Reign Of Terror

The country comes to a standstill amid sporadic violence thanks to the Maoist-sponsored five-day shutdown

By BHAGIRATH YOGI

There were very few people on the streets of Kathmandu early Tuesday on their morning walks. There were no queues in front of the dairy milk booths, as trucks belonging to the Dairy Development Corporation and private-sector vendors had not arrived. Almost all the shops in the major thoroughfares were closed and no public or private vehicles could be seen plying on the streets. So were schools, factories and private offices. Government employees could be seen walking to work.

Despite the claims by officials that they had made adequate arrangements for security for the general public during the five-day ëbandh' (April 23-27) all over the country, recent escalation of violence told a different story. As rebels continue to target government installations, development infrastructure and ministers' houses (the houses of Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat in Nuwakot and Minister of State for Tourism Sarbadhan Rai in Khotang were burned down), there was no way people could feel safe. Though there were no major reports of violence in the capital, barring a few explosions and the murder of a junior official at the National Intelligence Department at Pharping, people feared they could fall victim to crossfire.

A promising student, Sunpati Chhetri, 20, was killed and another passenger was injured when security personnel at the Shumshergunj Armed Police Force base in mid-western district of Banke opened fire at the night bus she was traveling around 2 am. Sunday. Reports said the policemen in the fortified security base might have mistaken the bus to be driven by the rebels in order to launch attacks against them.

The first victim of terrorism around the world has been the movement of people and goods. In response to recent attacks on passenger buses, the government promptly issued directives to stop all night buses plying on the long routes and instead, operates them as "day buses." The movement of thousands of people is expected to be hindered each day because of the government's latest decision.

The industry, businesses and tourism have been hit badly due to the extended ëbandh' on top of the intensified conflict. Tourist arrivals have declined by half in the last three months compared to the same period last year. "Business transactions have come down by as much as 70 percent over the last few months," said Rajesh Kaji Shrestha, president of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce. "The five-day strike will further hit the bottom line of businesses."

For their part, the Maoists said the strike was a matter of compulsion for them, rather than a choice. "We had to call the five-day strike as the government has repeatedly rejected our call for a positive and forward-looking political solution," said Comrade Prachanda, in a statement issued on Sunday. In an interview with `Jana Awaz' weekly newspaper, published from New Delhi, Maoist ideologue Dr. Baburam Bhattarai explained that the minimum solution proposed by his party included setting up of an interim government and elections for the constituent assembly.

By organizing programs like "Nepal bandh" that gives them maximum publicity, analysts say, the underground outfit wants to meet both political and military objectives. While the rebels may still want to open the door for negotiations with the government, they also want to scatter across the country soldiers and police providing security to the capital and important installations. As the monsoon approaches in a couple of months time, the rebels expect a significant reduction in the security forces' mobility due to the rugged terrain, giving them time to regroup and rearm.

Apart from issuing customary statements that they would provide full security, government officials lacked any coordinated plans to persuade businesses and transport operators to resume their activities.†† "We did not make adequate preparations last time, as the rebels announced the withdrawal of their strike," admitted Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka. "But this time, the government is fully prepared and has already drawn contingency plans."

The Maoist leadership had postponed five-day strike (April 2-6) by three weeks amid intense public pressure, as it coincided with the SLC exams involving over 250,000 students. Major political parties and civil society groups appealed to the Maoists to withdraw their strike this time, too, which simply went unheeded.

Interestingly, the rebels' ire seems to be concentrated against those bridges (as seen in Nuwakot district) that link the capital to the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Other bridges along the north-south roads have also fallen victim to Maoist assaults. Intelligence reports say such violence could escalate in the mid-western and far-western region where the rebels are fighting hard to maintain and develop their "base areas" which they could later declare as the "liberated zones."

The intensified conflict in Dang, gateway to the Maoist strongholds in Rapti zone, is mainly motivated from this consideration, sources said. In the no-holds-barred war, both the government and rebels seem to be trying to exploit every possible avenue that would help their cause. But as manifested by the recent visit of US defense officials in districts including Rolpa and Gorkha, the Maoist insurgency is no more a domestic affairs for Nepal.

"Unfortunately, instead of pointing toward the source and supply lines that the insurgents are still enjoying unhindered, our political leadership is selling ideas like constitutional amendment and threats to democracy," said a top political analyst.