Volume 6, No. 3, March 2005

February 13th of this year has a specific significance for the people of Nepal. It is the 10th anniversary of the initiation of Peoples’ War in the country under the leadership of the CPN(Maoists).

On this day ten years back the Nepalese stood up against 236 years of autocratic feudal rule of the monarchy with a great vision to free Nepal from all kinds of feudal and imperialist shackles of oppression, plunder and humiliation. Thousands of the best sons and daughters of Nepal have laid down their lives and attained martyrdom in the great process of the transformation of Nepal into a truly democratic republic.

The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) together with its Peoples’ Liberation Army, has freed vast tracts of the country from the brutal rule of the king and his hangers on. The overwhelming majority of the Nepali people are actively involved in this revolutionary struggle to free the country of exploitation of man by man. Caste, religious, gender and regional domination and discrimination have to a large extent been eradicated in over 70% of Nepal that are under Maoist rule. Over the last few months, ever since the party has taken to the strategic offensive, there have been consistent attacks on the RNA (Royal Nepal Army). Also thousands of new recruits have gone for political training in the Maoist Base Areas (reported in the media as kidnaps of 1000 students and teachers!) and the party and people’s army has been coming closer and closer to the heart of Monarchial power at Katmandu. Bandh calls, often for a week at a stretch, have continuously paralysed the country.

But, just as the people’s forces were awaiting this historic tenth anniversary the genocidal King, Gyanendra, resorted to a political coup d’etat on Feb.1st, clamping an Emergency on the country and arresting the entire parliamentary political establishment. This was immediately after the call on Jan.31st by the CPN(Maoist) Central Committee for a three-day transport blockade on February 3, a two-day general strike on February 14 and 15 and an indefinite blockade of 16 industries starting February 22, to mark the anniversary of the people’s war. The groups supporting the strike include the All Nepal Trade Union Federation-Revolutionary and the All Nepal National Free Student Union-Revolutionary. The Maoists said the strikes are being called after the government failed to meet demands such as stopping labeling activists as terrorists and providing a list of missing colleagues believed to be held under summary detention. Over the last year the tempo of the peoples’ movement, both armed and unarmed, for the setting up of a democratic republic has been gradually gaining momentum. In the urban areas it has taken the form of a mass upsurge. In the rural areas it has taken an armed form. The objective and subjective conditions born out of the great People’s War forced the Gyanendra clique to come out openly by removing the stooges of different parliamentary parties.

The most notable political development in the last one year was the students’ and youths’ uprising against the monarchy as well as against the political stands taken by the parties they are affiliated to. Three years back when the internal and external reactionary forces eliminated King Birendra, the major political parties were lobbying for power-sharing with the palace. Much to their dismay, they were ignored by the palace which was thirsty for absolute power. Thereafter, these parliamentary parties were forced to come out in the street and express their wrath. It should be mentioned that the parliament was dissolved by that time.

But for the first time in the history of the political parties, youths in general and students in particular openly championed the cause of the Republican dispensation out-rightly defying their parties to which they were affiliated. Consequently, a radical section of the office-bearers of those parties made an attempt to uphold the just demands raised by the youth and the students. And in no time they got support from the majority of the rank and file as well as from the general mass of people. Thus, the bell of danger started ringing in the palace. Its echo, naturally, reached New Delhi and Washington D.C. too. The above mentioned students’ uprising gained momentum from June 2004.

Together with this, workers’ actions were also organized all over Nepal. The Akhil Nepal Trade Union Mahasangh (Krantikari) published a 11-point programme for the private and government owned factories and industries and demanded that they be implemented within a time frame. The 11-points had two dimensions — political and economic; the former demanding the release of their carders and the latter aiming at the elevation of their working conditions. Following the scornful attitude of the ruling class towards their demands, the ANTUM (K) called an indefinite strike in selected industries owned by ‘King’ Gyanendra and other foreign MNCs. Instead of fulfilling the demands, the government tried to suppress it with repressive measures. The Akhil Nepal Trade Union Mahasangh (K), then, announced a blockade of Kathmandu. The arrow hit the bull’s eye. US, UK, India, France and Germany called for an emergency meeting and a joint statement was issued urging the CPN (Maoist) to remove this blockade. Some observers took this as a rehearsal for the final capturing of the capital.

In the meantime, some daring military attacks targeting the police and army posts took place in the Kathmandu valley itself besides the countryside which is already under the control of the New Power. These successful military strikes also acted to make the palace desperately attempt to crush the CPN (Maoist) using the maximum of brutality. In order to do that, he removed the buffer that he himself had created. This buffer, it should be mentioned, had always been a fake one and was never real, as it is often mistaken to be.

