Posted on Sun, Feb. 20, 2005
NEELESH MISRA
Associated Press
CHARAUNDI, Nepal - Communist rebels attacked a highway convoy on Sunday, wounding two Nepalese soldiers and a civilian after the insurgents erected roadblocks, planted bombs and shot at motorists.
The roadblocks in Charaundi, some 55 miles southwest of the capital, Katmandu, were the latest attempt by rebels to control the roads linking the capital to the rest of the country. The rebels often halt traffic on the roads for days at a time, cutting off supplies to Katmandu.
The insurgents threatened to block major roads to protest King Gyanendra's Feb. 1 decision to dismiss the government, suspend civil liberties and form a new Cabinet under his own chairmanship. The moves caused an international outcry.
The king said the move was necessary because the previous government failed to control the intensifying insurgency.
Thousands of vehicles were stranded for hours Sunday waiting for security forces to clear the highway. Army officers allowed traffic to resume only after road had been cleared of mines.
"We have been foiling their attempts to blockade Katmandu. This is one of the battles for us," Brig. Gen. Dipak Gurung, the chief army spokesman, told The Associated Press. "It's a seesaw battle, but we are succeeding."
But militants hiding in a wooded area alongside the highway fired at a passing convoy, wounding three people, including two soldiers.
"We were traveling on the top of the bus, when they started firing from both sides of the road. The bus stopped and we quickly got inside, but more bullets came through the window," said Krishna Poudel, 18.
Elsewhere in the troubled Himalayan nation, a group of 300 insurgents pretending to be a wedding procession killed one police officer and wounded five others, an official said.
Saturday's attack was in Mahendranagar, about 200 miles southeast of Katmandu. Soldiers rushed to the area, but the rebels had fled.
The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, want to replace Nepal's monarchy with a communist state. The insurgency has left more than 10,500 dead since it was launched in 1996.
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Sphere: Related Content
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Reuters | Media group seeks release of Nepal journalists
Sat February 19, 2005 3:14 PM GMT+05:30
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - An international media watchdog urged Nepal's royalist government on Saturday to lift strict censorship and free six journalists detained since King Gyanendra took power this month.
Nepal has come under intense pressure from rights groups after King Gyanendra's surprise move on Feb. 1 to sack the government, take charge of the country, declare a state of emergency and impose media censorship.
Kathmandu also banned media reports critical of the king and army officers have been stationed at newspapers and radio and television stations to monitor coverage. At least six journalists are under arrest and many others are on the run.
"All these six journalists should be released immediately," Christopher Warren, chief of Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists, told reporters. "The military should immediately cease its search for other journalists."
Warren, in Nepal to assess the condition of the media, said many newspapers had been forced to close down and independent FM radio stations were barred from broadcasting news, resulting in job losses for about 600 journalists.
He said some journalists, including Tara Nath Dahal, chief of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), were in hiding to avoid arrest.
"The clampdown on freedom of expression and the attempt to stifle democratic forces is against fundamental human rights and must be strongly resisted," Warren said.
Political parties say hundreds of party activists, human rights workers, trade union members and student union leaders are either in jail or under house arrest in an attempt to prevent any protests against Gyanendra's move.
India, Britain and the United States have led global condemnation of Gyanendra's power grab and warned him that they might stop crucial military aid needed to crush a bloody Maoist revolt that has killed more than 11,000 people since 1996.
Earlier this month, French media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said that Nepal had a poor record of protecting media rights. In 2004, it was for the third consecutive year the country with the largest number of journalists arrested in the world. Sphere: Related Content
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - An international media watchdog urged Nepal's royalist government on Saturday to lift strict censorship and free six journalists detained since King Gyanendra took power this month.
Nepal has come under intense pressure from rights groups after King Gyanendra's surprise move on Feb. 1 to sack the government, take charge of the country, declare a state of emergency and impose media censorship.
Kathmandu also banned media reports critical of the king and army officers have been stationed at newspapers and radio and television stations to monitor coverage. At least six journalists are under arrest and many others are on the run.
"All these six journalists should be released immediately," Christopher Warren, chief of Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists, told reporters. "The military should immediately cease its search for other journalists."
Warren, in Nepal to assess the condition of the media, said many newspapers had been forced to close down and independent FM radio stations were barred from broadcasting news, resulting in job losses for about 600 journalists.
He said some journalists, including Tara Nath Dahal, chief of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), were in hiding to avoid arrest.
"The clampdown on freedom of expression and the attempt to stifle democratic forces is against fundamental human rights and must be strongly resisted," Warren said.
Political parties say hundreds of party activists, human rights workers, trade union members and student union leaders are either in jail or under house arrest in an attempt to prevent any protests against Gyanendra's move.
India, Britain and the United States have led global condemnation of Gyanendra's power grab and warned him that they might stop crucial military aid needed to crush a bloody Maoist revolt that has killed more than 11,000 people since 1996.
Earlier this month, French media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said that Nepal had a poor record of protecting media rights. In 2004, it was for the third consecutive year the country with the largest number of journalists arrested in the world. Sphere: Related Content
Friday, February 18, 2005
AP Wire | 02/18/2005 | Nepal cuts phone lines to thwart protests
NEELESH MISRA
Associated Press
KATMANDU, Nepal - The royal government plunged Nepal into a communications blackout Friday - the country's annual celebration of democracy - cutting phone service to thwart opposition activists trying to organize nationwide protests against the king's seizure of power earlier this month.
In the capital, Katmandu, the call for demonstrations to recognize Democracy Day went largely unheeded. The fate of protests in other parts of the Himalayan nation was not immediately known because of the severed phone service.
The holiday marks the 1990 end of royal rule in Nepal and the shift to a multiparty democracy.
Meanwhile, King Gyanendra attended a military parade to celebrate the anniversary. Many residents of the capital city also participated.
Earlier, Gyanendra said in a message to the nation that he took control of the country on Feb. 1 only to save democracy from communist rebels and corrupt politicians.
An official in Washington said overnight that the monarch had assured the U.S. government that he will begin restoring democracy within 100 days. The official said Washington would consider suspending its security aid for Nepal if the king fails to follow through on that pledge.
Britain was considering similar action, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Friday during a tour of India.
"We are very keen to see the restoration of a representative government and democratic freedom as essential steps toward a sustainable peace process," Straw told reporters in New Delhi. "We don't believe there is any future from the current situation."
Gyanendra sacked the interim government, suspended civil liberties and imposed emergency rule, justifying the move as necessary to combat guerrillas who have fought since 1996 to replace the constitutional monarchy with a communist regime. Political leaders, students, human rights activists, journalists and trade unionists have been detained in the emergency.
For days following the royal takeover, Nepal's communications links to the outside world were virtually severed. Landline phone links later resumed, though mobile phone service has remained disconnected.
Landline phone service was shut off again Friday.
Critics have criticized the king's moves as a setback for democracy, with the United States, Britain and other nations recalling their ambassadors this week.
Gyanendra rejected the criticism in a written message to his nation Friday, saying his takeover was made necessary by the rebels and by corrupt and squabbling politicians.
He said that "terrorist activities" - typically meaning rebel attacks - and "politics far removed from the common man" had put the country's democracy at risk, adding to "growing disillusionment with democracy itself."
"It is clear to our countrymen that we ourselves had to take steps to extricate the country and multiparty democracy from this morass," he said.
His comments were echoed by some residents of Katmandu.
"The king did the right thing. These politicians are so corrupt and so inefficient. They needed this. That's why you see no support for the rally today," said Damodar Chowdhary, a 22-year-old taxi driver.
Activists from the opposition Nepali Congress guided journalists to protest sites, but hardly any demonstrators showed up. Eventually, eight activists emerged from a narrow lane and started shouting slogans against the king in a busy Katmandu market.
"Death to autocracy! Down with the autocratic king!" they yelled. But within minutes, they fled as a column of police in blue raced down the lane with truncheons and shields, followed by police cars with loud sirens. All of them were arrested.
The Royal Nepalese Army had tightened security on Friday, fearing attacks by Maoist rebels, spokesman Brig. Gen. Dipak Gurung said, although except for an attack on a jail, the rebels have refrained from major assaults since the king's takeover. More than 10,500 people have been killed in Nepal's insurgency since it started in 1996.
---
Associated Press writers Binaj Gurubacharya in Katmandu, Nepal, and George Gedda in Washington contributed to this report. Sphere: Related Content
Associated Press
KATMANDU, Nepal - The royal government plunged Nepal into a communications blackout Friday - the country's annual celebration of democracy - cutting phone service to thwart opposition activists trying to organize nationwide protests against the king's seizure of power earlier this month.
In the capital, Katmandu, the call for demonstrations to recognize Democracy Day went largely unheeded. The fate of protests in other parts of the Himalayan nation was not immediately known because of the severed phone service.
The holiday marks the 1990 end of royal rule in Nepal and the shift to a multiparty democracy.
Meanwhile, King Gyanendra attended a military parade to celebrate the anniversary. Many residents of the capital city also participated.
Earlier, Gyanendra said in a message to the nation that he took control of the country on Feb. 1 only to save democracy from communist rebels and corrupt politicians.
An official in Washington said overnight that the monarch had assured the U.S. government that he will begin restoring democracy within 100 days. The official said Washington would consider suspending its security aid for Nepal if the king fails to follow through on that pledge.
Britain was considering similar action, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Friday during a tour of India.
"We are very keen to see the restoration of a representative government and democratic freedom as essential steps toward a sustainable peace process," Straw told reporters in New Delhi. "We don't believe there is any future from the current situation."
Gyanendra sacked the interim government, suspended civil liberties and imposed emergency rule, justifying the move as necessary to combat guerrillas who have fought since 1996 to replace the constitutional monarchy with a communist regime. Political leaders, students, human rights activists, journalists and trade unionists have been detained in the emergency.
For days following the royal takeover, Nepal's communications links to the outside world were virtually severed. Landline phone links later resumed, though mobile phone service has remained disconnected.
Landline phone service was shut off again Friday.
Critics have criticized the king's moves as a setback for democracy, with the United States, Britain and other nations recalling their ambassadors this week.
Gyanendra rejected the criticism in a written message to his nation Friday, saying his takeover was made necessary by the rebels and by corrupt and squabbling politicians.
He said that "terrorist activities" - typically meaning rebel attacks - and "politics far removed from the common man" had put the country's democracy at risk, adding to "growing disillusionment with democracy itself."
"It is clear to our countrymen that we ourselves had to take steps to extricate the country and multiparty democracy from this morass," he said.
His comments were echoed by some residents of Katmandu.
"The king did the right thing. These politicians are so corrupt and so inefficient. They needed this. That's why you see no support for the rally today," said Damodar Chowdhary, a 22-year-old taxi driver.
Activists from the opposition Nepali Congress guided journalists to protest sites, but hardly any demonstrators showed up. Eventually, eight activists emerged from a narrow lane and started shouting slogans against the king in a busy Katmandu market.
"Death to autocracy! Down with the autocratic king!" they yelled. But within minutes, they fled as a column of police in blue raced down the lane with truncheons and shields, followed by police cars with loud sirens. All of them were arrested.
