Democracy For Nepal

Friday, October 20, 2006

Hamro Nepal Constitution

Preamble

Hamro Nepal is the world's first digital democracy organization. It played a key role in Nepal's April Revolution. The organization has five goals.

Set up a democratic republic in Nepal.
Achieve total equality for the DaMaJaMa, Dalit, Madhesi, Janajati, Mahila, and other marginalized groups.
Attain double digit economic growth for Nepal.
Engineer political empowerment of the Nepali diaspora in their immediate countries, which means voting rights in America for the 120,000 Nepalis here.
Help export the April Revolution to all countries that are not yet democracies.

It hopes to work with other digital, semi-digital and non-digital organizations through the ecosystem concept to achieve these goals. Hamro Nepal trains bridge activists to make the best of the ecosystem concept. Bridge activists are the organization's links to people, organizations and events that are offline.

Membership

Anyone, Nepali or not, dedicated to these goals can become a Member. Membership is free. All you have to give is your name and email address. You have to be inducted by an existing member of the organization. The names of all members are publicly displayed on search engine protected webpages that show who brought whom in.

The organization is global.

The organization is structured to empower the individual member to the max.

Active Members

Active members are those who also have their own blogs that likely have text, photos, audio and video, and they link to their pertinent blog entries in the virtual parliament. They likely have their own private mailing lists that help them project their blogs deep into their target audiences.

Officers

There is to be a President and a Vice President directly elected by the members through an open, online over email voting system.

Elections are to be held annually in April.

Tools

Current and future online tools are to be used to enhance effectiveness.

Hamro Nepal
Think Tank
Virtual Parliament

All interested members may participate in the virtual parliament.

Mailing List

The President will have a mailing list that includes the email addresses of all members. The list is to be used sparingly. The goal is to not send out more than one email per month, if that.

Mailing List

Funds

Hamro Nepal works primarily by helping shape the debate through use of freely available online tools. So there is to be no central fund.

But small groups within the organization may raise and spend funds. When they do so, they must share bookkeeping with all those who contributed.

President: Paramendra Bhagat (Binay Shah Interviews Paramendra Bhagat 3)
Vice President: Anil Shahi (Anil Shahi - Google Video)

Democracy Spreading Mechanism
The Demosphere Manifesto

ANA Convention: My Hamro Nepal Speech
Hamro Nepal Has Three Goals
Hamro Nepal Will Not Be Registered
Hamro Nepal: Free Membership
Hamro Nepal: Membership Drive
Hamro Nepal, Latest
Hamro Nepal: Draft Constitution
Hamro Nepal All Set To Be Launched
Organization: Hamro Nepal

Your Many Identities
Internalized Racism Among Nepalis In NYC
The April Revolution Asks For A New Political Party
18 Days Of April Revolution: Victory
Sanjaya Parajuli In Brooklyn
Hamro Nepal, Latest

Immigrant Power
May 1 Immigrants Rally: Great American Boycott With Jesse Jackson 3
The First Major Revolution Of The 21st Century Happened In Nepal
Immigration Makes Economy Sense, Democracy, Justice, Family Sense
Hate Speech, Free Speech: Europe Needs To Learn The Difference
Bill Frist's Ancestors Came From The Moon

Interim Constitution, Revolutionary Parliament (April 8)
Proposed Republican Constitution 2006 (January 1)
Proposed Constitution (December 19)
Proposed Constitution (November 17)
Proposed Constitution (September 3)
Proposed Democratic Republican Constitution (August 12)
Janata Dal Constitution (August 8)
Proposed Constitution (June 18)
Reorganized UN, Proposed Constitution, Methods (May 30)
Proposed Constitution (May 3)
Shortcut To A New Constitution, Shortcut To Peace (April 8)
This Inadequate, Improper, Insufficient 1990 Constitution (April 4)

In The News

Maoist Instruction For Insurrection Drishti
Congress Unification After Interim Parliament
The Don Of Kathmandu Caputured By Maoists
Palace Busy Consulting
Danger Of Maoist Counter Insurrection
Words And Deeds Of The Maoists
The Changed Politics In The Rural Areas
The Maoists Are The Reason The Talks Got Disrupted: Oli

NEPAL: Govt gives green light to 5 TV and 50 FM stations Asia Pacific Media Network, CA
Nepal Govt, Maoist meeting only after Deewali Zee News, India

Failure to set mandate of UN team delaying the team’s work: Martin NepalNews
Cabinet decides to hold summit meeting after Tihar
Mahara along with SPA leaders leave for London
Britain to assist Nepal peace process, not to impose it’s view: Dr. Hall
Court reporting makes judiciary transparent, accountable: experts
Take a strong action against bank defaulters: Gautam
SC overturns government decision to retire General Malla
Bhattarai asks UN to address the problems of poor

