Another dirty little US war in Nepal?

[DoYouEverWonder]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FB05Df01.html

Feb 5, 2004


More than 8,000 Nepalese have died since a civil war broke out in 1996, and the death rate has sharply increased with the arrival of almost 8,400 US M-16 submachine-guns, accompanied by United States advisers, high-tech night-fighting equipment and British helicopters.

<snip>

However, with the recent influx of US M-16s, Belgian FAL submachine-guns and British helicopters, the army has grown more aggressive, and death rates have climbed. A government massacre of 19 villagers set off the latest round of fighting. In the first month after the collapse of a seven-month ceasefire, civilian deaths tripled. According to the Nepalese human-rights group Informal Sector Service Center, 800 of the 1,100 deaths since the end of the ceasefire have been inflicted by government forces.

A major culprit in the escalating death rate is the appearance of modern assault rifles, the real "weapons of mass destruction".

Since 1990, more than 5 million people have died in wars around the globe, upwards of 90 percent of them from AK-47s, M-16s, FALs, German G3s and Israeli Uzis. According to the Red Cross, more than 60 percent of civilian casualties are caused by submachine-guns, and the United Nations Development Program estimates that small arms kill 300,000 people a year.




Gee while everyone is destracted by Janet's tit here's some more death and destruction from Bu$h & Co. They are a much bigger threat to humanity than Osama or Saddam could ever dream to be.

[Virgil]

1. A cannabis perspective on Nepal

Nepal had always been a quiet little place occupied by the same peoples for about forever. Nepal was the last country in the world to have Free Cannabis. I think it was in 1975 President Nixon paid their monarch $50 million to make what had always been legal, illegal. He completely removed Free Cannabis from the culture of Nepal and the country was flooded with heroin, just like Russia is now with Afgan heroin. Now we have violence and American arms in a place that used to be happy watching the stars and have some cannabis tea.

There is your drug war for you.

[izzie]

2. Well you do want all to have our Western morals I am sure.

It is so silly this drug war.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Can this really be described as a US war?

Another article from the Asia Times:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FA30Df03.html

I'd mistrust anyone who still idolises Mao; and the methods of the communists sound pretty brutal. Perhaps there's a case for encouraging a ceasefire and talks; but I don't think the blame for this mess can be placed solely, or even mainly, with the US government.