South Asia Analysis Group

Note No. 199

17. 09. 2003

  

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NEPAL: The King and the Political Parties will have to reconcile: Update 37:

by Dr. S. Chandrasekharan 

In the three weeks since the cessation of cease fire between the government and the Maoists, there has been a spate of incidents and many of them took place in Kathmandu itself. There have been attacks on solitary police posts, banks, army patrols and killings. One senior army colonel was killed and another seriously injured. There was dusk to dawn curfew in many places in Kathmandu. Curfew was imposed in other places too. There were ban orders on meetings and processions in Kathmandu to prevent untoward incidents during the seventh phase of agitation by the political parties who are continuing with their confrontation against what they call the "October 4" regression, when the King formally took over the administration. Some private schools under threat earlier have again been forced to be closed as the students sympathetic to Maoist cause have demanded a restructuring of the fees of such schools.

There have been casualties from both the army and the Maoists, though information relating to such casualties is coming in from the government sources only and the casualties from among the Maoists could be a little exaggerated. A list of incidents as known since the cease fire is given as an Appendix. This will be updated periodically.

Kathmandu, the residents say, is in the grip of a panic with curfew, demonstrations and explosions at some prominent places. The situation is not out of control as yet and the attempt of the government appears to be to consolidate its position in the valley. Many thinly occupied police posts in remote places have been closed. There is no information on the situation in the Maoist strongholds of the central region like Rolpa, Rukum and Jajarkot where even the army is thinly spread.

Prime Minister Thapa addresses the nation: On the eve of the seventh phase of the agitation of the political parties and in view of the deteriorating law and order situation, Thapa appealed to the political parties to postpone their agitation considering the gravity of the situation that had developed after the cessation of the cease fire. He pointed out that the agitation would only help the extra constitutional forces and that the issues raised could be addressed through "dialogue, understanding and cooperation." One significant statement made by him was that his government "will now confine its efforts to maintain law and order and hold general elections."

His address did not directly address the two points that were repeatedly made out by the five agitating political parties- of restoration of the House and the formation of an interim government from among the political parties.

Even the option of going for elections directly is not a viable one right now considering the law and order situation with the troops and the police stretched out throughout the Kingdom. Probably it is a threat to both the Maoists who were at one point keen to contest elections ( though for different reasons) and the political parties who have hardly stirred out for political work.

Thapa also met the individual leaders of the agitating parties particularly, G.P.Koirala and Madhav Nepal, and urged them to participate in the government rather than continue with their agitation. The leaders refused to join and stuck to their old demands.

The seventh phase of agitation started on 4th September ended peacefully on 10th September. Though the leaders and their supporters defied the prohibition orders banning assembly in public places, the government took care by not arresting the top- leaders and letting off other demonstrators on the same day without registering cases. What was noticeable was that while the Nepali Congress leaders and their workers took the lead in the first few days, the UML was seen to be more active in the last two days. At any rate, the agitation has lost its momentum and the people just do not appear to care though it does create problems for the public during rush hours in towns like Kathmandu.

Despite the media reports that reconciliation steps are afoot, the agitating political parties are planning for their eighth phase starting from 23rd and 24th with demonstrations.

The Maoists have already announced a general strike from September 17 to 19.

It is now more than six months since Prime minister Thapa took over and yet he has not been able to form a truly representative government with the participation of all parties. At the time of his appointment it was thought that if there was one person who could form a representative government, it was he and there were hopes that he would be able to manage. It now looks that Thapa will not be able to rope in others as the political parties are still insisting on the restoration of the House of representatives and an all party government with the leadership of the agitating parties.

With cessation of cease fire and numerous incidents that followed, Thapa’s time will be fully taken up in maintaining law and order. He made another attempt this week to talk to the political leaders but so far there has been no breakthrough. The ambassadors of USA and UK have been quietly meeting the political leaders as well as the ministers to find an acceptable solution. They have appealed to the political leaders to brush aside their differences and seek a solution for promoting peace.

The King has since returned from London and the political parties are hoping that he would take the initiative to resolve the current `impasse’. They also expect to the King to invite them for a dialogue. There are no indications that he would relent and restore the democratic process.