The Royal Nepalese Army had tightened security on Friday, fearing attacks by Maoist rebels, spokesman Brig. Gen. Dipak Gurung said, although except for an attack on a jail, the rebels have refrained from major assaults since the king's takeover. More than 10,500 people have been killed in Nepal's insurgency since it started in 1996.
---
Associated Press writers Binaj Gurubacharya in Katmandu, Nepal, and George Gedda in Washington contributed to this report. Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Dozen Rebels, Three Soldiers Killed in Fighting in Nepal - from TBO.com
"KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - A clash between government troops and communist
rebels killed at least 15 people overnight in eastern Nepal, officials
said Tuesday, in the latest violence since the king imposed emergency
rule and vowed to bring the insurgency under control."
Thousands of soldiers were sweeping through the rebels' stronghold in the western mountains, destroying bases and ammunition dumps in an operation to flush out the insurgents.
The fighting comes two weeks after King Gyanendra dismissed the government, suspended civil liberties and declared an emergency. The king said the move was necessary to restore order and combat the communist insurgency, which has claimed more than 10,500 lives since 1996.
But he has come under increasing international pressure to restore democracy. Neighboring India said the king's power grab divided the country, undermining its fight against the rebels, and the United States, Britain, France and Germany have recalled their ambassadors.
The dozen rebels were gunned down overnight near Jante village, about 310 miles east of the capital, Katmandu. Three soldiers were killed and another one was reported missing in the clash, said the Royal Nepalese Army headquarters in Katmandu.
The government has said it would use force to resolve the conflict if the rebels refused to settle the issue peacefully.
"Our objective is to resolve the problem whether it is by talks or through an armed solution. The government will not hesitate to use any means to resolve the problem," Tulsi Giri, told reporters Monday after the king appointed him vice chairman of his new Cabinet.
The guerrillas, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting to turn Nepal into a communist state. They have said that the king's imposition of emergency rule on Feb. 1 has ended any possibility of peace talks.
K. Natwar Singh, India's External Affairs Minister, said the king had sparked a confrontation between the monarchy and political parties - a fray that would benefit only the Maoist rebels. India worries that an unstable Nepal could send refugees or militants spilling across the border.
Singh urged the monarch to release scores of political prisoners, restore press freedom and take steps to restore democratic rule, according to a ministry statement.
"We have to deal with whatever government is in office, but our sympathies lie with the democratic forces in that country," Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said Monday.
The United States recalled its ambassador for a week to discuss next steps in the crisis, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
"We remain deeply troubled by developments in Nepal," Boucher said, adding that the king needs to "restore and protect civil and human rights, promptly release those detained under the state of emergency and move quickly toward the restoration of civil liberties."
Britain, France and Germany were among European nations were also recalling their ambassadors.
AP-ES-02-15-05 0212ES Sphere: Related Content
rebels killed at least 15 people overnight in eastern Nepal, officials
said Tuesday, in the latest violence since the king imposed emergency
rule and vowed to bring the insurgency under control."
Thousands of soldiers were sweeping through the rebels' stronghold in the western mountains, destroying bases and ammunition dumps in an operation to flush out the insurgents.
The fighting comes two weeks after King Gyanendra dismissed the government, suspended civil liberties and declared an emergency. The king said the move was necessary to restore order and combat the communist insurgency, which has claimed more than 10,500 lives since 1996.
But he has come under increasing international pressure to restore democracy. Neighboring India said the king's power grab divided the country, undermining its fight against the rebels, and the United States, Britain, France and Germany have recalled their ambassadors.
The dozen rebels were gunned down overnight near Jante village, about 310 miles east of the capital, Katmandu. Three soldiers were killed and another one was reported missing in the clash, said the Royal Nepalese Army headquarters in Katmandu.
The government has said it would use force to resolve the conflict if the rebels refused to settle the issue peacefully.
"Our objective is to resolve the problem whether it is by talks or through an armed solution. The government will not hesitate to use any means to resolve the problem," Tulsi Giri, told reporters Monday after the king appointed him vice chairman of his new Cabinet.
The guerrillas, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting to turn Nepal into a communist state. They have said that the king's imposition of emergency rule on Feb. 1 has ended any possibility of peace talks.
K. Natwar Singh, India's External Affairs Minister, said the king had sparked a confrontation between the monarchy and political parties - a fray that would benefit only the Maoist rebels. India worries that an unstable Nepal could send refugees or militants spilling across the border.
Singh urged the monarch to release scores of political prisoners, restore press freedom and take steps to restore democratic rule, according to a ministry statement.
"We have to deal with whatever government is in office, but our sympathies lie with the democratic forces in that country," Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said Monday.
The United States recalled its ambassador for a week to discuss next steps in the crisis, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
"We remain deeply troubled by developments in Nepal," Boucher said, adding that the king needs to "restore and protect civil and human rights, promptly release those detained under the state of emergency and move quickly toward the restoration of civil liberties."
Britain, France and Germany were among European nations were also recalling their ambassadors.
AP-ES-02-15-05 0212ES Sphere: Related Content
Monday, February 14, 2005
VOA News - US, EU Recall Ambassadors from Nepal
By David Gollust
Washington
14 February 2005
The State Department says the U.S. Ambassador in Katmandu, James Moriarity, is being recalled for at least a week of consultations on what the United States and other countries can do to support democracy in Nepal.
The action came in a coordinated diplomatic move with European Union governments to protest the February 1 state of emergency declaration by King Gyanendra that has been followed by the arrest of a number of opposition politicians and others, and media censorship.
At a news briefing, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States remains deeply troubled by developments in Nepal and said this view is widely shared among nations of the international community.
"The king needs to restore and protect civil and human rights," he said. "He needs to release those detained under the state of emergency, and move quickly toward the restoration of civil liberties and multi-party institutions. That is the point we are trying to make. We will consult with our ambassador, and others will consult with their ambassadors, about how best to achieve those goals, how we can support those goals.
King Gyandenra said he made the emergency declaration, his second in three years, because the government had been unable to restore peace and effective democracy in the Himalayan state, which has been beset by violence by Maoist insurgents.
The State Department has said the actions by the King would only undermine the struggle against the insurgency.
Spokesman Boucher said the United States calls on all those in Nepal committed to the country's future to engage in meaningful political discussions leading to national elections.
He said those among the Maoists who wish to be part of the country's future leadership should abandon armed struggle and join the political mainstream through dialogue and peaceful means.
The State Department has designated the Maoist rebel's political front, the Communist Party of Nepal, a terrorist organization and the United States provided Nepal with limited military aid.
But it has also been critical of the Katmandu government's poor human rights record.
The State Department's most recent report on human rights worldwide accused Nepalese authorities of numerous serious abuses, including cases of the disappearance of persons in custody, and instances of the use of torture to extract confessions. Sphere: Related Content
Washington
14 February 2005
The State Department says the U.S. Ambassador in Katmandu, James Moriarity, is being recalled for at least a week of consultations on what the United States and other countries can do to support democracy in Nepal.
The action came in a coordinated diplomatic move with European Union governments to protest the February 1 state of emergency declaration by King Gyanendra that has been followed by the arrest of a number of opposition politicians and others, and media censorship.
At a news briefing, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States remains deeply troubled by developments in Nepal and said this view is widely shared among nations of the international community.
"The king needs to restore and protect civil and human rights," he said. "He needs to release those detained under the state of emergency, and move quickly toward the restoration of civil liberties and multi-party institutions. That is the point we are trying to make. We will consult with our ambassador, and others will consult with their ambassadors, about how best to achieve those goals, how we can support those goals.
King Gyandenra said he made the emergency declaration, his second in three years, because the government had been unable to restore peace and effective democracy in the Himalayan state, which has been beset by violence by Maoist insurgents.
The State Department has said the actions by the King would only undermine the struggle against the insurgency.
Spokesman Boucher said the United States calls on all those in Nepal committed to the country's future to engage in meaningful political discussions leading to national elections.
He said those among the Maoists who wish to be part of the country's future leadership should abandon armed struggle and join the political mainstream through dialogue and peaceful means.
The State Department has designated the Maoist rebel's political front, the Communist Party of Nepal, a terrorist organization and the United States provided Nepal with limited military aid.
But it has also been critical of the Katmandu government's poor human rights record.
The State Department's most recent report on human rights worldwide accused Nepalese authorities of numerous serious abuses, including cases of the disappearance of persons in custody, and instances of the use of torture to extract confessions. Sphere: Related Content
A temple worker stretches a prayer flag across the symbolic Buddha portrait on the brass plated wall of Swayambu temple during "Basant Panchami," a festival to mark the beginning of the spring season in Katmandu, Nepal. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)
(February 13, 2005)
Sphere: Related Content
Friday, February 11, 2005
Daily Times - Pakistan | Nepal vows to foil blockade
* Urges rebels to seize chance for peace
KHATMANDU: Security forces scoured western Nepal on Friday for 145 prisoners sprung from jail by Maoists, as the army vowed to foil a road blockade threatened by the rebels to protest King Gyanendra’s seizure of power 11 days ago.
The prisoners were freed when hundreds of Maoist rebels stormed the jail in the western Kailaliat region late Wednesday in their first big offensive since the king assumed absolute powers in the Himalayan outpost on February 1.
“An intense search is under way for the 145 escaped prisoners in the area,” a security official said.
Five soldiers and at least one rebel died in the attack reported late Thursday in the kingdom, which has been under emergency rule since the monarch sacked the government and declared emergency rule.
“Hundreds of Maoist rebels tried to attack various government offices,” including those of the police and district administration, “but were bravely repulsed by security forces,” the security official told AFP.
“Several hundred rebels first controlled the jail and set free 168 inmates including 60 Maoist rebels and ran away with some arms and ammunition,” he said. Twenty-three of the prisoners had been put back behind bars, he said.
The official said the Maoists suffered heavy casualties but only one body was found because the rebels had carried away their dead. The militants routinely take away the bodies to avoid their identification and their network being uncovered.
Military experts say Nepal’s armed forces are ill-equipped to tackle the increasingly deadly Maoist insurgency that has claimed more than 11,000 lives since 1996 in the Hindu kingdom sandwiched between China and India.
Meanwhile, Nepali King Gyanendra’s assumption of power has opened the way for direct talks with Maoist guerrillas, the home minister said on Friday, urging the rebels to seize a chance for peace after years of war.
Dan Bahadur Shahi, making a first appeal to the rebels who hold swathes of countryside, said the new government was ready to discuss anything, including the constituent assembly the rebels are demanding to decide the role of the monarchy.
“We have kept our options open, let us first come to the table, we will discuss every aspect, including a constitutional assembly,” Shahi told the news agency in an interview in his expansive office in the fortified Singha Durbar, the seat of government.
“Our first priority is peace, peace talks,” said Shahi, handpicked by the king to lead the powerful interior ministry which, together with the military, is in charge of tackling the rebellion that has killed more than 11,000 people in nine years. agencies Sphere: Related Content
KHATMANDU: Security forces scoured western Nepal on Friday for 145 prisoners sprung from jail by Maoists, as the army vowed to foil a road blockade threatened by the rebels to protest King Gyanendra’s seizure of power 11 days ago.
The prisoners were freed when hundreds of Maoist rebels stormed the jail in the western Kailaliat region late Wednesday in their first big offensive since the king assumed absolute powers in the Himalayan outpost on February 1.