Patan Appellate Court summons FNCCI, Chairman Dhakal Kantipur
US optimistic about success of ongoing peace process: Moriarty the US was hopeful that the Maoists would lay down their arms and join mainstream politics. ..... the US proposal to resettle up to 60,000 Bhutanese refugees in the US is a "favourable" option to the Bhutanese refugees. ..... the only wish the United States has behind resettling the refugees is to give the refugees, who have gone through the ordeal for the last 15-16 years, an opportunity to lead a happy and content life.
Maoists force foreign climbers to pay tax
No action against army personnel spurred king to flout HLPC deadline: Mahara
Severe foodgrain deficit looms
Keep peace process focused on HR: OHCHR report
Landowners raze 1,800 squatter huts
Students forcibly ferried to Maoist meet
India wants smooth progress in Nepal's peace process: Mukherjee the government of India is "eager" to see Nepal making rapid progress in the peace process without any obstacles. ...... Mukherjee who went to the Indian capital New Delhi last week, met with Indian Prime Minister Dr Man Mohan Singh, Home Minister Shiv Raj Patil, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, National Security Advisor MK Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shanker Menon and held key consultations with them on Nepal's peace process.
No response from King Gyanendra as HLPC deadline passes
प्रजातान्त्रिकका कार्यकर्ता अपहरित
'सात दल अमेरिकाको दबाबमा' 'राजतन्त्रको रोगबाट प्रमुख दलहरू मुक्त भए भने दिगो शान्तिका दिन तुरुन्तै आउनेछ ।'
दलित गोष्ठी
माओवादी-जनतान्त्रिक भिडन्त राजविराज, कार्तिक १ - माओवादी र जनतान्त्रिक तराई मुक्ति मोर्चाबीच बुधबार सप्तरीको रामपुरामल्हनियास्थित डल्लवामा दोहोरो भिडन्त भएको छ । भिडन्तमा एक माओवादीको मृत्यु भएको छ भने तीन घाइते भएका छन् । .... यसैगरी भिडन्तमा मोर्चाका दुई कार्यकर्ता घाइते भएका छन् । ..... नाम खुल्न नसकेका मृतक माओवादी पहाडी मूलका भएको र आफ्नै कब्जामा रहेको मोर्चाका केन्द्रीय अध्यक्ष्ा ज्वाला सिंहले बताए । सदरमुकाम राजविराजदेखि करिब १२ किमि दक्षिणपूर्वको नेपाल-भारत सीमानजिकै भिडन्त भएको जिल्ला प्रहरीले जनाएको छ । ..... माओवादी स्रोतले भने घटनामा मोर्चाका दुई छापामारको मृत्यु भएको बताएको छ । ..... भिडन्त दिउँसो तीन बजेतिर भएको स्थानीय बासिन्दाले बताए । भिडन्तमा घाइते मोर्चाका ६ कार्यकर्तालाई उनीहरूले डुंगामा राखेर भारततर्फ लगेको स्थानीय बासिन्दाले बताए । घटनास्थल सप्तकोसी किनारमा पर्छ । भारतीय सिमानानजिकै कोसी किनारमा जनतान्त्रिकले सेल्टर लिएर बस्दै आएको थियो । केही समय पहिले जनतान्त्रिकले हत्या गरेका रामपुरमल्हनियाका निर्वतमान गाविस अध्यक्ष बद्री यादवको घरमा मोर्चाले तालाबन्दी गरिदिएपछि उनीहरू त्यही सेल्टर लिएर बस्दै आएको स्रोतले बतायो ।
माओवादीले राजमार्गको ढाट हटाए
राजसंस्था खारेजी माग
माओवादीको गोलीबाट आफ्नै कमान्डरको मृत्यु
लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्रका लागि ध्रुवीकरण हरि रोका संंविधानसभा निर्वाचनपश्चात् सर्वसहमतिद्वारा मुलुकलाई लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्रमा प्रवेश गराउने ..... वर्तमान संसद्को सबैभन्दा ठूलो घटक नेपाली कांग्रेस र त्यसका सभापति एवं प्रधानमन्त्री गिरिजाप्रसाद कोइराला मुलुकलाई यथास्थितिमै राख्न प्रयत्नशील देखिएपछि वार्ताको असफलता अनिवार्य थियो । माओवादीलाई कम्तीमा लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्रमा पुग्नुको विकल्प छैन ......... यथार्थमा हतियार व्यवस्थापन लगभग टुङ्गो लागिसकेको विषय हो । संयुक्त राष्ट्रसंघलाई जुन ५ बुँदे सहमतिपत्र पठाइएको हो र जसरी राष्ट्रसंघ तयारीसाथ उपस्थित भएको छ, त्यो सहमति नै एकमात्र भरपर्दो र सजिलो उपाय हो हतियार व्यवस्थापनका लागि । ........ जहाँसम्म अहिले कति प्रतिशत हतियार लकअप गर्ने प्रश्न छ, लोकतान्त्रिक मोर्चा बनाएर जाने हो भने सय प्रतिशत नै लकअप गर्ने प्रस्ताव माओवादीले बैठकमा प्रस्तुत गरेको व्यहोरा ....... कांग्रेस र एमाले .... उनीहरूमा ठूलो त्रास विद्यमान छ । त्यो हो, संविधानसभापछि स्थापित हुने लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र अत्यन्त समावेशी हुनेछ । ......... आधार क्षेत्रमा विभाजित रहेका तर राज्यमा सम्पूर्ण रूपले समावेशी लोकतन्त्र खोजिरहेका दलित, जनजाति, महिला, मधेसी, कणर्ाली ....... मूल विषयवस्तुलाई छलछाम गरेर वार्ता लम्बाउने, सक्दो तन्काउने र अन्यौलग्रस्त बनाइरहने कार्यमा यी दल लागिपरेका छन् । ....... इतिहासले १६४०, १७८९ र १९१७ लाई ठूला ऐतिहासिक फड्को ठानेका छन् । नेपालको सन्दर्भमा गएको 'अपि्रल' अर्थात् २०६२/६३ को विद्रोह ऐतिहासिक फड्को मार्ने घटना थियो । ....... कांग्रेसलाई भोलि गर्ने प्रतिद्वन्द्विताका कारण आज लोक गणतान्त्रिक मोर्चामा सामेल हुन असम्भव भएको जनाउ तिनका नेताले दिने गरेका छन् । विशेषगरी उसको यो अडान गैरकम्युनिस्ट फोबियाले ग्रसित छ । बाह्र बुँदे समझदारी र आठ बुँदे सम्झौतामा हस्ताक्षर गरिसकेपछि सहमतिबाट पछि हट्नुले उसलाई उग्र दक्षिणपन्थी गठबन्धनका लागि तयार हुन पर्ने बाध्यात्मक परिस्थिति सिर्जना भएको छ । त्यो सोच र बाध्यता त्यत्तिकै आएको होइन, उसले सन् १९९० पछि प्रजातान्त्रिक समाजवादको सैद्धान्तिक प्रस्तावनाबाट समाजवाद झिकेपछि सिर्जना भएको विचलन हो । विगतमा कांग्रेसलगायत अन्य दलमा ठाडो विभाजन भएको थियो । अब सबै राजनीतिक दलमा तेस्रो विभाजन सुरु हुनेछ । लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्रमा प्रवेश गर्ने वा नगर्ने नै त्यसको राजनीतिक विषयवस्तु हुनेछ । ........ कांग्रेस र एमालेभित्र तीव्र बहस चलिरहेको छ । ....... साँच्चै दिगो शान्ति र लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्रका लागि सडकमा फेरि नआउने हो भने मुलुकले कुन दिशा अख्तियार गर्ने हो कसैले भविष्यवाणी गर्न सक्दैन ।
माओवादीद्वारा खाद्यान्नमा कर

