Nepal – Landless Squatters call for protests across the country

The All Nepal Landless Squatters Association has issued a call for protest  in response to thousands of landless squatters being bulldozed  from their homes on the Bagmati river May 8.

This article is from http://onlinekhabar.com

Kathmandu: May 9th: The All Nepal Landless Squatters Association has warned of stern protest against police suppression in the settlements of landless squatters living at the bank of Bagmati River in Thapathali.
Issuing a press statement today, the Association warned of organizing protests and demanded proper alternative to the management of the landless squatters.

Issuing the statement General Secretary of the Association, Puskar BK, has urged the landless squatters living across the country to express solidarity in the protests.

Nepal – Security Strategy for May 27th

The constituent assembly process has again failed to draft a constitution that would benefit the people of Nepal. The numerous  nationalities of the country have been left in the lurch, as the CA could not decide on a proper federal system to guarantee their rights. In response, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai is calling for new elections in November, while nearly every other political force in the country–including the revolutionary faction of the UCPN(M) is calling for him to step down.

The situation in Nepal is unstable again, and as the article below suggests, security forces, no doubt with blessings from India and the US, are installing measures to curtail any rebellion of the people. It seems clear now, that if there is a road to revolution in Nepal, it will not be through the Constituent Assembly process.

[Intro by Redpines] This article is from Nepalnews.com

New Security Strategy to be Enforced in Kim Valley for May 27

A new security strategy has been prepared to obviate possible risks during the period around the promulgation of the new constitution and also to maintain peace and security, RSS reports.

Organizing a press meet in the capital  on Tuesday, Metropolitan Police Commissioners Office said the strategy would be implemented in three phases.

Nepal: Squatter Settlements Bulldozed – Police Fire Teargas and Rubber Bullets

The Nepali people are being bulldozed and teargassed.  For living in settlements.  And being poor in one of the poorest countries in the world.  And in a country that is known for its Maoist revolutionary  people and its revolutionary struggle.

The media calls them squatters.  There is an estimated population of 25,000 people living in various spots along the Bagmati river in  Kathmandu.

We should also remind readers that these people are being removed by a government led by Baburam Bhattarai, a member of one wing of the UCPN(M). Revolutionary forces within the Maoist party have refused to participate in this government. 

We will publish all the stories on this we can find.  And if readers have info on this please send your comments.

This article is from my republica

Government Bulldozes Bagmati Squatter Settlement

Arjun Poudel

Kathmandu, May 9: Over 250 squatter homes were demolished when the authorities sent bulldozers to the slum settlement on the  bank of the Bagmati river near Thapathali Tuesday morning.

Kiran on May Day in Nepal: No unity without people’s power

Photo by B

The following report on various May Day events and speeches in Nepal comes from The Red Star.

May day observe

1 May 2012

Kathmandu, May 1: The 123rd International Workers’ Day, which is also known as May Day, was celebrated by organizing various programmes in Nepal on Tuesday. Trade unions such as Both the factions of Unified Communist Party of Nepal Maoist affiliated All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF), General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT) and Nepal Trade Union Congress (NTUC) organised rallies and mass assemblies in capital Kathmandu to mark the Workers’ Day Sunday. May Day is observed every year on May 1 across the world as a symbol of international workers solidarity. It is also a national holiday in Nepal.

Nepal: When the enemy’s army enters the people’s base camp

Peter Tobin writes from Nepal about the recent takeover of the PLA cantonments by the reactionary army. His comments originally appeared at Democracy and Class Struggle.

This decision of the party establishment indicates either stupidity or treachery

by Peter Tobin

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

I am among the many international supporters of the Nepalese revolution. Ever since the UCPN(M) took the heroic decision in 1996 to launch the People’s War we have watched in astonishment as this party made an important and unique contribution to proletarian history when it appeared that globally communism was on the retreat. The Soviet Union, in Comrade Castro’s words had: “committed suicide’ and China had decisively become state capitalist and so there was no socialist support base to turn to.

Everywhere it appeared that capitalism was triumphant and yet against this tide of reaction Nepalese comrades stood up and launched the first communist revolution of the 21st century. That a small, landlocked country in SE Asia within a matter of years would become the crucible of revolution, that would set an example to oppressed people everywhere was inspirational.

Kiran group forms united front against Bhattarai-led government

The Himalayan Times reports that the left section of the UCPN(M) has formed a united front with twelve other, smaller, communist parties to oppose the Bhattarai-led government. These plans include mass mobilizations and other protest initiatives. UCPN(M) Chairman Prachanda is still supporting Bhattarai, though his tone had been more critical as of late. We will post more on this situation as it develops. 