“An intense search is under way for the 145 escaped prisoners in the area,” a security official said.
Five soldiers and at least one rebel died in the attack reported late Thursday in the kingdom, which has been under emergency rule since the monarch sacked the government and declared emergency rule.
“Hundreds of Maoist rebels tried to attack various government offices,” including those of the police and district administration, “but were bravely repulsed by security forces,” the security official told AFP.
“Several hundred rebels first controlled the jail and set free 168 inmates including 60 Maoist rebels and ran away with some arms and ammunition,” he said. Twenty-three of the prisoners had been put back behind bars, he said.
The official said the Maoists suffered heavy casualties but only one body was found because the rebels had carried away their dead. The militants routinely take away the bodies to avoid their identification and their network being uncovered.
Military experts say Nepal’s armed forces are ill-equipped to tackle the increasingly deadly Maoist insurgency that has claimed more than 11,000 lives since 1996 in the Hindu kingdom sandwiched between China and India.
Meanwhile, Nepali King Gyanendra’s assumption of power has opened the way for direct talks with Maoist guerrillas, the home minister said on Friday, urging the rebels to seize a chance for peace after years of war.
Dan Bahadur Shahi, making a first appeal to the rebels who hold swathes of countryside, said the new government was ready to discuss anything, including the constituent assembly the rebels are demanding to decide the role of the monarchy.
“We have kept our options open, let us first come to the table, we will discuss every aspect, including a constitutional assembly,” Shahi told the news agency in an interview in his expansive office in the fortified Singha Durbar, the seat of government.
“Our first priority is peace, peace talks,” said Shahi, handpicked by the king to lead the powerful interior ministry which, together with the military, is in charge of tackling the rebellion that has killed more than 11,000 people in nine years. agencies Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Urgent Action to Defend Nepalese Activist
We need your help right now.
February 10, 2005
We need your help right now.February 10, 2005
Dear Linda,
Krishna Pahadi, the founding chairman of the Human Rights and Peace Society (HURPES), was arrested at the organization's office in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, on February 9. Krishna Pahadi, the former president of Amnesty International's Nepal section, is well known as one of the country's leading human rights defenders. His whereabouts are unknown and there are serious concerns for his safety.
Please use the link below to contact Nepalese officials immediately.
ACT NOW:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=11529
You can help us spread the word by telling your friends about Krishna Pahadi's case and urging them to take action on his behalf:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/tellafriend/index.asp?pid=124
Thank you for your efforts to protect human rights.
Rosa Del Angel
Amnesty International USA
Online Action Center
Monday, February 07, 2005
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Nepal to offer talks with Maoists
Monday, 7 February, 2005, 09:07 GMT
Sphere: Related Content
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The new royalist government in Nepal is to offer unconditional peace talks with the country's Maoists rebels, state media have reported.
Some newspapers have pressed the government to lift curbs
The rebels have turned down several calls to resume peace talks that were abandoned in late 2003. Nepal's King Gyanendra sacked the previous government last Tuesday, saying it had failed to tackle the Maoist rebel uprising. The rebels' demands "can be discussed at the negotiating table", the government statement released on state media said. The Maoists have opposed the royal takeover although they had previously said they would only negotiate with the king. 'New boldness' In a separate development, newspapers in Nepal have pressed the government to lift curbs on press freedom, imposed since the takeover. The Kathmandu Post daily published a leader on Monday entitled "Reconsider". It says it will not challenge the new government but asks it to reconsider certain provisions of the emergency. Similar articles have appeared in the Nepali-language paper, Kantipur, in what the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu describes as a new boldness creeping into the media. The new government has imposed heavy censorship on the media, mostly implemented by the military. Phone lines have been cut and internet services suspended since the takeover. Criticism In a new order on Monday the new government banned criticism of security forces "made directly or indirectly that is likely to have negative impact on their morale", the Associated Press quotes it as saying. It also banned political activities by public servants and said the authorities could seize private property where required. The armed forces say that detentions and the suspension of liberties are necessary to let security forces concentrate on fighting the Maoist rebels. But their actions have been strongly criticised both at home and abroad. On Sunday, 25 human rights groups sent a message to some of the world's top leaders, including UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, US President George W Bush and many other heads of state and government. They said the Nepalese people were living under what they described as an illegal military rule headed by the king and that the monarch's actions violated international practices and legal standards. Some 11,000 people have died since the Maoists began their insurgency in 1996.
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Nepal: The Chinese squeeze
Nepal: The Chinese squeeze
February 07, 2005
February 07, 2005
A couple of hours after having written this article, the news of the royal coup in Nepal flashed on web sites and television channels.
I had started by lamenting "What is going on in Nepal?"
This is all the more true now.
The coup renders a complex situation even thornier. The question touched upon here will certainly be one of the most urgent to be dealt with by the king. It will be an immediate test to judge his new government's sincerity.
While a few children were kidnapped in Bihar, on the other side of the India-Nepal border, the Maoists struck harder than their Bihari comrades. Last week, they kidnapped about 1,000 children along with their teachers from two schools in eastern Nepal.
After getting a 'briefing' on the benefits of the Maoist revolution, the students were released.
However the next day, the Rising Nepal reported the capture of businessmen of Doti district by armed rebels. The rebels wanted to 'register' a Doti District Businessmen's Committee (and collect tribute from them).
On January 21, the Nepali media reported another event which has far-reaching consequences for the region.
In a swift move the Office of the Dalai Lama's representative in Nepal as well as the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office were shut down. Only after several days did the office of the district chief in Kathmandu disclose the reason for these closures: the Tibetan office was not registered under Article 3 of the Society Act 2034 and was thus functioning 'illegally'.
Wangchuk Tsering, the Dalai Lama's representative in Nepal, reacted cautiously, but had no choice: 'If the government says the offices have to be shut down, then they have to be. We are law-abiding people.'
The TRWO which lost its legitimacy had for decades been the local partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in Kathmandu, looking after all refugees arriving from Tibet in transit to India.
The Tibet Information Network, an independent News Agencies wrote: 'According to sources close to the UNHCR, as long as the status of TRWO is uncertain, the UNHCR will find their work in the Tibetan Refugee Reception Centre more difficult.'
Today more than 1,000 Tibetans await proper papers to leave for India. In case Nepal decides not to rescind its decision, the UNHCR would no longer have a legal partner to look after the refugees fleeing Tibet.
Sudip Pathak, president of the Human Rights Organisation of Nepal which is working with the UNHCR, is reported to have met the Nepalese home minister on January 27 to complain about the closure. But to no avail.
India to upgrade Nepal's security apparatus
Though Nepal's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat denied that the decision had been taken at China's behest, Beijing's hand can clearly be seen behind the move.
The Dalai Lama's Office has been functioning for the past 45 years without any major problems (and registration). It is difficult to understand why an organisation recognized by a UN body would be suddenly closed on purely technical grounds.
More than 20 000 Tibetan refugees today live in Nepal and over 2000 Tibetans transit annually through the Tibet-Nepal border to visit Dharamsala or the Buddhist monasteries in India fleeing 'religious persecution' in Tibet.
Several countries immediately reacted, in particular the US to whom Nepal had given a written assurance that the government would allow Tibetans to transit through Nepal and would not deport them to China.
At the moment, Nepal does not seem ready to reconsider its decision as Beijing continues to exercise pressure on Nepal to stop the Tibetan refugees' escape towards a free world.
4 more Nepal ministers arrested
Sun Heping, China's ambassador to Nepal, had declared last year: 'We appreciate it very much that His Majesty's Government of Nepal is committed to the one China policy, understands how sensitive the Tibet issue is to China and never allows any anti-China activities to be carried out on Nepali soil.'
All this does not augur well for India: the increasing control of Beijing over the king's government along with the extreme instability of the regime in Kathmandu should not be taken lightly in Delhi.
Today Nepal needs China's support in its fight against the Maoists; more so after the failure of the peace talks between the Maoists and Kathmandu in August last year.
The Maoists on their side are looking for new sources of income as the scope and the extent of their movement is increasing.
The money of the local population is not enough. They have began to use the trade of ingredients used in Tibetan medicine as a new source of income to purchase the badly required weapons to sustain their guerilla warfare.
The medicinal herb trade is a traditional business both for the Nepalis and the Tibetans. The local government in Lhasa has also encouraged the collection of a caterpillar fungus, the cordyceps sinensis (a powerful tonic to increase one's vigour).
The harvesting of cordyceps is a source of income for Tibetans living near the Nepalese border, but with the demand growing, China is today not able to supply its own domestic market (a kilo can fetch up to $3,500 in Lhasa).
The Nepali villagers have taken up the business and the Maoists support the trade. They have allocated 'concessions' to different villages and once collected the harvest is sold in Tibet. Most of the revenue is used to purchase weapons and ammunitions.
The Kantipur Post estimates that the Maoists have thus earned 'millions of rupees.' The Chinese have been aware of the trade and encouraged it.
Beijing is officially on the Nepali government side in its fight against the Maoists. In 2002, the then Chinese ambassador to Nepal had explained: 'China labels the insurgents as anti-government outfits, and we never call them as Maoists. They misuse the name of Chairman Mao, which impairs the image of the great leader of China.'
However Beijing does not mind an unstable state at India's doorstep.
That should not be the case for Delhi. But was the fact that 14 Indian Gorkha jawans were recently abducted while visiting their family an eye-opener for Delhi?
Maoists release 14 Indian Gorkhas
In a situation full of dichotomies for Beijing, the Chinese leaders have tried to make the best of the complicated state of affairs.
On one side, they are keen to counterbalance the privileged Indian role in Nepal; on the other they have to save their face: for a nation which speaks of its 'peaceful rise' and the social progress of its minorities, the constant flight of the Tibetans towards India does not promote their 'peaceful socialistic' image.
They are also trying to develop the Tibetan region and the herbal medicine is the 'staple' industry, bringing important revenues.
Faced with these contradictory elements, China decided to make a gesture towards Nepal in October 2003.
Radio Nepal announced that four suspected Maoists along with weapons and explosives had been arrested in Tibet. Till this time, it had been widely believed that all the weapons originated from Naxalite groups in India.
A year after the militants were arrested, Nepal's ministry of foreign affairs announced that the Shigatse Intermediate Court had convicted the Nepalese for smuggling arms and ammunition: two of them had been sentenced to death (in early January, their sentence was commuted to life imprisonment).
Probably wanting compensation for their good deed, Beijing extracted from Kathmandu a strong warning to the Tibetans wanting to leave the 'Motherland' and take refuge in India. Now, this has been done.
With one stone, several birds were killed: the Nepalese were pleased that Beijing was doing something to stop the Maoists' sources of income; India was informed about the growing Chinese influence in Nepal and the Tibetans were shown their place in the Chinese scheme of things.
This was also a 'lesson' for the UN agencies which are often accused of giving preferential treatment to Tibetan refugees compared to others (mainly the ones from Bhutan).
On the morning of the coup, China expressed appreciation for Nepal's closure of the Dalai Lama's office in Katmandu. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman added 'Nepal made the right decision in maintaining Chinese sovereignty.'
A Freudian slip?
Sphere: Related Content
In praise of the king ... Nepalese pro-monarchy supporters drive in procession parading a portrait of King Gyanendra and Queen Komal in Kathmandu.
