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| Friday, 5 December 2003 |
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Armed Conflicts -2003 (Part-3) : Nepal vs Maoist rebels by Lionel Wijesiri Archaeological remains suggest that areas of Nepal have been inhabited for more than 10,000 years. The Kirant hill tribe people are thought to be the first rulers of the Kathmandu area. The earliest undisputed Nepali dynasty is the Licchavi dynasty, which was established in about AD 400. The Licchavi dynasty, which probably migrated from present-day Vaish?li, India, was centred in the Kathmandu Valley. The Licchavi period, as well as the Malla period that followed, was deeply influenced by Indian culture. The Licchavi dynasty came to an end in the late 9th century and was followed by the medieval period. The early medieval era was unstable and poorly documented. It culminated in the Malla period (1200 to 1769) when three separate dynasties, divided into three kingdoms in the late 15th century, were conquered by the Shah dynasty in 1769. Nepal's southward expansion under the Shah dynasty resulted in a clash with the English East India Company. The Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816) reduced the country to its current size, although Nepal retained its independence. In the first half of the 19th century, Nepal entered a short period of instability. Jung Bahadur, a strong pro-British leader seized control of the country. He declared himself prime minister and began the "Rana" line of rulers. The Rana rulers monopolized power by making the king a nominal figure. They also made the office of the prime minister hereditary. Autocratic Rule After the Rana autocracy ended in late 1940s, Nepal embarked on a mission of economic and social development. However, political parties organizing the government during the 1950s were not effective. King Mahendra, crowned in 1955, seized absolute control of the government in 1960 after a decade of political unrest. King Mahendra dismissed the government and suspended parliament, calling it corrupt and inefficient. Considering a parliamentary system unsuited to Nepal, the king proclaimed a new constitution in 1962 that banned the formation of political parties and allowed for the autocratic rule of the king through a non-party system of councils, or panchayats. The origins of today's Maoists go back to this period. With King Mahendra's seizure of state, within the Communist Party of Nepal, there emerged two groups: one that preferred to work together with the king and the other that demanded the restoration of parliament. That difference of opinion was later formalised with a split that reflected the Sino-Soviet rift, with the pro-king faction allied to Moscow and the other to Peking. Despite the ban, like other political parties, the communist grouping opposed to the monarchy continued functioning, Following the restoration of democracy in 1990, the hard-line left parties pressed for an election to a constituent assembly, what they called "as a means of delivering a genuine people's constitution rather than have a document handed down by the establishment". Instead of a constituent assembly, however, some selected representatives from the Nepali Congress, the left, the royal palace and some independents were given the task of drafting a new constitution, which was promulgated in November 1990. Armed Struggle Beginning in February 1996, Marxist-Leninist-Maoists led by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and its leader "Comrade Prachanda" (his real name is Pushpan Kamal Dahal) launched an ongoing effort to overthrow the Kingdom of Nepal's constitutional monarchy and replace it with "a doctrinaire Communist dictatorship". On 4 February 1996, he presented the Nepali Congress-led coalition government with a list of 40 demands. His covering letter contained an ultimatum that unless the government initiated positive steps towards fulfilling those demands by 17 February 1996, "we will be forced to embark on an armed struggle against the existing state." Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was on a state visit to India when the Maoists struck in six districts on 13 February, four days before the deadline had even expired. Political stability remained out of reach for 5 years. the CPN (Maoist) directed its guerrillas to attack areas, which are weak from the viewpoint of security, and accept responsibility for each such attack. They attacked police posts, forest guards and bank guards and seized their weapons. Most Nepalis were appalled at the Maoists' violent methods. In addition to attacking police posts to obtain weapons, they also apply brutal "punishments" to suspected traitors, smashing their kneecaps with hammers and in some cases beheading them. The insurgents also regularly demand money from rural businesses and threaten them with violence if they do not comply. The Maoists have nevertheless earned gratitude among some rural Nepalis for their campaign against immorality and injustice, and even among Kathmandu's elite there is widespread sympathy for their demands The start of the new millennium also brought new Maoist violence. As a first concrete step to find a solution to the Maoist problem, the government formed a high-level commission headed by former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba to seek a consensus among the political parties on ways to end the insurrection. In January 2000, the commission met with the leaders of the main opposition party CPN-UML in connection with the Maoist problem. The press release issued by CPN-UML the next day gave a strong indication that a consensus on how to end the terrorist activities may never be reached. By June 2002 the government had failed to contain the insurgency, and rebel forces remained in control of large areas of the western highlands of Nepal. In the face of mounting violence, the king appointed former prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand, to head an interim government. In addition, he postponed elections indefinitely. In January 2003 both sides agreed to a ceasefire and renewed negotiations. By that time it was estimated more than 8,000 people had died since the beginning of the Maoist insurgency in 1996. The rebels now hold about a quarter of the country, and have thousands of armed activists. On August 27, the Maoists pulled out of the ceasefire. In October, in a major policy shift Maoist leader announced that they would no longer carry out killings or destroy public utilities. However, attacks on infrastructure have continued, the latest being an attack on a telecom tower few weeks ago. |
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