Friday, June 17, 2005

Seeking Common Ground


The Maoists made the rounds in Delhi. Then Girija and Bamdev did. Now Surya Bahadur Thapa is on his way.

The Maoists did interact in Delhi. What was the interaction like?

The three camps are so busy working on their internal cohesion, that actually prevents dialogue among the groups.

The seven parties have already come around to the idea of a constituent assembly. So there has emerged some common ground between the seven parties and the Maoists.

The king has repeatedly said he will not revive the 1999 parliament. But if the Maoists and the parties were to agree to hold elections to a new parliament, the king is on record saying he will go for it.

Is that an option?

The Maoists and the seven parties agree to come together to hold elections for a new parliament. After the elections, executive powers get wrested away from the king. The parties form an all-party government, hold peace talks with the Maoists, and go for a Constituent Assembly. Is this too convoluted?

I mean, I am looking at it this way. The seven parties have a four point program: (1) revive parliament, (2) form an all-party government, (3) peace talks with the Maoists, and (4) constituent assembly.

It was a big leap of faith for Girija and his party to come around to number 4, but they did come around to it. But they stuck to number 1. That was the give and take.

Now what is the harm in monkeying around with number 1 so as to get numbers 2,3 and 4?

But for that, there has to emerge a mature understanding between the parties and the Maoists.

The line that says no talks with the Maoists unless they cease violence is the line that says the Maoists are to be defeated militarily. On the other hand, if you seek a political solution to the crisis, you seek dialogue with the Maoists.

All parties including the Maoists, without disarming, could participate in elections to a new parliament. The understanding would be to form an all-party government to lead to a constituent assembly.

If the goal is a constituent assembly, does it matter that the route has to be altered a little?

The process of give and take has to happen. Like the seven parties finally came around to the Maoist idea of a constituent assembly, maybe they should also give some thought to the king's idea of elections to a new parliament instead of reviving the old one.

The current logjam has to be broken. Political dialogue can do what street demonstrations can not. Especially the parties have to show some flexibility to achieve the long term goals.

