Wednesday, September 7, 2005

In-depth analysis:
Maoists' gambit under study

Kathmandu: The deliberate black-out of the latest Maoist initiative of a ceasefire by the Nepali official media is a classic case of mishandling that erodes the credibility of this key sector in Nepal. It shifts the news source to the alternative sector, which scored, on the ceasefire coverage with demands from the agitating parties that the government responds. The official media did respond, a full day later, with reservations, which was alright, but the message need not have come as late as it did as if in response to the demands of the political sector.

Government must learn the advantages of the initiatives still. The Maoist initiative has been correctly responded to . Government can't afford the immature euphoria on ceasefire that were demonstrated on previous such occasions. It can't be forgotten that the unilateral cessation of resort to arms declared by the Maoists on four previous occasions had equally unilaterally been taken back. On two of these four occasions the welcome given the Maoists by government had merely resulted in deliberate strategic advantages to the Maoists at the cost of the State.

What strategic advantages the Maoists now seek in their latest initiative must thus be denied them at the very outset so that this latest ceasefire results in a permanent effort at peace in the country. The targets must therefore be carefully studied.

One immediate outcome of the ceasefire declaration instantly noticed in Nepal has been the prompt claimer of the agitating parties for official government support. Indeed, the party leadership each went to the extent of claiming their contribution towards engineering the ceasefire. Both G.P. Koirala and Madhav Nepal respectively would want credit for the fresh Maoists gesture.

Yet another claimanant of the contribution is found in the deliberate Indian release of reports that Delhi's hand was very much there in securing Prachanda's acquiescence for the three-month cessation of hostilities unilaterally declared by him.

Of course, for the Nepali people, the Nepali media will not have taken the initiative of a possible nexus between the king's regional tour of the Maoists hot-beds, the severe reversals of the Maoists' fighting credentials and the visible shift of mass grassroots support towards the King as compulsions for a Maoists retrenchment of hostilities.

What is for sure is that a degree of anticipation of new developments appears to have been recognized in government. This facilitated the dropping of plans not announced publicly as late as a week before schedule of the King's trip to the United Nations.

If foreign minister Ramesh Nath Pandey is now to attend the UN world conference on the fiftieth year of Nepal's membership in that international body, the King is to stay back to oversee the latest developments that obviously will be of import in the scheme of things to come.

Prachanda's Delhi deal

Kanchan Gupta / The Pioneer daily, New Delhi

MAOIST CEASEFIRE IN NEPAL AFTER TALKS IN INDIA ----- In a surprise turnabout, Maoists in Nepal announced a unilateral three-month ceasefire on Saturday and called for restoration of political dialogue. According to information available with The Pioneer, the so-called truce has been announced at New Delhi's behest to create international pressure on King Gyanendra who has launched a massive offensive against the Maoists ever since the royal coup of February 1.

It is believed that the supreme leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known as Comrade Prachanda, was in India recently for talks with officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Cabinet Secretariat. According to reports from Kathmandu, the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) have issued statements welcoming the Maoists' move and urging King Gyanendra to hold official peace talks. Appearing on Nepal-1 television channel, former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, during whose tenure in 2003 the Maoists had violated an earlier ceasefire, welcomed the truce, saying it is now for the King to initiate talks with the extremists.

Maoists in Nepal have been collaborating with Communist Party of India (Maoist) cadre.

Officials in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi, who have been closely tracking Prachanda and his "People's Liberation Army", have reacted with caution to the truce offer. " It is no secret in New Delhi that the Home and Foreign Ministries are divided over how to deal with the Maoists in Nepal, more so after the royal coup of February 1. The Ministry of External Affairs has been pushing for a pro-Maoist, anti-monarchy line.

"Those who believe that the Maoists in Nepal can be drawn into legitimate politics through a deal-induced truce are grossly mistaken. They should remember how Prachanda violated the truce of 2003. They should also learn from our own domestic experience," said another official involved with counter-intelligence operations. He pointed out how the Maoists in Andhra Pradesh had twice agreed to a truce and used it to their advantage. "Faced by a daunting counter-offensive, the Maoists in Andhra Pradesh twice agreed to a ceasefire. On each
occasion, they used the truce to regroup, re-arm and re-launch their attack on the State," he added.