This process of polarization in the line of CPN (Maoist) and the shift to the strategic offensive was alarming for this coward clique led by Gyanendra who was always guilt-conscious for the heinous crimes they have committed against the people and against King Birendra’s family.

The fascist King suspended several provisions of the Constitution, including the freedom of the press, speech and expression, the freedom to assemble peacefully, the right to privacy and the right against preventive detention. Even his own puppet Prime Minister and the deputy Prime Minister, the UML chief, Madhav Kumar Nepal, were put under house arrest. This is ironic as just a fortnight earlier these stooges had passed an additional $18 million (an increase of 9%) in the military budget to crush the Maoists. He appointed a puppet ministry of 10, which included the former UML leader, Radhakrishna Mainali.

All parliamentarians who could be traced were arrested, the airport was closed, telephone lines and cell/internet connections were cut, the radio was told to only broadcast entertainment and no news, and the military took over all key centres of government. The press was gagged; all editors were told to fall in line and the military was stationed at all press offices checking all the news being printed. Heavily armed soldiers were posted at the office of Kantipur, the largest selling daily in Nepal. The military also were stationed at the offices of Internet Service Providers to prevent access to the internet. And as the days passed, brutalities increased. The Sydney Morning Herald has quoted the Nepalese Bar Association’s human rights project as saying that accusations of abuse and detention from all corners of the country have emerged. For example, at Pokhara in Western Nepal, security forces went into the Prithvi Narayan University and took 200 students into custody. When 59 students were released the next afternoon, after the university’s campus chief intervened on their behalf, they claimed that they had suffered extreme torture.

Also on Feb.9th the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reported that both the President and Secretary of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) had been arrested. The President, Mr. Dahal, was arrested as he was entering the UN office in Katmandu trying to seek asylum. The secretary, Mr. Nisthuri, was arrested from his residence. Both had vehemently condemned the Royal coup. The IFJ also reported that the BBC representative, K.C.Netra, has disappeared after being called to the Army barracks in Nepalganj.

The approach of the genocidal king is to detain the parliamentary opposition and to torture and kill Maoists or their sympathizers. Thousands have been detained and there is no trace of large numbers as all communications have been cut. Many of the parliamentary opposition have fled to India, others have gone underground.

Immediately after the coup most countries except China condemned the action of the King. India too initially condemned the action, not from the perspective of democracy or an attack on it, but from the approach that this step may not be conducive to the ruthless crushing of the Maoists, whose reach is sweeping every corner of the country. The US too has a similar approach. By the time the contacts were revived with the new regime the Indian authorities were saying as much openly. On Feb.9th, at Bangalore the Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee said: "Because of the porous border, there is a threat perception that once the Maoists exert more influence in Nepal, there will be an impact here. Our policy will be keeping this in view…… We have a long-standing relationship with the RNA. That relationship stands". The fact of the matter is that the talk of a threat to the internal security of India is a hoax; the reality is that the Indian ruling classes have huge economic interests in Nepal, and it is this that they want to secure. Traditionally the rulers of Nepal have always sought to play off the Chinese rulers to bargain for additional crumbs from the Indians. But Gyanendra himself has huge economic interests in India.

The Indian rulers, whether the BJP or the Congress, together with the US, have been the main external force acting to suppress the peoples movement in Nepal being led by the Maoists and propping up the Monarchy. Over the past three years they have provided Rs.450 crores of military aid to the Nepalese king. India has supplied huge quantities of automatic rifles, machine guns, mortars, mines and mine protected vehicles at concessional rates. More of the same was also planned. In particular New Delhi wanted the Nepal army to go on aggressive patrolling in rural areas and secure the Biratganj industrial zone and lines of communication. But, much to India’s displeasure, this did not happen. India was also going to launch a pilot project to modernise the Nepalese police with special focus on counter-insurgency capabilities.

In fact just 10 days before the coup d’etat Interior ministry officials from India and Nepal signed an extradition agreement which will now allow for the deportation of incacerated Maoists arrested in India. The treaty was signed at the end of two days of talks between home secretaries of the two countries in Delhi. A joint communique giving details of the treaty was issued around Jan. 20, 2005.