June 17
  • Chinese arms 'supplied to Nepal' BBC News, UK China has supplied Nepal with five armoured personnel carriers
  • Tough questions for Nepal's Maoists BBC News, UK ..... their wooing of mainstream parties has largely gone unheeded ...... the worrying spectre of leaders who are not in control...... the deeds of a diehard Maoist faction uninterested in any compromise ..... The rebels' military position is hard to gauge...... They have sustained heavy casualties in their recent attacks, barely denting army defences.... There is some speculation that Chitwan was an attempt to show they are still active.... Nepal's elected but weakened politicians can only stare from the sidelines.
  • Nepal parties stage a poor show in Kathmandu United We Blog, Nepal ..... seven pro-democratic Nepali parties organized a rally from Sundhara that was attended by less then 25 hundred people, almost all of them hardcore cadres of the agitating political organizations ...... parties still seem to give benefit of doubt to the king ..... Party cadres were busy talking about themselves and some petty things like district politcal equation ..... We journalists also take out rallies demanding democracy in Nepal and our rallies are far better than what you guys are organizing ..... slogans were a bit strong. Murti Chor… Desh Chod could be an example..... NP Saud from NC and Rameshwor Phuyal from CPN UML spoke about the necessity of democracy in the country.
  • King sacked govt prior to poll schedule announcement Hindustan Times, India preparations were in final stage to announce Parliamentary polls .... "The King has no intention to hold elections and he is also not in favour of holding talks or negotiations with political parties" .... "The way the King formed the controversial Royal anti-graft body and revived zonal administrative units, which were dissolved after the restoration of democracy in 1990, clearly shows that he is not ready to give up power or compromise with parliamentary forces," Nidhi said.
  • [Opinion] Nepal's Maoists have made life hell for thousands; peace ... OhmyNews International, South Korea Kamala Sarup ... The Maoist war has entered a stage of genocide... Nepal will surely become another Cambodia, Afghanistan, Bosnia or Rwanda. ..... The Maoists, who began their "People's War" in 1996, are attempting to preserve their killing culture from "contamination." If history is any guide, then they will refuse to come to the negotiating table. They simply buy time to reorganize their ragtag, hit-and-run fighters for the next wave of violence and destruction of public infrastructure..... Thousands are now coming to Kathmandu from the southern plains, called the Terai, and the hills for security. Horror stories of Maoists capturing people and literally hacking them to pieces with knives are commonplace...... Maoists are one of the most dangerous groups on Earth.....
June 16
  • Nepal needs constitutional changes: ICG Kathmandu Post, Nepal
  • Nepal king asks for funds at Doha summit Hindustan Times, India the fear of slashed foreign aid looming over Nepal .... the G-77 Summit .... attended by heads of state and senior officials from 132 countries .... "A state of debt is a state of positive misery, and the sufferer is as one haunted by an evil spirit," the 59-year-old monarch said appealing for international aid. "His heart can know neither rest nor peace till it is cast out." "Mountain societies provide a vast scope for the contribution of traditional medicines towards securing the Millennium Development Goals' health targets" ..... "We envision a landlocked Nepal as a transit economy between China and India and are willing to extend all possible assistance to facilitate and further this process" ..... "Poor governance, rampant corruption and non-delivery by various governments in the last decade and a half have been exploited by terrorists to fulfil their own agenda" ... Three of these governments were handpicked by the king himself.
  • Nepal: Military assistance contributing to grave human rights ... ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland India, the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK), have provided substantial levels of arms, training and other military assistance to Nepal throughout this period. The assistance increased after November 2001, when the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) became directly involved in the conflict. In Amnesty International's view, such assistance has enabled an increase in grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law...... training provided to the security forces of Nepal, including at places such as the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, UK; the Military Academy at Dehra Dun, India; and the Command and General Staff College at Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. In addition, the report addresses briefly the supply of arms by private companies and the role these three governments and others play in providing export licences for such sales....... part of a wider campaign by Amnesty International, Oxfam and other organizations (3) urging G8 countries to exercise the highest degree of responsibility in international arms transfers and, specifically, to develop and adopt an Arms Trade Treaty covering the international transfer of all conventional arms with standards based on relevant principles of international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law.
  • Amnesty International - Foreign arms fuel Nepal violence Politics.co.uk "With the conflict poised to escalate, any further military assistance would be highly irresponsible....... * The export of 25,000 5.56mm infantry rifles (INSAS) to Nepal from India, despite evidence of their use in grave human rights violations such as the murder of 19 unarmed Maoist suspects by Nepalese security forces in August 2003 * The supply by India of Lancer helicopter gunships, produced under license from the French company Eurocopter, which have been used by the RNA to attack mass meetings called by the Maoists in villages often resulting in the killing of civilians * The transfer of 20,000 M16 automatic assault rifles to Nepalese security forces by the US along with over US$29 million in military funding since 2001 * Inconsistent application of the EU Code of Conduct for Arms Exports with the sale by Belgium of 5,000 Minimi Light Machine Guns to Nepal in 2002, despite an earlier German refusal to supply similar weapons on human rights grounds * Training provided to Nepalese security forces by the US, UK and India with unclear or non-existent vetting procedures to screen out those reasonably suspected of gross human rights violations * The supply of military communications equipment to Nepal from South Africa in 2003 * A failure by the UN to independently vet members of the RNA sent to take part in UN military missions despite reports that the Nepalese government rewards soldiers who "kill the most Maoists" with UN deployments Amnesty International is calling for the suspension of all arms supplies and military assistance to Nepal until the government takes clear steps to halt human rights violations and bring those responsible to justice. Specifically, the Nepalese government must implement April 2005 recommendations of the UN Commission on Human Rights. These include an end to arbitrary arrests and "disappearances", clarification of the fate of all "disappeared", the amendment of security legislation, the institution of prompt, independent and impartial investigations of all alleged violations of human rights and the prosecution of all those responsible.
  • Agitating radio journalists begin talks with government in Nepal Press Trust of India, India
  • Nepali king urges cutting off terrorist funding Xinhua
  • FMs defy ban, air news Kathmandu Post
  • South summit opens in Doha: Call to remove rich, poor gap The New Nation, Bangladesh
  • Nepal king urges international community to curb terrorist funding Monsters and Critics.com, UK
  • Sultan holds bilateral meetings with Nepal King, Benin President Borneo Bulletin, Brunei Darussalam
  • Royal address given wide coverage Gorkhapatra
  • G-77 Summit concludes with Doha Declaration Gorkhapatra
  • FMs air news of King’s Doha visit Kantipur Online
  • Democratic expression Kathmandu Post, Nepal
  • ‘Agreement with king impossible’ Kathmandu Post, Nepal "The king is neither willing for a negotiated settlement on the Maoist problem nor is he ready to hold elections," Bimalendra Nidhi, leader of Nepali Congress (Democratic) said. "Until the king gives up the attempt to make us follow his roadmap, dialogue, collaboration and consensus are a far cry." ...... Nidhi revealed that the erstwhile Sher Bahadur Deuba government was dismissed because the king knew about its final homework to announce parliamentary election dates. "We were finalizing on whether to declare polls or recommend reinstatement of the House of Representatives," added Nidhi, a senior member in the Deuba cabinet.He also revealed that even the Election Commission was "used" to prevent the announcement of election dates..... Dr Ram Baran Yadav of Nepali Congress said the king was gambling with monarchy by openly politicking. "We, the parties, have not yet decided to abolish monarchy, but the king's moves may require us to think otherwise," Dr Yadav said.
  • Constituent assembly only solution: PFN Kathmandu Post, Nepal "If the king wants peace, he must accept constituent assembly; he cannot establish peace by pushing the country to the 18th century."
  • Nepal contravening comitments to UN: Bloomfield Kathmandu Post, Nepal suspension of civil liberties post-February 1, contravenes Nepal's commitments to the UN..... There is a school of thought in Nepal which espouses that "...democracy and human rights will find its place only after terrorism is contained", he said. "But we don't believe in this." ...... the post-February 1 situation "has no reference in the constitution". The constitution says the king has to be within the framework of the constitution..... a constitutional body like the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has been challenged by the Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC)....there would be serious problems ahead should the current call of polarization by the government and the Maoists materialize
  • State failure & Maoist madness Kathmandu Post, Nepal The death figure of Jestha exposes two things at once: The hollowness of the royal regime's claim of improving security situation in the country and the gradual drift of the Maoist insurgency towards senseless crime...... In the first 100 days of the king's rule, 599 people died. Of the dead, 443 were killed by the state and 156 by the rebels...... "Mao: The untold story" by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday reveals a shocking truth about the revered communist icon. The authors make a compelling case that Mao killed 70 million Chinese and exported food to Stalin's Russia in a weapons-technology-for-food program while the Russians were dying of hunger. When reminded of the famine, Mao reportedly said, "Half of China may well have to die" for the cause of making his country a military superpower....... Dr Babu Ram Bhatarai once said that as many as 200,000 people may have to die by the time their revolution kisses success..... You have to involve in a lot of psychological violence against yourself to kill others. .... As of 1996, three times more Vietnam veterans died of suicide after the war compared to the number that died from enemy action during the war, and this number is increasing every year.
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Wednesday, June 15, 2005

