Nepal Maoists 2 Leave Gov and Start Rebellion, if monarchy is not abolished in 4 days

[2-0-Sixx]

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 10 -

The Maoists have warned that they will quit the government there is no agreement on their 22-point demands within a week.

They informed that they will launch the agitation on September 18 if all the parties do not agree on the demands including declaration of a republic to meet the pre-requisites for the Constituent Assembly elections.

“We have asked for a new agreement. If that does not take place then we have ready ourselves to launch an agitation from September 18 by quitting the government,” Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai told Kantipur.

The Maoist leadership has already directed the cadres of all regions, state committees, fronts, and fraternal organizations to gear up for the agitation during the meetings and trainings.

The Maoists are demanding a special session of the interim parliament must be convened to declare a republic for “true” elections.

However, Dr Bhattarai said that they are holding discussions with the other parties to form a new basis for (the alliance).

“We will try our best to forge a new agreement,” he said.

On the decision of the Nepali Congress central working committee to opt for a federal democratic republic, the Maoist leader said that the model must be discussed.

At a time when the environment for the elections is being created from all quarters, the Maoists have not given priority to the polls. They are insisting on the 22-point “pre-requisites” which they had put forth last month.

They demands include resolution of the problem in the Terai, an agreement with all sides (through a broader round table conference), action against those who killed the Maoist cadres in Terai and compensation to the families of the “disappeared” people and those who died in course of the armed insurgency.

“There must be an agreement on the 22 points that we have put forth for a true Constituent Assembly elections,” Dr Bhattarai said. “Otherwise, the elections would be like the ones conducted by the King in the Panchayat style.”

**Update**

Maoists may quit govt by September 16, says Prachanda

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 10 - CPN-Maoist Chairman Prachanda reiterated Monday his party's warning to quit the government by September 16 if the government does not fulfill their “22-point pre-requisites”.

In a training programme organized by Maoist' sister wing Newa State Committee in Lalitpur district today, Prachanda accused the seven parties of being indifferent to their demand for the requisites and said that the republic was essential.

Admitting that the environment was being created in favour of the republic, Prachanda, however, said that there is no condition to be assured of it at this juncture.

He also said that there was no alternative to struggle if the pre-requisites for the elections are not fulfilled.

Maoist leaders Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Ram Bahadur Thapa alias Badal and Barsha Maan Pun alias Ananta also asked the cadres to be ready for the announcement of republic, sources said.

Around 300 Maoist cadres and leaders were present during the training programme.

 

[ColdBlooded]

I didn't like their move to join the Gov. anyway. I hope they split and just over run the bitch.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

me too. I was especially disappointed in them turning in some of their arms, although I wonder how much they actually turned in. To me it displayed their lack of revolutionary understanding. But this could be a good step in the right direction.

 

[ColdBlooded]

I doubt they turned in much of anything of use. At least I would hope not. I do remember hearing lots of complaints that they weren't turning in what they were estimated to actually have, etc.

I just don't understand the strategy of the move in the first place, they had to know it would come to this eventually. They must think this some how will splinter the opposition more and/or gain them more supporters.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Maoists 'quit Nepal government'

Former Maoist rebels in Nepal say they have quit the interim government.

The Maoists have been demanding the abolition of the monarchy ahead of constituent assembly elections due to be held in November.

The prime minister says the constituent assembly itself must decide the monarchy's fate. Analysts say the Maoists will do badly in the polls.

The Maoist move raises fresh questions about how stable the peace process is in the country.

The rebels ended their insurgency last November. More than 13,000 people were killed during their 10-year fight for a communist republic.

The prime minister has not yet accepted the resignations. Some analysts believe the move may be aimed at putting more pressure on the prime minister to accept the Maoists' demands.

Failure

"We will not accept the code of conduct announced by the election commission and we will disrupt all ongoing election plans," Maoist deputy leader Baburam Bhattarai told thousands of supporters in Kathmandu.

King Gyanendra's future is the centre of debate

He was speaking hours after the former rebels submitted the resignations of four of their cabinet members from the government.

Mr Bhattarai also warned that the Maoists could use violence if the government took action against their street protests.

"We will launch peaceful protests, but we have the right to counter those who try to suppress our peaceful programme," he told cheering supporters.

Earlier the Maoists and the other seven parties in the interim government met in the capital to try to iron out their differences over the monarchy.

"We have pulled out from the government this afternoon as the talks failed to reach an understanding on the immediate abolition of monarchy and a proportional election system," a senior Maoist, Dev Gurung, told the AFP news agency.