Photo: AFP
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Nepal pulls the plug on the Internet
By INQUIRER staff: Wednesday 02 February 2005, 18:57
THE DECISION by the king-god of largely Hindu state Nepala to dismiss his government yesterday has meant a clampdown on a number of formerly informative web sites, with little news trickling out of the country because the phones were cut off as well.
King Gyanendra suspended the government of Nepal yesterday and imposed martial law on the country. Normally cheerful Nepalese newspapers, according to reports, carried news dictated by the King, who faces a rebellion by "Maoist" guerillas which has already killed thousands of people.
The King has imposed a virtual news blackout across the state.
It was all a little reminiscent of 1956, when the UK government attempted to impose a news blackout on the Suez crisis, but some brave editors just decided to carry empty white space where stories had been censored.
Indian newspaper The Hindu reported that the country has also cut telephone lines, and suspended a number of elements of the Nepalese constitution, including freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
The UK and the Indian government both expressed concern at the news.
Mind you, we wonder if it's just a coincidence that Nepal has borders with both China and India. Chairman Mao wasn't particularly noted for allowing freedom of the press or speech. What's for sure is that India is not going to sit idly by if Nepal becomes dangerously unstable. There's too much riding on it. Sphere: Related Content
THE DECISION by the king-god of largely Hindu state Nepala to dismiss his government yesterday has meant a clampdown on a number of formerly informative web sites, with little news trickling out of the country because the phones were cut off as well.
King Gyanendra suspended the government of Nepal yesterday and imposed martial law on the country. Normally cheerful Nepalese newspapers, according to reports, carried news dictated by the King, who faces a rebellion by "Maoist" guerillas which has already killed thousands of people.
The King has imposed a virtual news blackout across the state.
It was all a little reminiscent of 1956, when the UK government attempted to impose a news blackout on the Suez crisis, but some brave editors just decided to carry empty white space where stories had been censored.
Indian newspaper The Hindu reported that the country has also cut telephone lines, and suspended a number of elements of the Nepalese constitution, including freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
The UK and the Indian government both expressed concern at the news.
Mind you, we wonder if it's just a coincidence that Nepal has borders with both China and India. Chairman Mao wasn't particularly noted for allowing freedom of the press or speech. What's for sure is that India is not going to sit idly by if Nepal becomes dangerously unstable. There's too much riding on it. Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Crisis in Nepal as king sacks govt || 02 February, 2005
KATHMANDU, Feb 1: Nepal's King Gyanendra sacked the government, declared a state of emergency and assumed power on Tuesday, saying the leadership had failed to hold polls or restore peace amid an escalating civil war with Maoist rebels.
The king took power for the next three years, and placed many politicians under house arrest. "I have decided to dissolve the government because it has failed to make necessary arrangements to hold elections by April and promote democracy, the sovereignty of the people and life and property," the king said in an address on state radio.
He said a new government would be formed under his leadership to "restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years". Shortly afterwards, a state of emergency was declared.
Fixed and mobile phone networks in what is one of the world's poorest nations were apparently shut down and communications links with the rest of the world disrupted. International flights were turned back from Kathmandu airport, and Nepali news Web sites went down, although road links with India remained open.
The airport was opened late on Tuesday and a state-run Royal Nepal Airlines flight arrived in the Indian capital. It was not known when other flights would resume. "There was lot of security on the streets and vehicles were being stopped and checked," an Indian arriving on the flight told India's NDTV.
In Kathmandu, armoured vehicles patrolled the streets and security was beefed up. But Matthew Kahane, UN resident coordinator in Nepal, said the situation seemed calm.
INDIA WORRIED: The strategic Himalayan nation, sandwiched between India and China, is locked in a bitter three-way struggle between the king, the rebels and bitterly divided political parties.
Sacked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was Nepal's 13th premier in its 14 turbulent years as a constitutional monarchy. Nepal has had no parliament since 2002. -Reuters Sphere: Related Content
The king took power for the next three years, and placed many politicians under house arrest. "I have decided to dissolve the government because it has failed to make necessary arrangements to hold elections by April and promote democracy, the sovereignty of the people and life and property," the king said in an address on state radio.
He said a new government would be formed under his leadership to "restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years". Shortly afterwards, a state of emergency was declared.
Fixed and mobile phone networks in what is one of the world's poorest nations were apparently shut down and communications links with the rest of the world disrupted. International flights were turned back from Kathmandu airport, and Nepali news Web sites went down, although road links with India remained open.
The airport was opened late on Tuesday and a state-run Royal Nepal Airlines flight arrived in the Indian capital. It was not known when other flights would resume. "There was lot of security on the streets and vehicles were being stopped and checked," an Indian arriving on the flight told India's NDTV.
In Kathmandu, armoured vehicles patrolled the streets and security was beefed up. But Matthew Kahane, UN resident coordinator in Nepal, said the situation seemed calm.
INDIA WORRIED: The strategic Himalayan nation, sandwiched between India and China, is locked in a bitter three-way struggle between the king, the rebels and bitterly divided political parties.
Sacked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was Nepal's 13th premier in its 14 turbulent years as a constitutional monarchy. Nepal has had no parliament since 2002. -Reuters Sphere: Related Content
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Bhutan's king says Nepal insurgency threatens to escala
| Sun Jan 30,12:03 AM ET |
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NEW DELHI (AFP) - Bhutan's king has warned there is a "real threat" of the Maoist revolt in Nepal escalating out of control, adding it could have "negative implications" for both India and his country, reports said.
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"We sincerely hope ... some initiatives will be taken by the political parties in Nepal to resolve the Maoist problem," said King Jigme Singye Wangchuk, the Press Trust of India (news - web sites) quoted him as saying on Saturday.
The king, who left Saturday for home after a six-day official visit to India, said the situation in Nepal was "deteriorating day-by-day," adding, "Today the Maoists have total control more or less of the whole country."
Political analysts in Nepal estimate the Maoists control over two-thirds of the impoverished landlocked nation wedged between India and China.
The Bhutanese ruler was speaking to Indian journalists in New Delhi at the close of his visit.
The Maoist rebels have been battling since 1996 to overthrow the constitutional monarchy in Nepal. Violence has been rising in recent months since a pledge by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to hold long-delayed elections if the Maoists failed to agree to resume peace talks by January 13.
The deadline passed with the Maoists rejecting the call for negotiations and vowing to wreck the elections.
The rebels are holding out for talks with King Gyanendra under international mediation focusing on their demand for elections for an assembly that would draft a fresh constitution but authorities have rejected their demands.
The constitution is seen aimed at establishing a communist republic.
"There is a real threat of Maoist situation becoming much more serious than it is today. If this happens, it will have negative implications for both India and Bhutan because we share common borders," Bhutan's king said.
India's ultra leftists have ties with Nepal's Maoists and some Indian commentators have expressed concern the Nepal revolt could spill over the border.
"Each country has a different kind of problem, a different situation. The political parties and people of Nepal have to together solve their own problems in the best possible way." the Bhutanese ruler said.
Over the past few years, the king has been steering his tiny mountain nation of over 700,000 people, once considered the last Shangri-La untouched by the winds of modernisation, toward democracy.
Bhutan, which like Nepal is tucked between India and China, has put together the first draft of a new constitution based on the principles of parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch at the head.
About the Bhutanese army's actions to flush out anti-Indian rebels sheltering on Bhutanese soil, he said "there are no militant camps in any part of Bhutan now. We're trying to ensure that our borders remain secure."
The military drive in 2003 led to dismantling of the 30 militant camps, he said, adding India and Bhutan have agreed they will never allow their territory to be used by anyone for activities harmful for each other's interests.
Sphere: Related ContentThursday, January 27, 2005
NEPAL
Head of state: King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
King Gyanendra ascended the throne in June 2001 soon after then Crown Prince Dipendra gunned down his parents King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya and seven other royals.
The 29-year-old Crown Prince Dipendra ran amok at a family dinner in a drunken and drug-fuelled rage before killing himself.
King Gyanendra, who was born in 1947, is thought to be a more forceful man than his predecessor. 
King Gyanendra at his enthronement in 2001
In 2002 he dismissed a popularly-elected government and assumed executive powers himself.
Educated in India and Nepal, Gyanendra is well known in Nepal for his conservation work. He is also interested in developing the kingdom's tourism potential, and owns a hotel in Kathmandu.
Gyanendra is married and has two children. His youngest son, Paras, who is now the crown prince, leads a controversial lifestyle and has been at the centre of numerous car accident scandals.
Prime minister: Sher Bahadur Deuba
Sacked in 2002 for failing to organise elections or to tackle the Maoist rebellion, Mr Deuba was reinstated by the king in June 2004.
The leader of a breakaway faction of the Nepali Congress, Mr Deuba was tasked with organising elections within a year. His predecessor resigned amid daily street protests.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Ilam clash: 23 bodies of security forces found, 22 missing
Bodies of 23 security personnel killed in a Maoist attack near Puwakhola on the Mechi Highway in the eastern district of Ilam Wednesday have been found by Thursday evening while 22 security men are still out of contact. The area is 10 km northeast of the district headquarters, Ilam Bazaar.
Latest media reports said that 23 dead bodies -17 army men and six policemen - were found at the incident site while five injured security men have been undergoing treatment in Dharan. 22 security men who had gone missing after the incident arrived at the District Police Office this morning.
Army Captain Upendra Ranabhat is one of the killed. There were altogether 72 security men fighting with hundreds of rebels for nearly three hours.
Quoting a Maoist brigade commissar, Parwana, reports said no security men were in Maoist captivity.
Six Maoists have been confirmed dead in the clash. Quoting eyewitnesses, reports said that the rebels took away at least four bodies with them while two bodies were found buried nearby the incident site. However, the actual casualty on the Maoist side is not known.
Human rights activists who visited the area this afternoon said they saw dozens of socket bombs and bullets strewn around the site, reports said. Following the clash, schools have been closed down while fear-stricken villagers have not dared to come out of their homes.
The Maoists had launched a sudden attack on security forces en route to Puwakhoka to clear the barriers laid (by the rebels) on the highway since last three days.
Search operation continues in and around Puwakhola. nepalnews.com mbk Jan 20 05 Sphere: Related Content
Latest media reports said that 23 dead bodies -17 army men and six policemen - were found at the incident site while five injured security men have been undergoing treatment in Dharan. 22 security men who had gone missing after the incident arrived at the District Police Office this morning.
Army Captain Upendra Ranabhat is one of the killed. There were altogether 72 security men fighting with hundreds of rebels for nearly three hours.
Quoting a Maoist brigade commissar, Parwana, reports said no security men were in Maoist captivity.
Six Maoists have been confirmed dead in the clash. Quoting eyewitnesses, reports said that the rebels took away at least four bodies with them while two bodies were found buried nearby the incident site. However, the actual casualty on the Maoist side is not known.
Human rights activists who visited the area this afternoon said they saw dozens of socket bombs and bullets strewn around the site, reports said. Following the clash, schools have been closed down while fear-stricken villagers have not dared to come out of their homes.
The Maoists had launched a sudden attack on security forces en route to Puwakhoka to clear the barriers laid (by the rebels) on the highway since last three days.