From The Blogosphere


This blog of mine has been linked to and quoted. Not surprised. The search engines make it so easy for the curious.
  • News Out Of Nepal Robert Mayer, Publius Pundit 2/22/5 (Here I get quoted extensively. Looks like the entire blog entry is an elaborate quote of one of my articles.)
June 15
  • Stop arming Nepal: Amnesty Rediff, India ..... until it stops what the group alleges are widespread killings and torture ..... the aid is facilitating the killing, torture and disappearance of thousands of civilians since 2001 ..... Amnesty also asked the rebels to end all attacks on civilians, quit recruitment of children and investigate any abuses by its cadres and ensure that culprits are removed from their posts....... Both army troops and police officers are now required to receive training in protecting peoples' rights...... Forty-eight officers have been jailed on various charges and disciplinary action has been taken against 68, Gurung said. One soldier is facing rape charges, and several other cases are being investigated ..... the Nepalese government must stop extrajudicial killings, all forms of sexual violence, arbitrary arrests, illegal detentions as well as torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment ...... wants donor nations to suspend any military and security assistance, including non-lethal and dual-use equipment that that could be used for military purposes
  • British arms supplies fuelling abuses in Nepal, says Amnesty Guardian Unlimited Britain is among international arms suppliers fuelling serious human rights abuses in Nepal ..... Countries that have supplied arms and weapons systems to Nepal include Britain, India, France, South Africa and Belgium...... a number of senior Nepalese army officers, including the commander in chief, were trained at Sandhurst...... Amnesty said yesterday it was concerned that he was signalling a resumption of arms supplies to Nepal.
  • Private radio in Nepal defy government ban to broadcast news Malaysia Star, Malaysia The broadcasts Tuesday night were the first since the ban was introduced after Gyanendra seized absolute control in February ..... The Information Ministry issued a warning to the radio stations Tuesday, saying a violation of the government order would result in the station losing its permit or a possible jail term for offenders. ... A number of newspapers have been forced to close because of government censorship.
  • Nepal frees journalists who protested Boston Globe Police officials said they had received orders from the top to free all journalists detained during Monday's rally...... "We call for the immediate release of our colleagues," said Ann Cooper of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. "The government of Nepal should respond to media protests by restoring press freedom, not arresting journalists." ..... "The authorities are clearly stepping up their crackdown, using large numbers of well organized anti-riot and plainclothes police," it said in a statement. "The way these protests are being crushed shows the authorities are ready to use brute force against those who want democracy." ..... a proposed law they say will further tighten media control...... Last week, the Vienna-based International Press Institute told the king in a statement that "the best antidote to the present situation in the country is more speech and greater discussion."
  • Nepal Arrests Reporters in Protest Guardian Unlimited Police bundled them into buses, and the detainees shattered some bus windows as they were driven away. Some protesters were injured in the scuffles. ..... Many of the protesters ``were manhandled and injured by the police' ..... ``We will continue our protests even while we are in detention,'' Nisthuri vowed. ..... Government officials were not available for comment Monday despite repeated phone calls.
  • Nepal has to stand on its own feet: Koirala tells India Indian Express, India “This is my last attempt to fulfill my dream of democracy in Nepal,” he said at a press conference, before leaving for Kathmandu...... criticised the international community for what he said was its hypocrisy. “They first suggested that the Nepal crisis required a political solution and then created a “hue and cry” when the Maoists were approached for talks” ..... On reports of split in Maoist groups, Koirala said, “It might be their strategy. One section is liberal and the other hardline. Both are projected as the situation demands.” He added a major effort to bring Maoists into the mainstream could start only after democracy is in place...... said he was grateful for New Delhi’s support to democracy in Nepal, but added, “Nepal has to stand on its own feet.”
  • India's military supplies to Nepal will upset democratic forces Islamic Republic News Agency G P Koirala, who is also the leader of the democracy movement in his country .... the Indian leadership said it fully backed Koirala's position...... "We do not want to interfere in the government of India's policy. But whatever policy they formulate, they should keep in mind whether that encourages democratic forces or dictatorial forces." ..... He said the political combine would now set up its anti-king or pro-democracy movement..... was willing to talk to Maoist leaders ...... "Whoever wants to settle the issue of Maoists should talk to them."
  • Towards a Lasting Peace in Nepal: The Constitutional Issues International Crisis Group, Belgium the 1990 Constitution .... the nine-year-old Maoist insurgency has cruelly exposed the inherent weaknesses in that settlement, and the royal coup of 1 February 2005 has dealt it a near fatal blow. ..... The conflict's root causes can only be addressed by structural change in the state and its governance system....... There are various possible mainstream entities -- such as an all-party government -- that could eventually negotiate a transition but there are also Maoist and royal roadmaps ..... Amendment of the current constitution by parliament or through referendum has been proposed but debate now centres on a constitutional assembly, a central Maoist demand which is now backed by mainstream parties and analysts......... The Maoists have called for radical restructuring of the state ....... The mainstream political parties opposed fundamental revision of the constitution until recently but are now willing to envisage greater change, although their policies are still a subject of debate....... the 1990 Constitution had been undermined by the May 2002 dissolution of parliament and King Gyanendra's repeated dismissals of prime ministers. Subsequent governments had little chance of conducting successful negotiations with the Maoists as long as real power rested with the palace....... The re-introduction of democratic institutions remains central to establishing a government that can negotiate with the Maoists and initiate a consensual process for constitutional change. But the palace is more concerned with consolidating royal rule, while a broader alliance of Kathmandu-centred interests has long opposed a more equitable distribution of power....... an all-party government without a parliament: the royal coup has increased the previously slim likelihood that the mainstream political parties might manage to form such a government. But if it is constituted by royal fiat, it would lack the legitimacy and authority to negotiate effectively with the Maoists ....... a government formed after new parliamentary elections: the Deuba government was tasked to hold parliamentary elections but this was never realistic. The king has announced municipal elections by April 2006 but there is no clear prospect of a general election ....... a government formed after restoration of the parliament elected in 1999: the king or the Supreme Court could restore parliament, although neither seems willing. This option was seen as a partisan measure that brings no guarantees of effective governance but it has now been endorsed by a coalition of mainstream parties. A parliament restored with the limited mandate to negotiate with the Maoists on constitutional change might advance the peace process........ In Nepal, constitutional amendment is typically understood to preclude consideration of the role of the monarchy, while a constitutional assembly is equated with republicanism....... a referendum on constitutional issues would likely destabilise the state, rather than identify an acceptable political compromise..... Any viable tripartite process would need to allow the Maoists to argue to their cadres that republicanism was at least on the table and permit the king to feel confident the monarchy was sufficiently secure. A process in which key stakeholders have already reached critical informal agreements may be a way of delivering constitutional change peacefully, although it would have to be balanced with the need for transparency and accountability. Allowing for easy subsequent amendment would enable future adjustments....... For the time being, however, the royal roadmap -- thinly disguised by the rhetoric of "protecting the 1990 Constitution" -- appears to be one of systematically dismantling multi-party democracy while pursuing a purely military strategy against the Maoists. The options for democratically negotiated change are severely constricted........ the Maoist roadmap of an interim government, ceasefire and freely elected constitutional assembly is likely to become the focus of increased attention
  • Concern Grows Over Nepal's Child Fighters Canton Repository (subscription)
  • Maoists kill six civilians in Nepal Sify Maoist rebels in Nepal have killed six relatives of members of the Armed Police Force, including a baby ..... "Three wives of the security personnel and two of their family members, including a one-year-old child, were killed by the Maoists in the nearby jungle"
  • Concern Grows Over Nepal's Child Fighters Washington Post Suraj Damai, 14 .... Brandishing homemade bombs, they announced that the time had come for Damai to "do something for the revolution" ...... Damai's brief career as a revolutionary, which ended with his capture by the army last summer ..... the insurgents' routine and apparently widespread use of child soldiers, many of whom are snatched from their villages against their will...... the Maoists often focus their recruitment efforts on "untouchables," who by some estimates account for nearly a fifth of Nepal's 27 million...... As a result, government security forces tend to treat most untouchables, or dalits , with suspicion, increasing their vulnerability to various forms of discrimination and abuse ...... Nepali security forces for employing children as spies or informants; Damai, for example, was ordered to help identify former comrades before he was finally released after two months in army custody ..... accused the Maoists of "abduction and forcible conscription of children . . . for political indoctrination and for use as combatants, informants, cooks or porters, and as human shields." ..... anachronistic "people's war" against the now 237-year-old monarchy ..... Gyanendra defended his power grab on grounds that it would give him a freer hand to deal with the Maoists, but so far there is little evidence of progress...... "We strike out some place. We manage to neutralize them, and they pop out somewhere else. We are not in sufficient numbers to completely strike them out."..... a mop of straight black hair that looks as though it was trimmed with a machete ..... a dalit who accidentally touches the communal water pump while a higher-caste villager is filling his jug risks a public scolding or worse. Even now, Damai remains so conscious of his status that when a stranger offers him a package of potato chips, he shakes his head in refusal, lest his touch contaminate the contents; chips passed by hand are hungrily devoured...... to this day, Khadka Damai, 49, said he was not sure if his son was abducted by the Maoists or went with them willingly...... a base for about 500 Maoists, many of them dalits and perhaps 200 of them children..... "I never tried to run away from the Maoists. I learned that we are dalits and everyone is discriminating against us, so I felt that to be a Maoist was good." ..... He still has fond memories of the Maoists' commander, a man of about 40 who was one of the few guerrillas in the group to carry a Kalashnikov assault rifle...... assigning him to an army checkpoint every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in hopes that he would identify former comrades. ..They turned him over to his father with a chilling warning. "If you son goes to the Maoists again," Damai recalled one of the soldiers saying, "he will be killed."
  • Nepal rebels kill baby Calcutta Telegraph, India Gurung said the RNA had recently received “non-lethal” military assistance from the US. The US government was also helping in providing “human rights” training to the RNA officials..... the RNA would initiate action against commanders under whose orders soldiers have been found to travel in public vehicles with arms.
  • Nepalese soldiers ordered not to use public transport ReliefWeb (press release) Gurung said that the soldiers had been off-duty but were carrying weapons. "Though technically off-duty they were on their way to a security camp to drop off the weapons"..... "But the Maoists are facing huge casualties and are becoming weaker by the day," Gurung added.
  • Order not to use public vehicles violated at times: RNA Kantipur Online a military court had court-martialled two security men—Ratna Thapa and Indra Narayan Giri—for involving in extortion from public posing as Maoists..... Thapa had asked for Rs.2 million from the Suzuki showroom in Tripureshwor while Giri had asked for Rs.400,000 from a shop in the same area..... the army is conducting investigation over 44 security personnel over the cases of human rights abuses. He also said that 48 security personnel have been imprisoned, 34 dismissed from the job, 12 demoted, 9 barred from promotion and that of five grades withheld till today..... five district-level Maoist leaders, including a woman, who had surrendered before the Army were presented in the press conference today. The Army said that they had extorted a total amount of over Rs.75.5 million from the business community and individuals from various places in Nepal, including Kathmandu.
  • Movement for democracy in Nepal should be accelerated United We Blog, Nepal .... the so-called peace in Kathmandu is rather phony ..... The airing of news about royal visit in Doha has pushed ultra royalists in Kathmandu in difficult corner. I know they will try to close down FMs if they start telling people’s news. But FMs have to do that......Government freed two prominent leftist leaders Amik Serchan and Lilamani Pokharel ...... strongly condemn the re-arrest of another leftist leader Nabaraj Subedi..... I am amazed that doctors and engineers are mute over the whole issue.
June 13
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Sunday, June 12, 2005