Nepal king snubs probe panel royally Times of India, India the commission interrogated hundreds of people, including the two deputies of the king, the past and current army chief, royalist ministers and government officials. .... All of them, while expressing regret for the casualties, refused to accept responsibility for the consequences, saying they were merely carrying out orders from the king, who headed the government as chairman of the council of ministers. ..... a proclamation by parliament after the fall of the royal regime that stripped the royal family of the legal immunity they had enjoyed for over 200 years and said they could be tried in court for crimes. ...... the palace has been behaving in a similar manner over repeated calls by a parliamentary committee to provide full details of the properties and assets owned by the royal family so that they can be brought under the tax net ...... "We gave him a week to reply and we waited for a week," said Harihar Birahi, a member of the commission. "We will now write our report on the basis of the facts we have received, the existing laws and our conscience." ..... Five years ago, the king had given a statement before a panel investigating the mysterious shootout in the palace, in which the then king Birendra and his entire family were wiped out.
Nepal king fails to answer probe on crackdown Reuters
Nepal King snubs commission deadline NDTV.com
Nepal's King snubs deadline by commission probing crackdown Zee News
REFILE-Nepal's Maoist rebel chief makes rare home visit Reuters AlertNet, UK
NEPAL: Child marriage still common in rural southwest Reuters AlertNet, UK
Nepal King ignores probe Commission's deadline Hindustan Times, India
Nepal king snubs probe panel royally Telugu Portal
Nepal king snubs probe panel royally Indian Muslims
Nepal In the Shadows of ‘Peoplocracy’ United We Blog, Nepal
No solution in sight to break Nepal's impasse Asian Tribune consensus eluding them on the future of 238-year-old monarchy, and the issue of arms management. ...... 'The new dates for the talks will have to be announced by the Prime Minister' ....... the Maoists will not be the first to blink. The Maoist camp is putting the blame for the impasse at the door-step of the ruling alliance. ...... statement of Maoist No. 2 Baburam Bhattarai (to AFP) that the peace talks were in 'no danger' of foundering. ..... Koirala, an old-time politician, had cut his teeth at the Darbar. Many still see him as a Palace- man. He has 'grave' reservations on Maoists. So do the King and the US. ....... The Maoists ... arrived three hours late for the talks. ......... Both sides agreed to hold elections by mid 2007 for the Constituent Assembly ...... The Maoists have a 35,000 strong army. The regular army is 90,000 strong but it is the writ of People's Liberation Army, as the Maoist cadres are known, which holds sway over rural Nepal. Disciplining them to fall in line with the imperatives of civilian democratic government is a tough proposition at the best of times. More so in the context of Nepal........ make the Maoist army deposit their arms in UN supervised camps. ...... "We are ready to lock up our weapons provided the SPA agrees to declare Nepal as a Republic in the interim statute or at least gives a written commitment to go for the Republican setup after the constituent assembly elections".
Nepal hits standoff in negotiations over future government Christian Science Monitor
Nepal to face chronic foodgrain deficit Hindu, India
Nepal fails to win berth in UN Security Council Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran

Nepal meets with PM Koirala, talks about summit meeting agenda NepalNews
Arbour tables report on Nepal at UN General Assembly
All issues will be settled by November 16, says DPM Sherchan
Court issues summons to FNCCI president on 'contempt of court' case
Nine people, including three children, abducted from Kuleshwore those abducted were taken towards Sanepa from Kuleshwore in a micro-bus with registration number BA 1 JA 5776. ..... people involved in the incident identified themselves as Maoists and added that they were arresting them on charges of being involved in the trade of illegal drugs. ..... police reached the incident site on time but did not stop the abduction after the "abductors" identified themselves as Maoists and asked police not to intervene. ...... The incident comes amid reports of Maoists cracking down on local goons and drug peddlars as Nepal police has virtually failed to maintain law and order in the capital and elsewhere.
Mahara says 'donation collection' will continue they would continue 'collecting donation' until elections for the constituent assembly are held. ..... since the country has two parallel government at present, donation and taxation from their side was necessary for sustenance of the 'people's government'. He said such activities would continue till a single government is formed. ...... Maoists are ready for more flexibility if the seven parties are ready to restructure the Nepal Army.
ADB projects 4 pc GDP growth for Nepal

Maoists must abandon arms before joining interim government, says an Indian analyst NepalNews Mehta also added that peace process anywhere is a time-consuming affair. He gave examples of Northern Ireland or Sudan or Rwanda where it took years for the peace process to complete. "It has just been six months in Nepal.
Maoist leader invited by NRN to London spokesperson of the Maoists Krishna Bahadur Mahara ..... Mahara is expected to elaborate about Maoists' economic policy and foreign investment during his London stay. ...... Mahara as well as Nepali Congress (NC) general secretary Ram Chandra Poudel, leader of Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) and Speaker Subas Nemwang, NC (Democratic) leader Dr. Minendra Rijal, central member of People's Front Nepal Shashi Shrestha and Janajati leader Dr. Om Gurung ........ The leaders will take part in three programs to be hosted by NRN community in London between October 21-23. The leaders would also visit Germany and Belgium and attend NRN meetings there.
Maoists clash with JTMM cadres, one killed
Peace talks will take decisive turn shortly: Mahara the Maoists will lay down arms only after the seven-party alliance roots for a democratic republican set-up. ..... Maoists ferried school children from over 45 schools of Bharatpur municipality area to show their strength in the programme.
UML general secy. doubts crucial talks before Tihar the UML general secretary said that the peace process is being disrupted by certain quarters. ...... the love of Nepali Congress for the monarchy and the love of Maoists to the arms are hindering the peace talks .......

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Maoist Transformation From Parallel State To Political Party: An Essential Precondition

Parallel Governments Of Maoists And Moriarty

When the elections to the constituent assembly are held, the Maoists are going to have to participate as a political party, or not. That transformation is a precondition. On the other hand, state restructuring can be a happy price to pay for that transformation. Such restructuring should be the democratic goal with or without the Maoists. Only when that is true will the process of transformation be smooth. Unnecessary friction can be avoided if the seven party alliance gets proactive about state restructuring.

