Indepth Analysis

EMERGENCY: WHAT AFTER?

The emergency and the army action that follows have, only expectedly, effectively contained the Maoists insurgency. It is the aftermath that must be a concern. Also due thought must e given to the sudden turn of events that seemingly overnight turned the Maoists organizational program into a suicidal armed event. One current line of thinking is that internal conflicts over a sell-out by the Maoists leadership duo Prachanda and Baburam, allowed the two to instigate the "BADAL" and a significant numbers of his comrades-in-arm under army guns. But at what cost?

The Maoists armed insurrection is in through disarray. Their cadres have been significantly reduced in numbers. It is close to being disarmed. The army move has shattered its myth of invincibility whether Prachanda and Baburam can rebuild a base on these ground remains for the moment a matter for serious thought. The sell-out charge on them will remain among the remnant of the very armed cadre that currently remains facing the army wrath.

This theory cant thus be taken totally for granted. There is also another in circulation which suggests that the Maoists leadership had over the years of successes overestimated its strength and thus took up the army on grounds of its unfortunate assessment of its capabilities. But whether this theory can also be taken for real remains doubtful. If the Maoists success so far can be granted its due on account of real assessment of the ground rules, it would be near impossible to conceive that its information had been so bloated as to take the Royal Nepal Army. It is thus that assessments of the aftermath must seriously probe the actual seasons why the talks broke down of a sudden at Godavari and the Maoists attacked the army post at Dang provoking the emergency and thus army.

Search for these reasons would in a sense also help any assessment of rebuilding the national situation in the aftermath of the emergency. The virtual nationwide nature of the Maoists organization could make this a compulsion. The fact that many a Nepali will have lost kith and kin in the emergency must make the effort to heal wounds real. The conclusion of the army move is foregone. It is what after that matter for the nation now.

If, that is, this dawn upon our politicians who are themselves the culprit of the insurgency. There are already indications that the emergency is being seen to have advantaged Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. Counter moves by competition from the Girija camp may be expected. Equally expected will be such moves from the Left who find themselves-cut and out from the policy process as such. The Left indeed may even feel its cadre threatened by the army move given the vague delineation between Maoists cadre and others of the Left in the country side.

Outside the politicians the unleashing of the RNA has had the soothing effects. Upon the general masses that the population themselves expected. It is the delays that led to this proportion that is worrisome.

Israeli exhibition held in Biratnagar

Biratnagar: Kathmandu based diplomatic missions apparently have started feeling that Nepal was not confined to Kathmandu valley only and that outside the valley the real Nepal existed.

Indications to this effect were made available when some two years back the Finland embassy displayed some of its products in Biratnagar for the local inhabitants. Since then a few diplomatic missions have been expressing their desire to organize exhibitions apart from Kathmandu in towns such as Pokhara and Biratnagar.

Only last week, the embassy of Israel followed the suit and gave the local inhabitants an opportunity to understand a country about which they listen only through the international media in a different manner.

The title of the photo exhibition was "Jerusalem from the air" which was inaugurated by the Mayor of the Biratnagar sub-municipality, Mr. Ramesh Chandra Poudel, last Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion Mayor Poudel expressed his profound happiness over the happening of the event in his hometown and assured the Israeli Ambassador that his municipal corporation will extend all the needed cooperation to make the exhibition a grand success.

The ex-vice chairman of the Upper House, Mr. Chiranjibi Rijal, recalled his talks with late B.P.Koirala what the latter had told him regarding the men, culture, and the stage of development of the country upon his return from Israel's visit.

The Israeli Ambassador Avraham Nir told the gathering that he possessed a sort of sentimental attachment with Biratnagar for its was this town which produced personalities like late B.P.Koirala who remained instrumental in establishing diplomatic relation with his country in the 1960s.

"'We will never forget late Koirala for he was the one who despite various prevailing political constraints dared to establish diplomatic ties with Israel. It was a daring move indeed"', added Ambassador Nir.

The Israeli diplomat, however, said that time had come to give a boost to the existing bilateral ties so that both the countries benefit from each other's experiences.

Biratnagar Press Club president Jiveshwar Lakhe opined that exhibition of this sort contribute immensely in understanding the prevailing tradition, culture, society and the likes better.