One of the Maoists in the interim cabinet, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, blamed Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala for the breakdown in talks.

"The prime minister was not ready to negotiate so his party is responsible," Mr Mahara said.

He ruled out any return to armed conflict. "Now we will focus on peaceful protests to meet our demands."

Mass rally

Correspondents say that Prime Minister Koirala has taken a firm line in refusing to bow to the Maoists' demand that King Gyanendra be stripped of his title and the monarchy abolished.

The civil war brought a decade of bloodshed to Nepal. Human rights groups regularly accused both the Maoists and the military of gross human rights abuses.

The fighting brought further poverty and misery to one of the poorest countries in the world.

King Gyanendra was forced to surrender his powers in April 2006 after the Maoists joined forces with a coalition of seven political parties in a sustained campaign of street protests against his direct rule.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7000252.stm

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Here is a highly critical and very informative article regarding the Maoists, in case anyone is interested:

Nepalese Maoists quit government in bid to stem waning support
By W.A. Sunil
24 October 2007

Nepal’s interim parliament was shut down last week until after October 29, following the failure to resolve a political deadlock between the government and the Maoist opposition. The Maoists, which had been part of the ruling coalition, abruptly quit last month and demanded a parliamentary debate on their conditions for the holding of elections for a constituent assembly.

The Maoists are demanding the immediate abolition of the monarchy and for the poll to be held on the basis of proportional representation. In response, the government headed by Prime Minister G.P. Koirala has postponed the election indefinitely. It was to be held on November 22. Closed-door meetings involving the major parties have failed to reach a compromise.

The entire exercise is a desperate effort by the Maoists to bolster their flagging credentials among ordinary working people. Over the past year, disillusionment has been spreading as the Communist Party of Nepal Maoist (CPN-M) has proven to be no different from the corrupt seven-party alliance that it joined and helped to prop up.

The interim government was formed in the aftermath of mass protests in Katmandu in April last year that forced King Gyanendra to end his autocratic rule and hand over to the seven opposition parties. The alliance, headed by Nepali Congress leader Koirala, has relied heavily on the assistance of the Maoists to stem the continuing political turmoil and channel discontent into safe parliamentary waters.

Last November the CPN-M, which had fought a bloody guerrilla war for more than a decade, reached an agreement with the seven-party alliance to lay down its arms and join the interim government. Part of the deal was the convening of a constituent assembly that would decide on the future of the monarchy and establish a new constitution for the country.

For the CPN-M, the agreement represented the realisation of their Stalinist two-stage program, which called for the abolition of the monarchy, the establishment of a republic and the maintenance of capitalism. Socialism was always relegated to the distant future. The Nepalese Maoists became the latest in a long line of guerrilla outfits around the world to trade their Kalashnikovs for a place in official politics.

The CPN-M joined the interim parliament and government with 83 MPs and five cabinet portfolios. Members of the party’s guerilla force, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), were cordoned into camps under UN supervision. However, the dominant parties continue to be those on which the Nepalese ruling elites have relied in the past—Nepalese Congress with 133 seats and Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninists) with 83 seats.

The latest crisis emerged after a CPN-M Central Committee meeting in August, which elaborated 22 demands to the interim government. The two central issues were the immediate abolition of the monarchy and an election based on proportional representation. The purpose of the first demand was to revive the party’s image as the staunchest opponent of the unpopular king, while the second sought to ensure the CPN-M’s maximum representation in the constituent assembly.

The other demands were also pitched at reviving the CPN-M’s waning support. These included the nationalisation of the king’s property, immediate relief to families of those killed in the civil war, land distribution, a commission to search for disappeared people and better benefits for PLA members confined to camps. A press release acknowledged that party leaders had made “self criticism” over “mistakes” and “weaknesses” committed while participating in the government.

As part of its campaign for these demands, the CPN-M quit the cabinet on September 19. CPN-M leader Pushpa Kamal Dhal, also known as Prachanda, admitted to kantipuonline that party members had been asking if the leadership was about to “follow the path of deviation like CPN-UML while staying in Kathmandu and enjoying the vehicle ride.” The CPN-UML is notorious for years of corrupt parliamentary wheeling and dealing.

In the same interview, Prachanda acknowledged that the CPN-M “might lose” the election for the constituent assembly. While he blamed “feudalists and imperialist-reactionary forces” for marginalising the CPN-M, the reality is that the party has failed to live up to its own promises to improve living standards, particularly in poor rural areas where it was largely based.

