Nepal - Will It Become Another Burma or Tibet?

Nepal is now a Republic. The Maoist party, after having subjected the country to 10 years of civil war which caused 13,000 deaths, won the elections which were held on April 10, 2008 gaining the majority in the Constituent Assembly which removed king Gyanendra from power and establish the republic.

Though there were delays, and 3 bombs exploded near the Parliament, the Assembly met and on May 29 in Kathmandu, was proclaimed a Republic, thus ending 239 years of monarchic rule.

The Maoist leader, Pushpa Kamal Dahal (better known as comrade Prachanda which means 'the fierce one') a 53 year-old former rebel puts himself forth as the "human face" of Maoism. But Prachanda keeps his totalitarian aspirations hidden behind his strong federal presidential system. Immediately after the elections "comrade Prachanda" released appeasing statements. He promised to collaborate with other parties in the Nepalese parliament and to seek recognition at the international diplomatic level in order to assure his country the investments needed in order to realize for economic and social development. "We were always committed to multi-party competition and peace at that time. However, people did not know about our new political developments. (…) Slowly and gradually, people understand our commitment to multi-party, peace and other things," declared "comrade Prachanda" in an interview with Indian journalist Karan Thapar. When asked about what kind of relationship he will be seeking to establish with India, he stated: "A new unity with Delhi is already in process. A new relation means better relations, understanding and cooperation."

He wants to be remembered as a non-dogmatic neo-communist who interpreted the changes in the world and created a new model of socialism for the 21st century. But many observers believe that his democratic svolta is just a strategic move, and that Pachandra is in reality actualizing two diverse strategies The first one is to work legally, within the Parliament; the second one involves the illegal activities of the guerrilla groups of the Maoist party, and includes fomenting popular revolt in order to obtain power.

Prachanda’s "young Maoists" hold up posters of Mao, Marx and Stalin. They are still organized as paramilitary units, and have been accused by their political opponents of violence and intimidation. Prachandra intends to integrate his thousands of rebel followers (still on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations) into the army of the state.

The country is filled with political tensions. The abolition of the monarchy has created serious problems for the delicate political equilibrium. These issues may not be easily resolved through mediation. On June 4 this press release was issued: "The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in over 120 countries, joins IPI’s Nepal Chapter in expressing serious concern about the warning issued by the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN), Pushpa Kamal Dahal, to the media company Kantipur Publications."

Addressing a political gathering held by the CPN in Kathmandu on May 30 to celebrate its victory in the recent Constituent Assembly elections, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, (comrade Prachanda) gave the world a hint of his future intentions. He openly warned Kantipur Publications of "serious consequences" if it continued to criticize his party. In his statement, Prachanda said that the party would "no longer tolerate criticism," as it had been elected by the people.

In the meantime, 11 publications, including seven dailies and four weeklies, were closed recently in Nepal’s western district of Kailali. According to IPI’s Nepal Chapter, the publications were shut down on May 29 due to security concerns stemming from threats to local journalists by Maoist cadres.

Richard Bennet, of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR) reports that various attempts of intimidation against journalists took place during the period of the elections: according to the Federation of Nepali Journalists, at least 20 cases of physical attack were reported, in addition to numerous incidents of threats and threatening behavior towards journalists.

Is Nepal at risk? Will the world soon have another police state like Burma or Tibet, where people are denied the most basic human rights such as freedom of movement or freedom of speech, and where environment is simply considered, just like the population, something to be exploited for financial gain? Will Nepal become another guard dog for the Chinese dictators? Will comrade Pachandra one day reach the bloodthirsty genocidal heights of Than Shwe?

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