Army

There are two armies. The state army is 90,000 strong, the Maoist army is 35,000 strong. Step one should be to put both into barracks and register all of their weapons and soldiers. Then the idea is to keep them that way until elections are held. After elections, you integrate them, then you downsize that army.

Each party has to take a stand. How big do you want the army to be? What do you want its ethnic and gender composition to be? How do you hope to achieve that? The future army should not be composed just from the state and the Maoist armies. We should also look beyond.

But the idea of keeping the two armies in separate barracks only makes sense if the rest of arms management is part of the package deal.

The interim Prime Minister is to be the Commander In Chief of both armies.

Militia

There are 100,000 armed Maoist militia. They can not remain intact. There are 70,000 armed personnel in the state police the armed police force. The Maoist militia may not now pretend to be the state police. The police are an organ of the state. It is not possible for any person to be part of the state police and a member of a political party like that of the Maoists at the same time.

It might be possible to induct some of the Maoist militia into the state police. Again, such acts should not be limited to the state police and the Maoist militia. The idea of the future Nepal Police should cast its net wide. People who are currently not part of the police, and who are not Maoist militia should not get penalized.

Courts

The Maoists have set up courts all over the place. Those courts are peopled by members of the Maoist party. That may not continue. That has to go. When the Maoists participate in the constituent assembly elections, they should be a political party that does not own any courts. The court, just like the police and the army, is an organ of the state.

All village courts have to come under the district courts of the state. In that process many village courts will get disbanded. Some will get reorganized. A few might get retained, although I doubt it.

Local Governments

Eight party governments have to be set up in all villages, towns, and cities so as to help the process of Maoist transformation into a political party.

Interim Government

Then you are looking at an eight party interim government at the center.

Republic

The first day of the first session of the constituent assembly will declare Nepal a republic, guaranteed. The Maoists have to face that reality. On the other hand, they could hasten it by making free and fair elections to a constituent assembly possible at the earliest. And they do that by becoming a political party.

Summit Talks And Obstinate Congressias
Summit Talks And Maoist Nonsense
Summit Talks: Four Heads Talking
Televise The Summit Talks
The Summit Talks Will Succeed

Money Management

There should be a provision in the interim constitution that requires all political parties to make their book keeping transparent. A final step in the Maoist transformation from a parallel state to a political party will be to make sure no political party has more than twice the money of the second largest party. Any extra money has to be submitted to the state.

In The News

India wants smooth progress in Nepal's peace process: Mukherjee Kantipur
No response from King Gyanendra as HLPC deadline passes
NHRC employees demand appointment of commissioners
Contempt of court case against FNCCI
FNCCI calls off Pokhara banda
Rebels co-opt hospital buildings for contact office
PM congratulates Ban Ki-moon, appreciates UN support
FNCCI defy court order, go ahead with nationwide strike
माओवादी ज्यादती जारी
मार्टिनद्वारा भारतीय अधिकारीहरूसँग परामर्श
माओवादीद्वारा पत्रकारलाई धम्की
उच्च जाति’ द्वारा माफी माग
वार्तालाई तीव्रता
वार्तामा नागरिक समाजको भूमिका

