Indepth Analysis

Maoists' insurgency woos "emergency"!

Kathmandu: It is another matter that neither the Nepali media nor the intelligentsia could draw a significance from the fact that prime Maoists' negotiator Krishna Bahadur Mahara arrives for the third round of talks in Kathmandu directly from a New Delhi whose government is as yet the lone official source that has declared Maoists insurgency "terrorists". It is equally significant that the Mahara standpoint on talks is recognized to have suddenly changed at Godavari itself upon his "receit" there of a "Telephone Call"). Outside of these two factors it is not quite not possible to blame the Deuba government for not having anticipated Maoists strategy of using the festival season for organizational reprieve after its near debacle at "Holeri".

A new phase has now begun in Nepali politics. Whether the parliamentary parties will cease its excessive partisan politics recognizing the need to tackle a home-grown, nationwide insurgency is hardly encouraged by the three day delay in imposing an emergency in the country. Already, reports of the Girija faction demanding a Deuba resignation after the Dang and Syangja debacles suggest that partisan needs will demand that our politicians seek the advantage of being at the helm while using the "emergency" to nurture their respective organizations. Regardless, the Maoists have proven that they have launched serious armed turmoil in the country, which is likely to be long-drawn, expensive, and fratricidal.

Forgotten in the process is the fact that today's Maoists leaders' were as much participants in the movement for the restoration of multi-party democracy in the country. Forgotten in the process also is the fact that segments of the current Maoists leadership were members of the interim government. Also forgotten is the fact that the current Maoists leadership had used the advantage of governance to ensure sizeable representation in the parliament for which the interim government conducted the elections.

It should be equally important to recall here hat this segment of the Left was virtually wiped out in the sudden second parliamentary elections after which the Maoists leadership splintered and advocated resort to arms. In the current context again it should be noted that not only is a section of the previous alignment resorted to by the Maoists represented in parliament but their student organization are active throughout the nation at the schools and campuses.

While students of Nepalese political organizations techniques are very much aware of the excessive partisanization of the police and the administrative machinery, it should be equally evident that much of the Maoists success at the local level has been on account of its galvanizing the locals to meet their partisanization with the creation of their own law and order machinery and administration which, since the declaration of the Maoists insurgency, has been visibly armed and authoritative.

The Dang incident last week may have been surprising because of the timing. The public, however were by and large aware that violence would resume once the talks failed. It is the intensity of the violence that caught one surprised. The new phase, has seen the Maoists challenged a Royal Nepal Army that for years now had been seeking a "legitimate role" in combating this recognized threat to national security.

Outside the confusions deliberately or otherwise created for sake of populism or from blatant ignorance, some clear facts can be gleaned. The first is the effects on the country and national security by the purposive dys-functionalization of the national Security Council for over a decade after 1990 movement. The second is the intentional preference for investments and confidence for the use of a demonstrably incompetent police force over an army that has time and again proven its professional capabilities in the country. Equally noteworthy is the excessive publicity granted belated army attempts to equip itself with essential mobility and fighting tools in preparation of a near certain war that logic would compel an ultimate military responsibility.

It is now safe to presume that Nepal has been granted armed conflict that will be of a long-drawn nature. It will be expensive in terms of life, money and etc. The Nepali topography will ensure the length of the would be conflict and its cost. It is also safe to presume that the military will find its largest professional challenge coming from politics while strategically the challenge will remain the Maoists.

EU, US statements strengthen the hands of Deuba regime

Kathmandu: The inevitable has happened. The official declaration of the state of emergency in the country Monday evening did not come as a surprise for those responsible and sensible citizens who found some time to analyze last Wednesday's statement issued by Comrade Prachanda wherein the Maoists insurgency supremo had clearly told that the ongoing talks with the establishment have abruptly come to an end.

The common men could sense that the end of the talks meant that the insurgency could once again follow the same path of violence which is what they accomplished.

The tragedy had been that the government side neither understood the hidden message therein in Prachanda's statement nor could prepare itself for any untoward incident.

Presumably, the biggest surprise would have come for the nation's Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, for he was the one who trusted most the Maoists leaders and concluded that the fourth round of talks would resume despite Prachanda's Wednesday's expressions.