Badri Mandal: Sadbhavana's RPP Face

I don't know the guy, never met the guy. But I have followed his career since he defeated Shailaja Acharya in Morang and came into the parliament. He went on to chair the Sadbhavana party. He went on to become Deputy Prime Minister.

His public statements since 2/1 remind me of the split in the RPP. There are nine "dissidents" in the RPP who would like the party to endorse the king's 2/1 move. Interesting.

Badri Mandal beat the RPP at the game. He and the Sadbhavana faction he leads have done what not even the RPP has been able to do: the 2/1 move has been roundly endorsed.

If the current regime manages to chug along to the municipal elections, the RPP and the Mandal Sadbhavana would be in the fray. That will be quite a circus.

Mandal says 40,000 Madhesis have been denied citizenship certificates. That is such a lowball figure. Even the government claims 3,200,000 Nepalis have been denied those certificates. I would think at least two-thirds of those are Madhesis. That would mean 20 lakh Madhesis. And those are not my figures. If anything, the government figures have probably been put at the lower end.

I guess the Sadbhavana had itw own "two-line struggle" when the party split. But the Madhesi cause has not been hurt. Federalism has gained major currency. I can't think of one major party that is against it.

In The News
  • Former Nepalese minister may participate in civic polls:- Webindia123, India May 20, 2005 A former Nepalese minister, who has been charged with graft by the new government headed by King Gyanendra, has hinted his party may participate in the municipal elections scheduled to be held this year...... Badri Prasad Mandal, who heads the pro-king Nepal Sadbhavana Party, has asked the Election Commission to give voting rights to people from the plains though they don't have citizenship...... Mandal, a leader from the terai plains, was forest minister in the last Sher Bahadur Deuba government that was sacked by the king in February...... "There are about 40,000 people who don't have citizenship," Mandal told IANS. "Half of them would be above 18 and eligible to vote. We are asking the Election Commission to include them in its updated voters' list." ...... That is a clear indication Mandal's party would take part in the polls though at least seven other parliamentary parties have said they would boycott them....... In a public statement, Mandal has said the royal takeover would help to restore peace, and, instead of confrontations, the opposition parties should focus on peace....... Mandal, along with seven former ministers, including Deuba, faces allegations of graft levelled by the new government. ...... He has been accused of illegally disbursing money among party cadre from a government fund intended for the rehabilitation of victims of natural calamities and the Maoist insurgency........ While six of the accused ministers counter-accuse the king of trying to settle political scores, Mandal, however, has been holding his peace. ...... Mandal's own party was split in 2003 with the splinter group, which calls itself Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi), choosing to ally itself with the opposition parties....... Before it split, the party had five MPs in the last parliament. Currently, only two of them are still with Mandal.
  • Royal move to consolidate democracy, restore peace Gorkhapatra, Nepal - May 27, 2005 Gandaki zonal administrator Kumar Bahadur Karki ..... Chief District Officer Tek Bir Jung Rayamajhi ..... Also speaking at the program were central member of Rastriya Janasakti Party Narendra Wagle, central member of Rastriya Janamukti Party Shiva Lal Thapa ..... Meanwhile, in Mahottari, a huge procession passed through different streets of Jaleshwor Municipality Thursday wishing for the lasting peace in country. Commenced from local Shankar Square under the organization of Madheshi Friendship Center Nepal, the rally passed round the main bazaar and turned into a mass meeting where national Chairman of Nepal Sadbhavana Party Badri Prasad Mandal said that multiparty democracy would be consolidated and peace restored in the country following the February 1 Proclamation of His Majesty the king. ...... There is the need of peace for Nepali people who have been victimized directly or indirectly by the series of murder, violence and terrorism, said Mr Mandal adding that the problem therefore should be settled through national consensus among different constitutional forces....... Former minister Kamal Chaulagain and others also spoke at the program headed by chairman of the center Kishori Mahato.
  • Indian TV news channels allowed in Nepal Reuters India, India
  • Six Maoist rebels killed in Nepal BBC News, UK
  • Nepal journalists launch street radio Indian Express, India
  • Former Nepal PM to visit India:- Webindia123, India
  • Koirala meets CPM leader Yechury Chennai Online
  • Increase tourist flow to Nepal Kathmandu Post, Nepal
  • The National Flag Carrier Amid Triumph, Hope And Despair Gorkhapatra
  • I am unaware of being blacklisted: Giri Kantipur Online, Nepal
  • Call NTC, get SLC results Gorkhapatra, Nepal
  • Nepali Govt Secures 50,000 Jobs In Malaysia Bernama, Malaysia
  • Saarc summit to take place in Dhaka: PM Gulf Times, Qatar
  • Dhaka happy with new SAARC date:- Webindia123, India
  • Nepali gov't approves education regulation People's Daily Online, China
  • SAARC summit to be held in November India Monitor, UK
  • More ways to look up SLC results this year Kantipur Online, Nepal
  • Student leader’s detention term extended by 3 months Kantipur Online, Nepal
  • Govt a coterie of corrupt people: Khanal Kantipur Online, Nepal “The King himself knows Tulsi Giri’s past”
  • Kerala turns into the 'Gulf' for upcountry migrant labour Hindu, India
  • Nepal, Portugal share cordial ties: Shrestha Gorkhapatra, Nepal
  • Total road length reaches 17,192 KMs. Gorkhapatra, Nepal
  • Crown Prince gives prizes, certificates Gorkhapatra, Nepal
  • Politicians asked politicians to win confidence at home, not ... Gorkhapatra, Nepal Industrialist and businessman Mohan Gopal Khetan said that those who have gone abroad on pretexts like meeting leaders of foreign countries, for treatment or to meet the terrorists have only gone there because they have lost their credence here. ..... Khetan said that economist and former minister Dr. Devendra Raj Pandey has openly challenged the seven political parties saying if they accuse His Majesty the King of taking over power, they should first come out with their agenda ...... Khetan also rejected the so-called unity among the seven political parties ..... If they were really united why did Koirala went to meet with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress (I) president Sonia Gandhi personally ...... He came down especially on the lawyers and the press saying they have completely forgotten their professional loyalties. If not, what is the rationale of them coming down to the streets? ..... Dr. Sundar Mani Dixit ..... One of the most unfortunate thing of the Nepalese politics was that nothing is done in time. ..... Talking about the Royal proclamation of February 1, he said that it had brought a wave for peace in the country ..... Saying it will be a highly unfortunate for the country if the step taken by His Majesty the King fails, he added those who feel happy in such a situation have no love for the soil of this country.
  • Deconstructing religion Kathmandu Post, Nepal Religion is the most traditional and visible force existing in Nepal. The real challenge for us is how to use this force to create democratic minds and souls. For this, religions in Nepal need to be reformed.