Nepal army in row over killing Maoist Times of India, India
NEPAL: From Maosim to Fascism in the Himalayas? American Chronicle, CA Dr. Thomas A. Marks What remains ill understood is that the Maoists are not using even the same vocabulary, much less the same game plan, as the present political system. They continue to see themselves as a people’s war on the offensive. They simply are proceeding along an avenue of approach complementary to armed actions. Violence and non-violence are but two facets of a unified struggle, very much as, in boxing, feints and movement of the body are as necessary as punches thrown. ........ people’s war is like any parliamentary campaign – except violence is used to make sure the vote comes out in your favor ...... they assert, echoing Lenin, that democratic politics practiced by the “old-order” – ancien regime – is but a façade for oppression, oppression that is carried out using the violence of the state through its armed component, the security forces, as well as the “structural violence” of poverty and injustice. ...... Lenin called those who unwittingly join such fronts, thinking they are acting on their own, “useful idiots.” ....... the sheer level of terror inflicted by the Maoists has been quite forgotten in the rush to attack the army, the APF (Armed Police Force), and the hapless police ...... For a Maoist movement, the goal is always power. ...... They are like any political machine in a rough neighborhood – they can “deliver” the vote. .... It is “boss politics” played by “big boy rules” -- the film, “The Gangs of New York,” provides useful visualization. ........ In seeking “peace” and holding that they are “not for violence,” what the Maoists mean is that they would much rather the state delivered to them (the Maoists) power rather than making them (the Maoists) fight for it. ........ they say all forces must lock up their weapons, but this does not include their local forces, their “militia” ......... They have stated, as Prachanda recently did, that they oppose “parliamentary republicanism” ...... Today’s realities are opposed with tomorrow’s promises. ....... The danger of left-wing ideologues, such as the Maoists, is that their worldview dramatically constrains their view of possibilities. ....... They tend to think of fantasies, such as “self-reliance” and “independence,” as ends that can be achieved if only “will” is harnessed. ........... the Maoists really have no answers to the challenges facing Nepal. They simply claim that they will do better than the bumbling (and bloody, they claim) incompetents who have preceded them. ........ what to do about Nepal? They see structural issues that can be addressed by “will.” Most of us see a population that has exceeded the carrying capacity of the land. .......... Nepal and its troubles have implications for the region and beyond. ........ Nepal’s geo-fiscal realities ...... Nepalis have proved a valuable component of the Indian labor pool (especially militarily, where Nepalis apparently comprise one-eighth of the manpower of India’s infantry battalions). ....... New Delhi’s strategy is to get one by facilitating in Nepal creation of a “West Bengal” or a “Kerala” – states where the tamed Indian left challenges and even rules, where it continues with its nasty verbiage and bizarre worldview, but where it must respond to the realities of power and hence stays within the lanes on the national political highway. ........ Disorder produces refugees, unleashes intra-Indian passions, transfers elements of the conflict to Indian soil, and sucks New Delhi into foreign policy nastiness. ......... SPAM (the Seven Party Alliance and the Maoists) ...... India .. is quite ignorant as to the actual nature of the Maoists ........ the most apt comparison for Nepal would seem to be to the Albania of the Cold War, when its lack of resources and close affinity with Maoist ideology reduced it to a complete backwater. ........ Hamas and Hezbollah, for example, thought they could be both respectable and disrespectable, that they could be both in government and carry our terrorist actions. ....... Hamas and Hezbollah, one could argue, have behaved as the Nepali Maoists seem determined to behave, to participate in “the system” only to use it for their own ends. Those “ends,” obviously, have now made life even worse for the Palestinian and Lebanese populations. ............. the very nature of Nepali parliamentary democracy, with its corruption and ineptitude, led to its marginalization ....... New Delhi’s political class seems to have seriously miscalculated. ..... ntegrally linked not only with South Asian Maoism, through CCOMPOSA, but also with global Maoist forces through RIM. ....... It is naïve to claim the radical wing of a radical Maoist movement will simply salute and call it a day, even if the leadership decides reigning in the combatants is the best tactical course of action. ........ the irony of Nepali parliamentary democracy – it proved incapable of using mobilization of democratic capacity to defend itself. ......... the Thai, the Filipinos, the Peruvians, and the Sri Lankans did to defeat their Maoists. They brought reform to imperfect systems and made them better. .......... man-eating systems as desired by the left-wing, of which the Maoists are the premier representatives. ......... the claim that there is “no military solution” to insurgency is simply a canard. ...... no army can be committed simply to defend the status quo. It must be committed to defend transformation. ....... the Maoists have worked so hard not to let their vision and plans get out into the open ..... hope is not a method. ...... For reconciliation, all elements of society need to be engaged. At the moment, the Maoists and some misguided elements of SPA are proceeding in much the same fashion as did the government of Sri Lanka when it marginalized its Tamil population. ...... The security forces number more than 160,000 individuals in intact units. ........ To think a socialist reshuffling of Nepal’s demographic and physical pieces will produce a panacea is a pipe dream. To the contrary, in advancing their “triumph of the will” solution, the Maoists seem quite unawares that they have fixed upon, as course of action, the very title of Hitler’s most powerful fascist propaganda film.
Lena Sundh appointed head of OHCHR-Nepal Nepalnews.com, Nepal
India wants to see smooth progress in Nepal's peace process ... Kantipur Online, Nepal
Martin, Tamrat Discuss Nepal Peace Process in India Himalayan Times
Ian Martin discusses Nepal’s peace process with Indian officials Nepalnews.com
Rizal demands refugee representation in Nepal-Bhutan talks Nepalnews.com, Nepal
Rizal Turns Down US Proposal to Resettle Bhutanese Refugees Himalayan Times
Upcoming talks will be decisive for repatriation of Bhutanese ... Nepalnews.com
Solution to Refugee Problem Soon: Oli Himalayan Times
Strike Cripples Life in Nepal OhmyNews International, South Korea
Nepal fails to secure UNSC seat Telugu Portal
Strike against Maoist extortion paralyses Nepal Peninsula On-line
Nepal businesses close in strike against extortion Reuters AlertNet Shops, industries and transport services were closed in many parts of Nepal on Tuesday in a strike called by a business lobby group to protest against extortion by Maoist rebels. ...... Highways were deserted and thousands of people were stranded as a result ...... The Maoists were earlier concentrated in rural areas but are now active in cities too. Industry leaders say many businesses had either closed or had cut operations due to security threats. ..... "It's a complete shutdown of shops and transport," said Sashi Pokharel, a journalist from the resort town of Pokhara ...... Residents in major business hubs like Narayanghat, Birgunj and Biratnagar said traders were persuading shops to down shutters but there were no reports of violence.
Nepal's Security Council Blame Game OhmyNews International, South Korea
Govt, Maoists in blame-game for Nepal's UNSC seat loss Kantipur Online, Nepal
Nepal loses in UNSC race Nepalnews.com
Nepal loses UNSC bid to Indonesia Kantipur Online
Nepal needs over 16 bln USD to meet MDGs: report People's Daily Online, China
Nepal needs US$8b aid to achieve MDGs Kantipur Online
Nepal Maoists to keep guns until monarchy abolished Zee News, India "The King is down but not out. He has all the privileges, he has all the money, billions of dollars... The Army is still loyal to him," Baburam Bhatterai said ....... Massive restructuring of the former Royal Nepal Army, a 90,000-strong force traditionally loyal to the monarch, is essential, Bhatterai said. ...... "The main institution buttressing and supporting the monarchy is the Royal Army. It is still feudalistic, and it is still loyal to the monarchy and against democracy," said the former civil engineer turned revolutionary. ....... "If you don't nationalise his property and if you don't restructure the army, he won't be finished. Money and guns are the main means of his power," Bhatterai said.

