War is being thrust upon us, Bhattarai says

Reposted from nepalnews.com

UCPN (Maoist) vice-chairman Dr .Baburam Bhattarai has accused the government of seeking to compel the Maoists to return to war by opening fire at unarmed landless squatters in Kailali district on Saturday, killing four.

Speaking at a program in the capital Monday, he also accused the parliamentary parties of engaging in efforts to aggravate the situation and turn the country into conflict zone.

“National and international powers are conspiring to turn Nepal into another Afghanistan,” Dr Bhattarai said, adding that the Maoists are committed to the ongoing peace process and won’t let country turn into a battle ground. 

Kiran: Reject Unequal Treaties with India

Reposted from Telegraph Nepal.  Found on Revolution in South Asia blog.

Nepal Maoists’ leader explodes at India, propose SA Alliance to fight Indian Hegemony

The anger in the Maoists’ camp of Nepal towards India becomes quite evident from the remark made by one of the high ranking leaders of the ex-rebel party.

Mohan Baidya Pokharel alias Kiran, the Maoists’ Party vice chairman, spitting venom against India not only claimed that the South Asian Countries have been the victim of India’s expansionist policies but he also felt the need of the local Nationalists and the countries in the South Asian neighborhood in forming an alliance to fight against the continued Indian hegemony.

The program entitled “Foreign Interference and Nationalism” was organized by the Maoists’ Party offshoot Young Communist League (YCL), Saturday December 5, 2009 wherein Mr. Pokharel made those remarks which time permitting annoy India to the hilt.

Mr. Pokharel also opined that if need arises Nepal should ready itself to fight for restoring the State of Nepal prior to the signing of the unequal 1816 treaty of Sugauli-the Greater Nepal.

“There will be no Nepal if we fail to raise Nationalist feeling among ourselves”, said Kiran adding that, “Our Nepal will be Sikkimized sooner than later.”However, he was also of the opinion that since India cannot directly make Military interventions in Nepal as it did in the past to grab our territories, it (India) was using our own political parties and some of the leaders belonging to the UML and the Nepali Congress for Sikkimizing Nepal. “We will fight against India’s ill intentions,” he also declared.

Nepal’s Water Resources expert Mr. Ratnasansar Shrestha was of the view that the three Koirala Brothers, Matrika, Bishweshwor and Girija remained in power at different intervals of Nepali history and continued in power simply because they sold our mighty Big Rivers to India at a dirt cheap price.

“Nepali Nationalists must reject all the past unequal treaties including Pancheshwor because they are not in the interest of Nepal”, he added.

Mr. Gopal Siwakoti Chintan, a Human Rights Activist with Communist tilt, even urged the Maoists to grab weapons to institutionalize the Republican order and build what he called “New Nepal.”

Protesters Clash With Police in Nepal

Reposted from New York Times. Found on Kasama.
By MARK McDONALD

HONG KONG — Communist protesters clashed with the police and surrounded the Singha Durbar, the seat of government in the center of the Nepalese capital, as they called for the resignation of the president, local news agencies reported Thursday.

The police fired tear gas at a crowd of protesters that was blocking access to administrative offices in the capital, Katmandu, and the news portal República reported some minor injuries to police officers and picketers.

The demonstrators began gathering in Katmandu before dawn, many of them arriving on buses from outlying towns and villages, according to Nepalnews.com, and thousands of heavily armed National Police officers were mobilized.

Photos of the scene showed large crowds in the streets, and some reports said tens of thousands of protesters had assembled. Signs calling for “civilian supremacy” could be seen, as well as red flags bearing the hammer-and-sickle emblem.

Most civil servants and politicians were able to reach their offices in the Singha Durbar, although local schools were closed for the day, The Himalayan Times reported.

The protesters were led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the former guerrilla fighter better known as Prachanda, who had been the leader of the 10-year Maoist insurgency that overthrew the Nepalese monarchy in 2006. The Nepalese republic was formed in May 2008.

