Tuesday, January 24, 2006

How The Blogosphere Can Help The Democracy Movement In Nepal



Quick question: As I mentioned in a comment on your blog, I have been trying to work on a couple of international issues, mainly going through the blogsphere. I have been finding that people are curious about them, but don't always DO anything. I am thinking of writing a diary discussing the general blogsphere attitude towards international issues. If you can write up a couple of paragraphs (not much more) on what you are trying to get done for Nepal and how people in the blogsphere can help, I might be able to include it depending on how it fits with the general gestalt of the piece. I haven't begun writing it so I don't know a.) when I will get around to it, b.) what exactly it will say or c.) whether it will ever come together. But, if it does come together, it might be a way for me to include your efforts as well as mine. Any thoughts?

David Michaelson, DFNYC

Thanks David For Bringing Me Back To DFNYC

David. Thanks. I beg for questions like the ones you have posed. The movement needs all the help it can get. We need moral support, we need logistical support. This is also a great way for the progressives in America to go strong on defense.

Nepal Message To Top Democrats

What could you and others do to help?

(1) Spread the word. This could be the most important help. My blog, Democracy For Nepal (DFN) can be a resource. Other blogs could link to the blog, or to specific articles. None of the photos at the blog are copyrighted. Any blogger and others may use them. Bloggers could embed the videos displayed at my blog at their own blogs. We have not been able to hit the world headlines yet, but if we could create some major buzz in the blogosphere, old media would likely follow, and even if it does not, the task will have been accomplished.

(2) Lobby. Any elected official in the US at local, state or national level would do. All they or their office has to do is put out a brief statement of support saying they are behind the democracy movement in Nepal. I will publish all such letters of support at my blog, and subsequently circulate them widely in the Nepali circles all the way to Nepal. Those would be headline news in Nepal.

(3) Donate. Nepali politics is just like American politics. Money talks. And we have very specific projects in mind. Maybe you will donate, maybe you will get a few others to donate. Maybe bloggers will link to this page, Project Nepal Democracy, and solicit donations far and wide. $10, $20, $50, whatever. All sums are good. The dollar is green in all amounts. Right now we have an urgent need for $1000 to conduct nationwide pamphleteering in Nepal. This could end up being the very backbone of the entire movement. $1000 is 100 individuals giving $10 each, or 50 giving $20 each.

(4) Show Up For Events. September 16 Protest Rally. Two DFNYC people showed up. Merle and Sarah. Upcoming events are usually highlighted at my blog. We have a rally and a talk program scheduled for February 1. It was on February 1 last year when the king's coup was staged. I also have launched a monthly MeetUp. Democracy For Nepal (DFN) MeetUp. The first Saturday of each month in Jackson Heights, for lunch at the local Nepali restaurant. We also have events in other cities. I know of a rally in DC this Sunday, and a rally on February 1 in San Francisco.

Visitors

24 January09:33University of Maine, Orono, United States
24 January09:41Wayne State University, Detroit, United States
24 January09:53University of Louisiana, Lafayette, United States
24 January09:54International Rice Research Institute, Philippines
24 January10:07PCCW IMS Netvigator, Hong Kong S.A.R.
24 January10:36TU Universität Hamburg-Harburg, Harburg, Germany
24 January10:46Univ. of Science Technology, Trondheim, Norway
24 January10:54CTX Mortgage Company, Dallas, United States
24 January11:22Minnesota State Universities, United States
24 January12:11Wichita State University, Wichita, United States
24 January12:11ClearBlue Technologies, United States
24 January12:1388.144.25.x
24 January12:15Telenet, Belgium
24 January12:24Kyushu University, Japan
24 January12:27University of South Alabama, United States
24 January12:29North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States
24 January12:30DION, Japan
24 January12:40International Monetary Fund, United States
24 January12:42Swipnet, Sweden
24 January12:43Hawaii-Pacific Teleport, United States 1

In The News

Maoists attack Nepalgunj, Fighting going on NepalNews
Former PM urges HM the King to invite parties for dialogue, end the direct rule
Over dozen opposition activists arrested from protest rally
Palace hardliners are the greatest threat to monarchy: Chalmers
NHRC team meets UML leaders under house arrest
Will Maoists keep their promise?
EC publishes election schedule
No prospect of postponement of polls: Minister Thapa
Civil servants urge government to postpone polls
NEPAL: Police again clash with protesters Reuters AlertNet, UK
Nepal anti-king protests turn violent Boston Globe
Nepal anti-king protests turn violent ABC News
Protesters arrested for defying ban orders in Nepal Monsters and Critics.com
Nepal lifts ban on rallies in the capital Times of India, India
Police clash with pro-democracy protesters in Nepal Hindu
China calls for reconciliaion among all forces in Nepal Nepali Times, Nepal
Nepal's Living Goddess Affected By Turmoil OhmyNews International, South Korea

at No comments:

