NATIONAL 3 -(Spotlight Weekly)

On Rebel Turf

Maoists rebels try to advance their cause by seeking to drum up local support

By AKSHAY SHARMA in Sindhupalchowk

The Maoist insurgency that has claimed the lives of about 2,000 Nepalis hit the front pages of international newspapers several weeks before tragedy struck the Narayanhity royal palace. The rebels continued to provide a major news peg for reporters from around the world that converged on Kathmandu to cover the royal killings.

Gates built by rebels : Welcome to the left

"All we ever knew about Nepal were the Gurkhas and Mount Everest. But now everything about Nepal suddenly seems to have become so important," Harald M. Doornbos, a Dutch journalist, told SPOTLIGHT.

A bus driver in Dolalghat, Dhruba Kumar Lama, provided SPOTLIGHT with the first lead in our quest to reach rebel turf. Asked what he expected from the Maoists, Lama said, "Since the government seems unable to tackle the problems of the people, maybe the Maoists could."

Lama, who has two sons, earns between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 per month and has to work seven days a week. "I may have suffered because I had been deprived of education. I want the best education for both of my sons."

As we mulled Lama’s hopes from the future and the influence of the Maoists on his outlook, we ran into another source that set us on our track: 22-year old Arjun KC of Jalkini village development committee in Sindhupalchowk district.

"The Maoists have banned liquor and gambling here. The police are generally afraid to venture into the Maoist areas. The nearest police station situated is at Erthu. There is a village about three km from here called Shirubari and it is a known Maoist bastion. I have some friends who have joined the Maoists and they come here and go as they please."

Asked what the people believed the Maoists could deliver, KC said, "Theyhave a program that sounds good to the rural people, but it might not be acceptable to those living in the city. It takes time for any change. It cannot happen overnight. They have targeted corruption. Compared to five or six years ago, there are more girls attending school now."

According to KC, the Maoist activities in the region started from Kubhindhe and Jalkire. "The Maoists preach the young to study and help the old people," KC told us. When we asked him where we could meet some of the Maoists he said, "Maybe it is not the right time now. They are usually seen in the evenings because they are an underground organization."

Are they armed and dangerous, we asked. "Yes, they have guns. At first, the people were afraid of the Maoists. But now since people around here have seen that they mean no harm to the locals, and have raised the right agenda, they have received tremendous public support," he said.

"Most of the members are young but there are a few old people among them," KC told us. The local population survives on agriculture wheat, corn, mangoes, bananas etc. "There are about 1,000 houses and it is very difficult for the people here who are in the middle of the crossfire between the Maoists and the security forces. The ones who suffer the most are the public."

Following the lead KC provided us, we headed toward Shirubari, which greeted us with a gate flying Maoists flags. Shirubari is 1,418 meters above sea level and is divided into two villages — Dhobhuwa, which consists of three wards, and Shirubari that has six wards — according to villager Krishna Prasad Dulal. He told us that most of the people were into agriculture, except a few who work for the government or other organizations.

"This is the first time journalists have come to our village," said Saroj Dulal, who told us that the village is known as Tulo Shirubari. At the top-most point in the village, they were building a memorial for the martyrs. We were enjoying the breath taking panoramic view of the hills and the fresh air when a man with a red Reebok cap and a blue T-shirt suddenly asked for our credentials.

"I’m a Maoist guerrilla. Because of the government’s propaganda, we need to be aware of who is who. Besides, it is easy to make fake credentials." Almost as an afterthought, he introduced himself. "My name is Pravin and I am from the village."

"We are fighting against feudalistic elements in the country. What we are basically fighting for is food, shelter, disease, hunger and poverty of the people," Pravin told us. "I am here to supervise the building of the martyrs memorial. These people have given their lives to a cause we will not let them be forgotten. If these memorials are touched by the police, we will respond by attacking older monuments and statues."

Maoist memorial : Red tribute

Asked what drew him to the "people’s war", Pravin said, "We are fighting against the current polity. Our war is against the expansionist policy of India and the capitalistic policy of America. We oppose the Hitlerian tactics of the current government. Nepal is facing a big crisis now."

He added: "There are certain external elements that are against the good of Nepal and its 22 million people. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer and this phenomenon has picked up twenty-fold compared to 1991."

Asked what led him to believe that the Maoist battle would succeed, Pravin said: "The country is geographically an ideal place for guerrilla warfare. We have fought against the police and driven them away. If the army rolls in, we will fight to the last man."

"The police have committed so many atrocities in the past. Even before the ‘people’s war’ was declared," said Pravin, "they murdered, raped and pillaged. During the war, too, they have not hesitated to commit such hideous acts."

"Nepal is dependent on agriculture," says Pravin, sitting on the top of the hill that overlooks every direction. "Our party’s policies have been misinterpreted. We definitely see Nepal falling headlong in a crisis."

"Our leaders have adopted a new policy of Prachanda Path, which will be carried out," Pravin told us. Asked where the Maoists get all their weapons from, Pravin, who was unarmed, said, "We focus on the people more than on weapons. Be it the national or international forces, we will have to fight — we will fight till hell freezes over."

"In Shirubari, before there was no development work. There were no teachers in schools and no drinking water," Pravin told us. "This problem is all over the country," he said.

"We are rehearsing for a republican state in various areas. We have managed to put an end to the feudalistic nature that was prevalent here before," Pravin told us. And when asked why they have banned alcohol and gambling he says, "We don’t want humans to act as animals. Since these things are a social disease, we want to create a better world. I think the ‘people’s war’ has reached its peak and the public has provided us with enormous help."

"Our aim is to capture the central government. And as the people have provided us with so much help, we are doing the same," Pravin told us. "There is too much Western influence from television and it is unwise to walk on such footsteps," Pravin said. "These elements have played a certain role in diverting the youths’ role in society."

Pressing ahead with his belief in the inevitability of victory, Pravin said: "The five percent of Nepalis that live in the cities will suffer the most. The government is spreading lies against us. These five percent don’t like communism because they don’t want to work for their money."

"We are a poor country and basically what we are fighting for is solidarity. We are not afraid of this fight for our freedom."

Explaining the ideological motivation that fuels the movement, Pravin said, "We have learned from the teaching of Marx, Lenin, Engels and the discussions they have advanced. We have learned from Mao Zedong and from Abimael Gonzales, the leader of Peru’s Shinning Path," he said. "Our leader, Comrade Prachanda, has given us a new direction keeping in mind the social, economic and political conditions in the country."

"The class struggle in Nepal has reached its sixth year and besides fighting for a republic in the country we are out to also provide a new direction to the whole world," Pravin said. "The people seem to be in a mood for a classless society."

Purna Bahadur Gurung, a local resident, explains how the Maoists have managed to win the hearts of the people. "The Maoist have been good to the village. There are no rich people here. The Maoists have provided us with clean drinking water. Sometimes there are mass meetings organized by the Maoists. The police know better than to interfere," he said.

"The people here are afraid of the police and in the last five years people caught by the police have disappeared," Gurung said. "But the police are in a minority here."