Nepal: USAID Office Trashed during General Strike

My Republica, December 21, 2009

Maoists vandalize USAID office in Surkhet

The Maoists have vandalized the Surkhet office of the USAID in Surkhet and Women Development Office in Birendranagar for ‘defying’ the strike. A group of Maoists entered the USAID office at 10 a.m. and vandalized the office. “We were outside basking on sun, when they suddenly entered the office,” USAID official told Republica. The Maoists damaged computers, telephone and furniture.

Kathmandu: Police arrested six strike enforcers in Kathmandu as the Maoists set ablaze vehicles across the nation on the second day of the three-day general strike on Monday. According to police spokesperson Bigyan Raj Sharma, Maoists set ablaze a truck each in Morang and Jhapa and a motorcycle each in Bharatpur and Pokhara. The cadres of UCPN (Maoist) also vandalized Mahalaxmi Timber Industry and Daju Bhai Furniture Industry in Ghorahi, Dang district.

In cities and towns throughout the country, the Maoist supporters have laid siege to the main squares and burnt tires to prevent any vehicles from passing. Police in large numbers have been stationed in main squares. Earlier, the Maoist cadres set four motorcycles on fire at Tanki Sinwari in Biratnagar for ‘defying’ their banda, TV channels and FM stations reported.

Nepal’s Former Ambassador to the U.S.: What About a Military Takeover?

This an open discussion of a Pinochet moment for Nepal — which would not just be a military coup but also the creation of a death squad regime aimed at the decade-old Maoist revolutionary upsurge. Such a coup would require Indian and U.S. support — and this article is an ominous “trial balloon.”

Readers outside Nepal, and especially in the U.S., should take this as a warning and a call — to step up our work, to spread knowledge of this revolution, and accelerate work to create a voice against U.S. intervention.

This article was published on My Republica on December 20, 2009.

Getting Out Of The Quagmire

by Sukhdev Shah

Sukhdev Shah was Nepal’s ambassador to the U.S. from February to May 2009, when the Maoist-led government fell. (We apologize for stating that he is the current ambassador when we first posted this article.)  Shah worked for the International Monetary Fund for two decades and is a U.S. citizen.

As things have evolved over the past three years, Nepal has become a fertile ground for a military takeover of the government, independently or under the shadow of a constitutional authority. Such a possibility has been talked about in a limited circle but been forced open by a delegation of some Nepali Congress (NC) leaders who recently urged President Ram Baran Yadav to consider imposing President’s Rule to help restore peace and enable the Constituent Assembly (CA) to complete writing the constitution before the expiry of deadline in five months. This is not an incredible or inappropriate suggestion, considering the marathon obstructions staged by Maoists to prevent the CA to open for business and carry out its mandate.

Even after losing the control of government in May this year over the enigmatic issue of civilian supremacy, Maoists have not softened their stance on the president’s action that re-instated the ex-army chief after his firing by the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. In order to further press on this issue, Maoists have announced formation of autonomous states in several parts of the country in defiance of the wishes of government, which also seems to challenge the constitution-making authority of CA. By doing so—unilaterally deciding to divide up the country into ethnic enclaves—Maoists have started the process of a slow dissolution of the State which they eventually would turn into an all-powerful proletarian dictatorship, making the country a one-party State. This particular perception of Maoists’ ultimate objective and long-term planning is not based on fancy or conjecture but comes straight out of their public declarations that claim the virtues of ‘fusion’ of ideologies and role of peoples’ war—jana yudhha—as means to capturing the State power.