No response from palace to HLPC questionnaire NepalNews
Nepali Micro-Finance Institutions: Untapped potential Grameen Bank has 2.4 million borrowers, 95 percent of whom are women. .... bank research has shown that women tend to have a longer term planning and spend more business profits on family members than their male counterparts. ...... The example of Grameen has inspired a global micro credit movement that has spread to 65 developing countries and has reached 17 million borrowers around the globe. ...... more than 700 thousand families are associated with the micro-credit organizations in Nepal. ..... the repayment rate of such micro-finance companies was almost 99 percent despite the fact that loan was provided to poor women without collateral.
More funding in the offing, says European Commission rep
Government agrees to fulfill demands of entrepreneurs
18,000 temporary employees of local bodies to lose jobs
NRB writes to government to take action against willful defaulters

Media persons continue to face attacks, harassment 'District-in-charge' of the Maoist in the eastern Nepali district of Udaypur, Santosh, and other rebel leaders harassed and threatened media persons and human rights workers, as the latter raised some issues concerning the rebel outfit during an interaction organized by the rebels at district headquarters Gaighat. The program was organized by the rebel themselves to "discuss current political issues". ...... when some journalists and human rights workers raised queries about the donation campaign and some other current issues concerning the Maoists, Santosh bluntly stated that a "journalist had to be a Maoist first to understand news concerning the party (Maoists)". He also accused the media in general of spreading a negative image of his party among the masses. ....... "District-in-charge" Santosh came down heavily on the journalists and rights activists, claiming that they were commenting against the party. Further, claiming that he did not find it necessary to abide by his party's central level decisions, he said Chairman Prachanda's decision to close down the "people's courts" was not practical. ....... Maoist "battalion commissar" Sangam threatened the journalists, saying, "Think before writing news about the party (Maoists)". ...... The atrocities by the Maoists in Udayapur came a day after central leaders of Maoists apologized for the misbehavior meted out to journalists by their cadres on Sunday when Maoists did not allow journalists to cover the news of Baluwatar summit meeting
Maoist to investigate attack against GEFONT members

