National 2 (Spotlight Weekly)

Dialogue Dejection

Despite growing pressure for talks, the recent rebel attacks on Jumla and Gorkha districts have set back hopes for peace

By A CORRESSPONDENT

Less than a day after CPN-Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara appeared on CNN expressing his party's readiness to work for a peaceful settlement of the seven-year-old insurgency, his fighters mounted deadly assaults on Gurkha and Jumla districts. More than 70 people, including 56 policemen, four soldiers, three prisoners, three civilians and a chief district officer, were killed in the attacks.

Kathmandu street during Maoist-called bandh : Deserted under intimidation

More than 5,000 rebel fighters raided Jumla district headquarters Khalanga, 700 km north-west of Kathmandu, on the night of November 14 with automatic weapons. In a battle that lasted more than eight hours, the rebels destroyed almost all district offices and the airport tower. When the insurgents left the town at dawn, they had ransacked every house and set afire the remaining office buildings.

Telephone link with Jumla - one of the remotest districts of Nepal - remains suspended following the destruction of the communications tower. The damage at the airport - Jumla's only transport link - has isolated the district from rest of the country.

Although the rebels ravaged Khalanga in the same way they had ruined the district headquarters of Accham and Sandhikharka earlier this year, the fierce response of a platoon of Royal Nepalese Army averted a total destruction.

Police recovered more than 72 bodies of Maoists along with some SLRs, 303 rifles and other weapons. On the same night, rebel fighters also attacked a police station in Gurkha district, 150 km west of Kathmandu, killing 23 police personnel and injuring another 15. The Maoists launched their offensive at midnight with automatic weapons.

In Gurkha, the Maoists killed only police personnel, destroying the police station. In Khalanga, they virtually destroyed the infrastructure. It will take decades to restore the buildings and confidence in the people, who have been badly shaken by scale and impact of the violence.

What Gain?

The latest assaults have shown that the Maoists are still in a position to hit any district headquarters and can damage the basic infrastructure. Unlike earlier attacks, the rebels seem to have developed strong firepower and fighting capabilities.

The attacks also reveal that the Maoists are unable to hold the areas they capture and destroy. Whether in the case of Mangalsen of Accham district or Sandhikharka of Arghakhachi district, the Maoists left the site as soon as they destroyed the physical infrastructure.

It will take decades for a country like Nepal to rebuild the district headquarters destroyed by Maoists in Mangalsen (Accham), Khalanga (Jumla), Dunai (Dolpa) and Sandhikharka. According to an estimate, the construction of buildings in these areas alone will cost a billion rupees.

"We have lost everything in Khalanga. It took us more than two decades to construct the buildings and other infrastructure that were destroyed in merely seven hours of fierce battle," former vice-president of Jumla district development committee Jaya Bahadur Shaha told SPOTLIGHT. "I don't think the infrastructure damaged at the district headquarters will be built in another century."

It seems that the destruction of infrastructure in district headquarters is a central aim of the Maoist strategy. The rebels have also proved that their tactics are directed more toward terrorizing the people rather than to retain the areas attacked.

Failure of Strategy

The government strategy of redeployment is responsible for the large-scale casualties and destruction. Even after scores of attacks, the police and army are yet to move into an offensive posture. In all district headquarters, security personnel were in a defensive position and lacked intelligence reports about such large-scale movement of people.

"No party can mobilize thousands of people overnight. It takes weeks to assemble and deploy such a large number of people. Where is our battlefield intelligence?" asks a retired army official on condition of anonymity. "We cannot win the war without intelligence back-up."

Since the launch of the Maoists' "People's War" seven years ago, the security forces have seen similar pattern in rebel attacks. Whether in case of Dunai, Mangalsen, Sandhikharka, Dang or the recent attack in Khalanga, Maoist forces launched the attack between 10-11pm, bringing between 4,000-5,000 people as human shields. The rebels always mounted simultaneously attacks on police and army barracks, impeding their mobility.

"Despite many handicaps and limited resources, police and army personnel are performing their duties well. At a time when the rebels continue to use 81 bombs, mortar and other sophisticated weapons, the security forces must change their strategy to prevent further casualties," the former army official said.

While the strategy of the Maoists remains consistent, the security forces are yet to correct their strategy. In many cases, the security personnel were unable to prevent the assault despite the circulation of the rumors months before. The rebels prepare their battle plans with accuracy and clearly set targets, which could be thwarted by, among other things, better coordination, stronger planning, and more efficient intelligence support.

Despite the Maoists' use of sophisticated weapons at Khalanga, Okhaldhunga and Rumjatar, a small contingent of security forces was capable to repulse the rebels in each place. As the Maoists have already secured stronger firepower than the police, there is a need to make improvements in this areas.

"Royal Nepalese Army troops fought a courageous fight with the Maoists for seven hours. Had the army personnel been defeated, Khalanga would have been turned into a ghost town," said Pradeep Sumsher JB Rana speaking on Nepal Television.

A month after King Gyanendra dismissed prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's government and temporarily assumed executive powers, the Maoists have suddenly intensified their activities, destroying basic infrastructure and killing people in various parts of the country. New challenges are posed by the upsurge of rebel activities.

Peace Initiative

Although the government and major political parties continue to urge the rebels to start peace talks, they have not shown sincere efforts. The rebels are still holding on to their demands, including the abolition of the monarchy and holding elections for the constituent assembly.

The government has declared that it is ready for the peace talk. "We have already opened our door for peace talks, but it is up to the Maoists to respond," said Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal.

Human rights activists, too, are hopeful that once the warring sides agree to sit down they can reach common ground. "Dialogue is the only way to settle the Maoist problem," said human rights activist Padma Ratna Tuladhar, who worked as a mediator during last year's unsuccessful negotiations.

Pressure for dialogue is mounting from civil society and the international community, including the world's only superpower, the United States. But the recent Maoist assaults in Gorkha and Jumla, along with the escalation of destructive activities in and around Kathmandu valley, signal that peace is a far way off.

RAI'S ARREST
Freedom Under Threat

By A CORRESPONDENT

After intense pressure from national and international media organizations, Tika Ram Rai, editor of Apranha daily, was released from prison on a Rs.500 bail. Unless the case against Rai is withdrawn, he can be put back in prison at any time.

Rai was arrested from his office on November 12, following the publication of a news report on alleged corruption within Nepal Police. Ominously, for the media, Rai was detained on a charge of public offence.

Apranha, a popular evening paper, has been publishing news and events taking place in the capital over the day. Rai's paper is known for breaking important stories. He created a sensation in town a few weeks ago through the story that top Maoist leaders were detained in India and were in police custody. There has been no official comment on the news.

Among half a dozen evening papers, Apranha is usually the first to report important stories. That may be why its editor was the first to land in trouble. "I am a victim of double standard. The government arrested me for exposing corruption in the police. This government - which has been entrusted with wiping out corruption as part of its mandate - arrested me by violating the constitution. The police force, which is supposed to respect the rule of law, has gone against it to arrest me," said editor Rai, after his release.

"As long as the case against me remains pending, a sword will hang over the heads of journalists. If police can arrest journalists on such charges, the press can be muzzled any time," he said.

Newspapers and media organizations came out to protest against Rai's arrest and met senior officials to press for his release. Although the police took remand for 10 days from the District Administration Office, Rai was released on bail the next day.