Search operation continues in and around Puwakhola. nepalnews.com mbk Jan 20 05 Sphere: Related Content
Monday, January 24, 2005
International News Article | "They beat me with rifle butts and kicked me, and forced me to flee,"
by Simon Denyer
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nawa Raj Joshi was a teacher for more than 30 years in a small village in western Nepal, until one day Maoist rebels decided they didn't like his politics.
"They beat me with rifle butts and kicked me, and forced me to flee," he said. "But my wife and two sons were not allowed to leave."
A few years later, the rebels came back, this time for his son. "They asked him to accompany them, and he couldn't say no. We think they are trying to force him to join them."
Joshi's story is an every-day one in the Himalayan kingdom, where an increasingly ugly civil war is playing out against some of the world's most stunning mountain scenery.
This month, the conflict, which has already killed more than 11,000 people, took another turn for the worse, with both government and rebels bracing for further violent confrontation.
Last Thursday, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba turned up the heat on the Maoists by announcing plans to push ahead with elections they oppose and at the same time intensify a crackdown.
The Maoists have vowed to "shatter" the vote, and are thought to be planning a major attack against the government to underline their point and mark the ninth anniversary of the start of their struggle in February, according to Nepal's army.
Most worrying, is the state's utter inability to unite in the face of the Maoist threat. Political parties spend most of their time squabbling among themselves or with the autocratic and increasingly unpopular king, who has dismissed three governments in the past two years.
"The country is sliding off the edge of a cliff," said Kunda Dixit, editor of the Nepali Times weekly. "The political forces and the monarchy are at each other's throats and, most unfathomably of all, they don't seem to know who the real enemy is."
To the casual observer, Nepal's war seem strangely low-key. Tourists still come in their tens of thousands, though fewer than before, and have never been targeted. Kathmandu itself seems peaceful and safe to outsiders -- but not necessarily for locals.
Rights groups say hundreds of suspected Maoist sympathizers "disappear" every year into notorious army or police detention centers. Maoists tend to simply kill their opponents.
But the outside world is gradually being forced to wake up to the war, looking on with increasing frustration and concern.
Sphere: Related Content
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nawa Raj Joshi was a teacher for more than 30 years in a small village in western Nepal, until one day Maoist rebels decided they didn't like his politics.
"They beat me with rifle butts and kicked me, and forced me to flee," he said. "But my wife and two sons were not allowed to leave."
A few years later, the rebels came back, this time for his son. "They asked him to accompany them, and he couldn't say no. We think they are trying to force him to join them."
Joshi's story is an every-day one in the Himalayan kingdom, where an increasingly ugly civil war is playing out against some of the world's most stunning mountain scenery.
This month, the conflict, which has already killed more than 11,000 people, took another turn for the worse, with both government and rebels bracing for further violent confrontation.
Last Thursday, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba turned up the heat on the Maoists by announcing plans to push ahead with elections they oppose and at the same time intensify a crackdown.
The Maoists have vowed to "shatter" the vote, and are thought to be planning a major attack against the government to underline their point and mark the ninth anniversary of the start of their struggle in February, according to Nepal's army.
Most worrying, is the state's utter inability to unite in the face of the Maoist threat. Political parties spend most of their time squabbling among themselves or with the autocratic and increasingly unpopular king, who has dismissed three governments in the past two years.
"The country is sliding off the edge of a cliff," said Kunda Dixit, editor of the Nepali Times weekly. "The political forces and the monarchy are at each other's throats and, most unfathomably of all, they don't seem to know who the real enemy is."
To the casual observer, Nepal's war seem strangely low-key. Tourists still come in their tens of thousands, though fewer than before, and have never been targeted. Kathmandu itself seems peaceful and safe to outsiders -- but not necessarily for locals.
Rights groups say hundreds of suspected Maoist sympathizers "disappear" every year into notorious army or police detention centers. Maoists tend to simply kill their opponents.
But the outside world is gradually being forced to wake up to the war, looking on with increasing frustration and concern.
A FAILING STATE?
Giant neighbor India knows well the risks of a failed state on its porous borders and is stepping up support for the Nepali army, as well as efforts to arrest Maoist leaders on its soil.
The United States and European nations are providing more discrete assistance, but are equally determined to prevent a Maoist takeover, not least because of the signal it would send to other rebel movements around the world.
"We simply don't want to see an old fashioned Communist dictatorship taking over in the 21st century," one diplomat said, defending his country's assistance to an army accused of increasing human rights abuses. "However bad human rights are now, they would be worse under the Maoists."
In India, concern is mounting about the rebels regional ambitions. They have established formal links with Maoist groups in India and say they aim to set up a "Compact Revolutionary Zone" throughout Nepal and northern and eastern India.
Rebels in India's troubled northeast are also thought to be supplying the Maoists with arms, says Nepali magazine editor Yubaraj Ghimire.
"The government of India always seemed to ignore the presence of Nepali Maoists in India, but now they are taking the threat much more seriously."
But there are other risks, too, not least early signs of fragmentation within the rebel movement itself. Not only is there division between hard-liners and moderates, but there are warning signs that an ideologically driven movement could be gradually turning into an extortion racket.
"Quite a few Maoist area commanders seem intent on enriching themselves," the diplomat said. "There are incipient signs of warlordism."
Comparisons with Afghanistan may be premature, but the risks are there for everyone to see. It is possible, although unlikely, foreign terrorist groups could be tempted to hide in an anarchic Nepal. It is easier to imagine Nepali warlords turning the countryside into a giant opium or heroin factory, analysts say.
Not only that, says Ghimire, but it would be much more difficult for the state to ever negotiate peace with a fractured rebellion or warlords scattered across the country.
For Nepalis, it could mark their state's final slide toward failure and herald a more protracted era of conflict.Sphere: Related Content
UN High Commissioner urges govt., Maoists to sign rights accord
Visiting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, has called upon both Nepal government and Maoists to sign the Human Rights Accord (HRA) prepared by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Addressing the Conference on Human Rights and Peace organized by the NHRC in Kathmandu Monday, Arbour called upon the Nepal government to fully implement the human rights commitments made by it on 26 March 2004.
She also called upon the CPN -Maoists to end, immediately, the recruitment of child soldiers and to desist from using children in any way to further their military goals. She also urged them to allow full access to NHRC monitors to all areas under their control.
Arbour further urged the Nepal government to ensure safety and security of its people in full compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law. “The Maoist insurgents, for their part, do not operate in a legal vacuum: they are equally bound under international law,” she added.
Referring to experiences of conflict-ridden regions around the world, Arbour said injustice fuels violence and violence fuels only greater violence. “One generation’s loss becomes the next generation’s rallying cry. This is particularly true in a country such as Nepal where half of the population is under 18 years of age,” she added.
Addressing the conference, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba blamed the Maoist insurgents for what he said deteriorating human rights situation in the country.
The premier said common people were forced to leave their villages because the Maoists were abducting students and teachers from schools in the rural areas. “At a time when the Maoists are killing unarmed civilians and extorting money, human rights is a far-off thing for the Nepali people,” said Deuba. He, however, said that he was fully committed to the human rights commitments made by the previous government.
The premier said the government was engaged in a serious study of the Human Rights Accord proposed by the NHRC. He also used the occasion to repeat his earlier remarks that the government was left with no other alternative than pushing ahead with general elections ‘to activate the constitution and restore peace in the country’ after the Maoists refused to resume peace talks even after repeated requests by the government.
Addressing the conference, chairman of NHRC, Nayan Bahadur Khatri, said on the one hand the Maoists clearly consider themselves beyond the law of the land in justifying their violent activities, while on the other hand, the security forces have also been found to be involved in human rights violations. “Of major concern is the growing number of disappearances of civilians and the lack of information on those who have been held in incommunicado detention,” said Khatri.
The NHRC chairman said the derailment of the democratic process has further undermined the rule of law, and consequently, resulted in the development of a culture of fear and insecurity, widespread impunity, and the worsening of the human rights situation. He also called upon the government and rebels to sign on the Human Rights Accord prepared by the NHRC and said it would constitute a step forward in building confidence between the parties and opening the way for ceasefire and negotiations.
The two-day conference will discuss the role of human rights organization in peace building, upholding people’s fundamental rights to resolve the conflict, interrelationship between human rights and peace, and the role of NHRC, among others. nepalnews.com by Jan 24 05
Sphere: Related ContentSeven Maoists killed in army operations in southwestern Nepal
Sun Jan 23, 5:40 AM ET
KATHMANDU (AFP) - Seven alleged Maoist rebels were killed by soldiers in the southwest corner of the Himalayan kingdom in weekend clashes, according to a statement from the Royal Nepal Army.
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No soldiers were killed or injured, the army said.
"Seven Maoists, including four women, were killed in a clash with the security forces at Lambiphant in Kailali district on Saturday," the press release said. The area is about 450 kilometers (281 miles) west of the capital of Kathmandu.
"The exchange of fire between the army and the rebels lasted for about an hour on Saturday," it said on Sunday.
The army has been continuing its "Kailali Search Operation" since January 19 in the areas, it said.
The rebels have been fighting for a communist republic in Nepal since 1996 and the uprising has so far claimed more than 11,000 lives.
Sphere: Related Content
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Maoists abduct 500 youths in Nepal - Sify.com
Saturday, 22 January , 2005, 00:25
Kathmandu: As many as 500 youths returning home after working in Indian territory have been abducted by the Maoists rebels in the Achham district of Western Nepal, media reports said on Friday.
The abducted youths hailing from various villages of the district have been confined in rural dwellings of Kantipur district. Maoists have put restrictions on the youths to go out of the villages, reports quoting local people said.
Earlier, the Maoists rebels had reportedly abducted more than 200 students and teachers from three different schools of the eastern district of Ramechhap.
The Maoists abducted them for political indoctrination programmes, Kantipur radio reported quoting its local reporter. The rebels forcibly took away 13 teachers and 77 students from Setidevi Secondary School in Salukalika village and 12 teachers along with 100 students from Chandeshwori Secondary School in Gothgaun from the class rooms on Thursday, it said.
The abducted students were studying in classes six to ten. The news of abduction have come at a time when the London-based Amnesty International had urged the government and the Maoists to stop human rights violations and killings of people.
More than 11,000 people have been killed and hundreds have been abducted since the insurgency began in 1996. Meanwhile, suspected Maoists shot dead a policeman and injured five others in Butwal on Friday.
The suspected rebels indiscriminately fired at Milanchowk, in the heart of the city. No one has claimed the responsibility for the incident but the police suspect the role of Maoists. Sphere: Related Content
Kathmandu: As many as 500 youths returning home after working in Indian territory have been abducted by the Maoists rebels in the Achham district of Western Nepal, media reports said on Friday.
The abducted youths hailing from various villages of the district have been confined in rural dwellings of Kantipur district. Maoists have put restrictions on the youths to go out of the villages, reports quoting local people said.
Earlier, the Maoists rebels had reportedly abducted more than 200 students and teachers from three different schools of the eastern district of Ramechhap.
The Maoists abducted them for political indoctrination programmes, Kantipur radio reported quoting its local reporter. The rebels forcibly took away 13 teachers and 77 students from Setidevi Secondary School in Salukalika village and 12 teachers along with 100 students from Chandeshwori Secondary School in Gothgaun from the class rooms on Thursday, it said.