The King Is Not Even Pretending


He came back to Kathmandu and ordered the release of Girija Koirala and KP Oli, but not Madhav Nepal. You are somehow supposed to think Girija Koirala was arrested in the first place without the king's knowledge. Somehow the king/president/prime minister is not in charge of this government. He pretends he does not command the army, it is just that the army is loyal to him. "Loyalty is another thing," he told Time magazine months back.

The release of Koirala and Oli shows he still thinks he can split up the seven party alliance. Those releases were his attempts to push a wedge among the leaders. KP Oli used to have a reputation of being a Madhav Nepal rival inside the UML.

He is daydreaming. None of the leaders are willing to even talk to him, let alone come anywhere close to breaking the seven party alliance. Call it idealism, or accuse them of wanting power, but they sure smell victory.

His insistence on the municipal polls is the insistence of a Gurkha soldier in the British army in World War II who claimed he was able to traverse through the jungles of Burma because he was carrying a map with him. The map ended up being an old map of London. He is not fooling nobody, and he pretends not to notice. He can not be trying to conduct these elections for the international community, not for the people of Nepal, not for the political parties.

This is not even a seven party alliance. This is an eight party alliance now. The news is not that the Maoists are committed to a democratic republic. The news is as to why all the parties in the alliance are not openly committed to the same.

Apparently the arrested leaders got told the state had put aside Rs. 110,000,000 for fooding and housing for those arrested. Message: you will be in for a long time. Or there are people among the ruling elite who are skimming of the top. Trying to suppress a movement is a business move for some of these idiots.

It Is About The People, The International Community Will Follow

It really is about the people. If the Nepali people want a democratic republic, they are going to get it. The idea will not be a gift from abroad, near or far. All foreign powers will happily come behind the idea.

It is not that they support the king. It is that they do not have the powers to turn the country into a democratic republic. That power rests with the people of Nepal.

Non-Violent Getting Even

The king and all those in the army and among his advisors who have and are being hostile to democracy are committing treason, and stand to be punished. That still is non-violence. That is rule of law.

BP Koirala spent a lifetime behind bars because he stood for democracy. When we democrats finally come to power, we have to redefine treason.

The king lacks patriotism. His utter disregard for the basic rights of the people shows he does not love the country. The country is its people.

When I say the restructuring of the army will have to wait until there is a duly elected president, I mean fundamental restructuring. Some of the top folks in the army stand to be purged immediately after the revolution attains victory. Or we will risk a coup even after victory. A small band of them could confiscate our leader. We could not allow that to happen.

Frankly I am saying people like Tulsi Giri, Satchit Rana, and Bharat Keshar Singh need to be given life sentences. These mosquitoes have been zooming from one ear to another for too long. These people are point blank absurd.

1990 will not be repeated. People are not going scot free. They are going to jail. And we have to send a clear message to that effect now if only to deter the worst kind of behavior from them. We owe that to the demonstrators who risk so much when they come out into the streets.

A King At War

The guys is at war with every power foreign and domestic. I think he is at war with himself. He does not have the clue. The ground is shifting beneath his feet.

Our plan for success should be totally independent of him. Our roadmap should totally discount him. What talks? What reconciliation? You can talk to a human being, not to a statue.

It is like the Mahendra statue in front of the palace walked a few steps and entered the palace.

There is reality and there is perception of reality. The king has neither. We have to make room for the irrational on his part in our plans.

Eight Party Alliance

UML, NC, NC (D), Maoists, Jana Morcha, NSP (A), NMKP, Left Front.

The Diaspora Nepalis

Much remains to be desired.

Human Rights Holocaust

That is what the king has subjected Nepal to these past few years.

Constituent Assembly = Democratic Republic

The seven parties know it, the Maoists know it, the king knows it. So why not call a spade a spade? Let the eight party alliance come around a two word slogan of a democratic republic.