Earlier in the week, Prachanda warned the government that he and his supporters could be forced to “take up arms” if the government used the police and military to block demonstrations, Nepalnews.com reported.
As the head of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Prachanda was elected prime minister in August 2008. But he resigned from office on May 4 when the president, Ram Baran Yadav, overruled his firing of the head of the army, Gen. Rookmangud Katawal.

Prachanda and other Maoist leaders have charged that the general defied a United Nations-backed peace accord by refusing to integrate about 20,000 former guerrilla fighters — most of them jobless and living in United Nations camps — into the Nepalese military.

Since withdrawing from the coalition government, Prachanda and his supporters have held several mass protests demanding the resignation of the government and the removal of the president.

Nepal Maoist Protest

Maoists agree to let budget pass, The parliament will resume for three days.

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reposted from nepaltimes.com

 The Unified CPN (Maoist) party has agreed to allow the parliament to function for three days to pass the budget, the party's Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said on Saturday.

Last week, the Maoists had argued that their demands for 'civilian supremacy' should be met first, despite urges from the government to let the budget pass.

"As a responsible party to the country, people, security persons and other communities, we have unilaterally decided to let the parliament run for three days to pass the budget," Dahal said.

The Maoists also announced plans to launch a new round of protests beginning Sunday. The month-long protest includes plans to boycott government functions and a general strike from 20-22 December. They also threatened to strike indefinitely if their demands are not met by 22 December.

Pictures From A Recent Rally In Thamel

Pictures courtesy RJ McKay, a Brit currently travelling in Nepal. They were taken today at a rally in Thamel, one of the tourist centres of Nepal. Click to view full size.

Witness - From Bullets to Ballots two years on - Part 1 & 2

UCPN (M) for 'package solution'

reprinted from nepalnews.com



The Unified CPN (Maoist) has called for 'package agreement' on the issues it has been raising.  A meeting of the senior Maoist leaders held Thursday morning concluded that the issue of civilian supremacy and the demand for rectifying the President's move should be addressed altogether.  Maoist vice chairman Narayankaji Shrestha said the party would push for a package solution in today's three-party meeting.  The leaders of the three main parties are to meet in the afternoon.

According to, party secretary C.P Gajurel, the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML), which were not ready to change their position on the President's move earlier, have now softened their stance and are more likely to agree on a package solution.

At the meeting today, party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal informed the leaders about his three-day visit to Singapore where he discussed a possible solution to the current deadlock with Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital there.

Immediately after landing in Kathmandu airport yesterday, Dahal claimed that the current 22-party government is going to be toppled within a few days and that a new coalition will be formed. He would not elaborate.

Maoists warn of fresh stir in Nepal

reprinted from expressindia.com

Nepal’s opposition Maoists today threatened to launch a fresh anti-government agitation if their demands, including restoration of “civilian supremacy”, are not met by Friday, even as they favoured dialogue with the ruling multi-party alliance to break the political deadlock

During a high-level meeting of CPN-Maoist, its chief and ex-premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ briefed the participants on his talks with Nepali Congress (NC) President G P Koirala, according to senior Maoist leader C P Gajurel.

Maoists have been demanding restoration of “civilian supremacy” and a parliamentary discussion to rectify President Ram Baran Yadav’s “wrong” move to reinstate the then army chief Rukmangad Katwal following his sacking by the previous Prachanda administration.

Prachanda met Koirala, who is undergoing medical treatment in Singapore, recently and they agreed to resolve the political stalemate by finding a middle path on the President’s reinstatement of Katwal that had led to the collapse of the Maoist government in May.

As NC and CPN-UML, the main constituents of ruling 22- party alliance, “have softened their stand, we hope that there will be some sort of agreement among major parties regarding the key issues,” Gajurel said. “We are also looking at preparing a common resolution for discussion in Parliament.” However, Maoists warned that they would launch the third phase of their agitation if their demands are not addressed by the government within the November 20 deadline, set by the former rebels last week

Al Jazeera: Nepal Maoists in standoff with government

Maoist Torchlight Procession in Nepal

Nepal: Interview with Comrade Baburam Bhattarai

reposted from WPRM (Britain)
“Protracted People’s War (PPW) is a military strategy to be adopted in a semi-feudal, semi-colonial context, and, in the different context of imperialism, could be applied in a modified form even in imperialist countries. But basically the theory of PPW as developed by Mao was to be applied in semi-feudal, semi-colonial countries. That’s why the military line adopted in the case of Nepal was basically a line of Protracted People’s War, which we developed through the course of our struggle, applying it very creatively in Nepal for ten years.”

