Maoists threaten more action in Nepal

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Source: AFP

KATHMANDU — The leader of Nepal's Maoists threatened on Monday to fight any attempt by police to suppress a nationwide strike that has paralysed the capital and led to violent clashes.

"This is our peaceful protest but if the government tries to suppress it, we will retaliate," Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai told a gathering in Kathmandu.

"We are ready to withdraw our protest if our demand is addressed. Otherwise, we will be compelled to announce a next phase of protests after Tuesday."

Schools, shops and markets remained closed on Monday as Maoist activists gathered in the capital on day two of a three-day strike, shouting "Down with the government!" and "Restore civilian supremacy!"

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5juF9lO-7pYbUzfMRv_UDoONt9oBQ

[bemildred]

1. A red-carpet welcome for Nepal

KATHMANDU - In what seems to be a balancing act, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal embarks on a visit to China this week. His trip follows on a visit to India in August, three months after he assumed office.

Premier Nepal's Chinese hosts are expected to listen to him patiently as he is the head of the government of a country which shares over 1,400 kilometers of mountainous border with Tibet. His first stop en route to Beijing will be Tibet's capital, Lhasa, where Nepal maintains a consulate. The Chinese authorities have not allowed any other country such a diplomatic presence in the region.

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In the course of substantive talks in Beijing between Premier Nepal and his counterpart, Wen Jiabao, an agreement of economic cooperation is to be signed that will offer sizeable development assistance to Nepal. An ongoing Chinese-aided project in Nepal is the construction of a mountainous road for a second vehicular link with Tibet, from Rasuwaa pass, which will augment border trade. The road is likely to be ready by next October.

China helped Nepal open its first road link for Kathmandu in the early 1960s, when the then-king, Mahendra, had to assure Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru that communism would not be allowed to travel by jeep.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/KL22Df01.html

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

2. Weren't the Maoist elected to power in Nepal? Or is my memory playing tricks? -nt

[bemildred]

3. Silly fools thought that getting elected meant they got to run things. nt

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. From article:

"A Maoist-led government fell in May after the president overruled their decision to sack the head of the army, and since then they have held regular protests."

What the hell happened? Does the president get to replace party X with party Y at his whim???

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5. The Army runs things, the president is an Army stooge.

The army is playing a game here to - on the one hand - avoid a return to guerilla/civil war, which they were losing, and - on the other hand - to continue to maintain its autonomy from civilian (Maoist) control.

The Maoists also want to avoid being seen as warmongers, hence the "peaceful" protest methods they are employing.

Both are betting that time will change things more in their favor, the Maoists are betting the Army will do a crappy job of running things (a safe bet IMHO), and the Army that they will do well enough to legitimize the de facto situation eventually.

The people of Nepal in general, of course, are way sick of war. I do not know how they break down in support of these various wannabe rulers. I doubt that anyone truly has a good grip on that question.

China's commitment to democratic rule has never been very deep.

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6. Nepal Maoists set a month's deadline to return to power

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's former Maoist rebels gave the government a month on Tuesday to pave the way for a unity government headed by them or face an indefinite countrywide shutdown in a conflict that threatens a fragile peace process.

The Maoists, who waged a decade-long civil war from 1996, headed a coalition government last year after their surprise win in national elections under a 2006 peace deal.

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The political deadlock has delayed the preparation of a new constitution and rehabilitation of thousands of ex-Maoist guerrillas living in camps, key to cap the peace deal.

"The Maoists want to be in the government during the constitution-writing process so they have a say," said Kunda Dixit, editor of the weekly Nepali Times.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/22/AR2009122200860.html

[Doctor_J]

7. Hopefully this will catch on in the West

:thumbsup:

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8. Opposition party protest leaves indelible mark on Nepal's economy

KATHMANDU, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Though the three-day general strike called by Nepal's opposition party, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), ends on Tuesday, the protest will leave an indelible mark on the country's economy.

Since Sunday, Nepal has not imported or exported any goods via its land entry points, causing the nation a loss of millions of rupees daily in revenue.

Though data is yet to come in from all entry points, Nepal's state-run Rising Nepal daily Tuesday said the main customs check post at Birgunj town in southern Nepal alone had incurred a loss of 100 million rupees (some 13.5 million U.S. dollars) daily.

Nepal's tourism sector, that is gearing up to attract one million visitors to Nepal in 2011, has been hit by the strike that saw tourists stranded in towns outside the capital and struggling with luggage to reach the international airport in Kathmandu to catch their flights.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/22/content_12690142.htm

[murdoch]

9. One thing these newspaper reports ALWAYS forget to mention

What used to be the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), and is now called the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) got 38.1% of the vote, which is double the votes what the next closest parties got. But that is not what they fail to mention.

What they always do is talk about the other 61.9% of the votes cast, as this is a unified block against the communists. But one of the parties tied for second place in votes is the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist)! So this "opposition to the communists" is not only to a large extent a communist one, it is also a Marxist-Leninist Maoist one! Within this 61.9% are other communist Marxist-Leninist-Maoist parties who have engaged in armed revolution in the past.

Somehow whenever they talk about how 61.9% of people didn't vote for the CPN(M), they always fail to mention how much of that 61.9% is also communists whose party platform states they are dedicated to communist revolution.