What ever happened on last Friday and Sunday in the country facilitated or for that matter encouraged the Deuba establishment to go in for a stringent measure to tame the growing threats of the Maoists insurgency.

Looking at the manner the insurgents exhibited their unjustifiable wrath against the policemen and the nation's military forces in, for example, Dang, Syangja and Solu, one could conclude that the Deuba establishment by imposing a state of emergency and mobilizing the army in the country to tame the Maoists insurgency did a timely job.

In effect, the day the Maoists insurgents dared to attack the military cantonment in Dang district perhaps they did so for their own peril. To recall, the Nepali armed forces had time and again avoided its direct confrontation with the Maoists insurgents thinking that they will spare the latter till they were equipped with their due "'legitimate role"' offered to it by the concerned State authorities. This was also guided by the fact that the army preferred not to shed the blood of their own brethren belonging to the other camp as became evident from the Holerie incident.

However, this time things took a different turn. In essence, the Nepali military force presumably came into action much ahead of the "legitimate role" allowed to them by the State on Monday evening for the Maoists insurgents tried to test the acumen of a sleeping lion.

Now that the country is armed and equipped with the state of emergency followed by the mobilization of the army, one could expect that things will improve and the common men will take a sigh of relief.

As the luck would have it, the Deuba administration also enjoys the "'timely" political supports for its new move from the lone super power, the United States of America and the European Union as well. Though the two separate statements differ slightly, however, the gist of both the statements undoubtedly strengthen the hands of Deuba regime.

Notably, the US embassy press release issued, (Monday afternoon) much ahead of the declaration of the state of emergency suggests the Maoists leaders to "lay down their arms and pursue their goals peacefully within the democratic framework established by Nepal Constitution"'. The European Union release "calls urgently upon the leadership and cadres of the CPN (M) to desist at once from all such acts of violence and intimidation, and to return to the search for a negotiated outcome".

While the US statement impresses upon the Maoists to follow the path of the constitution, the EU release stresses the need to go in for yet another round of talks. However, both apparently possess the same meaning.

Be that as it may, the country has entered into a new phase. The national population will perhaps experience this kind of "political situation" first time. How the government uses the "Terrorist and Disruptive activities, prevention and control" act brought through the use of Royal Ordinance will have to be carefully watched. The promulgation of this new move that already has assumed the force of a law is considered to be very stringent measure indeed. Many political parties fear that this law could be used to harass the political enemies by the men now handling the nation's affairs. The government says it would not use it for any other purposes other than to tame the Maoists threats.

The mysterious telephone call that was ...

Kathmandu: A section of the Nepali intellectuals wish to go deep into the causes and possible compulsions if any for Comrade Prachanda to abruptly keep his team out of the talks which he made it clear through his last Wednesday's statement.

The majority of the intellectuals whom this scribe met after Prachanda's last Wednesday's statement, say that the Maoists Supremo would not have called off the talks for nothing. But what could be the reason? Some say that the Maoists leadership during all along the four months of talks with the establishment concluded that Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was a harmless political creature and that the latter was somewhat different from his mentors in the party. Perhaps this encouraged the Maoists leadership to linger the talks as they felt that while the talks were on they could in the mean time "conserve energy" to face the establishment's security machinery in a forceful manner should the talks failed on account of the government's inability in heeding to their minimum demands.

Yet another section of the local intellectuals maintain that the insurgency itself perhaps remains sharply divided on account of the Maoists' suddenly dropping the idea for a republican order in the country.

Unconfirmed reports have it that the Maoists leadership at the moment is really divided over the said issue.

Comrade Prachanda and his supporters apparently favored the dropping of the idea of a republic from their agenda at the talks, however, the other equally powerful section in the Maoists camp apparently led by Dr. B.R. Bhattarai sounded their reluctance in accepting the former's "settling down for less" other than a republican order.

That the Maoists leadership is divided over some pressing issues could be concluded from the sudden change seen in the mood and the stance of the Maoists chief negotiator K.B.Mahara who upon attending to a "mysterious telephone call"' at the last round of talks in Godavari became pretty nervous and preferred to conclude the ongoing "bilateral talks" with the opposite camp.

Be that as it may, what is for sure is that there exist two powerful sections in the Maoists camp: one wishes to satisfy itself for the time being with the elections to the constituent assembly and the other section remains determined for a republican order in the country.