  • Economic Diplomacy: Issues & Challenges By Ramesh Nath Pandey Kathmandu Post, Nepal Who should take charge of the country's economic diplomacy? Before that, are our diplomatic missions doing enough to pursue economic diplomacy? Before that, are they given the ways and means to do that? Before that, are they trained and oriented for the purpose? Before that, how different or similar are the concepts of foreign policy and economic diplomacy of Nepal? It would not be fair to blame the underperformance of our foreign office in areas it was never prepared and equipped for. ....... trade promotion, export promotion, tourism promotion, investment promotion, overseas employment promotion, information and communication technologies as well as inducting the role of non-resident Nepalis into Nepal's prosperity ...... There is nothing more dynamic than international economic relations in the contemporary world....... the big first question: who in fact should take the charge of economic diplomacy of the country. The one-liner answer would be that the private sector comprising business and industrial community should be the one taking the lead.... Forgive me if I hurt you, but the proposals should come with willingness to share the burden and cost as well as successes and failures. It should be a common endeavour, after all.
  • 40,000 Nepalese children displaced in armed conflict Xinhua, China
  • Koirala meets more Indian leaders Kathmandu Post, Nepal CPI leader A B Bardan .... former Indian prime ministers I K Gujral and Chandra Shekhar, and ex-general secretary of the CPI (M), Harkishan Singh Surjeet ..... Koirala is likely to return to Nepal on Wednesday.
  • Selling kidneys for a few rupees more Kathmandu Post, Nepal He had a scar just above his left waist and Rs 50,560 in his pocket when he returned home on May 31 after a three-month stay in India..... this man, a father of six (four sons and two daughters) who owns six ropanis of land ..... I went to India to make money (by selling my kidney) so that I could buy more land ..... Since Sambar underwent surgery a-month-and-a-half ago, he suffers incessant pain. He threw away all the medicines while returning home, as others advised him to do so, fearing police intervention while crossing the border. As a result, he has no medicine to take...... I knew that the broker (agent) got Rs 300,000 from the Indian patient… Whatever had to happen, it's happened. Now I am feeling frail.... the agents try to lure innocent villagers, who are very poor financially, to sell their kidney. They frequently visit the village ..... three women have already left the village with the same intention...... Another man, in a fit of anger, says, "What difference does it make if we say this? You will earn money by selling this (news)." It was later known that this man was Mohan Sapkota, the first kidney seller of the village. However, he said he was cheated after he sold his kidney.
  • ‘RCCC cannot control corruption’ Kathmandu Post, Nepal It's really good on the part of the media as they began revealing the present cabinet members' real faces.
  • Qatar's human traficking report Arabic News Women and men who work as domestic servants, some of whom fall victim to involuntary servitude .... Children trafficked to Qatar for exploitation as camel jockeys ..... excessive hours, late or nonpayment of wages, physical and sexual abuse, and withholding of passports ...... Child camel jockeys are overworked, malnourished, and physically abused. Some have been thrown from the camels they rode and suffered serious neurological damages. Most no longer remember where they came from...... The government provides no shelter for trafficking victims; instead, it detains and punishes trafficking victims for immigration violations....... institute a formal system to identify, care for, and repatriate these victims, including domestic workers and child camel jockeys
  • Lightening the load of child miners BBC News, UK Sudha is one of an estimated one million children who work in small-scale mining and quarrying across the globe .... 246 million children are child labourers .... 73 million child workers are less than 10 years of age ..... 2.5 million children work in developed economies ..... 2.5 million work in transitional economies .... 127 million - the largest number of working children under 14 years of age - work in the Asia Pacific region .... 1 million children work in mines or quarries .... 22,000 children die in work-related accidents each year ..... There is no way to check whether that wedding ring or bracelet in the jewellers has been produced with the help of child labour .... using children, some as young as five, as workers in mines......young workers cannot simply be removed from the equation; their families need to replace the money they would bring in, hence ongoing assistance is needed.
  • True justice knows no boundaries The Observer, UK the rights to food, health and clean water are as much human rights as freedom of expression or the right to a fair trial..... In Zimbabwe, we have documented not only torture, arrests, killings and the suppression of dissent, but also the manipulation of the food distribution system by the Mugabe government to starve political opponents........ In the Palestinian Occupied Territories, we have exposed both the massive human rights abuses by Israeli security forces which shoot, detain, torture and kill with impunity, and also the severe suffering of Palestinians because of Israeli policies and practices of border closures and curfews. Children can't go to school, pregnant women can't gain access to hospitals and men can't tend their orchards....... In Afghanistan, I have heard women tell me that the best way to protect them from violence would be to give them education and employment. In Darfur and in Goma, rape survivors have spoken to me of their need for healthcare as well as justice. In Nepal, men and women have described to me how a decade-long internal conflict has destroyed their livelihoods as well as threatened their lives....... What they do understand and demand are practical results and real changes in their lives. That is why Amnesty has never hesitated to criticise the massive corruption, abuse of power and deep discrimination in Africa....... Amnesty International has never been afraid, either, of speaking the truth to power. We do not believe that by criticising human rights abuses in the context of the US-led 'war on terror', Amnesty International is holding the US Administration to higher standards, as Cohen argues. On the contrary, we apply exactly the same universal standards to all governments. It is the Bush Administration that has claimed it is above, and its prisoners in Guantanamo Bay camp outside, the rule of international law...... Amnesty International made the right decision in 2001, shortly before I joined the organisation, to expand its mandate to cover economic, social and cultural rights.
  • Direction: Is Nepal safe for tourists? The Sunday Times, UK
  • Bread and Buddha Times Online, UK
  • Maoists bomb another bus; eight killed Peninsula On-line, Qatar
  • Marriage Is Still Causing Discrimination To Women Pressbox.co.uk (press release), UK
  • New SAARC dates to infuse momentum: B’desh Zee News, India
