Koirala Is Out: Expect Some Action

Girija Koirala is out. But none of the news items carry any statement from him. Yet. But the elder statesman is known to speak his mind. So I am expecting some action. I would think he is consulting with his colleagues.

I sense it that the king is slowly loosening his grip. It will be to his credit if he follows the constitution and lifts the emergency by the end of the month. A 3-month limit is specified in the constitution. Only a parliament can extend it, and the country has no parliament.

When India - the world's "office" - and China - the world's "factory" - are contemplating a free trade area between the two, Nepal's sorry state is even more glaring by comparison. The political paralysis engineered by a reluctance to go for a Constituent Assembly prevents the nation from focusing on the economy, like China, like India.

In The News

• Nepal lifts ex-PM Koirala's house arrest Times of India
• Nepal ex-PM Koirala, others freed Indian Express ... Kishor S. Rathore, president of the Nepal Students Union—affiliated to NC-Democratic—was also among those freed.
  
• Nepal Lifts Politician's House Arrest ABC News
• Koirala freed to calm India Calcutta Telegraph, India In an attempt to placate the international community including India, the US and Britain, King Gyanendra’s government today released former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala from house arrest after a two-month detention...... the “Grand Old Man” of Nepali politics ...... 82-year-old ...... Prime Minister on four different occasions ..... he is expected to spearhead the movement for the restoration of multi-party democracy for the second time in two decades ...... Bush administration had promised to deliver a large cache of small arms and ammunition in May ..... two weeks after former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was freed ..... Indian embassy had been tipped off about the release earlier in the day ......embassy issued a statement saying that it hoped today’s development would lead to the immediate release of Communist Party (UML) general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal and other detained political leaders and workers, human rights activists, student leaders and journalists ...... In a statement, Nepali Congress leader Bipin Koirala said
• China defies world to support embattled Nepal king Reuters AlertNet "The international community should respect the choice made by the Nepali people" .... "We support the king and the government of Nepal to ensure national stability and reconciliation and for economic development" ..... Kathmandu, home to 1.5 million people, had stocks of fuel and food supplies to last more than a month.
• Li appreciates Nepal’s one China policy Gorkhapatra, Nepal .... thanked His Majesty the King and the government of Nepal for the “continued support for China’s reunification cause for the motherland.” .... Li said he was happy about the audience he received from His Majesty the King..... taking advantage of development of China’s western region and train service to Lhasa by 2006.”
• Security alert in Nepal ahead of nationwide strike Ireland Online, Ireland .... government hoped to foil the strike .... “We have a heavy presence along the major highways. There is no way they can disrupt the traffic” ....
  
• UNICEF appeals for fear to be banished from Nepal’s classrooms I-Newswire.com (press release) The start of the new school year in Nepal should be a time for all parties involved in the conflict to ensure that violence and fear stay out of the classroom ..... Schools, teachers and students have been a key casualty of the last nine years of the conflict ..... “Older children are much better able to pick up where they left off if their education is disrupted. Younger children have to start again with this difficult business of learning to read, write and count. Too many disruptions and it just gets too hard.”
• Bangladesh, Nepal among world's leading disaster hot spots Express Newsline A new study conducted by researchers at Columbia University in New York suggests that Bangladesh, Nepal are some of the world's most vulnerable countries as far as natural disasters are concerned..... implement a preventive, rather than reactive, approach to disasters
  
• India asks Nepal to remove all curbs on civil liberties Press Trust of India, India ....
• Nepal Monarchy showing signs of weakness in the middle of drifting ... India Daily, NJ ....showing signs of weakness in the middle of drifting foreign policy ..... Dahkal also said opposition parties "should stop" secretly associating with Maoist rebels, and said that the Nepalese government could lift restrictions on freedom of the press if the media does not encourage terrorist activities..... The King and his monarchy is following a directionless foreign policy with little support from the world except non-democratic power centers like Pakistan and China...... The political parties are spectators watching slow destruction of their country.
• A strange anti-India coalition – China, Pakistan, Nepal ... India Daily Hundreds of Nepalese journalists defied a government ban on protests and demanded restoration of press freedoms in Nepal. Police closely monitored the protesters but, unlike previous protests, did not disperse them or arrest anyone involved.
  