The stand off between the political parties and the King would only benefit the Maoists. There are only three major groups now in Nepal who are relevant in the current situation. The King and those who continue to be loyal to him, the political parties and the Maoists. Of these only the King and the political parties can come together. This should be apparent to anyone following the events in Nepal. There is therefore no alternative but the political parties and the King to come together if they are to combat the Maoist problem. With both standing on high perch, with the political parties refusing to join the Thapa government and the King unwilling to hand over power to the agitating political parties, the unstable conditions now seen will continue. The army which has to bear the brunt of the operations against the Maoists needs clear political direction and it cannot otherwise succeed. No one wants the Maoists to succeed!

What are the options left? The political parties are keen to meet the King and discuss ways to find a solution to the present impasse. The steps could be

* The King could initiate steps to form a representative government of all parties who had members in the dissolved House and allow them to elect their leader. Restoration of the House could then be thought of.

* In the alternative, restore the status quo ante letting Deuba to take over. As Deuba will have no majority support, the parties will certainly have to come to a compromise and choose another leader. Thus the constitution will be back on its rails and let the people’s representatives take over the responsibility. There may be some constitutional hurdles in restoring the house. The best way could be for the King to make a reference to the Supreme Court and go by its verdict. Then it will not be seen as a "come down" by the King.

The position of India: It is ironic that India’s position vis a vis Nepal had to be clearly spelt out by Christina Rocca of US. She said in a meeting at New Delhi on 11th September "India’s historic, cultural and social ties with Nepal continue to make it the most important outside influence on events in that country." A veteran analyst stationed in Kathmandu who has been watching the developments in Nepal said that the situation now in Nepal is similar to the 1950 revolution, when King Tribhuvan had to seek shelter in the Indian embassy and India had to directly intervene with the King, the Ranas and the political parties to arrive at a solution. It may be in the interest of India itself to take a more pro active role and get the political parties and the King together to find a solution.

Appendix: 

List of incidents since cease fire is given below.

Incidents

August 2003

25            In Sunsari, an unidentified person killed Uddim Lal Mehta when he came out of  the house  at night.  

26            A group of 10 to 12 maoists shot dead Shekh Matullah in Rautahat village. Three more sustained bullet injuries in the incident. In Mahottari.  They shot dead constable Balkrishna Mahato at a village near Jaleshwor. 

27            In Udaypur, Maoist rebels last night killed 74-year-old Rana Bahadur Rai, a retired British Gurkha serviceman, at his home in Katari Bazaar.               

The CPN (Maoist) group abducted former vice chairman of Kankada VDC and the CPN-UML area member Govinda Praja, former ward chairman Krishan Bahadur Muktan and a CPN-UML worker from Kankada and took them to an unknown place, it is stated by the CPN-UML Makwanpur.

28            An army Colonel died and another was seriously injured.  Colonel Kiran Basnet died at 9:30 am at the Army Hospital. He was shot on his head at 7:39 in the morning by masked Maoist rebels, who fired four rounds of gunshots at him from outside the compound of his residence in Old Baneswor, Kathmandu.  About an hour later, another group of unidentified men shot Colonel Ramindra KC in front of Samakhushi Police beat.

                In another incident in Tulsipur, Dang, a group of armed Maoists looted around Rs 7.2 million from the state-owned Rastriya Banijya Bank and shot at the bank manager in broad daylight.

                In Kailali a group of armed Maoists looted cash and valuables worth over one hundred thousand rupees from five houses in Chaumala VDC-5.

                A group of Maoists encircled Resham Birahi, the central councillor of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) and threatened him in Banke.

29            The Maoists attempted to murder Devendra Raj Kandel, former minister of state for home, in the capital, blasted finance minister Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani’s ancestral house in Nuwakot and looted Rs 2.5 million from a bank in Chitwan.

                In Dhankuta, the home district of Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, joint security forces and the maoists exchanged fire for about one hour at Budhbare bazaar of Budhbare VDC.  Maoists in Rautahat killed Laxmi Chaudhary, former vice-chairman of Simra Bhawanipur VDC.

A soldier of the Royal Nepal Army sustained injuries when the rmaoists ambushed a team of security forces on a patrol at Alital VDC of Dadeldhura.  The security personnel defused a pipe bomb planted on a bridge nearby Dhangadi, the district headquarters.

The Maoist rebels killed a police constable Min Bahadur Gharti at Mankhola, near the border of Banke and Bardiya districts.

In Bara district a group of six armed people kidnapped Dr Rabindra Kumar Singh, a medical doctor .  He is a ex-central committee member of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP). 

30                  Three security personnel were injured in an hour-long clash with the joint security forces in Dumre village, 65 kilometres west of Udaypur district headquarters Gaighat.