The abducted students were studying in classes six to ten. The news of abduction have come at a time when the London-based Amnesty International had urged the government and the Maoists to stop human rights violations and killings of people.
More than 11,000 people have been killed and hundreds have been abducted since the insurgency began in 1996. Meanwhile, suspected Maoists shot dead a policeman and injured five others in Butwal on Friday.
The suspected rebels indiscriminately fired at Milanchowk, in the heart of the city. No one has claimed the responsibility for the incident but the police suspect the role of Maoists. Sphere: Related Content
Friday, January 21, 2005
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Nepal gay group launches journal
By Charles Haviland
BBC News, Kathmandu
Nepal's only gay rights organisation has launched a weekly newspaper, the first publication here of its kind.
The Blue Diamond Society (BDS) says that it wants to give a voice to a range of oppressed communities, not just sexual minorities.
The publication is being funded by the British government.
A British diplomat told the BBC the funding of the project was part of London's campaign to reduce the impact of HIV and Aids.
Budget
The parallel English and Nepali language Blue Diamond Weekly papers are being brought out by BDS, which describes itself as an organisation for sexual minorities, including homosexual, bisexual and trans-gendered people.
BDS has already raised the profile of these communities in this conservative society and its founder, Sunil Pant, says the new paper will focus on all marginalised groups in Nepal whose voices, he says, are never heard.
It will look at the human rights of women and children, dalits - or so-called untouchables - and sex workers, as well as sexual minorities, and will focus on HIV and Aids prevention.
It is being funded by Britain's Department for International Development, which has a budget for small projects like this.
The British Embassy will administer the grant, which must be spent in line with departmental objectives.
The British diplomat said the aim was to help people living with Aids, or at risk of it, to lead fulfilled lives and have greater Aids-related risk awareness. Aids, he pointed out, contributed to poverty.
Sphere: Related Content
BBC News, Kathmandu
Nepal's only gay rights organisation has launched a weekly newspaper, the first publication here of its kind.
The Blue Diamond Society (BDS) says that it wants to give a voice to a range of oppressed communities, not just sexual minorities.
The publication is being funded by the British government.
A British diplomat told the BBC the funding of the project was part of London's campaign to reduce the impact of HIV and Aids.
Budget
The parallel English and Nepali language Blue Diamond Weekly papers are being brought out by BDS, which describes itself as an organisation for sexual minorities, including homosexual, bisexual and trans-gendered people.
BDS has already raised the profile of these communities in this conservative society and its founder, Sunil Pant, says the new paper will focus on all marginalised groups in Nepal whose voices, he says, are never heard.
It will look at the human rights of women and children, dalits - or so-called untouchables - and sex workers, as well as sexual minorities, and will focus on HIV and Aids prevention.
It is being funded by Britain's Department for International Development, which has a budget for small projects like this.
The British Embassy will administer the grant, which must be spent in line with departmental objectives.
The British diplomat said the aim was to help people living with Aids, or at risk of it, to lead fulfilled lives and have greater Aids-related risk awareness. Aids, he pointed out, contributed to poverty.
Sphere: Related Content
Japan Today - News - 23 bodies recovered after clash in Nepal - Japan's Leading International News Network
Friday, January 21, 2005 at 07:06 JST
KAHTMANDU — The bodies of 17 soldiers and six policemen were on Thursday recovered from the site of gun battles between government troops and Maoist insurgents in eastern Nepal, state-run Radio Nepal reported.
Five other members of the security forces were injured in the three-hour firefight Wednesday in Ilam district, about 300 kilometers west of the capital.
(Kyodo News) Sphere: Related Content
KAHTMANDU — The bodies of 17 soldiers and six policemen were on Thursday recovered from the site of gun battles between government troops and Maoist insurgents in eastern Nepal, state-run Radio Nepal reported.
Five other members of the security forces were injured in the three-hour firefight Wednesday in Ilam district, about 300 kilometers west of the capital.
(Kyodo News) Sphere: Related Content
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Rebels, security forces clash in Ilam
There have been reports of heavy clashes between the Maoist rebels and security forces at Barbote area in the eastern district of Ilam Wednesday.
According to reports, the clash took place when the Maoists attacked a team of security personnel that was returning to its base after clearing the road obstructions set up by the rebels at Puwakhola along the Mechi highway in eastern Nepal.
Security sources in Kathmandu confirmed the incident and said skirmishes had taken place Wednesday afternoon. They said they were still awaiting the details.
Meanwhile, some radio reports have quoted Brigade commissar Parwana of the Maoist’s seventh brigade in Mechi and Koshi zones, as saying that they had lost half a dozen of their comrades during the two-way gun battle. He also claimed that at least 20 security personnel were killed during the clashes and that the rebels were able to seize some automatic weapons from the security personnel.
The Maoists’ claim is, however, yet to be verified independently.
Nepal F. M., a Kathmandu-based private radio station, quoted Parwana as saying that at least 20 security personnel were in the Maoist captivity.
The situation is still unclear but sources in eastern town of Biratnagar have said up to 50 security personnel were out of contact since Wednesday afternoon. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
The authorities are yet to comment on the incident.
nepalnews.com by Jan 19 05 Sphere: Related Content
According to reports, the clash took place when the Maoists attacked a team of security personnel that was returning to its base after clearing the road obstructions set up by the rebels at Puwakhola along the Mechi highway in eastern Nepal.
Security sources in Kathmandu confirmed the incident and said skirmishes had taken place Wednesday afternoon. They said they were still awaiting the details.
Meanwhile, some radio reports have quoted Brigade commissar Parwana of the Maoist’s seventh brigade in Mechi and Koshi zones, as saying that they had lost half a dozen of their comrades during the two-way gun battle. He also claimed that at least 20 security personnel were killed during the clashes and that the rebels were able to seize some automatic weapons from the security personnel.
The Maoists’ claim is, however, yet to be verified independently.
Nepal F. M., a Kathmandu-based private radio station, quoted Parwana as saying that at least 20 security personnel were in the Maoist captivity.
The situation is still unclear but sources in eastern town of Biratnagar have said up to 50 security personnel were out of contact since Wednesday afternoon. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
The authorities are yet to comment on the incident.
nepalnews.com by Jan 19 05 Sphere: Related Content
Monday, January 17, 2005
BBC: Hundreds of rioters burned tyres and hurled stones to protest at the increase in fuel prices by the government in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Sphere: Related Content
Friday, January 14, 2005
Nepal plays poll card, all eyes on Maoists
15 January 2005
KATHMANDU: Nepal is turning up the heat on Maoist rebels by announcing it will push ahead with polls and at the same time intensify a crackdown on the insurgency.
Eyes are now turning to the Maoist response. Will the rebels counter with more violence, or will the pressure eventually force them to come to the negotiating table?
Most commentators see divisions within the movement itself.
Hardliners are thought to have prevailed at a September plenum and won the go-ahead to pursue a military strategy for at least another six months. Rebels are expected to review that decision at a high-level meeting over the next month or two.
"The next month is very crucial," said Yubaraj Ghimire, editor of Samay weekly magazine. "We really don't know if the party will extend the hardline approach, or reject it, and say 'now we should try other methods'."
The hardline approach has had only limited success so far.
Rebels have demonstrated their power by blockading the capital and closing down businesses simply by issuing threatening statements. But the army says it has foiled plans for major attacks, and inflicted heavy losses on the guerrillas.
"Their military strength has suffered a serious jolt," said Ghimire. "There is a compulsion before them to come to some kind of understanding."
The eight-year civil war in the strategic Himalayan nation sandwiched between nuclear giants China and India has killed more than 11,000 people and is poisoning the lives of millions more.
Diplomats fear the conflict could spiral further out of control if the rebel movement fragments and warlords take over.
India and the United States are desperate to prevent a takeover by the Maoists, not least because of the encouragement that would give to rebel movements worldwide.
On Thursday (local time), Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said he would call elections this year and intensify the crackdown.
But even though the rebels failed to respond to his offer of talks by Thursday's deadline, Deuba said his door remained open and he still hoped they might come to the table soon.
"I have a report that the pro-dialogue group was defeated in the September Maoist plenum," he said. "The report said that they will go for a strategic offensive up to mid-March.
"If they succeed, they may come to the table with some sort of victory, and if they are defeated, they will come for negotiations - the pro-dialogue group might emerge."
Nepal has had no parliament since 2002 and Deuba was appointed directly by King Gyanendra with a mandate to hold elections this year.
Diplomats and analysts say it would be tough to hold an election if the Maoists stick to their threat to "shatter" the poll. But even an imperfect vote could give the government a degree of legitimacy, and strengthen its hand in any dialogue.
Ghimire said the best hope was for some kind of back-channel negotiations and a tacit understanding with the Maoists not to disrupt the vote.
In exchange, he said, the government would have to agree to discuss the Maoists' key demand - the abolition of the monarchy - straight after the vote.
Former mediator Padma Ratna Tuladhar said the Maoists also wanted the government to agree to foreign mediation, either by the United Nations or a respected independent humanitarian group.
"I myself can take responsibility to bring them back to the negotiating table if there is any third party involvement," he said.
So far, that is not something the government or giant neighbour India will agree to, but some say there is a chance Delhi could drop its objections if there was no other option.
Sphere: Related Content
KATHMANDU: Nepal is turning up the heat on Maoist rebels by announcing it will push ahead with polls and at the same time intensify a crackdown on the insurgency.
Eyes are now turning to the Maoist response. Will the rebels counter with more violence, or will the pressure eventually force them to come to the negotiating table?
Most commentators see divisions within the movement itself.
Hardliners are thought to have prevailed at a September plenum and won the go-ahead to pursue a military strategy for at least another six months. Rebels are expected to review that decision at a high-level meeting over the next month or two.
"The next month is very crucial," said Yubaraj Ghimire, editor of Samay weekly magazine. "We really don't know if the party will extend the hardline approach, or reject it, and say 'now we should try other methods'."
The hardline approach has had only limited success so far.
Rebels have demonstrated their power by blockading the capital and closing down businesses simply by issuing threatening statements. But the army says it has foiled plans for major attacks, and inflicted heavy losses on the guerrillas.
"Their military strength has suffered a serious jolt," said Ghimire. "There is a compulsion before them to come to some kind of understanding."
The eight-year civil war in the strategic Himalayan nation sandwiched between nuclear giants China and India has killed more than 11,000 people and is poisoning the lives of millions more.
Diplomats fear the conflict could spiral further out of control if the rebel movement fragments and warlords take over.
India and the United States are desperate to prevent a takeover by the Maoists, not least because of the encouragement that would give to rebel movements worldwide.
On Thursday (local time), Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said he would call elections this year and intensify the crackdown.
But even though the rebels failed to respond to his offer of talks by Thursday's deadline, Deuba said his door remained open and he still hoped they might come to the table soon.
"I have a report that the pro-dialogue group was defeated in the September Maoist plenum," he said. "The report said that they will go for a strategic offensive up to mid-March.
"If they succeed, they may come to the table with some sort of victory, and if they are defeated, they will come for negotiations - the pro-dialogue group might emerge."
Nepal has had no parliament since 2002 and Deuba was appointed directly by King Gyanendra with a mandate to hold elections this year.