WPRM: Thank you for meeting with us today. In your article in The Worker #4 ‘The Political Economy of the People’s War’ you write that “the transformation of one social system into another, or the destruction of the old by the new, always involves force and a revolutionary leap. The People’s War is such a means of eliminating the old by a new force and of taking a leap towards a new and higher social system.” Why then did the Maoist party enter the peace process and attempt to change society through Constituent Assembly elections?
Baburam Bhattarai: This is a very important question related to the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM). The basic motive force of history is the contradiction between the existing level of productive forces and the production relations within society. At a certain stage this contradiction sharpens and there is a break with the old relationship and a leap to the new one. We call this social revolution. That leap necessarily confronts a certain force, because every set of productive relations is backed by a state, and the state means basically the organised force of the army. To break with the old mode of production and leap into a new one, you have to break all the relations within the state backed by the army. And that inevitably requires the use of force. This is a law of history and a basic principle of MLM which nobody can revise. If you revise or abandon it then you are no longer a Marxist. There is no question of our party ever ending this basic principle.
By adhering to this basic principle we waged armed Protracted People’s War (PPW) from 1996 to 2006. But after 2006 we made a certain departure in our tactical line. Some people are confused about this and think we have abandoned PPW forever and adopted a peaceful path of social development. This confusion needs to be cleared. What we are saying is that People’s War is a multifaceted war where both the armed and political form of struggle needs to be combined.

Nepal: Comrade Gaurav speaks on Democracy and Cultural Revolution

Reposted from WPRM (Britain)

Comrade Gaurav has recently been made one of the secretaries in the new Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN[M]) leadership structure. WPRM (Britain and Ireland) activists met him at the party office in Paris Danda (Hill), Kathmandu, where we tried to get deeper into the issue of democracy, specifically the UCPN(M) concept of 21^st century democracy, of holding elections under New Democracy, and how this relates to the theory and practice of Cultural Revolution. Following is the transcript of this interview:

“If they don’t change their ideological-political line, we don’t envision that they will be able to take part in those elections. The New Democratic system will not allow this if they don’t change their ideological-political line and behaviour.”

WPRM: In the current situation when the UCPN(M) has its sights set on New Democratic Revolution, it seems more important than ever to understand the party’s idea of 21^st century democracy, competitive elections under New Democracy and socialism, can you explain this concept to us?
Comrade Gaurav: Yes we are now in the stage of completing the New Democratic Revolution. The New Democratic system is not a socialist system. It is a bourgeois democratic system. The difference is that the revolution is made under the leadership of the proletariat. The old type of bourgeois democratic revolution took place under the leadership of the bourgeoisie, but the New Democratic Revolution will take place under the leadership of the proletariat. When it is led by the proletariat it will lead towards socialism and communism. On the other hand, if the bourgeois democratic revolution is being led by the capitalist class, it will either consolidate capitalism or, if it develops at all, it will develop towards imperialism. That is the difference. So New Democratic Revolution in this sense is not a socialist revolution, it is a bourgeois democratic revolution but it is led by the proletariat. And, when the proletariat leads this revolution and the revolution is completed, then immediately it will move towards socialism. It will not consolidate bourgeois democracy, it will move towards socialism. This debate was seriously carried out during 1956 in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). People like Deng Xiaoping said that since it is a bourgeois democratic revolution, it is the time to consolidate capitalism. But, Mao said that it should not be consolidated, it should go forward to socialism. This is the basic division between New Democracy and socialism. And, the question of which class is leading is the fundamental question.