In Nepal, time to check the dangerous drift INSN Nepal’s political parties have begun to stumble in the final crucial laps with a needless controversy over the disposition of Maoist arms. ...... insisting on the surrender of arms before a political settlement was like putting the cart before the horse. ..... “Let us say they give up their weapons and then we fail to reach a political solution. It will not be difficult for them to pick up the gun again.”
Nepal: A people in transition Damn them, praise them, hate them or love them, the Maoists in Nepal are here to stay. .... We were greeted by a red arch of the communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) announcing the public meeting at Rajbiraj. There were many more all along the way as we travelled from Siraha to Rajbiraj, a distance of about 200 kms, on the Mahendra highway. We gave up counting after 27. ........ When we reached the town at around 10.30 am, it seemed as though it had been taken over by the Maoists. ...... Estimates of the crowd varied between 80,000 and 1,00,000, mostly from the surrounding villages. ..... Only three members of the Maoist negotiating team and 13 central committee (CC) members were authorised by the CPN (Maoist) to address public meetings. ...... The meeting was telecast live by Kantipur TV. In addition, loudspeakers had been put up throughout the town to enable others to hear the speeches. ....... Management and security at the meeting were provided by unarmed People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel and activists of the Madhesh Rashtriya Mukti Morcha (MRMM). The police and the Nepali army remained out of sight. This is how meetings are being organised by Maoists throughout Nepal including the one in Kathmandu on June 2, which drew, even opponents admit, six to seven lakh people. ........ people sat through the meeting, which lasted for nearly six hours. Speeches were heard in rapt silence ...... The speeches by two CC members of the CPN (Maoists), Maitrika Prasad Yadav and Gopal Kirati, were the longest and provided a detailed account of the Maoist perspective and touched on a number of issues, not just to do with the current situation but also how the Maoists view the national question (the right of self-determination), on which the Maoists promised self-rule in a federal structure. They spoke about ending feudalism and assured land redistribution (a rural land ceiling of 10 bighas and continuance of their land re-distribution programme). There was emphasis on changing the Madhesh women’s status in society, that they wanted them to be equal partners, and the party’s objective of equal representation for women. ....... Maitrika Prasad Yadav took up the issue of citizenship and the caste system, particularly the oppression of dalits. ...... Mahendra Paswan of MRMM, the wife of Ram Kumar Yadav (a popular teacher and peasant organiser in Madhesh) and Ram Raja Singh ....... a very large meeting, the largest in Rajbiraj in their memory ........ his party is convinced that one way to stem the possibility of degeneration of a revolutionary movement is through “competitive (pratispardha) politics”. ....... One remarkable thing among Maoist activists is the absence of an exaggerated assessment of their own strength. Will they win elections to the CA? The answer is that democratic republicanism will garner an overwhelming mandate. ....... “jan sabhas”, meetings of party members are taking place across Nepal to clear doubts, answer questions, including about the course adopted by the party ....... Badal has likened the present situation to the 1917 February revolution in Russia, but says that his party believes there has to be an October revolution. ...... What they caution against is any attempt at assassination of their leaders and penetration by unsavoury elements. ........ many in even the seven party alliance (SPA) acknowledge, albeit privately, that but for the PLA, the Palace-Army combine would have attempted a coup by now. ....... The question of merger/ de-commissioning is deferred to after the elections to the CA....... these meetings at Dang, Dhangadhi, Butwal, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Kanchanpur, Pokhara, Nepalgunj, etc, taken together, have attracted an audience of 80 lakh people! ........ no other party has so far been able to hold “jan sabhas” anywhere in Nepal. ...... when we pointedly asked the leaders of the nagarik andolan to list the mistakes of the Maoists, one referred to extortion, kidnapping, or misuse of people’s courts. ....... while even royalists today speak of a republic, a distinction between an anti-feudal republicanism and its upper class anti-land reform variant is necessary. ....... News stalls in the smallest town keep the Marxist classics and other books ...... in the last few years, the demand for Marxist literature appears to have become even more pronounced. Class analysis, class struggle and class-based politics are part of everyday conversation. ....... An eyewitness to a recent meeting between the acting prime minister of Nepal with US and Indian envoys said that the former was downright rude; he was sarcastic, and regarded the seven party alliance as gullible and warned that the US may withdraw economic aid in the event of the Maoists joining the interim government.
Streets of Baluwatar (4)
CPN(M): Proposal for Points of Agreement Between CPN(M) and Nepal Government
A Tale of Two Talks The main sticking points that have blocked a deal in the previous three rounds of talks in a week between Koirala and Prachanda were disputes over the disarming of the rebel army and the future of the monarchy ...... While preparations for the fourth round of talks between the government and CPN(M) were on, Koirala agreed to meet King’s emissary, his principal secretary, Pashupati Bhakta Maharjan, on Saturday (October 14). .... “the king’s contact with Koirala can affect the peace talks”. ..... “In a dramatic turn of events in recent weeks, Koirala, once a bitter critic of the king, and his Nepali Congress party, whose leaders have been frequently persecuted by the past kings, are now the sole defenders of monarchy, advocating retaining a ceremonial king for the sake of national unity. This has angered the Maoists, who have threatened to break off the talks and accused Koirala of conspiring with the palace. Even the other parties in the ruling alliance say they want a republic and are blaming Koirala and his party for the deadlock in peace talks over the issue of monarchy.”
Streets of Baluwatar (3)
Streets of Baluwatar (2)
In the streets of Baluwatar
Summit Meeting: Citizen’s Hope and Anticipation

Visitors

Page views yesterday 226

18 October