NEWS-ANALYSIS:
What prompted Prachanda to announce a ceasefire?

Kathmandu: The conglomerate of the agitating seven parties' have plenty of reasons to claim that it was their recent political overtures that prompted the Maoists leader, Prachanda to declare a three-month long ceasefire effective last weekend.

No less logical seems the claim of Shri Girija Prasad Koirala that it was his personal initiatives that led Prachanda to announce the ceasefire. Girija Prasad has reasons to be happy with this sudden announcement for it was this lanky political creature who time and again been telling the people that he would go in for talks with the Maoists come what may.

By the same token, Madhav Nepal and his bourgeois Communist party, the UML, too have abundant rationale to claim that it was his party's maneuverings that forced Prachanda to go in for this sudden pronouncement of a unilateral ceasefire.

It would be therefore not a surprise to observe that yet another neighboring force in close cooperation with Nepal's prominent and powerful political parties has come to the fore to claim that whatever Prachanda did this time around were of New Delhi's brain child.

Well! well!

Under whose instructions or for that matter suggestion comrade Prachanda arrived at this decision to announce the ceasefire arrangement is a matter that should be left for intellectual debate. However, what is for sure, as much as is visible from various pronouncements vis-à-vis the ceasefire announcement, is that Nepal's political forces appear to be in tandem with New Delhi's scheme of things on Nepal happenings. Whether Nepal's political parties know it or not is immaterial. What counts and assumes political significance is the timing of the announcement firstly by Prachanda, the claims hurriedly pushed secondly by Nepali political parties and thirdly the instant claim by Indian establishment for the same announcement.

The chain of the link stretches from Kathmandu to New Delhi. This is important.

Under the given scheme of things and as the matters have unfolded one after the other in the recent days, what becomes clear is that all the parties that claim their "contribution" to this sudden declaration of the ceasefire have a sort of common plan whose cumulative effect is the announcement of the ceasefire.

Question now comes as to why Prachanda made this announcement under the pressures from New Delhi? Or is it that New Delhi is simply trying to ignore Prachanda's leadership and provide an impression to Nepali population that even Prachanda could be well seduced and finally pressed for such an announcement. News reports appearing in the Indian media does speak many things about Prachanda, some unbelievable as well, that he was found loitering around Delhi's power corridors wherein he was advised to go in for this announcement.

Is Prachanda that weak politically that he could be bend by alien forces? Or is it that Prachanda in the recent months has made his own place in the New Delhi power corridors and in the process he was made weaker than what he used to be? Analysts suggest Prachanda to take his own decisions in the name of his own motherland and not get carried away by alien's dictates.

The third possibility that comes to the fore is that Prachanda and his party leadership themselves could have evaluated the ground situation and have decided not to waste time in making this announcement.

In doing so, the rebels have definitely accumulated advantages. Firstly, the people are happy with this announcement. Secondly, the political parties who claim this announcement have come through their kind courtesy too have begun extend their love and honor to the rebels. This is no less an achievement. It has come for free for the insurgents.

Thirdly, the international community too is bound now to consider the rebels in a different political light. The image of the rebels has gone up. This is fantastic achievement indeed.

However, the ground fact is that his own comrades in arms at the grass root levels have not honored Prachanda's declaration. A point to be carefully noted by Prachanda. The manner violence is continuing from their side does speak two things: firstly, either Prachanda made this announcement without consulting/convincing his comrades whose job is to create terror or his lower rung comrades now have begun challenging his supreme authority for reasons unknown to the analysts.

It could be that though Prachanda wanted time to study the nitty-gritty of such a declaration prior to the announcement, he was denied time by certain forces who wanted to play double with him as well.

Analyzing the reports emanating in the Indian newspapers this possibility can't be ruled out.

Perhaps it is this continuing violence of the rebels even after the announcement that perhaps prompted the UML to announce that their party would prefer to watch whether the Maoists words and deeds differ. A brilliant decision indeed.