Maoists picket local government offices

from nepalnews.com


A day after torch-bearing Maoist leaders and cadres hailed the start of their second phase of nationwide protests, the main opposition party Unified CPN (Maoist) has picketed all offices of the local government across the country on Monday.

The party cadres had gathered at all VDC offices and municipalities from early morning restricting the government employees from carry out their work. The demonstrators are chanting slogans against the coalition government.

In Kathmandu, public transport has been disrupted in several places as Maoists gather in front of the municipalities and ward offices restricting employees from entering their offices.

According to party plans, the programmes to picket the government offices will continue till evening today.

The Maoists had on Oct 22 announced a two-week protest programme stating that the government and political parties were not serious about their demands which includes correcting the "unconstitutional" move of the President vis-à-vis the former Army chief and other civilian supremacy issues.

The former rebel party had given a nine-day deadline to the government and political parties to come to a consensus on those issues, which ended on Sunday.

Maoist spokesperson Dina Nath Sharma said that even though the second phase of protests have started, the party will not close the door for consensus as it will continue to hold talks with political parties.

Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had inaugurated the torch rally yesterday evening in Kathmandu participated by nearly 20,000 Maoist cadres.

The rally of torch-bearing Maoist leaders and cadres began from Old Bus Park and traversed through Bagbazaar, Putalisadak and Shahid Gate before congregating at Basantapur.

The capital's traffic was thrown out of gear for about an hour due to the Maoist torch rally.

Earlier in the day, the Maoist chairman had warned of a revolt if the government resorted to use of force to suppress their "peaceful protests".

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ramesh Chand Thakuri has directed police personnel deployed in the streets during the Maoist protests to exercise maximum restraint and not use unnecessary force to quell the demonstration. nepalnews.com

Maoists take over Dhankuta municipality

from Nepalnews.com
Coinciding with their party's protest programme at the local bodies across the country, Maoist cadres on Monday captured the Dhankuta Municipality, 'appointing' the office-bearers of the municipality including the mayor and the deputy mayor.

According to reports, the Maoist party declared Ganesh Bista as the mayor the municpality and Kabita Rai as deputy mayor. They also appointed chairmen in 9 wards in the municipality.

The party declared that its team would look after the entire matters with the municipality.

This was probably the first major step as part of the UCPN-Maoist's plan to declar 'autonomous states' and revive the insurgency era 'people's governments' at the local level.

Maoist cadres picketed the offices of municipalities, disitrict development commitees and VDCs across the country today, preventing works in these bodies during the protest. nepalnews.com

Presidential Rule Likely in Nepal, Rumors Spread like Wild Fire

from Telegraph Nepal

Tighten your belts please.

Achtung! Nepalese citizens, both within and without, we have a very dangerous news for you all, this evening, 7.46 PM, NST.

Rumors have spread like a wild fire in Kathmandu that by Saturday evening, October 31, 2009, the Nepal President, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, will take over the charge of the nation.

Presidential rule, or say a sort of military regime, will thus prevail in this country, which is your country, my country, our country-mother Nepal.

Talks so far to seduce the Maoists have failed and the President is in consultations with his former party affiliated legal practitioners. The PM has met him twice well within twenty four hours. Home Minister, Bhim Rawal, is in all preparedness, we have been told. High placed sources even claim that Nepal Army too has been kept on high alert. This remains to be substantiated though.

Maoist party vice chairman, Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai has freshly said that his party will not settle for less this time. We have only two days left from now. The Maoists fresh revolt, as already announced, begins November 1, 2009.

MJF splinter President, Upendra Yadav, has demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister for having failed to garner consensus and resume the proceedings of the now disrupted parliament and the CA body.

“The PM has to resign”, Yadav opines.

Prachanda says that the incumbent government led by Madhav Kumar Nepal is a remote control one.

He, however, doesn’t reveal as to where from this remote control is being handled?

Speaker Subash Nembang, who knocked each and every door at time of his selection/election to the current post, is enjoying his lucrative post caring little that he should have been the one to mediate in between the ruling coalition parties and the Maoists. He is cheating the nation, to put it mildly.

