Jun 25 2006

Nepal faces uncertain future with rebels – Yahoo! News

Category: Uncategorizedharmonicminer @ 9:23 pm

There seems to be an agreement between the rebels and the government of Nepal, which has had a violent revolution recently.

Those Maoist rebel “democrats” have what they wish. Are they ready for it?: “All that ended June 16 with an agreement to establish an interim government to replace the current national parliament as well as the ‘people’s government’ that rules territory under rebel control. 

The Maoists say they will abide by the decisions of a yet-to-be-formed constituent assembly, which will decide what type of government Nepal will have.

But after so many years of living as guerrillas, fighting the government and demanding goals steeped in a Marxist ideology much of the world has long forgotten, the big question is what their leader, known to all as Prachanda, wants for the nation.

The schoolteacher-turned-militant has few democratic credentials, tolerating no dissent as the leader of the guerrillas who call their overriding philosophy ‘Prachandapath’, ‘Prachanda’s Way.’

In interviews since he emerged from hiding, his pronouncements about Nepal’s new government have been vague and sometimes contradictory.

‘There shouldn’t be parliamentary republicanism’ in Nepal, he recently told the weekly magazine Nepal. He ruled out an autocracy, but said that ‘we need a republicanism of our own kind.’ He didn’t elaborate.

His plans for the struggling economy are equally hazy.

Despite the basics of the creed named after Mao Zedong, the Chinese communist leader, Prachanda says the rebels will encourage industry, job creation and the quest for profits.

I’ll believe it when I see it.

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Apr 18 2006

Democracy Loving MAOist rebels for democracy… sure, I believe that

Category: Uncategorizedharmonicminer @ 11:12 pm

According to the AP, in today’s article Rights groups urge sanctions against Nepal leaders“, the King of Nepal is a really bad guy. May well be… but does the AP expect us to take seriously the notion of MAOist rebels for democratic rule in Nepal?

Here’s a map showing Nepal’s proximity to China.

According to the AP:

King Gyanendra sacked the government and assumed full power in February 2005, vowing to crush a decade-old Maoist revolt in which more than 13,000 people have died.

At least five people have been killed and hundreds wounded in police action against pro-democracy protesters, who are into the 13th day of a general strike that has brought the impoverished nation to a standstill.

And:

King Gyanendra has offered to hold elections by April next year, but activists say he cannot be trusted and should immediately hand over power to an all-party government.

….

The United States and India, Nepal’s giant neighbour, have both called repeatedly for the restoration of democracy.

This is typical MSM reporting, casting MAOist (likely Chinese backed) rebels as pro-democracy insurgents, and providing no background that really helps anyone to understand the players. Does the USA really back Maoist “freedom fighters”? Doubtful.

Would it help our understanding of the context if the AP bothered to report on which nearby government is supporting the Maoist fighters?

Are there any good guys here? Possibly not… but the wide eyed innocent face value acceptance of Maoist insurgency as “pro-democratic” is laughable.

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