the political parties had created chaos in the nation during their democratic practices in the last decade”..... Nepalese people are demanding peace and prosperity instead of agitation, strikes and strife. “The political parties are playing an out of tune music” .....
  
• Alliance Will Succeed This Time, says Madhav Nepal Himalayan Times, Nepal while addressing a press conference organised by the Press Chautari Nepal, in Janakpurdham. The international community is also showing solidarity towards the ongoing movement of the seven party alliance, he added. “I’d like to assure you that by the end of December, a huge mass will be protesting against the present government and it will be beyond the government’s capacity to control it” ...... UML alone has plans to organise several other programs in addition to the regular protest programmes of the seven party alliance. UML will organise protest meeting at the regional, zonal and village levels...... General secretary Nepal also accused the government of trying to force the Maoists to break their unilateral ceasefire and resume violent activities...... Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said at a meet in Ghorahi, the district headquarters of Dang, that monarchy would not last even for a minute if the Maoists gave up weapons and joined mainstream politics......
  
• Mystery aircraft over Janakpur
  
• Three-month detention letter to students Kathmandu Post, Nepal
• NEPAL: Talks possible with present govt, says Maoist leader Asia Pacific Media Network, CA
• Nepal Army officials let off in schoolgirl murder case NewKerala.com, India
• Nepal urges Maoists to join political mainstream Gorkhapatra, Nepal
• Nepal rebels killed in clashes despite ceasefire Reuters
• Guerrillas abduct 100 teachers, students in eastern Nepal Xinhua, China
• ‘Attempt to scrap constitution lethal’ Kathmandu Post, Nepal