• Nepal deploys troops to block fresh bid by Maoist Daily Times, Pakistan Violence in the valley, where bombings were an almost daily occurrence last year, has virtually halted since King Gyanendra seized total power on February 1...... a statement urging the masses “to create a storm of action in favour of full democracy and against autocracy.” ..... although bloodshed has subsided, it was not clear if the rebels were wounded or preparing a major assault, the general admitted. “We have been expecting a big attack somewhere,” he said. “They have the initiative to chose a place and time ... They have been collecting weapons.” ..... The army has grown from 45,000 troops in 2001 to 80,000 today, facing what the spokesman estimated to be 6,000-8,000 well-armed combatants and a militia of 20,000-25,000 equipped usually with homemade weapons..... insurgency has since 1996 claimed more than 11,000 lives — about two-thirds of them Maoists, according to the army .....
• From The Ringside In Geneva .... the situation cannot be improved without serious intervention by the international community ..... A military solution is not possible .... democracy is the only option to improve the situation .... Royal takeover is illegal .... International intervention will work to prosecute every CDO and army officer who is involved to violate the rights of people in Nepal. He further said that international community should restrict the government of Nepal and its official to travel any part of the world...... Diwaker Panta, Director of HR Promotion Centre, said that this government is legal and that the government has provided for a budget for the NHRC...... the constitution does not permit the formation of such a type of government, which violates the jurisprudence of constitutional monarchy .....
  
• Forces Of Democracy And Peace Are Winning Mathura P. Shrestha ...... corner meetings, public agitations, lectures, interaction programs, debates, discussions in families and communities, campaigning by graffiti writings, pamphlets, posters, placards and flags ..... People who are enslaved by feudal autocracy for centuries and who are denied of their rights have nothing to loose except their chains and virtual slavery. They have however to rebel...... The so called military discipline in Nepal is based upon and dominated by slave mentality. The senior officers, commanders treat their subordinates as slaves .... Same advice goes to the Maoist military personnel who commit atrocities against the provisions of international humanitarian laws. Both categories should remember the likelihood being referred to International Court of Justice as War Crime Suspects in future...... Nepali Congress ....dissolving its liberation army in 1941... compromised with the palace by forsaking its objective of Constitutional Assembly during 1957 political agitation ..... Its armed revolution of 1962 was withdrawn because of Chino-Indian War ...... The revolution was waged for the republican democracy. ... Communist Party of Nepal - UML ..... The party stopped collecting monthly revenue or fees or donations from about a quarter of million of their cadres that amounted to only one or two rupees per head per month....... lost a large financial base to depend upon large financial houses and rich gentries ...... so called elected governments including the interim one .... became virtual stooges to palace gentries in order to strike ‘non-confronting compromises’ with the monarchy ....
• Violence Precedes Nepal Nationwide Strike Scotsman, UK ... Businesses were closed in most areas of the Himalayan kingdom because of the strike ..... a series of blasts at government buildings and a marketplace ...... Many of Nepal’s roads and highways were deserted because of the strike ..... Security forces were on alert and highway patrols were stepped up in a bid to foil the strike....
  