Diplomats and analysts say it would be tough to hold an election if the Maoists stick to their threat to "shatter" the poll. But even an imperfect vote could give the government a degree of legitimacy, and strengthen its hand in any dialogue.
Ghimire said the best hope was for some kind of back-channel negotiations and a tacit understanding with the Maoists not to disrupt the vote.
In exchange, he said, the government would have to agree to discuss the Maoists' key demand - the abolition of the monarchy - straight after the vote.
Former mediator Padma Ratna Tuladhar said the Maoists also wanted the government to agree to foreign mediation, either by the United Nations or a respected independent humanitarian group.
"I myself can take responsibility to bring them back to the negotiating table if there is any third party involvement," he said.
So far, that is not something the government or giant neighbour India will agree to, but some say there is a chance Delhi could drop its objections if there was no other option.
Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Maoists declare three-day unilateral ceasefire in Rupandehi
Amid security concerns during the 2nd World Buddhist Summit in Lumbini, Rupandehi district, the CPN (Maoist) Tuesday declared a unilateral ceasefire in the district for three days.
The Rupandehi District Organisation Committee of the CPN (Maoist) announced this through a statement, which was faxed to local media offices this morning, a Rupandehi-based journalist told Nepalnews over telephone.
Along with the ceasefire, the Maoists have also withdrawn their two-day bandh (general strike) in the district starting from today coinciding with the Buddhist Summit, the journalist said citing the statement signed by Saroj, the district in-charge of the rebel party.
Vehicular traffic was slightly affected in the morning but situation became normal as soon the local F.M radios carried the news about the ceasefire. nepalnews.com by/mbk Nov 30 04 Sphere: Related Content
The Rupandehi District Organisation Committee of the CPN (Maoist) announced this through a statement, which was faxed to local media offices this morning, a Rupandehi-based journalist told Nepalnews over telephone.
Along with the ceasefire, the Maoists have also withdrawn their two-day bandh (general strike) in the district starting from today coinciding with the Buddhist Summit, the journalist said citing the statement signed by Saroj, the district in-charge of the rebel party.
Vehicular traffic was slightly affected in the morning but situation became normal as soon the local F.M radios carried the news about the ceasefire. nepalnews.com by/mbk Nov 30 04 Sphere: Related Content
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Maoist area commander killed in security operation
Security forces gunned down the Saptari district area no 5 commander of the Maoist party Wednesday morning, reports said.
According to reports, the Maoist area commander, who has been identified as Dambar Yadav alias ‘Sandesh’, was killed in a security operation at Malhaniya of Saptari district today morning.
However, the Maoist rebels are yet to make any official comment on the news.
In another incident, a youth has been found dead on the banks of the Bhaluwahi river at ward number 4 of Rajbiraj Municipality. The dead has been identified as Krishna, a local resident.
nepalnews.com amt Jan 12 05 Sphere: Related Content
According to reports, the Maoist area commander, who has been identified as Dambar Yadav alias ‘Sandesh’, was killed in a security operation at Malhaniya of Saptari district today morning.
However, the Maoist rebels are yet to make any official comment on the news.
In another incident, a youth has been found dead on the banks of the Bhaluwahi river at ward number 4 of Rajbiraj Municipality. The dead has been identified as Krishna, a local resident.
nepalnews.com amt Jan 12 05 Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Maoists abduct UML cadres in Palpa
Maoist rebels abducted five CPN-UML cadres, including two district committee members, of Palpa district on Monday, reports Tuesday said.
District committee members Buddhi Raj Gautam and Bimala Basistha and three others were abducted from Galda village where they had gone to attend a program of the party. The rebels have not yet clarified the charge on them.
Meanwhile, the Palpa district committee of the UML in a statement has urged the Maoists to immediately release them, reports said. nepalnews.com mbk Jan 11 05 Sphere: Related Content
District committee members Buddhi Raj Gautam and Bimala Basistha and three others were abducted from Galda village where they had gone to attend a program of the party. The rebels have not yet clarified the charge on them.
Meanwhile, the Palpa district committee of the UML in a statement has urged the Maoists to immediately release them, reports said. nepalnews.com mbk Jan 11 05 Sphere: Related Content
Monday, January 10, 2005
Two weeks in a leaky boat - Asia Tsunami - www.smh.com.au
January 11, 2005 - 7:54AM
An Indonesian man swept out to sea by the Asian tsunami has described how he survived adrift for two weeks, living on coconuts and chancing upon a leaky boat and a raft.
Ari Afrizal, 21, spoke briefly to reporters today after arriving at a Malaysian port on a container ship that spotted him in the Indian Ocean yesterday, 14 days after the wave tore him from his homeland.
'I managed to survive as I ate the flesh of old coconuts for about 12 days. For three days I didn't get to eat anything,' he said. 'I gave up all hope of living.'
Ari, clutching a plastic bag containing the rags that were his clothes at the time of the tsunami, wore a T-shirt and jeans donated by the ship's crew. Exhausted, he gave sketchy details of his ordeal before being taken by ambulance to hospital.
He said he was with friends building a house in the town of Calang in Aceh province when the wave struck. It pushed them inland before dragging Ari out to sea, clutching a piece of wood.
Ari said he had chanced upon a small leaking fishing boat on his second day in the water.
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'The first day I clung to a piece of wood, the second day I retrieved a small fishing boat but it was leaking. I was in the small boat for four days before I managed to get on a raft,' he said.
Ari said he waved frantically at several ships from the raft without success before the Arab-based Al Yamamah container ship came into view.
'I managed to whistle at the ship and then waved my hands.
The ship sped on but it sounded the klaxon and I stood up. I thought the ship had left the area and I sat down and cried. But the ship returned and cheered me up,' he said.
'I then waved at them as I knew I was safe.'
Ari is the third Indonesian tsunami survivor to be rescued at sea.
A pregnant woman was rescued by a Malaysian tuna-fishing boat after clinging to a palm tree for five days. Another man drifted for eight days on an uprooted tree before a cargo ship found him.
More than 156,000 people were killed by the December 26 tsunami which followed a massive earthquake beneath the sea off Aceh province in the Indonesian archipelago.
Aceh accounted for almost all of Indonesia's 104,000 deaths.
Sphere: Related Content
An Indonesian man swept out to sea by the Asian tsunami has described how he survived adrift for two weeks, living on coconuts and chancing upon a leaky boat and a raft.
Ari Afrizal, 21, spoke briefly to reporters today after arriving at a Malaysian port on a container ship that spotted him in the Indian Ocean yesterday, 14 days after the wave tore him from his homeland.
'I managed to survive as I ate the flesh of old coconuts for about 12 days. For three days I didn't get to eat anything,' he said. 'I gave up all hope of living.'
Ari, clutching a plastic bag containing the rags that were his clothes at the time of the tsunami, wore a T-shirt and jeans donated by the ship's crew. Exhausted, he gave sketchy details of his ordeal before being taken by ambulance to hospital.
He said he was with friends building a house in the town of Calang in Aceh province when the wave struck. It pushed them inland before dragging Ari out to sea, clutching a piece of wood.
Ari said he had chanced upon a small leaking fishing boat on his second day in the water.
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'The first day I clung to a piece of wood, the second day I retrieved a small fishing boat but it was leaking. I was in the small boat for four days before I managed to get on a raft,' he said.
Ari said he waved frantically at several ships from the raft without success before the Arab-based Al Yamamah container ship came into view.
'I managed to whistle at the ship and then waved my hands.
The ship sped on but it sounded the klaxon and I stood up. I thought the ship had left the area and I sat down and cried. But the ship returned and cheered me up,' he said.
'I then waved at them as I knew I was safe.'
Ari is the third Indonesian tsunami survivor to be rescued at sea.
A pregnant woman was rescued by a Malaysian tuna-fishing boat after clinging to a palm tree for five days. Another man drifted for eight days on an uprooted tree before a cargo ship found him.
More than 156,000 people were killed by the December 26 tsunami which followed a massive earthquake beneath the sea off Aceh province in the Indonesian archipelago.
Aceh accounted for almost all of Indonesia's 104,000 deaths.
Sphere: Related Content
Nepal army claims to have destroyed Maoist arsenal
KATHMANDU: Two Nepalese army helicopters destroyed a Maoist rebel hideout and arsenal in an aerial attack on a remote jungle gorge in the far west of the country, a senior security official said on Monday.
“The security forces carried out aerial attacks on a Maoist hideout and arsenal located in the middle of Sirise forest on Saturday evening,” the official who did not want to be named said.
The official said eight huts allegedly used to manufacture and repair arms were destroyed and said several Maoists were killed or wounded in the attack, but declined to give further details of the incident 350 kilometers west of Kathmandu.
The rebels are believed to have set up the arsenal inside the forest after an arms supply crunch following a recent tightening of border security by land-locked Nepal’s southern and northern neighbours- India and China, the official said.
The Maoists have been fighting for a communist republic in Nepal since February 1996 and the uprising has already claimed more than 11,000 lives. afp Sphere: Related Content
“The security forces carried out aerial attacks on a Maoist hideout and arsenal located in the middle of Sirise forest on Saturday evening,” the official who did not want to be named said.
The official said eight huts allegedly used to manufacture and repair arms were destroyed and said several Maoists were killed or wounded in the attack, but declined to give further details of the incident 350 kilometers west of Kathmandu.
The rebels are believed to have set up the arsenal inside the forest after an arms supply crunch following a recent tightening of border security by land-locked Nepal’s southern and northern neighbours- India and China, the official said.
The Maoists have been fighting for a communist republic in Nepal since February 1996 and the uprising has already claimed more than 11,000 lives. afp Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Japan Today - News - 17 soldiers, policemen killed in rebel attacks in Nepal - Japan's Leading International News Network
Monday, January 3, 2005 at 07:58 JST
KATHMANDU — Warring Maoist rebels killed nine soldiers and eight policemen in two separate attacks on highways in Nepal on Saturday and Sunday, government officials said. Five policemen died and six were wounded when the Maoist ambushed a police vehicle on the Mahendra Highway in far western Nepal early Sunday morning.
On Saturday, four policemen and eight soldiers were killed in a clash on the Koshi Highway in the eastern part of the country. (Kyodo News) Sphere: Related Content
KATHMANDU — Warring Maoist rebels killed nine soldiers and eight policemen in two separate attacks on highways in Nepal on Saturday and Sunday, government officials said. Five policemen died and six were wounded when the Maoist ambushed a police vehicle on the Mahendra Highway in far western Nepal early Sunday morning.
On Saturday, four policemen and eight soldiers were killed in a clash on the Koshi Highway in the eastern part of the country. (Kyodo News) Sphere: Related Content
Japan Today - News - 13 killed in Nepal bus accident -
Friday, January 7, 2005 at 07:19 JST
KATHMANDU — A speeding passenger bus veered off a mountainous highway in eastern Nepal on Thursday, killing 13 people and injuring 35, at least seven seriously, police said.
The accident occurred around 2 p.m. near Puwakhola in the Ilam district, about 400 kilometers east of the capital Kathmandu, according to the police. (Kyodo News) Sphere: Related Content
KATHMANDU — A speeding passenger bus veered off a mountainous highway in eastern Nepal on Thursday, killing 13 people and injuring 35, at least seven seriously, police said.
