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Note no. 398
22-Aug-2007
NEPAL: Maoists Continue with Their Threats: Update No. 133By Dr. S.Chandrasekharan.
While the Election commission is continuing with its preparations for the Constituent Assembly Elections, with the passing of the CA Court Bill and announcement of the schedule of elections in the run up to the polls on 22nd November, it is strange that the Maoists are continuing with their intimidatory and agitprop tactics and making it almost impossible for the government to run smoothly. Stranger still, is that Prime Minister G.P.Koirala continues to give in on one demand or other to the Maoists and what we notice is that more he gives in, more is being demanded of him by the Maoists.
Three recent incidents would prove our point.
The Dolakha incident of last month is well known where the CDO was severely thrashed and many of the buildings set on fire by the YCL cadres when the CDO arrested the culprits and refused to release them. A case of an attempt to murder was registered against the accused. Now it is learnt that the poor CDO who was in the hospital for a while in Kathmandu has been shifted to Rasuwa on the demands of the Maoists!
After receiving the 22 point demand the government hurriedly formed a committee headed by Sitaula with four other members of whom two, Hsila Yami and Dev Gurung are from Maoist group to take action within a fortnight to nationalise the properties of late King Birendra and assets acquired by King Gyanendra after the latters accession.
Sixty court cases pending against the Maoists since the Peoples war started were hastily withdrawn. The YCL cadres in battle fatigues who were arrested with Khukris and iron rods and waiting to beat up the NSU students in Kathmandu were released.
Some analysts continue to maintain that once the government declares Nepal a republic before the CA elections, the Maoists and their YCL cadres will calm down and that the Prime Minister will have some breathing space. We do not agree with this assessment as the tactics of the Maoists are related to the larger question of mobilising the masses and some issue or other will be taken up by them even if they get a sizeable number of seats in the CA elections.
The point we make is that G.P.Koirala at some point should stand firm and say enough is enough. But with his failing health, can he and will he?
Where the government should be conciliatory in dealing with demands by other constituents, like the Terains, the Government is seen dragging its feet and certain indifference and lack of sincerity are seen. The Cabinet is said to have decided to treat all those killed in the Terai agitation as martyrs and this they had to do as the Maoists were demanding that those killed in Gaur incident be treated as martyrs and beyond this there have been no further concessions. And the Home Minister whose removal from Home Portfolio was demanded continues to be given additional responsibilities. It looks that both NC of Nepali Congress ( despite Gachedar being with them) and the UML would both lose heavily in the Terai in the coming elections and the gainers will be the new Terain outfits and the Maoists!
The 22 point Threat from the Maoists:
On 18th of August, Prachanda gave an eighteen-point demand in the eight party meeting held to sort out the differences. Two days later, he expanded the wish list with twenty-two demands and made it appear as pre poll conditions. While making the demands he said that his party will carry out internal preparations for one month and from the middle of September he warned of peoples action and political strikes by the party. The YCL, not to be outdone declared that they would morally and physically support the agitation. They would hold rallies, demonstrations and political strikes to support the Maoist agitation and when the movement reaches its climax then people ( read YCL cadres) may take even physical action!
Some of the demands include-
1. Nationalising the property of late King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya
2. Nationalising the property that King Gyanendra acquired after ascending the throne. This would include the Narayanhitti Palace, Kathmandu, the palace at Gokarna, Ramamandir, Pokhara and the Diyalo Bungalow in Chitwan.
3. Replacing the army personnel on security duty at Narayanhitti Palace and replacing them with a simple security system.( If read with item 2, it looks that without waiting for a republic, the YCL cadres may attempt to take possession of the Palace)
4. Punishing those implicated in the Raymajhi Commission.
5. Providing compensation of one hundred thousand rupees to the family of each of those killed in the armed conflict.
6. High Level commission to probe into cases of disappeared persons.
7. A round table conference of all sections of the society including Janajathis and the Madhesis to discuss and solve their problems.
