Factors Behind the Maoist People's War-II

BY: D.B. Gurung

One big question that has sufficiently perplexed many is why the Maoists made the indigenous Kham Magar country (refers to the place where they are born, with which they are geographically and culturally attached) their stronghold for their guerilla movement. The reasons are many and varied: first, the presence of forest cover has provided a natural haven for guerilla operations. More than half of the two districts of Rolpa and Rukum are largely forested, and the villages are virtually secluded owing to the primitive ways of communication. Second, it is the extreme poor economic condition and socio-political deprivation that compelled the local villagers to align with the Maoists, who promised a better life and ethnic autonomy once their revolution succeeded. Development is a far cry in the mid-western regions. The Magars almost entirely depend on subsistence agriculture and sheep-rearing, aside from joining the military service. Third, the success of the Maoists in establishing themselves in the region seems to be due to the presence of the Kham Magars themselves, who have the reputation of being naive, loyal, courageous, enduring, and easily motivated, but if provoked they fight to the end no matter how. It was the relentless campaign conducted in the Kham villages during Operation Romeo, which has either forced or highly motivated the Kham Magars into the forefront of the "people's war".

Historically, the Kham Magars stand apart and have maintained their own idiosyncratic cultural practices. They have preserved a particularly rich and lively shamanic tradition, which for example leads them to call their land "the country of the blind" where only shamans can see (de Sales: 78). There may also be some psycho-superstitious motivations, to some extent, that dragged the Kham locals into the mainstream Maoist revolution: a dead instantly becomes a "shahid" (martyr), no matter who, a Maoist or a civilian. The Maoists build gardens, resting platforms (for travelers to put down their loads) or paths in the memory of the dead, who then, in Kham Magar faith, become ancestors. The Maoist revolutionaries appropriate the reasoning to neutralize the deaths of their comrades during action by equating them with their august ancestors.

One of the most influencing factors that held sway over the Kham Magars is the Maoist propaganda that carries "a metonymic link" between Rolpa and Nepal, implying "Rolpa...is Nepal", which means assurance of their ethnic self-rule. It is an attempt to construct a nation out of all these countries, a nation in which all these countries will be united and ultimately dissolved (Ibid: 87), and of course, to turn the nation conclusively into a Maoist state, the Republic of Nepal.

The CPN (Maoist) success in its consolidation strategy in western Nepal has more than one underpinning: added to a sense of utter neglect felt by the commoners and the accompanied destitution there has been historical communist revolutionary activities in the region since as early as mid-twentieth century, led by early Communist exponents like Mohan Bikram Singh, Nirmal Lama, Barman Budha, Khagu Lal Gurung, and even Dr. Baburam Bhattarai who hails from Gorkha.

For its size Nepal has enormous bio-linguistic and socio-cultural diversity. Three racial groups, viz. Mongoloid, Caucasoid, and Proto-Austroloid occupy the country, the most dominant being the second one, which comprises of tagadhari or "twice-born" (Brahman and Chhetri [including the ruling dynasty i.e., Shah/Rana of Nepal]) castes. The various groups vary not only in species and cultural orientation but also in status ranking and prerogatives as ordained by the National Legal Code or Muluki Ain of 1854, which is still vigorously in effect and which has devastatingly exploited the indigenous masses under the hegemonic Vedic Brahmanic socio-legal order. The national census of 1991 listed 60 groups: these include 26 ethnic janajati groups, making up 36 per cent of the total population, 30 castes, and three religious groups (tarai Muslim, hill Muslim and Sikh), and a Bengali language group.

Even after the democratic restoration of 1990, the political and civil society is still shackled by "upper caste" Hindu exclusionary policies emasculating other social entities, for example, the indigenous-nationalities (who are Mongoloid and mostly inhabit the mid-mountains of Nepal), madhesi (people of tarai origin), dalit (so-called lowest caste or untouchables of the Hindu caste hierarchy), non-Hindus, and women. This socio-cultural polarization has segregated many of Nepal's indigenous groups whose welfare is totally ignored: these neglected groups have barely had access to the state machinery. Therefore, the incidence of poverty and illiteracy is high among the Magar, Tamang, Tharu, and also the madhesi, and the dalit. Unless conflicts in Nepal are managed positively for the benefit of society, they can turn violent if the neglected groups become frustrated and embark on extreme measures. Also, the groups may support the more extreme groups in the belief that moderate activists cannot deliver. The attraction of indigenous nationalities and dalit to the Maoist insurgency is an indication of this (Lawoti 2003: 81).