Analysts leave the rest for the deliberation of the Kathmandu intellectuals. It would be interesting to note the new found love in between New Delhi and comrade Prachanda as so forcefully commented and revealed by one Indian newspaper.

But then yet Prachanda's fresh announcement does speak, though in a subtle manner, that he and his party would prefer peace at whatever gains that could be collected at time of the negotiation with the power-that-be in Kathmandu.

-Give peace yet another chance-
Govt's lukewarm response to Prachanda's announcement

Kathmandu: As was expected, Nepal government's response to the Maoists ceasefire declaration is a lukewarm one.

The Nepali establishment has abundant reasons to possess reservations vis-à-vis Prachanda's unilateral announcement of a ceasefire that too for an uninterrupted three months.

Undoubtedly, the government was taken aback by this sudden development and did not know how to pass on comments on such an announcement whose outright rejection could boomerang politically.

Passing on a rejection comment would have invited wrath from all possible quarters more so from the international one who appear hell bent on finding faults of the present day government in order to embarrass it at an appropriate occasion.

However, the government denied that opportunity to its detractors.

Nevertheless, the government appears determined to take the announcement in a well-guarded manner so that steps could be taken in this regard that is foolproof.

But then yet the establishment has come up with statement that neither negates totally the usefulness of the announcement nor appears tempted to grab the opportunity.

This is perhaps so because the government in the past knows how things go with the Maoists at time of the negotiations and appears fully convinced that this time around it would take steps that become more productive in real terms and do not become a matter of propaganda only.

Analysts opine that the government has adequate raison d'être to make "reserved" comments as regards to Prachanda's announcement.

Firstly, the establishment would wish very much, as the logic would demand, to verify the authentication of the announcement. It is doing that hopefully.

Secondly, the government appears to have taken the entire announcement as a bolt-from-the blue, for the announcement, as claimed by one influential left leaning Indian newspaper, did come as a tireless effort made in this regard by the Indian establishment more so that of the Indian foreign ministry.

The Indian newspaper, the Pioneer Daily, clearly and emphatically says that it was the outcome of rigorous efforts made by some enthusiasts at the South Block which ultimately pressed Prachanda so hard that the latter could not help but had to made this forced announcement.

The significance of the announcement of the said ceasefire thus becomes significant and loaded with "meaning" that is definitely dangerous because of its foreign connotations, that rightly demands reservation.

The government's lukewarm response to Prachanda's pleasant but yet thrilling announcement becomes clear if one were to analyse what the Pioneer daily has to reveal. It says that the Indian establishment is divided over how to tackle the Nepal's Maoists issue.

While on the one hand the South Block mandarins under Natwar Singh would prefer the Maoists to continue with their revolution against the monarchy, the home ministry under Shiva Raj Patil would want the Maoists to negotiate for a permanent solution to the Nepali conflict.

The Home ministry men in India appear to have become more reasonable given their own "horrendous" experience with their own Maoists in Andhra Pradesh and more recently in Chattish Garh who when allowed to enter into a ceasefire arrangement later came with double energy and attacked the establishment. The ceasefire scheme provided the Indian Maoists to regroup, rearm, and collect energy to pounce on their own establishment.

The Indian home ministry officials thus would want to see Prachanda's ceasefire announcement with suspicion. On the contrary, South Block would wish the Maoists to create terror in their own country. This is very much close to the infamous divide and rule policy acquired by Natwar Singh, which Prachanda must understand.

The fact is that Natwar Singh should know that only recently Ganpathi, a veteran Maoist leader in India and Nepal's Prachanda have come to an agreement wherein they both say that ultimately both would work for transforming Nepal and India into a communist states.

This should be well understood by myopic Nat war Singh if he is really a diplomat.

In all, Nepali establishment's response to Prachanda's announcement is a vague one that means that the establishment in Kathmandu would wait and see and would prefer not to be in a hurry in making its comments in that regard. Nevertheless, the government through its fuzzy statement has also not bluntly rejected the idea for peace as suggested by the rebel leader, Prachanda.