• One killed in Nepal blasts ahead of rebel strike Reuters AlertNet, UK ....a string of bomb blasts in west Nepal .... "The blasts were apparently aimed at scaring people to enforce the strike." .... Maoists have urged factories, businesses and schools to shut down during the strike .... about 200 cars, buses, trucks and oil tankers bound for Kathmandu and the tourist town of Pokhara were waiting in the southern town of Aaptari on Saturday for army escorts ...... people generally heed the call of the rebels
• Divisions among Nepal's Maoists Asia Times Online, Hong Kong Nepal's Maoist movement has grown so fast that it is now a proud citation for revolutionaries around the world..... the communists who until the 1980s ruled one-fourth of humanity.... Nepal's Maoists stand at a crossroads ......Bhattarai, who holds a doctorate in engineering and remains the intellectual force behind one of the most potent Maoist movements in the world, is said to be unhappy with Prachanda's alleged megalomania. Followers of the party boss Prachanda believe he has given an entirely new meaning to the Maoist revolution and hence his brand of Maoism, Prachanda Path, puts him alongside such giants of the international communist movement as Marx, Lenin, Stalin and Mao Zedong....... The Maoists have indiscriminately torched transport vehicles that have defied their shutdowns, forcibly recruited thousands of children in their ranks as soldiers and levied parallel taxes from teachers to businesses ....... Maoist workers were aware of the "differences in the party and actions have been taken against the dissidents at various levels". ...... "Prachanda will do all he can at damage control, in the event that Bhattarai has actually been expelled from the party."
• BP’s son Prakash Koirala hails Royal move Gorkhapatra, Nepal said Prakash Koirala, the central member of Nepali Congress. “Setting aside the truth and reality of what the Nepalese people want, the foreign media have been trying to mislead the people against which we all need to remain cautious.”..... He said that he was following the footsteps of his father late B.P. Koirala who had firm belief on constitutional monarchy ......“I had also raised voice in support of a government led by late Manamohan Adhikari and I had said that the government should be allowed to complete its full five year tenure.” ...... “All forces should isolate the terrorists and there is no possibility of joint works between the Maoists and other parties.” ......“If all people set their personal interests aside and support the Royal move, peace and order will be restored earlier than three years.”
• Eight killed, 20 injured in Nepal violence OregonLive.com, OR

The Monarchists, Not The Maoists, Are Like The Al Qaeda

In Iraq, the Al Qaeda did everything in its powers to disrupt the elections to that country's Constituent Assembly held early this year. They failed, and rightly so. In Nepal, the Monarchists are doing everything in their powers to deny Nepal its elections to a Constituent Assembly. And these Nepali Monarchists are succeeding. So the Nepali Monarchists are the Nepali Al Qaeda, only much more vicious and entrenched.

In The News

• China aims to boost ties with isolated Nepal Reuters AlertNet, UK ....by turning down Nepal's request for a visit by Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, China had also shown it did not want to antagonise India, which has condemned the king's actions and urged democracy be restored ...... royal government was reaching out to China and Pakistan to show that it was not isolated ..... expected to invite Gyanendra to visit China ..... Political parties have vowed to launch a nationwide protests against the monarch on April 8, the anniversary of the establishment of multi-party democracy in 1990...... Islamabad would consider supplying arms to Nepal if Kathmandu were to make a formal request
• China minister in key Nepal visit BBC News ... the Nepalese authorities are attaching a lot of importance to the visit ..... Mr Li's visit follows trips by junior ministers from Pakistan and Cuba..... Pokhara, a police officer died from bullet injuries after being shot
  