Courtesy: Conflicts, Human Rights & Peace: Challenges Before Nepal Editor: Bipin Adhikari Published by: NHRC

Bangladesh and Nepal are neighbors and have many commonalities and complementarities

Humayun Kabir, Ambassador of Republic of Bangladesh

We are proud to mention that Bangladesh Television started its journey 40 years ago and launching of their satellite transmission through BTV word program this year stands as a befitting testimony to their steady progress towards serving the people of Bangladesh and now reaching out to the world audience. Hon’be Prime Minister inaugurated program of BTV World on 11 April 2004 in Dhaka. We congratulate BTV on this auspicious occasion and wish them all success in their creative ventures.

In this era of Information and Communications Technology, television programs are no longer a source of entertainment, efforts of the people of one country to the global audience. In the process, they have been contributing significantly in generating better understanding among the people. We believe that BTV programs will also serve similar purpose through offering a glimpse of social creativity, economic vibrancy, social cohesion and communal harmony, which are characterizing the forward movement of the heroic people of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh and Nepal are neighbors and we have many commonalities and complementarities. Being neighbors we can always learn from each other in order to face up to our common challenges. However, the fact is that we need to know more about each other, we need to interact more intensely with each other. In Bangladesh, we have successfully devised our home grown solution to address poverty; we have developed new mechanism to empower people and integrate them into meaningful employment; we have offered light of literacy to many particularly to girls, which have brought parity in access to schooling; we have broadly immunized our people and health care is at door step of people; we have also managed disasters and indeed we have earned useful experience even to manage post conflict situation. We are ready to share our experience with the people of Nepal in a friendly and mutually beneficial manner.

We believe BTV world will be able to sensitize people in Nepal through their programs about those creative efforts in Bangladesh. We also hope that BTV world programs will help the audience in Nepal to better understand the commitment of Government and people of Nepal to promote bilateral relations as well as to contribute for regional and global peace and prosperity. From our professional perspective, we find it as complementary tool to promote our collective objective in building bridge of friendship and cooperation.

(Speech delivered on the occasion of launching ceremony of BTV in Nepal)

Tourism: Economical gain at Environmental consequences

Suresh Bhattarai, Environmentalist

Annually millions of people travel to different places within or between countries. Traveling thus has developed as a way to relax and recharge their mind and soul from their regular assignment. The unprecedented development in transportation and information sector has hoisted the image of tourism as one of the highly practiced disciplines since the last few decades. However, huge economical gain has started exerting pressure in environment. The nature, which provides immense opportunities for tourism entrepreneurs; hardy receives anything back from those ungrateful people in return. If the industry is to sustain for long then apart from implementing tougher governmental regulation, the entrepreneurs and tourist themselves should be made more accountable to keep the environment clean and sustainable.

Economy of Tourism

Annual visit to various explored or unexplored, urban or exotic pristine places generates hundreds of million of dollar, making it one of the most thriving business in the world. World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates a growth of 9.6 % in tourism business to exceed $5.5 trillion in 2004 from the previous year, creating 3.3 million more jobs. Ten-year annualized growth (2005-2014) is forecasted at 4.5 percent per annum, illustrating the outlook for a bullish recovery in 2004. Tourism sector is expected to contribute 3.8 % of total global GDP, moreover, if all the areas that benefits from the sector are to be included then the percentage figure swells to double digit, up to 10 .4 %. Annual summer visit to US beaches accounts for $ 640 million. (Clean Beach Council). If the WTTC prediction is to be believed then the Montenegro, India, China and Vietnam are going to be the major beneficiaries in the year 2004.

Tourism Vs Environment

No doubt mass flocks of tourist bring money and generate local jobs but are also associated with the high level of environmental damages. Quantity rather then quality tourist and unprecedented growth of infrastructure to welcome them has shaken environmental system into serious disarray. All form of the nature air, land and water has been victimized, some of which beyond recovery. Tourism sector are to be partially blamed for these atrocities towards nature.