Baidhya faction-led front unveils protest programme

3-23-12

KATHMANDU: The united front of various fringe communist outfits and the dissident faction of UCPN-Maoist, led by Mohan Baidhya, on Friday unveiled a three-month struggle programme to exert pressure on the incumbent Dr Baburam Bhattarai-led government for the timely constitution.

Maoist Secretary CP Gajurel, a pillar of the Baidhya faction, has been chosen as the coordinator of the 12-party alliance.

The programme includes collection of signature in all 240 electoral constituencies, wall painting, and submitting memorandum to the Constituent Assembly members asking them to stand for the people’s

federal, democratic and republic constitution among others.

Nepal: More talk of splits in the UCPN(M)

According to Myrepublica, UCPN(M) chairman Prachanda is openly discussing the possibility of a split in the party.This is definitely not the first time a potential split has been aired in the mainstream Nepalese media. But the situation seems especially tense at the moment, with the sections of the party carrying out different programs in a strikingly visible manner.

We hesitate to make  judgments about the inevitability and precise nature of a split–there are no guarantees in a revolution.  Information from bourgeois media sources is often unreliable; nor are readers outside Nepal always aware of the complexities facing the UCPN(M), both within the party and without. For now, it seems appropriate to say two things: 1) a unified, genuinely revolutionary party able to carry out its plans collectively is the most desirable situation 2) a revolutionary party actively dedicated to carrying out People’s Revolt, even if smaller than the UCPN(M) as it currently exists, is far preferable to a unified party actively carrying out a line of unprincipled compromise with India and the reactionary parties of Nepal.

Party on the verge of split: Dahal

by B BASNET/KIRAN PUN

KATHAMDNU, March 20: Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has told the party´s central committee (CC) members loyal to him that the party is heading toward imminent split or dissolution if current differences within UCPN (Maoist) are not resolved immediately.

“The party is teetering on the brink of a split; it will dissolve even if it doesn´t split. So we should put in our best efforts to save the party,” a participant quoted Dahal as telling the emergency meeting of around 100 CC members close to him and Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai at Hotel Summit in Lalitpur Monday.

The meeting came close on the heels of a rival faction´s recent announcement of a series of campaigns against the party establishment. The rival faction led by Mohan Vaidya has accused the establishment of not implementing the decisions of the last CC meeting to dissolve the current government leadership and mobilize the masses to frame “people´s constitution” and integrate the PLA into the Nepali Army (NA) in a “dignified” manner.

According to sources the embattled chairman of the Maoist party did not appear very optimistic about party unity, but tried his best to assume conciliatory tone in his speech.

He pointed out the need to do away with the deeply-entrenched factionalism in the party, and negotiate in earnest with the hardliners.

“This internal contradiction in the party has been going for so long. We have arrived at this critical stage due to our failure to transform ourselves and take the party unity to a new high,” CC member Prakash Dahal, who attended the meeting, quoted party chairman as saying.

The chairman reiterated that the party was still ideologically correct, but argued that leaders should change their attitude. Dahal told the meeting that he would talk to Baidya on holding joint programs including the celebration of the People´s Movement Day on April 6 and Lenin Day on April 22.

Similarly, Bhattarai, according to sources, backed Dahal and told the meeting that it would be counter-productive for his party to dissolve the current government. “I will do whatever the party tells me. But it will be irresponsible to resign now without seeking an alternative,” a leader quoted Bhattarai as saying.

Another vice-chairman, Narayankaji Shrestha, on the other hand, came out aggressive against the Baidya faction. He argued that the call for the prime minister´s resignation was linked to ideological tussle in the party. He was of the view that the hardliners wanted to create chaos and disrupt the peace process through government´s dissolution.

The party´s standing committee members expressed their views during the meeting, which will continue also on Tuesday.

The hardliners had also held a similar meeting at Kathamdnu for three days recently. The establishment faction has been pushed to a defensive position after the radicals began mobilizing ex-combatants to bolster their position inside and outside the party and announced protest programs unilaterally to topple the government.

According to sources, senior leaders from the hardline faction are also holding talks with the “patriots and intellectuals” for the causes of “nationalism and revolution”.

Baidya and Dahal, who had strained relations for months, had begun hobnobbing with each other after the last CC meet two months back, but suspicion and mistrust between the two surfaced after the latter did not recall Bhattarai from the government and declined to formulate mass mobilization programs.

´No deal with establishment in bits and pieces´

What do you have to say about the separate meeting of the party establishment held on Monday?

I had talked to the party chairman this morning before the meeting was held. I had asked him about the meeting. But they were not yet clear about it. I am yet to learn about the concrete decisions of that meeting. So it will be too early to comment.

There were voices at the meeting that the unilateral political programs announced by your faction should be withdrawn for the sake of party unity. Will you do that?