• Barun Roy: Nobody gains from a weak Nepal Business Standard, India Foreign tourists, who, like non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are the mainstay of the Nepalese economy, are staying away from the country for now...... My flight to Kathmandu from Kolkata was two-thirds empty. At the height of the tourist season, Soaltee is reporting no more than 25 per cent occupancy. Hoteliers at the Chitwan National Park have started laying off staff. Wood carvers and tankha painters of Bhaktapur say they seldom had it so bad........ The political oligarchs totally misused the opportunity that was given them, doing nothing but consolidating their individual wealth....... there hasn’t been a single case of bombing in the valley in the two months that the King has been in absolute power ...... If the pollution in the valley is brought under control and roads, water supplies, electricity, and health services in the interiors are developed to acceptable standards, it can be an attractive nursery for many industries and services, software being one of them. The retirement industry can be another, given the degree of sympathy that a lot of outsiders — Americans, Japanese, Europeans, even Indians — have for this lovely country........ What the country needs is real money for real investments, and that can come only from the global private sector, provided the policies and inducements are right.
• LOSING KATHMANDU Calcutta Telegraph .... crisis is a product of deep-seated structural issues in Nepalese society ...... Gyanendra, whose paranoia makes them immune to both the interests of their own people and international pressure ...... a result of our encasing Nepal in a relationship of subordination ..... matters from building hydro projects to roads required India’s tacit approval. Even though we were in many ways a benign power, we were ultimately paternalist. The overall structure of the relationship lent itself to creating a politics of resentment in Nepal. And this relationship was driven by our conception of security, not by the imperatives of development in Nepal......... the king’s policies had little to do with effectively dealing with the Maoists. As reprehensible as their methods are, they draw upon legitimate grievances and are a viable political movement. Indeed, the present conjuncture is a unique opportunity to bring many of them into the political mainstream. Some of the Maoists realize that their long-term goals require them to gain broader political legitimacy. Democracy itself can be a path to power. The Maoists have, for the first time, allowed regular political parties to operate in areas under their control...... the Indian government is not doing enough to establish political links with the Maoists. A great failing of our policy is that we often let the intelligence establishment define our political objectives........ Now that there is an opportunity for them to be part of the political dialogue, we want someone to destroy them. ...... The king .. apparently believes that India and the United States of America will not put maximum pressure for fear of sending him closer to China....even our ambassador can be sent away without an audience. ........ impress upon the king that now is his last opportunity ...... a groundswell of republicanism inside Nepal ...... The international community will have to think of a decent exit strategy for the king ...... What India needs in the Nepal crisis is deep links with the important actors, the Royal Nepal Army, the Maoists and others. Foreign offices are not good at cultivating these links....... in the past we have attenuated Nepal’s sovereignty based on our security concerns. Now we should perform a constructive role in maintaining democracy in Nepal....... It is about time that Nepalese society writes a constitution for itself, rather than being handed one by the king....
  
• Bangladesh, Nepal among world’s leading disaster hot spots New Kerala, India
• India, Nepal discuss bilateral issues Economic Times, India Nepal ... continues to receive economic assistance from India.
• Nepal General Strike Protests King's Power Grab Scotland on Sunday, UK Streets were largely deserted ..... The strike today comes two days ahead of an 11-day nationwide strike ..... Biratnagar... factories remained closed and streets deserted today ... Business and schools also remained closed .....security forces were escorting some vehicles along local highways but only a few were willing to take the risk..... Eastern Nepal has two key border points with India, which hundreds of trucks use daily to deliver goods between the two nations. There was no traffic movement on either border points
• Nepal’s political parties to step up protests Daily Times The demonstrations on April 8 will coincide with an 11-day general strike starting Saturday that Maoist rebels called ....... We are working on strategies to be bring out the mass protest next week. It will be joint rallies organised by the five major political parties ..... the protests haven’t gained momentum because their top leaders are either in detention, exile or hiding
  
• Chinese foreign minister arrives in Nepal Xinhua, China "I believe my visit will help to further promote friendship and mutual understanding of our two peoples." ..... visit is on the eve of the golden jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal
• China is Nepal's reliable friend: Nepali King Xinhua, China "Nepal firmly supports the one-China policy of your government and will never allow any anti-China activities in Nepal's territory" .....
  
• India expects China will give "right" advice to Nepal Press Trust of India, India "I expressed the hope that China as a good friend of Nepal will give the right kind of advice to the Nepalese," Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran ..... Saran, who called on Li here today prior to his departure for Nepal .... Li said that just as India is very much concerned about instability in Nepal, so is China. .... The Chinese Foreign Minister, who recalled that Saran had been earlier India's Ambassador to Nepal, asked for India's assessment of the situation in Nepal...... "I said that the steps taken by His Majesty, the King has not led to either an improvement in the security situation in the country nor had led to any economic recovery in the country. In fact, our sense is that in both these areas, the situation has become somewhat worse", Saran said.