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MAOIST INSURGENCY |
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MAOIST INSURGENCY |
'Operation Destruction' Desperate and sidelined,
the rebels are destroying the precious infrastructure of the poor country By BHAGIRATH YOGI —On Saturday night, Maoist rebels
bombed the powerhouse of the 12-MW Jhimruk power project in the mid-western district of
Pyuthan. Their "brave" act disrupted power supply not only in Pyuthan but also
in neighboring Rolpa, Arghakhanchi and Gulmi districts. A day later, the insurgents
returned to the site and bombed the entire powerhouse, causing a damage of an estimated
Rs. 1 billion. —The insurgents cut off water supply
lines at the headquarters of the eastern hilly district of Okhaldhunga Sunday, creating an
acute water shortage for thousands of local people, including hundreds of students staying
there temporarily to take the SLC exams.
—The "revolutionaries"
burned down the Agriculture Research Center of the hill crops research program at Kavre
VDC in Dolakha district late Saturday, causing a damage of an estimated Rs 500 million.
The insurgents also set on fire a range post, a post office, branch office of Nepal
Electricity Authority and a truck belonging to the Guthi Corporation. The insurgents also
set fire to a night service passenger bus heading toward Kathmandu from a central terai
town on Saturday night. In yet another incident, more than 150 telephone lines were
disconnected when the rebels blasted a telephone exchange tower at Sauraha, a popular
tourist destination, in Chitwan district. —In Dang district, the insurgents
burned down all but two offices of the village development committees. In the run-up to the five-day (April 2-6)
shutdown strike they had called, Maoist rebels stepped up attacks on development
infrastructure, and public and private property, besides killing innocent civilians. In an
effort to force the government to postpone the SLC exams beginning April 2 and to
intimidate the people into obeying their decree, the rebels resorted to a scale of
vandalism unprecedented in the country's history. Under growing political and public
pressure, the Maoists rescheduled the strike less than 12 hours before it was to have
begun. But considerable damage had already been inflicted. At least 27 people, including
three children, women and soldiers, were injured when an improvised bomb went off at a
crowded bridge over Bishnumati River near Tahachal in Kathmandu Friday. Reports said the
bomb hung at the side railings of the bridge was wrapped around in a piece of red cloth. The United States condemned the latest
attacks by the rebels in Kathmandu, terming them "brutal and senseless."
"We urge the Maoists in Nepal to lay down their arms immediately and stop these
brutal and senseless attacks against civilians and to engage in peaceful pursuit of their
aims within the democratic framework of Nepal's constitution," deputy State
Department spokesman Philip Reeker said in Washington DC. Will the rebels listen? As their
"Operation Destruction" continues, the rebels seemed to have gained very little,
if any. Their call for a general strike coinciding with SLC exams was denounced by all
other political parties, human rights groups and civil society organizations. "For
the first time in six years of insurgency, the insurgent group had to bow down to public
opinion," said an analyst. Minister of State for Education, N. P.