In Dipayal, the Maoists have forcefully taken children from several schools in southern belt of Doti district with them.

31            In Rupandehi,  Maoists killed police officers Bhakta Bahadur Poudel, Man Bahadur Balal,  Padma Bahadur Rana and peon Balram Neupane of Chhapiya Police Post. Maoists also looted eleven 303 rifles, a communication set, a pistol and ammunitions.

                Two soldiers were killed during an encounter between the security forces and a group of armed Maoists in the Kalche Kalimatri area of Surkhet district bordering with Salyan.

The Maoists  shot dead a head constable in Rolpa’s district headquarters Libang. In yet another incident of shooting in Dhangadi, the district headquarters of Kailali, a group of armed Maoists attacked an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police Bir Bahadur Nepali on the campus road.  Meanwhile, in Kathmandu, a peon of the Army Hospital in Chhauni was killed by them.  A group of five armed Maoists shot at two policemen and an army personnel in Kapilvastu.

September 2003

1              A group of Maoists  attempted to loot a branch office of Nepal Bank Limited in Baglung bazaar severely injuring the bank treasurer. 

                An unidentified group abducted a Nepali Congress cadre from Panauti bazaar, according to his family members.

Maoist assailants hurled socket bombs and reduced a police post at Belchautara village of Tanahu to cinder. They killed two policemen and eight others were wounded in overnight attacks on police posts in Morang and Siraha districts.

2              In Myagdi district a group of armed Maoists abducted Man Prasad Pattel and Takendra Pun, members of the Nepal Red Cross from Darbang VDC-1. A group of Maoists in Nuwakot severely beat up Mohan Bikram Thapa, member of the Nepal Samata Party.

                In Udayapur the death toll of civilians in Dumre VDC has reached three with the death of another injured woman. 60 year-old Kalimaya Rana breathed her last while undergoing treatment at a Gaighat hospital. Her 65-year-old husband and her 14-year-old son were also killed in the crossfire between the security forces and the Maoists. Five others, including four children, were also injured in the crossfire. A group of Maoists hurled socket bombs at the patrolling army team in Lamjung.  An army man and two civilians were wounded in the one-hour-long fight.

3                     Maoists overnight murdered a teenager from Chatrahe village in Kavre district.  The rebels also abducted Sarat's father, but freed him.

Maoist rebels killed four civilians, including a woman health worker in Doramba, Ramechhap, on charges of ‘passing information to security forces about Maoist movements’. They also killed a policeman in Baitadi.

4              Three policemen were killed and one sustained serious injuries after Maoist rebels attacked two police stations in Sarlahi and Bardiya.

                In Dhanusha, Maoists looted Rs. 51,000 in cash from the office of the Small Farmer Development Project, set fire to two motorcycles, furniture and documents and also destroyed a vacated police post in Bafai VDC. They also set ablaze Police Inspector Govinda Sah’s home at Gidhya village.

5              Maoists also killed two civilians – Ranga Bahadur Shrestha of Kubhinde VDC-4, and Bal Bahadur Thapa of Sirubari VDC-2 of Sindhupalchowk – for refusing to provide donations the rebels had demanded.

Two security personnel were injured during an encounter at Piluchaur of the Jagannath Village Development Committee (VDC). The maoists had opened fire at the joint team of security personnel while defusing a bomb planted in front of a suspension bridge over the Karnali River.

6              In Bara, armed-Maoists looted Rs 61,000 in cash by breaking into the office of the Agriculture Development Bank based in Kolbi and destroyed a new office building of an area police station in Madhuvan and an office building of the Madhuvan Village Development Committee.  In Arghakhanchi, rebels destroyed a repeater tower of the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation in the Narpani VDC of Khanchikot with powerful bombs.

7              Two Royal Nepal Army (RNA) personnel were killed in the heavy gunfighing at Merelek of Bindhyabasini Village Development Committee (VDC) in the far-western hill district of Achham.

                In Rolpa, seven security personnel were injured during the exchange of fire in the Gharti Gaon area. In Hetauda( Dandakharka VDC) rebels shot dead two soldiers recently after taking them hostage for about two months.  In yet another incident in Sarlahi, armed Maoists made off with about Rs 400,000 from the branch of Rastriya Banijya Bank at Lalbandi.

8              The Maoists  abducted 74-year-old Prem Bahadur Oli from his home at Kohalpur VDC-4 on charges of spying against them.  The rebels had looted six guns from the locals in Bankatti VDC of Banke.