An estimated 31 percent of Nepalese live below the poverty line. In many mountain and hill districts, villagers do not have enough food. Half of the children under five are under-nourished. Infant mortality rate is 52 per thousand. Overall, 85 percent of homes do not have electricity. In rural areas, the figure is 97 percent. Only 44 percent of the population is literate.

Frustration has clearly been rising among CPN-M members, particularly the tens of thousands of PLA fighters who have been confined to camps. Complaints include lack of food, drinking water, health care and the non-payment of monthly allowances.

“The camp conditions are really bad. At times I feel very frustrated,” Bishnu Pariyar, a 28-year-old PLA soldier at Jhyalthung Danda camp, told AFP. A deputy division commander said: “We are facing constant pressure from our soldiers to leave the camps and protest.” More than 1,000 PLA fighters have fled from a camp in the Nawalparasi district over the past month.

The CPN-M has never had a significant base of support among the urban workers, students and professionals who took to the streets last year in sustained protests against the king. In fact, the demonstrations took the Maoists largely by surprise. For these layers, the CPN-M has become part of the government that has failed to address any of their demands for democratic rights and improved pay and conditions.

A series of strikes point to growing discontent among workers. In May, thousands of teachers in private and government schools stopped work throughout the country for a week, demanding higher pay and better working conditions. In August, postal employees and water corporation workers struck over similar issues.

India, which played a key role in cementing the agreement between the Maoists and the seven-party alliance, has been attempting to mend relations. Foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and special envoy Shyam Saran have both visited Kathmandu over the past two months. New Delhi wants to maintain its dominant economic and political role in Nepal against regional rivals, China and Pakistan. Also, by ending the guerrilla war in Nepal, the Indian government is hoping to defuse Maoist insurgencies in parts of rural India.

Saran met the Nepali prime minister, as well as Maoist and CPN-UML leaders, earlier this month in a bid to resolve the current standoff. At a press conference on October 12, he supported the stance of the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, calling for early elections and for the issue of the monarchy to be resolved by the constituent assembly. The Maoists are also under pressure from the US and European Union, which have criticised their demands and the postponement of constituent assembly elections.

Hovering in the background is the king, who still has the strong backing of the military. The parliament has stripped the monarchy of its previous powers and privileges, including control over the army, legal immunity, tax exemptions and a veto over new laws. But sections of the ruling elite are reluctant to completely abolish the monarchy, which has been a crucial prop for the often crisis-ridden social order in Nepal.

The CPN-M’s present posturing over the immediate end to the monarchy has nothing to do with addressing any of the underlying social needs and democratic aspirations of the working class and poor. Rather the Maoists are seeking to negotiate a more favourable position for themselves within the political establishment, which they have helped to restabilise. In doing so, they are reopening the door for the reemergence of the most reactionary elements of Nepalese society centred on the king and the army.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/oct2007/nepa-o24.shtml

 

[ColdBlooded]

Of course those pansies at WSWS wouldn't like some Maoists.

I don't think walking out of the government is a good idea unless they are ready to re-start the armed revolution. And the only reason they should be considering that is if they believe they are stronger or, in the least, just as strong as when they called the truce.

If they were going to join a government it should have been a pre-condition that the monarchy be abolished prior to them joining, obviously this was going to be a major issue. I guess they figured things were going their way well enough that it would be a result of them joining the gov.

Hopfully they learned their lesson, or better yet, this was part of the larger plan for things.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

From The Hindu

U.S. desperate to keep Nepal's Maoists out of power

The United States and India discussed the situation in Nepal on Wednesday and Thursday and Washington expressed concern over the possibility of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) dominating the political space in the Constituent Assembly elections, scheduled for March.

U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Nancy Powell met External Affairs Ministry officials on Wednesday to understand India’s position on the political situation in the Himalayan nation as well as to synchronise U.S.-India’s response to the developments there. Ms. Powell visited India in September last soon after she took charge. She is an old Asia hand, having served earlier in Pakistan and Nepal.

The envoy interacted with border management division officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday. The uneasy situation in the Terai region, which borders India, came up for discussion.

Diplomatic sources described the visit as “routine but significant.” It should be seen in the larger context of India-U.S. relations, they said.

The U.S. is concerned over the possibility of Maoists monopolizing the constitutional activity in Nepal. Unlike the Nepali Congress, the CPI (Maoist) is absolutely anti-U.S., and Washington would not like the buffer between India and China to be politically dominated by a force inimical to its interests in the region. The CPI (Maoist) had made a big political gain recently by getting the other parties to agree to abolition of monarchy.