Speaking from the chair, Mr. Kosh Raj Regmi hoped that events of this kind would go a long way in enhancing the bilateral ties that so happily subsist in between Nepal and Israel.

Telegraph adds: On the occasion Ambassador Abraham Nir presented books to Purvanchal University, Management campus and Mahendra Morang campus.

The Biratnagar Press Club had assisted the Israel embassy in organizing this event in Biratnagar.

Government suggested to take up other pressing issues as well!

Kathmandu: The Maoists had not even dreamt of that their November 23 rd attack made last month at the Military cantonment in Dang would awake the "'sleeping lion", that is the Nepal's army, to their own peril.

Not only that particular event brought the military force on the highest ever alert but compelled the government under Sher Bahadur Deuba to bring into effect a state of emergency so that the Maoists insurgents could be tamed for quite long time to come.

The Dang event also facilitated the establishment to enact a law to take harsh penal actions against all those men involved and engaged in acts of creating terror and violence which the government armed itself through the use of a Royal Ordinance.

Majority of the population in the country now opine that the state of the emergency and the act on terrorism have been solely brought by the Maoists themselves for they consider that if the insurgents would have continued the negotiations with the government, the present situation would have been avoided.

Presumably the Maoists leadership calculated that the military force would not come out of their respective barracks and retaliate to their attacks. However, things became different suddenly and the army took up the task of taming the insurgents from day one of the imposition of the state of emergency. Since then media reports and the military sources reveal that the army has come heavily down against the Maoists insurgency by pouncing upon their possible hide-outs and centers. In the process, expectedly, the Maoists insurgency appears to have lost hundreds and hundred of their hard core cadres.

Unsubstantiated media reports have it that the insurgency has already lost some very powerful central committee members of its organization thereby causing colossal damage to the party, organizationally speaking. Some even claim that top leaders of the insurgency such as K.B.Mahara, Badal, Bogati and a few more who were considered to be the brains of the insurgency have lost their lives.

Rumors have it that the remaining top leaders of the insurgency have exhibited their desire for the resumption of the talks with the government with a view apparently to minimise the loss.

However, the government under Deuba remains determined to root out terroristic activities of the Maoists come what may. This notwithstanding, high placed government sources say that the government could go in for talks only if the insurgents lay down the arms. But then looking at the present mood of the establishment, one could fairly predict that the military attacks on the insurgents will continue for long.

The government has reasons to think on those lines. The fact is that most of the friendly countries in the globe, including India, China, Japan, Russian Federation, United States and the entire European Union members, have all come in favor of the establishment who in their statements have not only condemned the Maoists activities unleashed of late but have also hinted the establishment to deal with the "terrorists"' with firm hands.

This means that the Deuba establishment is completely equipped with the needed international support. There is every possibility that the government will continue the "cordon and search" and "combing operation" against the Maoists insurgency until it feels that the terror unleashed by the insurgents were totally under its grip.

Visibly, the Royal Nepal Army is concentrating its efforts in the western region of the country where the Maoists are talked to be in quite good numbers, numerically speaking. Places like Rolpa, Salyan, Jajarkot, Syangja, and Gorkha are taken as the strongholds of the Maoists and hence the army's mobilization to those areas is fully understandable.

Be that as it may, local intellectuals predict that the military actions against the Maoists insurgency could be a long drawn affair, which will cost the nation in more ways than one. These intellectuals also suggest the government to look into other equally pressing developmental efforts of the country rather than taking the Maoists issue the one and the final agenda of the nation. Containing the threats of the insurgency is indeed a top priority. However, the nation must not neglect the matters of its own overall development even at times of crises of this sort.

Chinese Minister impressed with Fulbari’s Hospitality

A high-level Chinese delegation led by He Guangwei, Minister and Chairman of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) visited The Fulbari Resort & Spa on 27 November and returned to Kathmandu after staying there for two nights.