The accident occurred around 2 p.m. near Puwakhola in the Ilam district, about 400 kilometers east of the capital Kathmandu, according to the police. (Kyodo News) Sphere: Related Content
A kid's life in Nepal
A kid's life in Nepal
Living simply in the shadow of the world's tallest mountains
05:09 PM CST on Thursday, January 6, 2005
POKHARA, Nepal – Babita Biswokarma, age 12, is the youngest in a family of six children. She lives with her mother, father, grandmother and four brothers and sisters – her eldest sister has married and moved away – in a small brick-and-concrete house just outside Pokhara, one of Nepal's biggest cities. On a clear day, Babita can stand outside her house and see the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas, the highest mountains in the world. Her father is a farmer. Like most people in Nepal, the family doesn't have much money. Their house has no running water and Babita doesn't have any toys. But they do have electricity and a small television, and outside there is a garden where Babita and her mother grow vegetables and flowers. Babita also takes care of the family's chickens and ducks, chasing after them when they escape and scolding the ducks when they try to eat her lettuce plants. She likes her neighborhood because she lives near lots of other kids, including Sapna, her best friend. "She never quarrels with me," said Babita, who wants to be a nurse when she grows up. "If I don't know something as far as schoolwork is concerned, she explains it to me, and I do the same for her." Babita's mother wakes her every morning at 5. Babita has a glass of tea and a piece of bread, fetches water from the tap that the family shares with its neighbors, then washes the dishes from the night before. She also sweeps the yard with a small broom. If she has enough time after finishing her chores, she does her homework before leaving for school at 9:30 a.m. Babita likes school, where her favorite subjects are Nepali, her native language, and science. Once there was a Japanese man who came to teach at the school and showed Babita and the other students how to play baseball. Now Babita would like to visit Japan. "It's a rich country, and I would like to earn money to build a house," she says. During harvest season, Babita helps her parents in the fields. She has her own knife, with a short handle and a curved blade, which she uses for cutting rice plants. It's hard work, but Babita likes the festive atmosphere. "There are a lot of people and while harvesting the crop they sing songs, so I enjoy that," she says. For dinner, Babita and her family usually eat rice, vegetables and lentil stew. They have chicken once a week as a treat. At 10 o'clock every night, Babita curls up in the big, comfy bed she shares with her grandmother and quickly falls asleep. Babita doesn't mind the company. "It makes me feel secure," she says.HOW SHE HAS FUN Playing games: Babita Biswokarma and her friends like hide-and-seek and gati khelni, which involves drawing squares in the dirt with a stick and hopping from one to the other on one leg while kicking a small stone. It's similar to hopscotch and takes a lot of skill. Having a party: This year Babita and her friends are going to use the money they got during Tihar, the festival of lights, to buy meat and other food for a picnic in the fields. "We'll carry firewood from the house and then cook the food ourselves," she says. "We'll play games, sing songs and dance." Watching TV: Every Sunday night at 9, Babita watches a television drama called Gahana, which means "Jewelry." It's about a family and is "very sad," Babita says. She also likes a comedy called Bitter Truth. WHERE SHE LIVES Babita Biswokarma, 12, lives just a few miles outside Pokhara, Nepal, which is next to a pretty lake. Pokhara is a popular destination for tourists, who come from all over the world to see the Himalayas. But Babita and her family don't have much to do with tourists. Like most of Nepal's 25 million people, they earn their living from the land. Babita's father practices a type of farming known as sharecropping, which means that he grows crops on someone else's property, keeping part of the harvest as payment. In many parts of Nepal, farm fields climb up the sides of mountains like stair steps. But Pokhara is in a valley and the surrounding land is quite flat. The weather is mild, even in winter, which is Babita's favorite season because it almost never rains. Every few months, she and her mother take the bus into Pokhara to shop for clothes and other supplies.INSIDE NEPAL How many people: About 25 million. About 40 percent are children ages 14 and younger. How big it is: About 54,000 square miles. That makes it just a bit bigger than Arkansas. National symbols: They include a rhododendron, a white cow and a green pheasant. Capital: Kathmandu Religion: More than 85 percent of the people practice Hinduism, including Babita Biswokarma. Buddhism and Islam are also practiced. Economy: Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries, with about 40 percent of its population living in poverty. Babita is very lucky to have a television (only six in 1,000 people do). Children ages 6-10 are required to go to school. Because the country is so poor, many children work very hard jobs at early ages. Terrain tidbit: Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the world's tallest, which is on Nepal's border with Tibet. The Washington Post 
JOHN LANCASTER/The Washington Post Babita Biswokarma, 12, lives in a small house near Pokhara, Nepal, with her mother, father, grandmother and four brothers and sisters.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
British Gurkha soldiers to help tsunami victims
Britain has offered to send a company of 120 Gurkhas serving in the British Army to assist with the tsunami relief effort in Indonesia, BBC reported Wednesday.
An on-line version of the BBC quoted officials at the 10 Downing Street—office of the British Prime Minister—as saying that the deployment would involve troops from the 2nd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles, based in Brunei and two helicopters.
"This is in addition to the ships and aircraft we have already committed to the relief operation in the Indian Ocean," a government’s spokesman said.
Discussions are underway with Indonesia on the exact timing and location of the deployment, but the government said the offer was aimed at the Aceh province, the report said.
Downing Street said a similar offer might be made to the Sri Lankan government. However a spokesman pointed out that there were particular logistical difficulties in Indonesia, which the Gurkhas might be able to help with.
The spokesman said: "Following this morning's daily coordination meeting on the post-tsunami relief effort, the government has formally offered the Indonesian government the assistance of a company of British Army Gurkhas
Indonesia is by far the country worst affected by the tsunami, with 94,000 of the 140,000 confirmed deaths so far.
British International Development Minister, Gareth Thomas, said, "We have offered the Gurkhas to help in the process if scaling up the relief effort, particularly in Aceh which is undoubtedly the hardest hit area in the Indian Ocean at the moment."
"We've also had RAF aircraft flying in equipment which the UN desperately need in order to set up a truly effective relief operation on the ground in Aceh province as well."
The British offer has come as the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is to arrive in Indonesia for a special summit meeting on the disaster. Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, senior US officials and other world leaders are also scheduled to take part in the summit. nepalnews.com by Jan 05 05 Sphere: Related Content
An on-line version of the BBC quoted officials at the 10 Downing Street—office of the British Prime Minister—as saying that the deployment would involve troops from the 2nd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles, based in Brunei and two helicopters.
"This is in addition to the ships and aircraft we have already committed to the relief operation in the Indian Ocean," a government’s spokesman said.
Discussions are underway with Indonesia on the exact timing and location of the deployment, but the government said the offer was aimed at the Aceh province, the report said.
Downing Street said a similar offer might be made to the Sri Lankan government. However a spokesman pointed out that there were particular logistical difficulties in Indonesia, which the Gurkhas might be able to help with.
The spokesman said: "Following this morning's daily coordination meeting on the post-tsunami relief effort, the government has formally offered the Indonesian government the assistance of a company of British Army Gurkhas
Indonesia is by far the country worst affected by the tsunami, with 94,000 of the 140,000 confirmed deaths so far.
British International Development Minister, Gareth Thomas, said, "We have offered the Gurkhas to help in the process if scaling up the relief effort, particularly in Aceh which is undoubtedly the hardest hit area in the Indian Ocean at the moment."
"We've also had RAF aircraft flying in equipment which the UN desperately need in order to set up a truly effective relief operation on the ground in Aceh province as well."
The British offer has come as the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is to arrive in Indonesia for a special summit meeting on the disaster. Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, senior US officials and other world leaders are also scheduled to take part in the summit. nepalnews.com by Jan 05 05 Sphere: Related Content
Maoists force DDC officials of Baglung out of office
Owing to threats from the Maoists, 57 employees of the District Development Committee (DDC) of the western district of Banglung resigned from their posts Wednesday.
An official with the DDC told Nepalnews that a resignation letter collectively signed by 57 employees was submitted to the local development officer, Ganesh Bahadur Khatri, today. Now Khatri is the only official left at the DDC.
Issuing a statement two weeks ago, the rebels had asked the DDC employees to resign by today.
Earlier, most of the secretaries of Village Development Committees in the district had resigned from their posts but had resumed work after the concerned authority refused to accept their resignations.
According to the DDC official, the Maoists have again warned the secretaries not to conduct their jobs. “They have said they would soon start action against the VDC secretaries,” the official said. nepalnews.com mbk Jan 05 05 Sphere: Related Content
An official with the DDC told Nepalnews that a resignation letter collectively signed by 57 employees was submitted to the local development officer, Ganesh Bahadur Khatri, today. Now Khatri is the only official left at the DDC.
Issuing a statement two weeks ago, the rebels had asked the DDC employees to resign by today.
Earlier, most of the secretaries of Village Development Committees in the district had resigned from their posts but had resumed work after the concerned authority refused to accept their resignations.
According to the DDC official, the Maoists have again warned the secretaries not to conduct their jobs. “They have said they would soon start action against the VDC secretaries,” the official said. nepalnews.com mbk Jan 05 05 Sphere: Related Content
AP Wire | 01/05/2005 | Nepal Soldiers Raid Rebels, Killing 30
BINAJ GURUBACHARYA
Associated Press
KATMANDU, Nepal - Soldiers backed by helicopters raided a communist rebel hideout in the forests of western Nepal, killing at least 30 guerrillas Wednesday and foiling a planned attack on an army base, officials said.
Tipped that the rebels were meeting, the soldiers moved on the guerrilla camp in the Mashuriya forests near Banchet village, about 375 miles west of the capital, Katmandu.
Brig. Gen. Rajendra Thapa, who heads the army operation in west Nepal, said authorities believed the rebels were about to attack a nearby army base.
The fighting lasted five hours. At least seven soldiers were injured, two of them seriously.
Thapa said soldiers recovered the bodies of 30 rebels and believe more were killed. The guerillas often remove their dead to keep soldiers from identifying them.
The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting since 1996 to replace Nepal's monarchy with a communist state and have launched bolder attacks in recent months.
More than 10,500 people have died since the fighting began.
The government has urged guerrillas to join peace talks, but the rebels walked out of negotiations in August and ended a seven-month cease-fire. Sphere: Related Content
Associated Press
KATMANDU, Nepal - Soldiers backed by helicopters raided a communist rebel hideout in the forests of western Nepal, killing at least 30 guerrillas Wednesday and foiling a planned attack on an army base, officials said.
Tipped that the rebels were meeting, the soldiers moved on the guerrilla camp in the Mashuriya forests near Banchet village, about 375 miles west of the capital, Katmandu.
Brig. Gen. Rajendra Thapa, who heads the army operation in west Nepal, said authorities believed the rebels were about to attack a nearby army base.
The fighting lasted five hours. At least seven soldiers were injured, two of them seriously.
Thapa said soldiers recovered the bodies of 30 rebels and believe more were killed. The guerillas often remove their dead to keep soldiers from identifying them.
The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting since 1996 to replace Nepal's monarchy with a communist state and have launched bolder attacks in recent months.
More than 10,500 people have died since the fighting began.
The government has urged guerrillas to join peace talks, but the rebels walked out of negotiations in August and ended a seven-month cease-fire. Sphere: Related Content
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