He is carefree. He will have to pay the price the day he is out from the current post which is approaching fast due to his own weaknesses.

Dr. Bhattarai says that if the cadres of his party were repressed by the government during the impending agitation, they will retaliate with equal force. This means the element of violence would surely be there. This is very bad speculation.

Summing up, a sort of chaotic situation is lurking large OVER THE NEPALI SKY.

What will happen the next moment, nobody can predict, at least not the analysts here.

Had Sri Lankan President not been in Nepal, the Presidential emergency orders would have already come into action.

Rumors say that the moment the Sri Lankan President takes off from the Nepali ground, Dr. Yadav will come into action.

Thus the days ahead, as predicted by Bam Dev Gautam (See spine tingling October 21, 2009, statement) are not only dangerous but contain also the germs of a civil war.

Pashupatinath may bless us all and this unfortunate country.

Let’s hope that all these were rumors only and that Nepal will remain safe under the “active and matured” leadership of the India elevated Nepal Prime Minister, Madhav Kumar Nepal.

God bless Mr. Nepal and Mother Nepal whose sons and daughters have gone erratic.

2009-10-29 20:14:16

A Maoist Agricultural Center in Nepal

United We Blog! has an interesting first hand report (with pictures) on one of the agricultural cooperatives set up by the people's movement in Nepal. It can be found here.

Bhattarai floats three options for ending deadlock

reprinted from nepalnews.com

Maoist vice chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said that his party is ready to end the obstruction in the parliament if the Nepali Congress and UML agree on any of the three options his party has floated.

Speaking during a Deusi programme organised by a group of journalists Sunday, Bhattarai said the deadlock would end quickly if the parties agreed for a parliamentary debate on civilian supremacy or signed a joint resolution on the president's move. The third option, according to him, would be an apology from the President for his move in the army chief row.

Bhattarai also said the Maoist party would launch fresh protest movement if the two ruling parties, NC and UML, rejected these options.

To recall, the Maoist party had put similar conditions for resolving the current crisis during the three-party meetings, but the NC dismissed all of them.

However, the three parties formed a three-member committee to prepare a draft of consensus. The committee will get down to work immediately after Tihar festival.

Dark past returns to haunt Nepal

reprinted from Times of India

KATHMANDU: “When the People’s War ended, I thought I will finally get justice,” sobbed Devi Sunuwar as she watched a film made on her 15-year-old daughter Maina, who was arrested by the army in 2004, tortured to death and buried clandestinely. “But even after a peace agreement was signed in 2006, the government agreed to punish those guilty of killing my daughter and the court asked police to arrest her killers, the army men remain at large. I fought for justice during the civil war but now that we have peace, hope begins to desert me.”

“There is no justice in Nepal, no rule of law and no government,” says Dhoj Dhami, uncle of Jaya Lal Dham who was shot dead by security forces in Feb 2005 in Kanchanpur district after being tied to a tree and tortured. “I want to see a Nepal where... all those responsible for human rights violations must be brought to justice.”

The angry cry of 62 families with tales of suffering and a son or daughter or father missing in the course of the Maoists’ “People’s War” was resurrected in the capital Friday by two human rights organisations even as the prime minister, Madhav Kumar Nepal, flew to his home town in Rautahat to host a tea party to celebrate the advent of Tihar, Nepal’s five-day festival similar to India’s Diwali.

Human Rights Watch and Advocacy Forum jointly released a report, “Still Waiting for Justice: No End to Impunity in Nepal,” that documents the frustrating lack of action over the 62 cases they have been following since the insurgency with the major parties ignoring their pledge in the peace pact signed three years ago to end impunity and bring human rights abuses to justice.

“A lack of political will and consensus, prevailing political instability, and a lack of progress in the peace process has meant the government has not delivered on its promises to prosecute these crimes, as set out in the 2006 peace agreement,” the two rights watchdogs said.

Though over 16,000 people died during the 10-year conflict and there are thousands of people missing still, not a single perpetrator has been punished by a civilian court, thanks to pressure by political parties on the police not to investigate certain cases and refusal by the Nepal Army to cooperate with police investigations.

