National 1 (Spotlight Weekly)

Strict Measures

A week after the breakdown of ceasefire by the Maoists and their attacks on individuals in capital, the government announces stringent measures

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

Heightened security : Clear and present danger

Unlike in the year 2001 when the unilateral breakdown of the ceasefire by the Maoists was followed by waves of attacks on military and security installations in different districts of the country, this time the rebels gunned down a senior army official and injured a former minister in Kathmandu a day after they walked out of the peace process in an eerily similar fashion.

In the days after the August 27 breakdown of ceasefire, the rebels killed an army colonel and injured another. They also injured a former state minister and shot to death a sweeper working at the military hospital. The targeted killings had triggered panic among the residents of the city who fear growth in such attacks in the days ahead.

Fearing the Maoist strategy of ‘selected assassination’ the government has beefed up security arrangements provided to more than 200 individuals including political leaders, senior bureaucrats and security officials. Besides, the security officials also fear that the rebels have dispatched a group of trained guerrillas to launch such attacks and even smuggled weapons to carry them out.

Consequently, the Home Ministry has issued prohibitory orders in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur district for 22 days beginning September 2 in order to control the situation of law and order in view of increased threat from the Maoists as well as to prevent the escalation of violence due to ‘decisive’ agitation by the five political parties, which is set to begin on September 4.

The Kathmandu district administration office has clamped 5 hour night curfew in Kiritipur since September 1 night (from 11 pm till 4 am). The capital valley has been declared as riot-affected place. The prohibitory orders ban holding public meetings, organizing sit-ins, rallies, strikes and gherao.

Except for the religious and traditional functions, the government has also banned gathering of more than five people in certain places deemed sensitive and has banned distribution of pamphlets and posters. The Home Ministry has clarified that the prohibitory orders were issued because of clear possibilities of terrorist infiltration in the agitation to be carried out by the political parties.

“The government had to take these decisions to protect life and property of people, establish right to peaceful life and safeguard multi party democracy and constitutional monarchy,” Kamal Thapa, minister for Information and Communication said. He also asked the media to exercise care in disseminating information so that they don’t boost rebel morale and affect people’s faith.

The heightened security is visible in the streets of Kathmandu, which is now watched over by armed soldiers.

The five parties, while denouncing the latest government decisions to issue prohibitory orders, which could directly obstruct their ‘decisive’ agitation beginning September 4, have hinted that they could readjust their programs. The leaders of Nepali Congress (NC) and Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) have indicated that they would begin to ask their party cadres not to come to Kathmandu valley as earlier directed and instead scale down their agitation to district level programs.

Apart from increased insecurity in the capital city, the breakdown of ceasefire has also witnessed resumption of violence in several parts of the country with dozens of people already losing their lives. “Although government has not yet decided that it would impose state of emergency, nothing cannot be ruled out,” said a senior official.

After a brief respite of seven months when the ceasefire was in effect, the Nepalese people have once again been dragged to a bloody war. More than 50,000 people including school students marched on the streets of the capital on August 29 to call on both sides to cease hostilities. Whether their request will materialize remains to be seen.