9              The  Maoists killed four policemen in the remote Byas Village Development Committee (VDC) of Darchula district.  The Maoists also bombed a vacated area police station in Mahendra Adarsha VDC, located about 20-km from the district headquarters of Kalaiya. In Morang, another group of Maoists destroyed two empty police posts with bombs and set fire to the office of Small Farmer Development Project in Letang .  Superintendent of Police Chhokpa Sherpa said property around Rs 800,000 was destroyed in the Maoist attack.

10            A female employee was injured  after a bomb planted by a suspected Maoist exploded at the Department of Information situated in Tilganga.  In Dhading, one each from the army and rebel sides was killed and dozen others, including two civilians, were injured when the Maoists attacked a team of army personnel at Dunde Thanti of Gajuri VDC-7.

                In Rautahat, the rebels looted Rs 10,000 from Small Farmer Development Project in Santapur VDC, according to project chief Maniram Pandit.

In Bara, a group of armed rebels today looted Rs 77,000 and a computer set from the banking office of Nirdhan Uthan Bank based at Kolbi, according to Ram Bahadur Chaudhary, chief of Regional Office of Nirdhan Bank in Kalaiya.

In Dang people are terrorised by Maoist demands for large donations. Maoists have demanded money from all people including ordinary citizens, government employees, merchants and industrialists, with amounts ranging from Rs. 5,000 to 500,000, according to sources.

Maoists killed the abducted Uddhab Shiwakoti of Namdu VDC-6, a teacher at Kalinag Lower Secondary School in Lamidanda area.

11            One person was injured when Maoist bombed Jitpur village development committee office in the Valley.  A parked motor vehicle was damaged. Rebels also planted a bomb at Matathirtha.  In Janakpur state the rebels shot dead Lal Bahadur Lama, a policeman in Yedukuha area of the town.

12            The four blasts rocked the industrial town of Hetauda in Makhwanpur district, around 200kms west of Kathmandu.  One blast was inside the city, one in the area post office in the industrial section, one near the regional office of the Election Commission and one near the Hetauda Municipality. 

                Maoists killed a district leader Gyanendra GC in Nawalparasi.  Two suspected Maoists have shot a civilian, Ram Shrestha and an activist of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Dipendra Thapa at Basundhara, Kathmandu. 

                On the first day of the so-called ‘people’s action’ announced by the Maoists for a week, two soldiers patrolling the Shivapuri Watershed Area were killed in a Maoist ambush.  Four unidentified gunmen killed two people in Kathmandu Municipality-3, Basundhara.

                A group of five armed Maoists shot dead Lal Bahadur Tamang an Assistant Sub -Inspector of Police of the Area Police Office at Sijuwa in Morang.

13            Maoist rebels have warned of eliminating all the family members of Basanta Shrestha, a local resident of Kohalpur—8.  Maoist rebels, continuing their violent campaign, killed one head constable each in Butwal and Rautahat.  In Nepalgunj, Maoist rebels are reported to have shot dead three persons, including a woman, in Mataiya area.

                In Butwal Maoist rebels shot dead a policeman identified as Chakra Bahadur Chaudhari, in Semlar Village Development Committee (VDC).  The rebels also shot dead one policeman in Narayanpur area of the Semlar VDC.

14            The Maoists set off a blast at a ward office opposite the Chobar cement factory, at Kirtipur.  Maoists have abducted two Congress activists Guru Prasad Pokhrel and Dilip Rokka from a village in Okhaldhunga.

                In another incident, Maoists set fire to a police post at Hattilet village of Mahottari  Meanwhile, Maoists shot dead a civilian Keshav Pun in the mid town area of Tribhuvannagar in Dang.

15            Security personnel cleared a fake bomb planted by suspected Maoists in an electric transformer near the drinking water treatment plant in Mahankal, Bauddha 

16            The Maoist rebels have gone on a rampage, killing security personnel, looting financial institutions and destroying  infrastructures in different parts of the country.

               The rebels killed two personnel of the Royal Nepal Army in Chitwan and Kailali and a retired Assistant Sub-inspector of police in Pyuthan. Two rebels were also killed in an encounter with the security forces in Rautahat’s Gamhariya Village Development Committee on 15th night. In Sindhuli, three army personnel were injured, two of them seriously, in a Maoist-laid landmine blast near Kamalamai Temple

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