Three days after the coup the Maoist called three-day Nepal bandh came into force. The call had been given before the coup. From Feb.3rd to 5th most of Nepal was paralysed. The Maoists have three major military commands: the Western, Eastern and Central with thousands of guerrilla fighters under their control. In addition the militia goes into lakhs. The masses have been effectively mobilised for the people’s war. The media themselves recognise that the bulk of rural Nepal is in the hand of the Maoists.

It is they who hold the initiative in any military action. Maoist rebels, fighting to overthrow the monarchy, have organized frequent road blockades in the past four months causing fuel and food costs to soar in the cities. It is said that the main road from Katmandu to China has been blocked by the guerrillas. Besides, it is said that the major road artery of Nepal — the Mahendra raj marg, which runs across Nepal from West to East — is also in the control of the Maoists. Ironically this road was built by India. A report in the Hindustan Times (Feb.3rd) says: "Besides, the Maoists have formed a nucleus unit of Nepalese speaking people displaced from Bhutan and living in the UNHCR-run camps situated close to the Eastern end of the highway. Further north in Falametar, the rebels ambushed an army patrol from Bhedetar. Stories of similar raids can be heard in neighbouring districts of Ilam. Transport operators complain that they cannot drive in Ilam without paying road tax to the Maoist parallel government. Residents speak of constant digging of bunkers in villages which some say is part of Maoist’s proposed tunnel warfare". On Jan 20th over 30 Nepalese troops and police were killed by Maoist guerrillas in the east of the kingdom, the army said. The actual toll was in fact much higher.

Opposing the Royal takeover, the Chairman of the CPN(Maoist), Com. Prachanda, called on all parties and civic society to join hands to overthrow the feudal autocracy. He also called upon the RNA ranks to revolt against the king.

In a statement issued on Feb.1st com. Prachanda said: The coterie of fratricidal, genocidal, corrupted and national betrayer Gyanendra Shahi, who staged the infamous Narayanahi Massacre under a deliberate design of imposing medieval feudal autocracy against the great Nepalese people — who are advancing for full democracy i.e. a republican system — has finally exposed its ugly face before the masses. Gyanendra Shahi, through his so-called royal proclamation at 10 O’clock this morning, is not only meagerly exercising to slander the entire parliamentarian political parties and civil society, but also is exhibiting feudal fascist brutality of blood-bathe against the country and the masses. To talk of nationalism, democracy, patriotism and sovereignty by the one, who is a most infamous feudal clique in corruption, smuggling, killings and terror, cannot be anything other than a surprising show against Nepal and the Nepalese people. The statement further said "The flame of the People’s War will go on blazing till the so-called Royal Army that has been defeated in all the fronts with the great People’s Liberation Army, under the leadership of our Party, is dissolved and the arms are surrendered to the People’s Liberation Army. We especially appeal to the entire jawans and officers working under the so-called Royal Army to defy the so-called royal proclamation, which has come in the form of foreign reaction against the country and people, revolt from there and join unitedly with the People’s Liberation Army in the great task of protecting own parents, brothers and sisters. Not the feudal clique of Gyanendra Shahi but the great Nepalese people will safeguard Nepalese independence and sovereignty, and geographical integrity."

Then again on Feb.4th after the successful completion of the 3-day Nepal Bandh against the Royal coup, Com Prachanda appealed: On this crucial turning point of decisive battle between the autocracy and the republic, it is a historical necessity for all the pro-people political forces, civil society, intellectual community and all levels and spheres of people to advance united in this direction. With full responsibility and keeping to this historic necessity, our party has already called for the united front against the feudal autocracy. In order to make the broad united front effective, our Party appeals through this statement to the entire parliamentarian Parties to form united fronts both at the central and local level and advance the movement ahead. Our party heartily appeals to all those pro-people’s forces through this statement, to come forward to forge the united front both at the local and central level, as wherever and whatever becomes possible. Committed to the keen interest of the country and people, our Party humbly appeals to all pro-people forces, to come forward by all means by forging a united front above and below wherever and whatever is possible, by casting away their mutual misunderstandings, to create storms of movement against the autocracy. We would also like to clarify to all those concerned that we are utterly ready for the necessary sacrifice and flexibility from our side for this purpose.

The King has been putting forward the proposal of talks with the Maoists to try and stab the movement in the back. The Maoists have rejected the fake offer. The fact that the genocidal king is enhancing repression not only on Maoists but also on sections of the parliamentary opposition makes all pretenses of talks ridiculous. On the contrary the Maoists have called to extend the Feb.13th bandh  into an indefinite strike for the overthrow of the monarchy.

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