“In several other cases, relatives are losing hope and are no longer actively pursuing the case, tired of constantly fighting obstacles put in their way by the police and other authorities,” the report said. Bhumi Sara Thapa, mother of Dal Bahadur Thapa and his wife Parbati Thapa, who were killed by security forces, told Advocacy Forum, “When I filed a First Information Report with the police, I had hoped that my family would get justice; the accused would be punished and my family would receive compensation for the living and education of my children. Although it has been years since I started struggling for justice, nothing has happened yet. I don't have much hope because I think the government is reluctant to provide justice.”

Advocacy Forum, that is fighting many of the cases on behalf of the victims’ families, and Human Rights Watch are asking the government to investigate and prosecute all persons responsible for abuses and set up a special unit of senior police investigators to investigate cases against army officers. They are also asking for the truth and reconciliation commission the ruling parties promised to form but then began dragging their feet.

The report also asks Nepal’s influential international donors to pressure the government to promote reform of security forces. “India has a major role to play,” Advocacy Forum executive director told TNN during the launch of an earlier repor last year. “The Indian government supports the Nepal Army with subsidised arms and training and there are close ties between the two armies. If India had urged Nepal to prosecute war criminals, the government would have listened.”

Struggle targets puppet government

reposted from krishnasen online
The declared struggles by UCPN-Maoist have been advancing victoriously. The programmes of struggle are appearing into new heights with the active participation and the full support of the people. After central committee meeting of UCPN-Maoist, the people have been hopeful on the protection of national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The national question has been a main and the burning question to the Nepalese people. However, the political situation of the country is still unclear and the common agendas for forming a Comprehensive United Front are still left to be found. It shows that the polarization of the politics has not taken its concrete shape and size. UCPN-Maoist is fulfilling its declared programmes in an effective way. In course of completing half of the programmes of struggle, the puppet government is in search of supporters and the directors. The latest visit of the puppet Ministers in the neighbouring countries and the would be visit of Prime Minister of the puppet government Madhav Nepal to India is the result of the increasing forceful effect of the struggle under the leadership of Maoist.

The puppet government and its allies are again trying to hatch conspiracies against the largest party in the legislative-parliament. The news papers have published out that Nepali Congress leader GP Koirala has ‘requested the Nepal Army to be alert’. This clearly shows that the allies of counter-revolutionaries and the puppets are requesting the foreign powers to assist for the suppression of ongoing victorious struggle of UCPN-Maoist. The rush to the foreign countries reveals the secret humorously.

The people of the country are feeling a danger of the internal-conflict that is going to be imposed by the alliance of the puppets. The national capitalists and the traders and the businessmen of the country are not expecting their bright future from the puppet government. They are in suspicion that Madhav Nepal will sign in any anti-nation and anti-people bi-lateral treaty or compromise in his India visit. Expansionist Indian rulers will try to take the disadvantages how much they can take from their puppet. The Nepalese people are very conscious and aware that the last fight for the national independency and territorial integrity is still left. If the puppet government will forcefully impose the conflict in the blessing of the foreign powers, it will directly turn towards the concrete shape of the movement of national independency.

Maoists form ’shadow’ cabinet.

The Unified CPN (Maoist) has formed 18 departments resembling the ministries of the government.

A meeting of the party’s Joint National People’s Movement Committee on Sunday formed the departments. Many of the departments are coordinated by party leaders who were ministers in related ministries in the Maoist-led government.

Dr Baburam Bhattarai, who was the finance minister in the previous government, is the coordinator of the Planning and Finance Department.

Likewise, Giriraj Mani Pokhrel, the former health minister coordinates the health department and former tourism minister Hisila Yami coordinates the tourism, physical infrastructure and science department.

Along with the central departments, the Maoists have also decided to form local bodies.
Maoist leaders say, the departments and the local bodies will not function as a parallel government yet, but can be converted to one if such situation comes.

“It will not be parallel as of now, but the people can form their own local bodies if need be,” said Lokendra Bista, coordinator of the newly formed agriculture and cooperatives department.