Either the king is okay with the idea and can opt for a peaceful, negotiated exit, or not. Likely not. Then it is realistic of us to think in terms of the various scenarios.

Too much water has gone down the Bagmati. There is no going back. Noone can stop the country from becoming a republic. Our challenge is to manage it the best we can.

Visitors

23 January18:38Telia Network Services, Sweden
23 January19:24KNIC, Korea
23 January19:26Seoul National University, Korea
23 January19:41Telekom Malaysia Berhad, Malaysia


23 January19:53University of Missouri, Columbia, United States


23 January20:06CTX Mortgage Company, Dallas, United States
23 January20:49NTT Communications, Japan


23 January21:09Indiana University, Bloomington, United States
23 January21:49GT Group Telecom Inc., Canada
23 January22:04Corporate Access (HK), China
23 January22:09Verizon Online, Reston, United States
23 January22:20University of California, Riverside, United States
23 January22:35Corporate Access, Iran
23 January23:05Hokkaido University, Japan
23 January23:20Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines
23 January23:24Mercantile Communications Pvt. Ltd., Nepal
23 January23:24Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines

In The News

Royal Mess, Times of India Going by events in Kathmandu on Friday, the king is in no hurry to relinquish power...... He spared no effort to scupper a protest rally organised on Friday by an alliance of seven major political parties....... The brazenness with which Gyanendra has gone about snuffing out any show of dissent shows that things have hardly changed since the palace coup last year...... on his part Gyanendra has steadfastly refused to engage in any give and take. The international community, including India, has not helped matters by refusing to exert any real pressure on the monarch...... There are good reasons to suspect that China and Pakistan are supplying arms to the king. Irrelevance Of The King, The Telegraph Never before have they stood up to monarchy like this..... the king has lost his legitimacy. His gameplan for the induction of a political system that would have monarchy as its fulcrum is coming unstuck....... it is he who stands between peace and the Nepalese people...... The debate is not about what to do with the king but what to do after monarchy......... King Gyanendra himself dons military fatigues while touring the country nowadays. Some say that this is to identify himself with the armed forces because he does not know how long the unity of the army will hold. The fatigues apparently also hide a bulletproof vest........ Whichever way the RNA is reorganized, the fact remains that its royalist elements will be purged....... His attempt is to get a variant of the pre-1990 panchayat system. Royalists and their henchmen are being encouraged to float political parties and contest elections........ The entire objective of the king now seems to be to revive the spirit of the panchayat system — “Mahendrapath” as one of his lackeys described it...... No one has to give it to them. Sovereignty always resides in the people. That is its natural seat. If others exercise it, it can only be by force......... The imposition of daytime curfew and shoot-at-sight orders shows that half the battle has already been won by the people. One cannot be a popular and legitimate monarch at gunpoint.......... The world must salute the brave people of Nepal who faced the armed police with nothing but randomly picked up bricks and stones to defend themselves ......... rural Nepal are bringing back reports of huge crowds at rallies organized by the political parties against the king. And they are not party cadre. This should be food for thought for those in Delhi who still harp about the king being a unifying force in the diversity of Nepal.......... They want a participatory and inclusive democracy where adequate attention is paid to the issues of women, Dalits, the ethnic communities, the Madhesis (people of Terai), the people of remote hills and those of the poor. The king is an obstacle to this agenda — a part of the problem......... The most important development in Nepal has been the Maoists taking their battle to the political sphere.......... There are certain responsibilities that devolve on India in the rapidly changing situation in Nepal. While taking a principled stand, Delhi must not fear the charge of intervening in the internal affairs of Nepal. Indian interests in Nepal, especially in the well-being of the Nepalese people , cannot be denied...... India must, therefore, send two clear signals — one to the Nepalese people and the other to the Royal Nepal Army. New Delhi must unequivocally lend support to the democratic aspirations of the Nepalese people........ If the king would not listen to reason and concede defeat, then India, along with the international community, must focus on the RNA. It is a brother army of the Indian army......... either accept a ceremonial role, after apologizing to the people for snatching away power, or he can be helped to safely relocate to Taipei or Mauritius, where he has apparently bought residential property, or anywhere else that he might prefer. Is History Repeating Itself In Nepal? Indian Express, Rhoderick Chalmers ....... Thirty years of royal rule from 1960 to 1990 had been tragic enough for most Nepalis. Economic stagnation and stunted political evolution compounded ethnic, regional, caste and economic inequality, creating the perfect conditions for a Maoist insurgency......... Attacking graft while his own cabinet was tainted by corruption set the tone. But the king’s coterie of Panchayat-era advisors blinded themselves to the transformation of Nepali society over the last decades and pressed on with their plan to turn the clock back......... He promised unwavering leadership and has stuck to his vow that “[outsiders] will say what they have to say but I will do what I have to do”........ he has successfully called the global community’s bluff....... the Maoists have now struck at Kathmandu militarily and all major parties, including royalists, are boycotting the elections......... You won’t hear ministers referring to the ambitious 21-point plan announced by the first post-coup cabinet, for almost none of the plans have been implemented. In March 2004, the king had ordered the immediate shift of mid-western regional government offices from Nepalgunj in the plains to Surkhet in the hills. Finding on a return visit in August ’05 that his orders had been ignored, he threatened action if the shift was not completed within three months. But to no avail. Dictators are at least meant to make the trains run on time....... Misjudged polls often serve to inflame conflicts rather than resolve them........ The fact that the royal government chose not to consult its own peace secretariat on the potential dangers of the exercise is telling. For the palace, the polls seem to be part of a strategy of confrontation, not reconciliation. The king’s honorary aide-de-camp Bharat Keshar Simha, a retired general and president of the World Hindu Federation in Nepal, told Tehelka that elections will go ahead “irrespective of how many people die.” Some royalists would rather have a bloody showdown than risk losing face......... As winter draws to a close the season of political agitation begins. It was in the spring of 1990 that the democracy movement gathered momentum....... the king has made it clear he will not compromise in the face of popular protest as his brother did........ The party-Maoist agreement did not insist on republicanism; it deliberately left space for accommodation with the king. At the moment, as thinking royalists have long realised, palace hardliners are the greatest threat to the future of the monarchy....... But the easy options will lead only to continued bloodshed and political collapse.
Dialogue is the only route to rescue Nepal, South China Morning Post Chaos awaits unless King Gyanendra swiftly accedes to demands to return the country to democracy....... The king, who seized power from the elected government almost a year ago on the pretext that it was not properly dealing with the insurgency, has shown that he, too, is incapable of finding a solution. His policy of using military force instead of negotiation has only increased the country’s instability....... Maoist attacks, previously confined to remote parts of poverty-stricken Nepal, are now taking place in the capital, Kathmandu, proving the ineffectiveness of the king’s approach....... The military, police and security forces have been given free rein to implement the policy. As a result, innocent people have been targeted as collaborators or caught up in the crossfire of the fighting. Opponents and critics of the king have disappeared from society, been jailed without charge, killed or raped........... Public rallies, the only way for Nepalis to show their disapproval, have been broken up or prevented through toughened curfews and the arrest of organisers....... To appease foreign governments and aid donors, he has called municipal elections for February 8, a week after the first anniversary of his taking absolute power. Given the instability of his country, these cannot be held in fair and free circumstances. While people are not even allowed to express their opinions openly on the streets or through the media, there is no possibility that their voices can be reliably heard through the ballot box......... Nepal’s biggest foreign aid donors have in recent days become King Gyanendra’s loudest international critics. The US, Britain, European Union, India and Japan want him to start a dialogue with the seven main political parties with a view to restoring democracy and restarting peace talks with the Maoists. This he must do immediately. Only in this way can Nepal be saved from its descent into worsening violence, instability and anarchy.
Nepal's going nowhere, Hindustan Times King Gyanendra’s draconian tactics are aimed at saving the monarchy, or to be more accurate, a democracy under suspension. If the king had been serious about democracy, he should have opened talks with the political parties to work out a compromise solution...... When he took power a year ago, there was some expectations of resolving the gridlock between the monarchy, political parties and the rebels. Lamentably, the king didn’t prove up to the challenge, even when he had the opportunity to during the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Maoists........ It’s time King Gyanendra realised that he is clearly running out of options. Immediate political reverses apart, these developments potentially threaten the very institution of the monarchy, which is proving to be short-sighted and inept..... the democratic forces in Nepal too need to realise that if they are unable to sustain their current upsurge, it will be curtains for them, at least for the near future. In other words, the time has come for them to show their mettle and prove to the Nepalese people that they, not the Maoists or the monarch, are the true representatives of the Nepalese people.