8. Release of all political detainees.
9. Start the process of integrating the PLA with the Nepal Army by forming a special cabinet committee
10. To form a security council.
11. Immediate formation of local bodies
12. Setting up of a special panel to curb corruption in government offices.
13. To bring to book those guilty of Gaur Massacre in the Terai. ( The Lahan incident is conveniently forgotten. The chief culprit is a senior PLA commander! )
These are besides the two major demands of declaring the state as a republic before the CA elections and proportional system in the coming CA elections. If the Maoists are serious about CA elections, they should stop making demands now and wait for the CA elections to be over.
CA Election preparations:
The Parliament passed CA Court Bill 2007 to look into the complaints and settle all disputes related to the CA polls. This was based on a report by the Law, Justice and legislature committee of the parliament that also recommended that the three judges to be appointed to the court should be sitting judges. The Maoist members of the committee gave a dissenting report that said that the judges could be from outside also if they are capable and qualified.
Notwithstanding the agitation for a fully proportional system, the election commission announced separate dates for finalisation of lists for the two systems. For the first past the post system, candidates are required to file their nominations on October 5 and the list will be finalised on October 10 and symbols allotted the next day. For proportional representation, the parties should submit their lists by September 30 and the final list will be published on October 15.
Despite their threats of continuing with their agitation, the Maoists are quietly preparing for the CA polls. After the central committee meeting, they have disbanded the six military style regional commands and replaced them with five central bureaus and 12 autonomous republican departments besides a separate international department. The central military bureau is headed by Prachanda himself while the central peoples mobilisation bureau ( an important wing for the Maoist agitprop tactics) is led by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai. The organisational bureau is led by Badal, while the school training, publication and dissemination is led by Mohan Vaidya. The international Bureau is led by C.P. Gajurel.
The Terai Unrest:
A slight improvement in the Terai situation is seen though Jwala Singh of JTMM continues with his depredations. He has called for a month long strike in Terai with a transport strike to follow on September 8. There is a need to curb the activities of Jwala Singh.
After a personal meeting of Upendra Yadav of MJF with G.P.Koirala on 19 August, there were hopes that some understanding will take place. The talks broke down in the subsequent meeting between the talks team led by R.C.Paudel and Upendra Yadav. The MJF is having a central committee meeting at Birgunj from 22nd where a decision will be taken whether to continue the talks. Besides many others, the two basic demands of MJF appear to be 1. Proportional representation for all the 440 seats in the CA elections. 2. Federal autonomy with right of self determination ( without affecting the national sovereignty) before the CA polls. It is too late for changing the system of representation when the Election commission has already gone ahead with the notification of the dates for finalising the list of candidates.
But there are other areas where he could demand and get some benefits for Terai like getting compensation for those killed in the agitation, some administrative posts going for Terains in Terai immediately, release of all those arrested and withdrawal of cases against Terains in the current agitation.
More importantly he has to remain in Terai and not camp indefinitely in Kathmandu and unite all the Madhesi entities for putting up a common front for Terai.
CCOMPOOSA Meeting:
In our earlier update, we had referred to the CCOMPOOSA meeting towards end June and the report of the Maoist Representative of Nepal. The final press release of the CCOMPOOSA meeting contains a very strong criticism of India and the portion relating Nepal and India has talked about India meddling in the affairs of Nepal, of propping up reactionary elements and isolating the Maoists etc. The Press release shows Sikkim as a separate country which even China we understand has given up. The document talks of self determination for the Kashimir, Naga, Manipuri and Assamese people, a position that Prachanda himself once propped up in his interview to the BBC some time ago. A full text of the press release is given as an annexure.
Annexure:
CCOMPOSA CALLS ON PEOPLES OF SOUTH ASIA TO OPPOSE INDIAN RULERS GROWING INTERVENTION IN NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES
The Indian rulers seek total domination of the countries of South Asia acting as the gendarme of the US in this region. At the recently held SAARC Summit it went so far as to propose a South Asia Parliament seeking to undermine even the existing limited sovereign of the South Asian countries. Earlier they had proposed a common currency for the region to further consolidate its economic hegemony in the region. At the SAARC Summit it continued to push its SAFTA {South Asian Free Trade Association, n order to dominate the markets of the region and allow the unhindered free flow of goods made in India {mostly by the big comprador houses and the TNCs} to all countries of South Asia.