Air

Even with the development of the cars and high-speed trains, airline still is the more preferred means of transportation for the tourist. WTO study found air transport employee 24 million people and generates $1,140 billion each year. Annually 1.6 billion flights add hundreds of billion of air miles in the aviation history with the estimated 75% being recorded for leisure alone. Thousands of such flights burn millions of gallons of aircraft fuel adding tons of air pollutant in the air. Apart from that, air craft are one of the major sources for the global warming. The rise in temperature has resulted into unnatural melting of the polar ice threatening the livelihood of the island and coastal countries.

Water

Each year, 7 billion kg of trash is dumped at sea - 77 per cent from cruise ships. (Environmental News Service). A typical Caribbean cruise ship generates 70,000 tones of waste per year, or 7,500kg per day. Interestingly, those cruise ship owner escape being prosecute under tougher US law as these cruise ship are registered in countries with ineffective law i.e. Liberia.

Coral is one of the major tourist attractions but the establishment of resort, boat anchorage, over fishing, and discharge of the sewage into ocean has resulted into a greater threat to the reef. Even the high "reef-diving" damages the reef. According to the study by Dixon et. al 1993 reef can’t handle more then 4000-6000 "reef-dives". This is their carrying capacity. In Red sea the reef diving is 10,000-15,000 per year, far more then the carrying capacity (Hawkins and Roberts, 1994).

Mangroves swamps, a happy breeding ground the marine birds, is one of the hardest hit areas due to tourism. Globally 50% of Mangroves forests are destroyed from 1950 onwards with the Thailand, Pakistan, Panama and Mexico leading the chart (World Resources Institute: Coastal Ecosystems Report, 2001).

Land

Mediterranean is the leading tourist destination over many years resulting into urbanization of the coastal areas. A World Wild Fund (WWF) study has found that out of 46,000 km of coastline almost half are now urbanized. A study of United National Environmental Program (UNEP) found three-quarters of sand dunes on the Mediterranean coast between Spain and Sicily have disappeared. The destruction, mainly due to the tourism, has threatened the survival of the monk seal, sea turtle and more than five hundred types of plants.

2.6 million annual visitors, 20,000 hotel rooms and permanent population of 3,00,000 Mexican city of Cancun is no longer a quite city. The 20 km-long island which sheltered just 12 families in 1970s now is the major tourist destination and generates 450 tones of rubbish each day.

Nepalese Context

World Trade organization estimated 6.1% of global tourist picks south Asia for their recreational activities. Recent global economic recession has prompted people flying towards cheap destinations or the countries like Nepal which is so much dependent on the tourism to keep its economy crawling; we hardly have any choice but to welcome anyone. On the positive side the tourism is providing a strong financial incentive for the conservation of natural ecosystem and wildlife i.e. rhino in Chitawan.

Since the 1921, when the first expedition to the Everest was made, Nepal stands second to none for its challenging mountains. Annually thousands of mountaineers come to Nepal to face the nature ultimate challenge, scale the Everest. The mountaineers and their porter use tones of canes food, oxygen bottle; other gadget etc and leaves the remaining behind, making it worlds highest landfill site.

Apart from the mountaineering, trekking is one of the highly preferred among the tourist destined to Nepal. In Nepal, trekkers burn about 6 kilos of wood each per day in a country desperately short of fuel (AAAS 2000).

One can see in Pokhara, dubbed as city of tourist for its pristine surrounding, hundred of lodges and restaurant mushrooming up in the lake side. Such unmanaged establishment has not only has diminished the aesthetic value of the city but also increasing pollution in Phewa Lake.

Conclusion

The voice of few environmentalists has proved futile so far as they are easily brush a side by financial muscle power of tourism entrepreneurs. World Travel and Tourism council (WTTC) reported that tourism stands in top five sources of foreign exchange of 83% of the countries of the world. The tourism income accounts for the half GDP of the Caribbean countries (World Resource Institute).The massive monetary benefit means governments are often reluctant to implement any tougher regulation in the tourism sector. Efforts are underway to encourage the eco-tourism, "a responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people desperately needs tourist dollar to keep its economy moving, we can’t afford to implement any regulation that may discourse foreigners coming here. However heavy exploitation may backfire, we should welcome them but also should make an effort to encourage eco-friendly tourism. The newer rules that penalize mountaineers against dumping their waste in mountains may set a positive tone towards a better tomorrow, where both environment and tourism flourish.

Views expressed in this article does not reflect to the institution associated.

The author can be reached at sbhattarai@ku.edu.np

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