  • To America With Love by Anil Bhattarai INSN ..... respected citizens and members of parliament like Ram Chandra Poudel, Narahari Acharya, Amik Sherchan, Lilamani Pokharel, Navaraj Subedi and many others and human rights defenders like Krishna Pahadi continue to languish in jail ...... Mr. Moriarty watched a documentary on Nepal in Washington ..... an amateur video documentary about human rights violations by Nepal’s security forces (especially the police) during anti-regression movement that five-political parties represented in the parliament had launched immediately after the king usurped power on October 4, 2002 ..... what Nepali people have given our kings and their families and relations in the last two and half a century? Does he know that our ancestors had to part with more than half of what they produced in land to local representatives of the king–in the form of taxes, fines, tithes and what-nots? Or does he know that until 1950 almost all the able bodied human beings in Nepali villages had to provide labour for free to the state, on top of the taxes they paid ? Does he know that all the land and forest and water belonged to kings, their family members, and their close aides during most of our history? Does he, for that matter, know that there were many times when people starved, died of epidemics, and lived not beyond their forties precisely because they simply did not have enough food to eat? ...... after 1950. ..... they were not made to do forced labour like in the past. They were even exempted from land taxes....... what happened to billions of dollors–that initially came as grant, but gradually became loan to be paid back by Nepali people? Does he know who or which and how many families pocketed it? ...... after 1990 ..... But again political parties in power and in opposition began to give bit by bit back to the king which he was made to surrender back to the people in 1990. Didn’t the parties, for example, give him the right to appoint ambassadors although in the constitution he was supposed to act strictly on recommendation of the cabinet? Or wasn’t the case same about the appointment of members of upper house? Didn’t the parties raise his salary, his allowances and his palace expenditures? Didn’t the king receive all the BMWs and Jaguars and similar other cars for his pleasure and profit at people’s expense? Does Mr. Moriarty know that the king became one of the highest paid heads of state in the world when he is already one of the richest men in the world thanks to his “business” and inheritance as exclusive heir to the fortunes of Shah dynasty? ...... on October 4, 2002 the king snatched away the power to self-rule from people again. ....... the king did it with America’s full consent (and the full consent of British, Indians, Chinese, Europeans, lest we forget), and that is not a secret any more. All of them joined the chorus of ‘corrupt party leaders’ and ’saviour king’....... then the king took even more on February 1, 2005. He swallowed everything that people had got in 1990 in one go. ...... Mr. Moriarty denied that he supported the king’s move. But then, what is it that he is supporting if not king’s direct rule when he said the king did not have any option other than to do what he did on February 1, 2005 ? ...... Your Excellency, Mr. Moriarty, what exactly do you want the Nepali people to give to the king beyond what they have already given? It would be a solace to hear your answer because, then, we would know what exactly has remained with us after the king has taken almost everything from us.
  • DIG Gopalman And Chakadi In Nepal Police United We Blog .....the Police Station in-charge ordered his subordinates to take those birds. Few days after, a helicopter came and took them to Kathmandu. When the columnist reached that area he found the woman totally devastated ...... the same secretary told me that he brought a couple of young tiger on to his house. When his mood was off he used to feed meat to them. He also told me that he was aware of the act that keeping tiger at home is against law.
  • Feud Within Mandales United We Blog ..... Who is the biggest Mandale Nepal has ever seen? My answer would be Dr. Tulsi Giri ..... The man who declared publicly of surrendering his wisdom and independent sense to king Mahendra decades ago is now busy spiting venom against the agitating press and lawyers and political forces. ..... recent example is Prakash Koirala. He proved his qualification for Mandale by shamelessly supporting the Feb 1 royal takeover and speaking against the seven party Mass Movement. ..... an organization called Rastrabadi Biddhyarthi Mandal that was established in the late 70s (in 1979 or 1980). ...... the remnants of that force was still alive in today’s society in the name (and to some extent in the form) of a political party: Rastriya Prajantra Party (RPP). No doubt, RPP is a gang of Mandales. And in this gang, an interesting feud is intensifying day by day. The trophy of the feud is ‘Biggest Mandale in Post-Feb 1 Nepal.” ...... Padmasundar Lawati and Kamal Thapa ... They want RPP to clearly and publicly support the royal takeover. They want RPP to formally do what Tulsi Giri did four decades ago. ..... Pashupati SJB Rana .. want to avoid the street protest against the autocracy ...... the cold/hot or any other war between Lokendara Bahadur Chand and Surya Bahadur Thapa. These both names are the biggest names in Mandale fraternity. ...... Their feud goes way back to the 2040s when a no confidence motion was tabled and passed on Rastriya Panchayat against the then PM Thapa. A notorious group of three men known as Three Ps (Padma Sundar, Prakash Chandra Lohani and Pashupati Shamser) was behind that motion and that group was managed from the background by Lokendra Bahadur Chand. ...... Recently Thapa opened new party and Chand stayed in the old. Some like Lawati and Kamal Thapa are determined to break the party and weaken the Chand faction.
  • Will The King Listen? Kul Chandra Gautam Website ..... Gautam has drawn an analogy between Nepal and pre-1974 Cambodia. ...... “a failed state syndrome” term may irk those rulers of Nepal who still either underestimate the present crisis or are captivated by their own arrogance....... ..... the existing crisis of confidence and level of differences between not only the Maoists and the constitutional forces but also among the constitutional forces i.e., the King and the major political parties themselves, have been creating imperatives for “external mediation”. ...... The UN role can not be seen as a negative outside interference since Nepal is itself a member of the UN system. In fact, the current situation has been gradually providing grounds for undesirable outside intervention. The supply of arms and ammunitions, military equipment and helicopters by India, the US and the UK has already started the process of outside military involvement in Nepal. ...... “ King’s self-defeating policy” has been “threatening the future of both the monarchy and the state itself” ....... No one can justify the rationale for a dominant role of an individual power country or group of countries instead of positive role of the neutral world body-the UN- in Nepal when the situation goes beyond the control of national political actors. ...... time is running out to prevent catastrophic effect of the existing violent conflict ...... If the deterioration of the present situation is allowed to continue, Nepal either may have to face direct military intervention of individual power country or group of countries or the UN itself may come over to rescue the country from crisis ....... public statements recently made by Kofi Annan- UN Secretary General and Lalkrishna Advani- Deputy Prime Minister of India ...... the only alternative left is to deal with the Maoists by constituting an all-party government comprised of parliamentary parties. ......
  • Mistakes, Miscalculations by Kul Chandra Gautam
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Saturday, June 11, 2005