CCOMPOSA CALLS for the disbanding of SAARC and the setting up genuine forums of people to people relations between the countries of South Asia.
Lately the Indian rulers have been even more crudely intervening in the internal affairs of neighboring countries and even more crudely crushing the national aspirations for self-determination of the Kashmiri, Naga, Manipuri, Assamese, etc people.
In Nepal they have been playing an active role to diffuse the democratic aspirations of the Nepalese people and prop up the reactionary elements after isolating the Maoists. They have been instigating the Madheshi people of the Terrai against the Maoists in league with the Nepalese monarchy. Hindu fundamentalists have been particularly active in setting up vigilante gangs to murder activists as happened in Gaur where 28 Maoists were killed. Recently these gangs murdered a Central Committee member of YCL {Young Communist League} in the terrain region together with another comrade. The Indian ambassador has, of late, pro-active roaming in the interiors of Nepal offering large sums of money for schools, hospitals, roads, etc in order to wean away the masses from the influence of the Maoists. In addition the Indian Para-military have fired on and killed the Nepalese of Bhutani origin from returning to their motherland and have been fully involved the US conspiracy to transport 60,000 refugees to the West as some modern day form of slave labour. The US imperialists and Indian rulers have been working to prop up the reactionaries and neutralize the Maoists. CCOMPOSA strongly condemns the role of the Indian rulers in Nepal and demands that they stop meddling in the affairs of Nepal and the India people bring to justice the murderous gangs operating across the Nepalese border.
In Bangladesh the Indian rulers have not only openly backed their stooge Sheikh Hasina but have utilsed the present army-backed caretaker government to push through massive deals for Indian big comprador houses. They have sought help the Tatas to make massive investments there and lately the Mittals have signed a gigantic deal in the energy sector of Bangladesh. The Indian ambassador has been actively acting in the country together with the US ambassador in the dealings between the various political parties and the caretaker government. CCOMPOSA demands that the large natural wealth of poverty stricken Bangladesh be utilized for the development of their own country and not robbed by Indian compradors and the US imperialists.
In Sri Lanka they openly threatened the government when it sought arms from China and Pakistan. The Indian rulers have already imposed humiliating free-trade agreements on Sri Lanka. They have also surreptitiously been assisting the Sri Lanka government to crush the just aspirations of the Tamil people for a Tamil Elam. CCOMPOSA demands the scrapping all these unequal agreements and supports the just struggle of the Tamil people for their self-determination from the jack-boots of the Indian ruling classes.
In addition the Indian rulers continue to maintain and tighten their vice-like grip over the small countries of the region like Bhutan, Sikkim, Malldives, etc and continue their attempts to bully Pakistan utilizing the Kashmir card. Particularly they continue to forcibly maintain the oppressed nationalities within Indian hegemony. Not only does the Indian army of occupation crush their just demands with utmost brutality, they have been pitting one section of the people against the other to drown their just struggles in oceans of blood. This is to be seen in Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Kashmir and elsewhere. CCOMPOSA demands that the people people of these oppressed nationalites be allowed to determine their own future and the immediate and total withdrawal of Indian army and para-military forces from all these regions.
South Asia has become a burning cauldron of revolutionary, democratic and nationality movements. CCOMPOSA supports all these just movements and calls on the peoples of South Asia to unite against their common enemy and not fall prey to the divisive policies of the rulers and their US imperialist backers in the region.
1) Proletarian Party of Purba Bangla-CC; PBSP (CC) [Bangladesh]
2) Communist Party of East Bengal(ML)(Red Flag); CPEB (ML)(Red Flag) [Bangladesh] 3) Bangladesher Samyobadi Dal(Marxist-Leninist) BSD(ML) [Bangladesh]
4) Communist Party of Bhutan (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) CPB(MLM)
5) Comminist Party of India (Maoist) ; CPI(Maoist)
6) Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Naxalbari CPI-ML (Naxalbari) [India]
7) Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) CPI(MLM)[India]
8) Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist); CPN(Maoist) [Nepal]
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