Currently, we are working out the concrete protest programs. Last Saturday, we had only announced the protests without any details. There is nothing wrong with that as we will come up with programs in accordance with the decisions of the last central committee meeting. We will not make adjustments to the existing status quo.

What actually do you want?

There are so many issues that we have been raising, including the national sovereignty issue. The Bhattarai government has signed “anti-national” agreements. On top of that we cannot compromise on the contents of the new constitution. It seems the party is not working to formulate a “people´s constitution”. They are rather surrendering to the parliamentary parties.

That means you cannot forge common programs with the party establishment, to keep the party united.

We are against signing agreements with the party establishment in bits and pieces. There are political, ideological and organizational issues that need to be dealt with in a package. We were compelled to announce the protest programs unilaterally after the chairman said clearly that he cannot implement the decisions of the last central committee meeting to recall Bhattarai from the government and formulate programs of mass mobilization for a pro-people constitution.

Nepal – Teachers Close Schools, Protest Police

This article is from nepalnews

Eight Million Students Stay Home as Teachers Continue Nationwide Closure of Schools

Feb. 27, 2012: Teachers shut down schools across the country for the second consecutive day on Monday protesting against, as what they called, unnecessary use of force by the police to break up their “peaceful protests”.Both community-run (also called government public school) and private schools have been closed by teachers affiliated with Nepal Educational Republic Forum (NERF) and Nepal Teachers Union (NTF) today.

The closure of schools on Sunday and Monday has directly affected more than eight million students in around 33,000 schools nationwide, according to some reports.

The teachers have been organizing various protest programs since the past few years demanding permanent status to all temporary teachers working in government schools by completing certain procedures and granting of facilities to all private school teachers at par with their colleagues in government schools.

Celebrate International Women’s Day!

In celebration of International Women’s Day we are re-posting this excellent interview with Sahmjana Gharti of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). If you haven’t seen it, please watch and share.

US special forces on the ground in India, stationed in Nepal

BBC News reports that US special forces are “present” but “not stationed” in India. According to a Pentagon commander, these forces are training the Indian state in counter-terrorism measures. Though the article does not mention India’s Maoist insurgency, it can be assumed that the training provided by US special forces will be used against the CPI(Maoist) and other red militants as well.

Furthermore, the Pentagon official does confirm that US forces are not just “present,” but stationed in Nepal on a semi-permanent basis, no doubt with the intention of crushing any insurrection in Nepal. It is well-known that US forces have a close relationship with the Nepalese Army, but it is disturbing that the Pentagon is now leaking this information to international media.

The article notes that “US teams were also present in…Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives.”

We ask our readers to spread this information to as many sources as possible.

Pentagon commander says US special forces in India

US special forces are present in five South Asian countries, including India, a top Pentagon commander has revealed.

US Pacific Commander Admiral Robert Willard said the teams were deployed to help India with their counter-terrorism co-operation.

The US and India were working together to contain Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he said.

The US embassy in Delhi clarified that the troops were not stationed in India.

Kalikot, Nepal: Communists protest Prime Minister Bhattarai’s visit

Kalikot is nestled in mountainous western Nepal, near where the people's war began in 1996

The Himalayan Times reports on a demonstration by members of the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) in the Kalikot region. This is part of the ongoing struggle within the UCPN(M) over the direction and future of the revolution in Nepal. Thanks to Signalfire for pointing this out. [Introduction by Joe]

Maoists burn PM Bhattarai in Effigy

KATHMANDU: A group of UCPN-Maoist cadres of the Kalikot district burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai on Saturday morning.

Kalikot-bound Maoists ranted slogans in the district against the PM Bhattarai, “for maintaining close proximity with India,” confirmed sources.

Agitators even aired views amid their demonstration that the upper Karnali project should be operated locally and no foreign company should be involved in it.They also said that the agreement reached with Indian hydro-power company, GMR was against the interest of Nepal, and demanded that it be scrapped.

Prachanda hinting at people’s revolt?

As of late, it seems Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Chairman Prachanda has aligned himself with UCPN(M) Vice Chairman, Baburam Bhattarai to pursue a line of compromise with the reactionary parties of Nepal. Most disturbingly, Prachanda and Bhattarai (now Prime Minister) supported an agreement to disarm the People’s Liberation Army and disband the YCL. They also pushed through BIPPA, a trade agreement that allows India greater economic power over Nepal. And they seemed to have abandoned the Party’s official line  of going forward with a People’s Revolt–an urban insurrection that would seize state power.

But in the following article from My Republica,   Prachanda makes a number of statements that seem to indicate the possibility of a People’s Revolt in the near future:

Whipping up the party cadres, Dahal claimed that a people’s revolt will be inevitable if the NC and UML conspire to formulate a new edition of the 1990 constitution.