My Audio Clips: Reflections



In The News
  • Nepal rebels attack bus, killing six soldiers, two civilians Malaysia Star, Malaysia The attack came several days after rebel leaders announced a policy of not attacking civilian vehicles or targets. ..... There was no immediate rebel comment on the latest attack.
  • Nepal king's deputy named in bank scam Hindustan Times, India ..... a scam in which money was taken from a state-owned bank as loan but not paid back...... Giri, a hardliner who favours a military solution to Nepal's Maoist insurgency, had gone into self-imposed political exile nearly 19 years ago...... Giri's personal assistant had called up the bank to check if the blacklisted chairman was the same person as the minister...... After the bank confirmed it, Giri himself called up the bank the next day and said he had no knowledge about Himalaya Plastic and any documents naming him were fakes ..... the minister denied any knowledge or involvement.
  • Nepal to push for UN reforms in Doha: official Xinhua, China
  • RIGHTS-NEPAL: Conflict Pushes More Kids to Work Inter Press Service (subscription), World his father, who was killed by Maoist insurgents during the Tihar festival last November for fleeing a rebel work camp after a month's forced labour ..... his mother, who left their family to marry another man) ..... he cannot go back to his village for he is a hunted boy. ..... After seeing his father stabbed and killed by cadres of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Dipak hurled a stone during a Maoist meeting a few weeks later ...... Girls fare worse than boys, and are more prone to sexual exploitation ..... they were forced to leave their villages due to threats from Maoists. Today they work in restaurants and carpet factories, among others, facing hardships that range from low wages to sexual abuse...... end up in Nepal's urban areas, either as domestic help, 'khalasi' like Dipak or child labourers in carpet factories, stone quarries or brick kilns........ Some children are fleeing the Maoists ranks, and so are hunted by both the security forces and the insurgents........ 32,000 Nepali children are currently working in 1,600 stone quarries ..... more than 10,000 children work in stone quarries, coal, sand, and red soil mines in Nepal, the majority of them aged 11 to 13. Most are young girls....... conflict has led to an increase in child domestic workers ..... the number of child labourers in Nepal, ages 5-14 now stands at 2.6 million ....
  • 'Willful defaulters serious threat to economy' Kathmandu Post
  • Nepal’s Vice-chairman of Council of Minister Among Wilful ... United We Blog, Nepal
  • Vice-Chairman Giri in blacklist Kantipur Online
  • Dr Giri in CIB blacklist Kathmandu Post
  • Maoists Lynch Two Civilians NepalNews.com a group of Maoists has brutally killed two civilians at Balahi area in the southern district of Siraha. Bisundev Mahato, a resident of Balahi village and Dev Nath Yadav of Fulkahapatti, who were working at a road project as labourers, were killed after being abducted by a group of armed rebels. Their mutilated bodies were found at Kabilas area
  • KP Bhattarai For House Reinstatement NepalNews.com .....said “he wished an immediate end to the King’s arbitrary regime” ..... he said jokingly, “If the House is restored, I will also come to the House.”
  • UML Gen Sec Invites Maoists For Dialogue NepalNews.com .... called upon the Maoists for dialogue and “encourage the parties” in their movement for absolute democracy..... “We are ready to sit for dialogue with the Maoists so as to address the issue of constituent assembly that they have raised” ......the measures the Maoists have adopted - murder, violence and abduction- in the name of people’s war have rather been strong tools against democracy. “Due to the increasing Maoist violence, the autocrat King has the pretext to rule in the name of providing security”
  • RPP Dissidents Announce Date For General Convention NepalNews.com Over 527 general convention members including 9 central working committee leaders registered a motion at the party headquarters on June 9 (yesterday) to call the general convention of the party within a month...... The RPP dissidents have been reportedly seeking for the party’s backing to the Royal Proclamation of February 1. In the contrary, the RPP central committee had called for immediate reactivation of the constitution, restoration of the democratic processes and press freedom in the country.
  • Maoist Army, Western Division, Statement
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