Political detainees treated poorly INSN Armed Police Force Barracks: No. 2 Gana Ranibari; Pahara Gana Tripureswar; Balambu; APF Headquarter Halchowk; Nepal Police Headquarter and Nepal Police Academy Maharajgunj in Kathmandu District and Guheswari Gana in Bhaktapur District....... APF Inspector Binod Sharma Bhandari, who asked political detainees to clean the their dishes and ordered his juniors to stop providing roti (wheat bread) to the diabetic patients....... A total of 48 men political prisoners are detained in a bunker made by the steel (roof and wall) and are sharing the bed with their colleagues. Known as the Romania Hall with wet floor have been used to admit for 15 patients suffered from the jaundice of the Birendra Police Hospital. The detainees are not given adequate drinking water. The toilets are located about 10 minutes walking distance and have to be shared with the hundreds of soldiers....... poor condition of detention center, inadequate water and poor quality of food....... Many detainees are suffering from stomach problems because of cold and poor quality of rice...... In a separate building, four women leaders including Nepali Congress Central committee members Mina Pande and Sujata Koirala, Nepal Sadbhabana Party center committee member Sarita Giri, and student leader Nabina Lama are detained. The living condition is relatively better, while they are detained in one of the office room........... Detainees are facing problems for rest room (one) and shower such as Mr. Phuyal had got opportunity to take shower at 2.00 pm waiting since 4.00am......... problem of drinking water and rest room in this detention....... They have not been given full access to reading materials........ Family members are only allowed to visit twice in a week during office hours (Wednesday and Saturday), which is not sufficient. However, friends and distant family members are not allowed to visit them, which puts further stress on detainees. The telephone services for political prisoners are restricted. Only state owned and regime supporter newspapers are provided, but the Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post are completely prohibited in all detention centers. Access to radio and television are not provided. Political prisoners health condition seems deteriorating due to poor condition of living, particularly No. 2 Gana....... This regime’s Act has completely violated the fundamental human rights of the people by detaining without justified reason and not providing minimum facilities to political prisoners ensured by the 1990 UN Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners.
King's gambit and a dozen mutinies, Tehelka As King Gyanendra began his three-week tour of Nepal’s eastern region on the second day of 2006, it was evident that the king’s spinmasters were at work. Here is a ruler who has stepped out of the safety of Kathmandu valley to the hinterland to share the pain of his people devastated by a decade-old war, was how the visit was sold to the people of Nepal......... Despite repeated appeals by the international community, Nepal’s parties and civil society, and a month-long extension by the Maoists, Gyanendra had refused to accede to the Maoists’ demands, dismissing them as a ploy and said the State was not bound to reciprocate the ceasefire as it had not initiated the war. Instead, the government stepped up military operations against the rebels in their core areas........ Analysts believe that Gyanendra wants the violence to continue to drum up support of the domestic elite and the international community. “The State would prefer war rather than peace…He believes that longer the ‘terror’, the longer will be the life of the regime,” argues Devendra Raj Panday, leader of the civil society movement for democracy........ he has managed to radicalise the two sections that stood by him when the Maoists were calling for a republic — the media and the parties....... the past year has been a diplomatic disaster for Nepal....... Kanak Mani Dixit comments, “The country is not being guided even in its autocracy. The king is the chairman of the council of ministers, but there are no traces of him managing the situation.”....... Bharat Keshar Simha, honorary aide-de-camp to the king, says, “Remember these parties had first termed the Maoists as terrorists when they were in government. Doesn’t joining hands now make them terrorists as well?” ........ Student leader Gagan Thapa told Tehelka, “I have visited several villages and districts in recent months. This would not have been possible if the Maoists had not stuck to their word.” ....... The end of the ceasefire will strengthen the resistance on both fronts through the agitation of the parties as well as the armed struggle of the Maoists......... rebel violence may strengthen groups in parties that are against the deal with the Maoists. Even as radical a student leader as Gagan Thapa admits, “If they indulge in indiscriminate violence, it will be difficult for us to continue with the understanding. But if the Maoists operate by only attacking the State, and not civilians, the pact would stay.”........ The mainstream parties could now portray themselves as the force capable of providing democracy as well as peace....... parties have succeeded in holding large rallies in Janakpur, Pokhara, Butwal and other towns in December........ Despite this increased strength, the parties have clearly been unable to generate the kind of energy and support necessary to make the king feel the heat........ Pari Thapa of the People’s Front, “While the parties have made the movement more effective in the last four months, we haven’t been able to mobilise people like in East Europe in the late 80s. It seems the people still want to test the parties and our commitment.” ‘Test’ seems to be the right word, for the parties’ performance before the king’s takeover did leave a lot to be desired, even if their demonisation by royalists is flawed....... Kathmandu is rife with speculation about the polarisation within each party. “There is a strong pro-king lobby in every party that sees the Maoists as the prime threat and would not like a full-fledged movement against the monarch” ....... the fact that the country is under military rule is also believed to obstruct a full-scale movement. Politicians confide that it’s difficult to mobilise support against the regime in districts where the army is out.......... there is undoubtedly greater clarity among the parties today than a year back..... Gagan Thapa view it as hypocrisy. “It is wrong on the part of leaders to give speeches in favour of republicanism in universities and say there is space for monarchy at other gatherings. If we are asking people to come to rallies, we must tell them honestly what is the goal.” What seems to be missing is this precisely stated goal and clear direction. As civil society leader Devendra Raj Panday puts it, “The parties need to build the movement around one firm goal — elections to a constituent assembly.”.......... This inability of the parties to mount a popular movement against the king, and the differences among their leadership and cadre, may rank as one of the reasons the king is unwilling to show any flexibility........ What is keeping Gyanendra going? “A completely flawed understanding of Nepali society and its realities, and the backing of the army,” asserts Dixit. “The belief that all he needs to do in the worst-case scenario is rollback slightly to open doors for reconciliation,” reflects Dahal. Panday adds, “The army, obscurantist Hindu organisations, Nepal’s aristocracy and the king’s seeming unwillingness to listen to reasonable counsel.” Misinformation by the coterie, say others. Or maybe the reported millions stashed away in foreign shores that can provide for a comfortable exile......... he is reported to be feeling vulnerable ...... Shyam Saran met a man hell-bent on pursuing his political path, but clearly worried about the prevailing situation. And worried, he has reason to be. For February promises to alter the Nepali political landscape drastically...... January 20 ... Party leaders hope to have attend the rally....... more than two lakh peopleIndia and the United Kingdom have questioned the poll’s credibility....... the polls will be a farce given the Maoist threat, a subservient election commission, and the active role of the army....... Despite the bravado, there remains a possibility that Gyanendra may consider postponing the polls if only to pretend he is ready for conciliation without addressing the root problem of the autocracy. Political activists believe that this is what makes the need for a clearer goal among the parties even more urgent......... the royalists are expected to mark the anniversary of the royal coup on February 1 with even more draconian measures. A week before the scheduled municipal polls, it is possible that political leaders would be arrested on grounds of allying with the Maoists and obstructing the polls........ The rebels are reported to be preparing to blockade Kathmandu, and attack political and military targets. On January 14, the Maoists gave a whiff of things to come by killing 12 security personnel in attacks on different police posts in the city........ Across the political spectrum, there is a consensus that Nepal is headed for deeper confrontation. ... If the ball is still in the king’s court, as many in Kathmandu suggest, then it might just be time for the resistance to change the rules of the game.
Himalayan Tyranny, Indian Express In these 12 months, the Himalayan kingdom has been held down by the royal jackboot. Not only has the king shredded the 1990 constitution and ruled by ordinance, he has systematically and brutally targetted the Opposition, hounded the media, and turned the Royal Nepal Army into a praetorian guard of the palace. He has done this with an arrant disregard of, or any pretence to, democracy. He has done this in blatant opposition to international opinion, whether represented in the counsel of the US president, the UN secretary general, or indeed the Indian prime minister............ he is battling not just Maoists and the leaders of various parties, but ordinary citizens...... They, who had lived thus far under the tenuous hope that the king would see reason and step back, are now increasingly seized by a mood of hopelessness and frustration...... The king, even as he takes increasing recourse to strong-arm tactics, has lost even the ability to read the reality staring him in the face with any degree of accuracy....... The world cannot expect a rational response from such a man. The moment has come for the international community to act in a coherent and cohesive manner so that the long-suffering citizens of Nepal can emerge from under the shadow of the tyrant........ China and Pakistan have long tried to extract foreign policy mileage from the dangerously fraught situation in Nepal. They too must come on board, or risk being isolated. Upon India falls a special responsibility to intervene politically and diplomatically by deploying the various instruments in its command in order to isolate the king, and weaken his egregious grip on his people....... The world must not fail Nepal yet again.