In a daring move, the Nepal television read out the entire text printed by the Indian newspaper wherein it is said that Prachanda made this announcement under the pressures from New Delhi.

But then yet analysts would appeal the establishment to give peace a chance.

This is how the matter stands.

Some visible/invisible forces wish Nepal destabilized

-RPP leader Kamal Thapa

Kathmandu: For the first time one Nepali politician belonging to the RPP, Kamal Thapa, has admitted that the differences in between the powerful "constitutional forces" in side the country has amply benefited the Maoists.

Responding to queries posed to him by Kantipur television Monday evening , Thapa, a matured leader in his own right, said that he sees in Prachanda's ceasefire announcement a desire of the Maoists who would want the State security forces bring to a grinding halt to their actions.

"This is impossible for the state forces must remain on an all-time alert to meet any eventualities and hence Prachanda's contention on the contrary is inadmissible", said Thapa adding that even then the government must utilize the opportunity for peace provided by Prachanda's announcement.

"In the quest for a permanent peace the establishment must take some steps forward", continued Thapa.

Thapa emphasizes the need that if talks were held, it should be held in between the two main conflicting parties that is between the State and the Maoists.

This implies that Thapa is against any third party mediation as demanded obliquely by Prachanda.

In the absence of talks and that too sooner the better, Thapa opines that he sees the country's situation to be "dangerous" and thus appeals both the conflicting parties to go in for "meaningful" talks.

A seasoned leader as he is, Thapa smells that some visible/invisible forces were at constant work in order to destabilize Nepal.

"There appears to be a sort of design in order to make the country unstable", Thapa went on to say during the interview.

Commenting indirectly on the Indian news paper report that New Delhi sponsored this ceasefire announcement, Thapa says that if what have appeared in the reports were true then he sees that a grand design was there to destabilize this country by some forces and that too seeking close cooperation of Nepal's own political forces.

"If this is so then the entire situation could become disastrous", Thapa concluded.

All in all, Thapa gave an impression that he knew the forces that were hell bent on killing Nepal though the use of Nepal's own political parties including the Nepali Maoists. He however, did not name the country or countries, which nurtured ill intents towards Nepal and wanted to cash in upon from Nepali differences.

ENBREF:

Maoists in India and Nepal agree to fight together

Kathmandu: The Maoists' leaders in both Nepal and India have announced their decision to "fight together and establish socialism and communism" in the two countries.

A joint statement signed by Ganapathy, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Prachanda, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), stated that both the parties will unite to fight, until the time when "conspiracies hatched by imperialists and reactionaries are crushed and the people's cause of socialism and communism are established in Nepal, India and all over the world."

Maoists declare cease-fire

Kathmandu: The Communist Party of the Maoists in Nepal announced a unilateral cease-fire for the next three months. The declaration stated that they want to provide an opportunity to find peace which has eluded the nation for almost a decade.

The Maoist leader Prachanda declared that the cease-fire would take effect immediately.

He said this would offer a chance to find peace in Nepal.

Meanwhile, the UN deputy representative in Nepal, Ghulam Isaczai, said he hoped the ceasefire would pave the way for a solution to the conflict.

Mr Isaczai said the UN would welcome any move that would contribute to achieving peace and security in Nepal.

Unilever reopens

Kathmandu: In a dramatic incident the Unilever Nepal, a joint venture in which Hindustan Lever of India holds 80 percent stake, reopened its factory last-week after deciding to close the factory indefinitely a fortnight ago citing threat from the Maoist rebels.

Koirala reelected

Kathmandu: Former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, 82, for a record third time was reelected president of the Nepali Congress Party at its 11th general convention on Thursday.

Mr Koirala received 1,215 votes against 165 for his rival Narahari Acharya in balloting for the party's top post. Whereas a senior Nepali Congress leader, Ms Shailaja Acharya resigned from the post of member of the NC central working committee citing ideological differences with the newly elected central committee members hours after she was re-elected in the CWC.

