NATIONAL 5 (Spotlight Weekly)]

On A Bloodier Course

Bolstered by domestic and international support, security forces go on the offensive against the Maoist rebels

By BHAGIRATH YOGI

Last fortnight may be remembered as the most tragic period in the six-year-old Maoist insurgency. In response to the killing of over 170 security personnel in Achham and Salyan districts, security personnel killed as many Maoist rebels, most of them reportedly involved in the devastating attacks in Achham. Reports said casualties on part of the insurgents could be much higher.

Like in Dang in late November, Royal Nepalese Army personnel were caught off guard when hundreds of Maoist insurgents, some of them reported to be foreign nationals, mounted a deadly attack at Mangalsen, the district headquarters of Achham, on the night of February 16, killing 55 soldiers. The assault was a great setback to the cordon-and-search operation launched by the army. The Royal Nepalese Army had no other way than to adopt an offensive posture to counter the rebels.

On Saturday, security forces gunned down 76 Maoist rebels, out of which 67 were killed at different places of Kalikot district alone. According to the Defense Ministry, the encounters took place between soldiers on "blocking positions" and insurgents fleeing from Achham district. The army also seized a huge cache of arms, ammunition, communication sets and foodstuff from the site of encounter, reports said.

The Royal Nepalese Army's latest offensive was backed by the overwhelming support of the Nepalese parliament, which extended the state of emergency by another three months. The government had imposed a nationwide emergency in November last year after the rebels withdrew from four months of peace talks and resumed violence.

The latest rebel attacks in far- and mid-western Nepal were condemned by the international community. The Indian government strongly condemned what it describe as "senseless violence committed by the perpetrators of the crime."

New Delhi also urged the misguided rebels to suspend the mindless mayhem. Though Nepal's northern neighbor, China, is yet to react to the escalation of Maoist violence, the United States, Britain and Russia condemned the attacks.

Horrified by what he saw in Achham and Salyan during a weekend visit, US Ambassador Michael E. Malinowski compared the Maoists with Al Qaeda terrorists led by Osama bin Laden. "In democracies, the death of even one police officer or one solider is a community and national tragedy. I salute each and every police officer and soldier who has died at the hands of Maoist terrorists. Each one is a hero, and each one deserves the status of national martyr." (See: Forum)

Addressing parliament last week, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba also saluted the security forces who were killed in the recent Maoist attacks. But the recent attacks also exposed lack of coordination among security agencies, poor intelligence and government's incompetence in reacting in time after the attacks. "The government will review the security situation and adopt necessary measures," said Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka, after visiting Achham and Salyan districts.

As the entire country came to a virtual standstill during the two-day long nationwide strike (February 22-23) called by the underground Maoist party, the insurgents drew additional opprobrium by torching to death five passengers, including a girl child, traveling in a passenger bus at Chitwan in central Nepal early Friday.

Political parties and human rights organizations condemned the Maoist act of burning people to death during the ëbandh.' Former speaker Daman Nath Dhungana, one of the facilitators at the failed government-Maoist talks last year, was among those expressing revulsion at the act. He joined half a dozen rights activists in a statement to express deep sorrow over the escalation in Maoist-perpetrated violence and the government's operations.

The activists asked both the government and the Maoists to immediately cease the violence and come to the negotiating table to resolve the country's political crisis.

Though top Maoist leader, Comrade Prachanda, urged all political parties, intelligentsia and common people "to create an environment for a forward-looking political way out and save the country from an even greater crisis" two days after attacks in Achham, he did not mention anything about dialogue with the government.

With escalating violence, analysts say, the prospects of a resumption of dialogue have receded. "The latest attacks in Achham (and Salyan) may have been caused by the Maoists to make their presence felt," said Prof. Kapil Shrestha, member of National Human Rights Commission. Through the latest attacks, the underground outfit may have sought to boost the morale of its cadres and dictate its terms to the government should talks resume.

With the state of emergency in place for another three more months, security forces would be trying their best to change the scenario. As the army has started hitting hard at Maoist training centers, their hideouts and hard-core fighters involved in Achham attacks, the conflict is likely to take a bloodier turn. "But the success of the army will depend on whether it can cut off the supply lines of the Maoists within and across the border," said Dipta Prakash Shah, a retired brigadier-general of the Royal Nepalese Army and a member of the National Assembly nominated by the King.

As the Maoist guerrillas observed the seventh anniversary of their "people's war" last month by targeting army and policemen in western Nepal, the death toll during the insurgency crossed 3,000 (See: Box). Elsewhere in South Asia, the Tamil Tiger guerrillas and the Sri Lankan government reached a historic peace accord last week and the People's War Group — a Maoist outfit — offered peace talks with Andhra Pradesh state government of India recently. Analysts, however, say it is difficult to predict whether Nepal's Maoist insurgents are really serious about a negotiated settlement with the government. Until then, the body count of Nepalese will go on increasing.

No. of People Killed by State and Maoists

(13 Feb 1996- 21 Feb 2002)

Occupation Killed by State Killed by Maoist

Agriculture 332 141

Teacher 14 20

Political Workers 1439 133

Police --- 598

Army --- 94

Others 146 115

Total 1931 1101

(Source: Human Rights Year Book, INSEC)

Arrest and Surrender during the State of Emergency

(till 17th February, 2002)

Region Arrest Surrender

Eastern 591 2313

Central 1196 2355

Western 390 1145

Mid-Western 494 1401

Far-Western 295 641

Total 3226 7885

(Source: Human Rights Year Book, INSEC)