A turning point for Nepal Shirin Shirin Foreign Policy In Focus For well over two centuries, Nepal has been a monarchy. ....... Nepal is the poorest country in the sub-continent and among the thirty most impoverished countries in the world...... The level of literacy, health care, sanitation and general public infrastructure is abysmal. Agriculture, the main source of income, is becoming increasingly difficult due to the war. Fleeing the country looking for work, thousands are employed in near slave-like conditions in India as servants, security guards and prostitutes. Increasing numbers are serving in foreign armies or are working for private military companies in places like Iraq......... terrorization has made it possible for them to control virtually all of Nepal except the capital and some other smaller cities......... Claiming to curb the Maoists, the king has embarked upon a path that is as brutal as theirs. Torture, arrests, abductions and killings by the army have become commonplace. With even less support from the general public for his rule than for the Maoists, the king has used his control over the army to perpetuate his rule with no regard for the law. The army is responsible for almost two-thirds of the total killings in this war........ Key to the king’s power is the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) 2002, which has given the security forces new powers to arrest people and detain them without charge. In October 2005, the king increased the powers of the TADA extending the period of detention without charge or trial from 90 days to a year....... “Summary executions of civilians and combatants are common, especially in remote districts…. Torture is widespread in military and police custody.” ....... According to Human Rights Watch, “Over the past two years, the Nepalese army has been responsible for the largest number of reported forced disappearances in the world.” ...... The dynamic between the Maoists and the government changed in 2001, when the king and several members of the royal family were killed by the heir apparent who then took his own life........ Gyanendra, assumed the throne. A vocal opponent of the 1990 constitution, Gyanendra immediately set forth to regain the supremacy of the monarchy. The Nepalese Army soon began an extended military campaign against the Maoists....... Sensing a losing battle, Gyanendra reinstalled the democratically elected Prime Minister Deuba in April 2004 and promised to hold parliamentary elections in 2005...... In July 2005, Deuba was convicted and sentenced on corruption charges by an anticorruption commission established by the king. Nepal’s two largest parties, the Nepali Congress Party and the Communist Party (United Marxist-Leninist), subsequently ended their support for a constitutional monarchy and showed an interest in negotiating with the Maoists to find a solution. In September 2005, the Maoist rebels declared a three-month unilateral ceasefire......... the parties suggested that the UN or another trustworthy international body would monitor both the army and the Maoists........ the king with his desire to continue his rule, refused to agree to the constituent assembly election. And he remains committed to keeping elections within the framework of the 1990 constitution. It is understood that his support for the 1990 constitution is a desperate attempt to hold on to power as the most likely scenario of a constituent assembly election would be the final removal of monarchy....... The U.S. has supported the king’s anti-Maoist stance, alleging that the Maoists want to turn Nepal into a “brutal and anachronistic state.” The State Department has marked the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” organization. The U.S. has also expressed concern over the “Maoist insurgency desiring to… export its revolution to peaceful neighbors” like India........ While India suspended military aid to Nepal as soon as the king dismissed the government in February 2005, it took the U.S. over nine months to suspend military aid to Nepal........ atrocities by the army also continue unabated. Human rights groups are repeatedly warning that journalists, political leaders, trade unionists, student leaders and anyone speaking against the monarchy is under severe threat and several hundred of them have already been imprisoned or have “disappeared”........ the Nepalese government has passed a new law regulating the activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) prohibiting any activity endangering “social harmony” and banning NGO staff from having political affiliations. This implies that any NGO advocating a change in the status quo will be seen as a criminal and is liable to be arrested......... the U.S. should stop all forms of aid to Nepal. It continues to supply Nepal with what it terms “non-lethal military aid”, which includes vehicles and bulletproof jackets. As part of non-lethal military aid, the U.S. continues to fund development projects in Nepal through multilateral institutions that it dominates, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). These actions give credibility to the regime........ the U.S. must support the demand of the opposition in Nepal to hold an election for the constituent assembly. This demand has the backing of almost all of the major political parties as well as the Maoists. The fact that political parties and the rebels have united in their demand and the Maoists have agreed to a ceasefire and participation in mainstream politics is an extremely hopeful prospect for Nepal. It should not be ignored or taken lightly......It is important that the UN and important players like India and the U.S. abandon their current wait and see approach. By giving him time, the international community will only make him stronger. The Nepalese monarchy has a long record of treachery to democratic principles and processes. It will leave no stone unturned in its attempts to hold on to power.
at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)