He also issued a threat to the parliamentary parties saying his party would launch a people’s revolt if they attempted to bring a new edition of the 1990 constitution. He also claimed that the achievements of the people’s war and peace process  and constitution drafting are at risk.

We should note that these statements are qualified. So far it is unclear whether this means Prachanda does have serious intentions to support a People’s Revolt. This development, if true, is potentially positive, as Prachanda remains a popular figure and symbol of the decade-long People’s War. His camp also includes many dedicated and deeply revolutionary cadres. We will keep a close watch on these developments.

The article also suggests that a prominent leader of the left wing of the UCPN(M),  Netra Bikram Chand, aka Biplab, seems to be putting the option of People’s War back on the table. 

Of course, we caution our readers that this article appeared in the bourgeois press and may contain inaccuracies or information taken out of context. 

People, not Supreme Court, will Decide CA’s Fate – Dahal

Republica

Kathmandu, Feb. 14: Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said on Monday that his party will accept people’s verdict on whether or not to extend the term of the Constituent Assembly (CA) for a fifth time.

Nepal – Indigenous Groups Demand Autonomy

Magar peoples in Nepal

The Maoists of Nepal have long called for a Federated People’s Democratic Republic. Kasama’s Nepal’s Crossroads: Without a people’s army, the people have nothing, addresses this issue, which is related to the article below:

For a Federated People’s Democratic Republic – Broad ranks within Nepal’s Maoist party have been opposed to proposals and compromises that would consolidate a parliamentary political order without basic revolutionary change. They have popularized their plan for a New Nepal: a federated people’s democratic republic.

This envisions a determined and thorough uprooting of the oppressive old feudal culture and an agrarian revolution to end the exploitation of rural people by landowners and usurers. It would bring a historic end to the domination of Nepal by India and foreign corporations. And it would overthrow survivals of the previous political-military system that served elites alone.

Having a federated republic means an end to theocratic Hindu hegemony and the dominance in Nepal of one ethnicity and language. It would involve forms of autonomy in local areas, establishing equality of many minority religions, languages, and ethnic groups for the first time.

This article is from myrepublica

Indigenous groups demand autonomy

Rohit Rai

Dharan, Jan. 21: Leaders of indigenous groups  have said they will exercise autonomy through their own mechanism if the political parties fail to ensure right to self-determination and autonomy in the new constitution.

Nepal’s Maoists celebrate People’s War anniversary

The following piece appeared at The Red Star.

Celebrating 17th Anniversary of People’s War

Kathmandu, February 13:  United Communist Party of Nepal (UCPN) Maoist is celebrating 17^th anniversary of peoples war in Nepal.

UCPN Maoist is the largest party in Nepal which has been running its coalition government for five months.

The grand ceremony is celebrating in Kathmandu where top leaders will address to the people.

Maoist Supremo Puspa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ , Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ and finance minister Barsa Man Pun ‘Ananta’ will address to the mass about their latest party line.

The very first time, supremo Prachanda’s photo has not been posted in the main banner hanged down in Khula Manch in Kathmandu.

Young Communist League Padlocks Party Offices in West Nepal

The following  is from Kasama’s – Nepal’s Crossroads – Without a People’s Army, the People Have Nothing.

“Any attempt to consolidate Nepal’s changes at this point – without the clear subordination of the Nepal Army, without a revolutionary army representing the people’s interests, without carrying out revolutionary land reform, without Nepal taking a historic turn toward real independence from India, without adapting a socialist approach to production, without freeing the country from dependence on world capitalism – would represent a resolution of Nepal’s revolution far short of the liberation the people need. It would inevitably involve consolidating forms of oppression and exploitation that are extreme and intolerable. It would mean the replacement of great hope with feelings of betrayal and disappointment.

The continued existence and active resistance of powerful revolutionary forces – within the UCPNM, the People’s Liberation Army and deep among the people – mean that preparations may well go forward for the creation of a people’s democratic republic and for the defeat of organized reactionary forces.”

In relation to the article below, these quotes give a broader context for the current mixture of despair and hope YCL members must be experiencing after they were officially liquidated as a force. But as the article shows, there is still plenty of “active resistance” in Nepal, from ex-YCL members, to the People’s Volunteers, to militant cadres in the countryside, Kathmandu and elsewhere.

This article is from myrepublica.com

YCL Members Lock Party Offices in West Nepal

Dil Bahadur Chhatyal

Dhangadi, Feb. 6: Members of the Maoist Young Communist League (YCL) on Monday locked the party’s offices in western Nepal for “depriving” them of financial packages on par with PLA personnel as promised by the party leadership back in 2007.