Now what becomes amply clear is that K.B. Mahara received the telephone call from the person who apparently advocates the idea for a republican order. However, who could be that personality is very hard to guess indeed. Is it that Dr. Bhattarai telephoned Mahara to come out of the talks? Is it that Comrade Prachanda under excessive pressure from the other camp for fear of being deposed from the current post issued the Wednesday's statement and gave a new twist to the national politics?

Guess works only.

Some enlightened intellectuals opine that the clue to all these questions could be found if the government owned Telephone department, the NTC, divulges the "number" of the last minute telephone call to Mahara and also reveals whether the caller made the call right from within the country or from an alien land? Remarkable point indeed.

Sri Lankan events to boost bilateral ties

Kathmandu: As the Sri Lanka's Chairmanship of the SAARC as well as the tenure of Sri Lanka's SAARC Secretary General, Nihal Rodrigo is coming to a close, the Kathmandu based Embassy of Sri Lanka is organizing two important events beginning 30 th November that will last till December 10, 2001.

The first event of the season, says a press release issued by the embassy, will be a painting exhibition by an internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan painter Jayasiri Semage which will be inaugurated on 30 November by Mrs. Arzoo Deuba at the Siddhartha Art Gallery.

The Sri Lankan artist Jayasiri Semage has to his credit several painting exhibitions held in the past not only in his own country but abroad as well.

His paintings have been already exhibited in Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Sweden and Thailand. His works is on permanent display, we are told, at many institutions in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

This outstanding Sri Lankan artist has done Mural paintings of Temples in Malaysia and Singapore.

This is perhaps first time that Nepal will have the honor to understand the talent of an extraordinary painter from Sri Lanka.

The veteran Sri Lankan artist will exhibit some of his marvelous creation which go well over forty plus that all were based on the themes of the villages and its lifestyles of Sri Lanka.

Next year the Sri Lankan artist plans to display his exhibition in the UN premises in Geneva.

Telegraph adds: The other event that has been planned by the embassy here is screening of Sri Lankan films for a week or so.

The Sri Lankan film festival begins next Monday.

The films selected for the Kathmandu viewers include Anantha Rathriya, Baddegama, Elivena Dawasa which all have won prestigious awards

Minister Bal Bahadur K.C is inaugurating the film festival.

It is hoped that events of these sorts will strengthen the cordial ties that so happily subsists in between Colombo and Kathmandu.

Film for Nepali viewers in US

Kathmandu: Some nationally acclaimed Nepalese film artistes currently residing in the United States have decided to make films in Nepali for the Nepali viewers by being well inside the United States, it is learnt.

Some of the enthusiasts engaged in the making of the Nepali film in the US had, to recall left the country in the recent past in order to enhance their career.

"From Alien Land" is the name of the film under construction whose theme revolves around the lifestyles of those Nepali film artistes who were residing in an alien land but yet long for their own motherland. The story will also touch upon the unavoidable compulsions of the Nepalese residing in America as well.

The total cost of the film is expected to be six million Nepali rupees.

The director of the film is Gagan Birahi, a noted litterateur of Nepal. The main actors of the film are Saroj Khanal, Suvarna Chettri (Pokharel), Sudhansu Joshi, Tashi Sharma, Raja Ram Poudel, Tara Gurung, Ram Raj Chettri and others.

The team engaged in the film will visit cities like New York, Virginia and Boston for shooting purposes.

The film is being made under the banner of Kali Gandaki Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

The heroine of the film, Mrs. Suvarna Pokhrel had acted in many tele-serials while being in Nepal and had bagged accolades from the viewers.

Congratulations to all engaged in making of this film!

French film festival begins

Kathmandu: State minister for Tourism and civil aviation, Mr. Sarba Dhan Rai Monday evening inaugurated the French Film Festival at the premises of Russian Culture Center.

At the inaugural function, the minister opined that such cultural events do contribute in understanding each other better at the people to people level.

Welcoming the attending film viewers, the French Ambassador Mr. Claude Ambrosini said that events of this nature will bring a "fruitful understanding of our culture and civilization to our Nepalese and International audience and friends".

He also assured that film festival like the one in progress will be screened every year.

The Alliance Francaise had assisted the embassy in organizing this weeklong event.

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