Nepal-India boundary talks conclude

Kathmandu: Nepal-India Joint Technical Level Boundary Committee talks concluded last week, with the Nepali side calling it the best amongst all the meetings they had so far. Toyanath Baral, director-general of the Department of Survey, led the team, which consisted of 14-members. Mr Baral talking to the media said, "There was no conflict; and they very positively respected our concerns." News reports also claimed that Indian officials positively respected Nepal's concerns over disputed Triveni-Susta and Kalapani areas.

Nepalese Envoy to Lobby for Saudi Mission in Katmandu

( -by Mohammed Rasooldeen, Arab News, Saudi Arabia)

RIYADH, 4 September 2005 — Nepal’s new ambassador to the Kingdom has said that his top priority is to lobby for a Saudi mission in Katmandu to serve Nepalese workers who are coming to the Kingdom in large numbers.

“We spend some SR50 million annually for processing Saudi visas in Dhaka where it is handled by the Saudi mission currently accredited to Nepal,” said Abullaish Thakurai, the country’s new ambassador who presented copies of his credentials to Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal in Jeddah yesterday.

The ambassador said he took up the matter with Prince Saud to emphasize that even a consulate in Katmandu would help minimize the costs and time spent on processing visas in the Bangladeshi capital.

There are 300,000 Nepalese workers in the Kingdom, and around 25,000 more have approval from the labor department for deployment in the Kingdom.

Thakurai said Saudi Arabia is home to 70 percent of the Nepalese workers in the Gulf region, yet they do not have direct flights to their homeland. He added that he would negotiate with the Saudi Arabian Airlines to operate flights to Katmandu.

He said he intends to diversify the recruitment of Nepalese workers to skilled and semi-skilled workers. At present, 90 percent of the Nepalese in the Kingdom are construction and farm workers. He said the country would be happy to send women workers for organized sectors such as hospitals and rehabilitation centers.

Received via email.

German Donation to refugees

The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has donated 300,000 US-Dollars for the support of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal.

Germany is donating 307,125.--US-Dollars or 22 mio. NPR for the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal.

The basis of this contribution is a project of UNHCR titled “Humanitarian Assistance and International Protection for Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal”.

The donation will cover the costs that have arisen so far between 15 August 2005 and 31 December 2005.

Germany hopes that this contribution will help to relieve the burden of the Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal.

Kathmandu, 2 September 2005

Junior Khetan honored

 Kathmandu: Rajendra K Khetan, the son of industrialist Mohan Gopal Khetan, has been nominated in the Board of Institute of Foreign Affairs by the Nepal Government.

This decision has already come into effect beginning 31st of August' 05.

Khetan has been accommodated to the Directorial post of the ministry from among the quota of the private sector.

 The Board, to recall, is chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

 Talking to this weekly, freshly appointed Khetan who is in his own right an acclaimed businessman of the country told that he was "committed to contribute to the best of his ability" the "proceedings and the functioning" of the Institute.

 Apart from this new feather in his cap, he is the Honorary Consul of Portugal & President of Nepal Britain Chambers of Commerce.

 Prior to this, Khetan was member of National Labor advisory Board and Revenue advisory Committee at Finance Ministry.

 Khetan is considered to be an expert on multilateral trade, the WTO, SAFTA and BIMST-EC.

India donates scientific instuments

 Kathmandu: The Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India September 5 inaugurated two important projects in the eastern Nepal.  

The projects pertain to development in the key area of education and infrastructure.  With the inauguration of building of Pakali Madhyamik Vidayalaya, Pakali Bazar, Tharuhat, Sunsari, construction with Indian assistance of NRs. 41,24,096 and the handing over of scientific instruments amounting to NRs. 20,66,074 to the engineering department of Purbanchal University, the eastern Nepal zone through joint cooperation efforts is slowly becoming a Mecca for basic and higher education with top academic institutions specializing in medical, engineering and other subjects, says a press note issued by the Indian embassy here.

Though such small projects, the impact and benefit are immediate to the users. "The Government of India through such projects reiterates to the people of Nepal the good wishes of the people of India in continuing economic cooperation", concludes the press note.