The delegation, which included about 20 other high Chinese Government officials, arrived at The Fulbari Resort after signing a MoU for the ‘Implementation Plan for Outbound Travel by Chinese Citizens to Nepal’ at Kathmandu earlier, and was recieved at the Hotel-gate to the accompaniment of a traditional Nepali Naumati music band, offering of flower-garlands and Tika pastes, etc. A visibly impressed Minister He Guangwei commented, "I received a warm welcome and I have been highly impressed by the hospitality here", adding, "Tourism plays a role of bridge to safeguard the peace and promote the friendship between China & Nepal. "

Sri Lankan film festival begins

Kathmandu: A Sri Lankan film festival has been organized by the Sri Lankan embassy in cooperation with Nepal's ministry of culture.

The film festival was inaugurated by Minister Bal Bahadur K.C Monday evening at the premises of the Russian Culture Center.

The Sri Lankan Ambassador Ms. Pamela J. Deen welcoming the guests on the occasion said that it was the first program facilitated under the implementation of an agreement reached in between Nepal and Sri Lanka during President Chandrika Kumaratunga's last visit to Nepal wherein it was agreed between the two sides that exchanges and promotion of arts and culture would be initiated.

She also hoped that the film festival would further enhance the excellent bilateral relations her country enjoyed with Nepal.

Minister Bal Bahadur K.C maintained that such events do immensely contribute in promoting bilateral ties.

The film that was screened for the attending guests was Anantha Rathriya directed by an award winning director Prasanna Withange.

The festival will continue till 8 December.

RF condemns acts of terrorism

Kathmandu: The foreign ministry of the Russian Federation has issued a statement condemning the recent spate of violence unleashed by the Maoists.

The press release issued by the ministry reads in part: "According to the information coming from Nepal, alarming situation is arising in the country: illegal leftist extremist opposition announced of breaking the truce that was achieved several month ago and resumed combat operations against the Government forces. As a result of the extremists’ armed actions in various districts of the country several hundred people including civilians have been killed. In one of the towns the airport was seized in the rebellion assault and a helicopter piloted by Russian crew was burned (fortunately no one of the crewmembers was injured). On November 26 the authorities imposed State of Emergency."

The statement reiterates further that "The Russian Federation, while resolutely condemning terrorism in principle, is observing with anxiety a new round of violence initiated by the leftist extremists in Nepal. We support firm intentions of the Nepalese Government aimed at securing sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

The RF hopes that that the "ideas of dialogue and national consensus will prevail in the Kingdom, violence and bloodshed will be stopped, law and order will be restored."

The press release was issued in Moscow, on November 27, 2001, last week.

Israel seeks Nepal's support

Kathmandu: A high powered Israeli parliamentary delegation visited Nepal from 2 to 4 December 2001.

During the stay, the parliamentary delegation led by deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset met His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition, Madhav Kumar Nepal.

On 3 December, the delegation met a select group of Nepali journalists at the Soaltee Hotel.

Talking on the occasion, the leader of the delegation revealed that after a lapse of 28 years a delegation of this sort had come to Nepal.

To a query of the Telegraph weekly, the leader of the delegation opined that both Nepal and his country were fighting the menace of terrorism at the moment and that "if the terrorists don't wish talks, we are left with no options other than to resort to appropriate measures".

The leader of the team however, expressed his displeasure over Nepal's siding with the Arab world at the United Nations.

"We wish that Nepal understands our issues in its right perspective. Nepal could abstain from voting against Israel at the UN as and when there is a dispute in between the two rather than favoring the Arab world summarily. In fact we expect Nepal to understand us", added the deputy speaker.

German Donation promotes Football in Nepal

German Ambassador Ruediger Lemp December 3 handed over football equipment worth more than 500,00.00 NPR to Mrs. Geeta Rana, President of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). This donation offered by the Goethe Institut/Inter Nations, Bonn, will be received by seven training camps of Nepal's A-division, c-division, juiors, women footballers ad the Bal Mandir children.

In a short address, the Ambassador pointed out the social importance of team sports, adding that the equipment should help promote football in the country.

ANFA President Rana, thanking for the gracious offer, stated that the equipment will be put to the best use.

This donation is just another part of Germany's ongoing engagement for sports in Nepal, including e.g. a Ladies Football Coaching Seminar 1999.

Furthermore, on behalf of the German National Olympic Committee, FIFA soccer expert Holger Obermann will once again offer his advice and experience to Nepalese trainers and players at a coaching seminar from 04 December to 18 December.

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