No worries, Ziwu, Mao's Communist legacy lives on.
Maoist Rebels Threaten Stability in Nepal
by Alicia Burns
Digital Freedom Network
(09.19.03)
For the past 7 years, a growing rebel faction has been threatening the peace and prosperity of Nepal. In February 1996, Maoist rebels of the United People's Front and the Communist Party of Nepal began a violent campaign to overthrow the constitutional monarchy that has been in place for 13 years. So far, almost 8,000 people have been killed in the fighting, and civilians live in fear of the rebel fighters, according to ABC Asia Pacific.
The Maoist rebels began their campaign in the poverty stricken, western region of Nepal. Democracy has not reaped success for these areas, and rebels seized on this sentiment, espousing pledges of universal health care, land reform and better education. Currently, 42% of the population of Nepal lives below the poverty line, and the economic system still contains elements of feudalism. Estimates put the rate of communist sympathizers and activists at 44%, though the tactics of intimidation and fear used to rouse support call into question the actual levels of support. The group has established indoctrination schools as part of its education campaign, where men like former Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev are idolized, and loyalty to the state is emphasized, the GlobeandMail.com reports.
Chief negotiator for the rebels is Baburam Bhattari, who threatens the United States with "another Vietnam" if the U.S. intervenes physically in the conflict. So far, the Congress has allotted $12 million in military aid, classified the Maoists as terrorists (as part of the global War on Terror), and sent advisers to the region to help the Kathmandu government. The ultimate goal of the rebels is "to turn this beautiful Himalayan country into an invincible red fort and a shining trench of world proletariat revolution...we are sure we will hoist the hammer and sickle atop Mount Everest one day," Bhattari proudly asserted to Time Asia. His methods to achieve this goal are the summary execution and torture of those who support capitalism, the physical harming of the educated classes, assassination of leaders, and instilling panic in ordinary citizens. "Without fear, 5% of the people of this village support the Maoists. With fear, 95% support them," a villager, who asked not to be identified, told GlobeandMail.com.
In their official writings, the United People's Front call for "breaking the shackles of slavery ... and establishing a New Democratic state" along "the path of people's liberation." The main inspiration for their movement is Mao Tse-tung, whose work On Protracted War is heavily quoted in the CPN platform. Additionally, portions of their work are similar to the North Korean constitution. Denouncing those who disagree with them as "anti-democracy," citizens are divided into three groups "reactionary, centrist and revolutionary." The reactionary class is met with particular scorn, and is described as "ever swearing by democracy...repeatedly using their guns against the political activists or the ordinary masses that hold political beliefs counter to the interests of the rulers. This state which regards itself as the custodian of democracy has been surviving on the blood of innumerable sons and daughters of mother Nepal ranging from the infant to the aged, when the people have professed and spoken in favor of nationalism, democracy, and livelihood." (www.maoism.org)
In an interview with the newspaper The Independent, Bhattari compared his war with the "French Revolution or the Great Bolshevik Revolution or the Chinese Revolution" declaring, "every revolution appears a dream before it is made. Moreover, it appears like a nightmare for the reactionary classes before and after it is made. I am firm in my conviction because I believe in the science of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and know that this class divided society cannot last forever and one day a classless society has to emerge if we want to perpetuate humanity on this earth." Followers agree with Bhattari, willing to sacrifice their own lives for this struggle. Devkala Adhikari, a political science teacher at the school founded by the movement said, "I am not dreaming of a happy life. I want to serve the party until I " Unfortunately, a growing number of people are following this sentiment, as the CPN now has a support hold in Kathmandu which compiled a list of 217 educated people whom they feel should be assassinated, according to GlobeandMail.com.
One of the most effective tools employed by the rebels is the use of a general strike. When strikes are called, life is paralyzed in many areas, with business owners and schools suspending operations. Residents are afraid to leave their homes, and the Kathmandu government often beefs up security and sets curfew times in cities. In one instance on September 18th, the government promised "full security...and monetary compensation " any privately owned property was damaged. Currently, "the country is already facing depression," Chandi Dhakal of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce told the Associated Press. Strikes that put economic activity at a standstill do not help.
The Kathmandu government is not without internal problems, which the CPN exacerbates and exploits at every opportunity. In the past 13 years, the country has gone through 13 prime ministers. Current PM Suryabahadur Thapa is no stranger to the position, as it is his fourth go-round in office. Accusations of human rights abuses fly freely from both sides, and cease-fires remain intact just long enough for the CPN to regroup and retrain before the fighting begins again. As of September 2003, the Untied States was training the Royal Nepalese army and supplying them with weaponry to help defeat the rebels. Approximately 50 Special Forces trainers were in the country instructing battalion units through a 12-week counter-insurgency training program. Aside from Kathmandu, much of the country is generations behind the west in development. Daily battles between the rebels and government forces are played out on the streets, and citizens cannot gather in groups of more than 5. Police and soldiers guard almost every streetcorner, and army raids are conducted on civilian homes. As rebels increase their control over the capital city through extortion, oppression, strikes, and violence, entrepreneurs are becoming discouraged, economic development is screeching to a halt, and an easy solution is nowhere in sight, according to Time Asia.
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