Sawad, revealed that the pro-Maoist student body had asked the government to postpone the
SLC exams by at least 90 days to give adequate time for their cadres — now graduating
in the tactics of arson and looting — for preparation. "There was no way we
could change the exam calendar. We have been preparing for the exams for the last several
months and any changes in the exam calendar would hamper the entire academic
session," he added. Buoyed by strong public support, the
government decided to fight back. The state-run media openly called on the people to
"resist" the "terrorists'" call for a prolonged strike. Authorities
said they would provide adequate security and compensate for losses incurred during the
strike. Security forces were given shoot-at-sight orders. The government warned that
severe action would be taken against those who refused to comply with its directives. But the people's confidence in the
government's measures was exposed by the fact that most of the shops were closed and there
were very few vehicles in the street early Tuesday, despite the Maoists' announcement of a
postponement the previous afternoon. In a statement, chairman of the underground
Maoist party, comrade Prachanda alias Pushpa Kamal Dahal, said his party had decided to
postpone the shutdown by three weeks (until April 23-27) "keeping in mind the future
of the students." He said his party would postpone all future protest programs if a
"positive environment" was created to end the current political impasse. He,
however, did not elaborate what would create such a positive environment. Fresh from his India visit seeking the
southern neighbor's help in controlling all types of cross-border support to the Maoists
in Nepal, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has been insisting that resumption of talks
was not possible unless the rebels lay down their arms. The government strategists, too,
believe that they need to score some big `tactical' and publicity victory against the
rebels in order to force them to the negotiating table. "We should hit the iron when it is
hot," declared former prime minister and ruling Nepali Congress president Girija
Prasad Koirala, addressing a meeting of the party's district unit presidents in the
capital last week. "Given the global opinion against terrorism, the Maoists can't
enjoy international support and have been isolated. They have already given up their
demand for a republican state. So, I have sent a message (to them) to join the political
mainstream by agreeing to constitutional amendment." Whether the proposed constitutional
amendment will lure the Maoists to join the mainstream remains to be seen. But, analysts
say, they could be compelled to negotiate with the Nepalese government if the Indian
government cooperated in checking their activities and support in Indian territory. Even a
fortnight after Prime Minister Deuba's visit to New Delhi and Kolkata, there were no
indications of such assistance forthcoming from the Indian side. The government also started a diplomatic
initiative to mobilize international opinion against the insurgency. On a follow-up
mission to the first-ever visit of US Secretary of State Colin Powell to Nepal early this
year, acting Foreign Secretary Madhu Raman Acharya, accompanied by joint secretary and
spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, Gyan Chandra Acharya, left for Washington DC early this
week. During their low-profile tour, the Acharya due are also expected to visit Moscow and
London to apprise both governments of Nepal's endeavors to fight the insurgency and seek
their support. "The Maoists are running against the
tide and time. As the post-September 11 events suggest, they will find no place at home
and no mentor, support and refuge abroad when the noose tightens around them. It will take
some time but the Maoists are destined to lose. But their defeat is only part of the
story. Bringing people hope and win their hearts and minds, including for those Maoists
who renounce violence, will be more formidable," said Murari Raj Sharma, Nepal's
permanent representative to the United Nations, addressing friends of Nepal in the US last
month. "Nepal requires increased development assistance and better trading
opportunities to provide relief to its desperately needy people and to overcome the huge
obstacles to its progress." While it's a long way to go, under pressure
from the Royal Nepalese Army and losing whatever public support they had been able to
garner through the use of sheer terror, the Maoists have felt desperate and sidelined in
the context of national politics, analysts say. But the fact that they still retain enough
capacity to inflict damage on the country's development infrastructure was on full display
last week. With the nationwide shutdown strike
postponed by a few weeks, the rebels have enough reason to carry out their "Operation
Destruction." Of course, the country will have to pay a heavy price for several years
for the Maoists' misadventure. NHRC The rights body is yet to
prove its mettle National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
Chairman Nain Bahadur Khatri has said the government had not taken seriously his panel's
suggestions and recommendations on the protection and promotion of human rights in the
country. Addressing a press conference in Kathmandu
on Monday organized to make public the commission's first annual report, Khatri called
upon all to make greater efforts toward containing the growing violence in the country. He
also accused the Maoists of killing innocent people and destroying development
infrastructure. According to the commission, nearly half of
the 500-plus complaints registered between June 2000 through July 2001 were related to
civil and political rights of citizens. "We are facing an acute crunch of resources
to expand our activities," said Prof.
Kapil Shrestha, a member of the panel. "We are planning to launch a human rights
education program with the support of United Nations Development Program," he said. Activists argue that the commission has
failed to make its presence felt amid escalating violence and growing concerns about human
rights violations and abuses by the government and the rebels. "The NHRC is lost in
the crowd," said Krishna Pahadi, president of the Human Rights and Peace Society.
"This will cause a loss to the state as well as democracy. The government must take
the initiative to strengthen the commission." |
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