| Username |
Post |
| ashu |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 04:53 AM
Hi all,
I just heard news from a highly-placed media person that the Maoist leader Babu Ram Bhattarai will be appearing on CNN this (Thursday) afternoon.
For all I know, this may JUST be a rumor; and if it turns out just that, I apologize for wasting your time.
Still, those of you with an access to CNN, do see what Mr. Bhattarai has to say.
If the news is true, then, then, let's watch it, and let's have discussions here.
oohi
"local time right now is 4:37 pm Nepal Standard Time"
ashu
ktm,nepal
|
| Poonte |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 05:08 AM
I doubt it is true. However, even if it is true, I doubt it will be shown on the US version of CNN. Can someone in Nepal tape the interview for future reference, just in case the rumor turns out to be true?
|
| Jayahos |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 05:38 AM
I doubt whether Baburam too is appearing in CNN, but an exclusive interview of KB Mahara with SATINDER BINDRA of CNN is here:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/11/14/nepal.leader.iv/index.html
|
| ashu |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 05:50 AM
All right, someone who just saw the stuff on CNN in Kathmandu says that:
There was a short interview NOT with BRB, but with one of the Maoist netas
called Krishna Prasad Mahara.
[Mahara was one of the Maoists who had come to Kathmandu last year to negotiate
with the then government.]
Still, it's striking that the Maoists are using channels such as CNN to broadcast their messages the world outside of Nepal.
When will the government match the Maoists' in prachaar-baazi?
Here's a link (as supplied by a journalist friend):
*********************************
Dear Ashu,
pls find the stuff. the website is
www.cnn.com\world_________________________________________________
Exclusive: Rebel leader on Nepal's 'last war'
Thursday, November 14, 2002 Posted: 5:39 AM EST (1039 GMT)
Mahara: This fight is not our wish
(CNN) -- Krishna Bahadur Mahara is one of three top Maoist leaders in
Nepal. The Maoists have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the
monarchy and make the country a communist state.
Labelled a terrorist by Kathmandu, Mahara has been rumored to have
been killed twice in encounters with Nepalese armies. He carries a
pricetag of $65,000 on his head, a significant sum in the region.
In a CNN exclusive, Mahara talks with CNN's Satinder Bindra -- the
first time any Senior Maoist leader has spoken on camera since the
insurgents went underground late last year when peace talks with the
Nepal government broke off.
CNN: The Nepalese government has branded you as terrorists. How would
you like to respond to that?
Mahara: Just like the Americans branded al Qaeda and the Taliban as
terrorists to wage a war on them, similarly the Nepal government has
categorized the Maoist movement as terrorism because they want to get
rid us. Our movement is based on an ideology. It has the support of the
Nepalese people. I agree that in its initial phase, this movement, six to
seven years ago, had little support. We are a political force and do not support terrorism.
We condemn all types of terrorism. Terrorism is what a few people do for their own selfish reasons but we are a political force. This is a people's
movement, a people's war. It is a people's force. We are not terrorists and that is clear. We want to tell the media that we are against terrorism. We are not a terrorist force. We have a proper political thought to serve the people, to liberate the people,
to establish a society based on equality in the country and we are
fighting for this based on a proper political idea and thought.
I want to tell this to you.
CNN: The Nepalese government points out that you are using what they
call child soldiers, that civilians have been attacked and that
civilians have regularly been scared off by bombing campaigns. You call
for vast strikes for across Nepal and if people don't obey your call
they are killed in cold blood. They say such acts can only be defined
as terrorist acts.
Mahara: These are just baseless allegations made by the Nepalese
government. We have no children in our fighting force. We do not admit anyone
below 18 in our army. We do not have anyone below that age in our army.
This is a baseless allegation.
As far as our movement is concerned, we have the support of the
children as well as the elderly. But they are not part of our army. We
only have young rebellions fighting for our cause.
Secondly, the allegation of Maoist killing civilians is also false.
In fact the government is responsible for all those killings. They
kill those innocent people just because they support our cause. The
Nepalese government claims to have killed four thousand Maoists. But the
truth is that more than 80 percent of them were innocent civilians.
We have only killed the criminal elements of our society and that too
after issuing them several warnings and it was done in front of the
people and according to the wishes of the people.
CNN: What do you mean when you say the Nepalese government is not
killing fighters, your fighters, but killing Maoist sympathizers? What
evidence can you show that this is indeed true?
Mahara: We have loads of evidence against the government. Just to
give an example, seven people were killed in Kabri district some time
ago which the government claimed as Maoists but they had no arms and
ammunitions they were just innocent musicians.
In Salyan, innocent people were killed in an air raid by the
government. And this happened at a fair later on [where] they claimed to have
killed Maoists. If the government claims to have killed 4,000 Maoists
then where are their arms they recovered from them or the uniforms
that our fighters wear. Why doesn't the government show those?
CNN: The U.S. government says you are like the Khmer Rouge, that you
use the same tactics the Khmer Rouge used in the 1970's. How would
you like to respond to that?
Mahara: We do adopt the strategies and tactics of all the past wars
fought for the freedom of people all over the world. But we don't do
that mechanically.
The allegations that we fight like the Khmer Rouge are absolutely
wrong. We are fighting for our cause in our own style. According to the
geography, the enemy and the situation of Nepal, we are fighting
according to that.
CNN: Are you angry and upset that world does not truly understand the
nature of your cause and that the Nepalese government has actually
got some international attention in labeling you in the manner that
they have, as terrorists?
Mahara: The rulers in today's world are all mad. They have no
ideology. They have nothing to offer to the public and end up taking all the
wrong decisions about any movement or any organization.
This does not surprise or anger us but, of course, disgusts us, and
the disgust and the hate that we have for them gives us the power to
fight. Because if they said that we were right then there was no need for
any war or revolution. They are so selfish that they can never see the people's viewpoint. Their ignorance fuels our will to fight and rebel. If they could see
our viewpoint, there will be no need for this rebellion.
CNN: Thousands have been killed in the ongoing conflict between the
Maoists and the army and security forces in Nepal. How long can you
sustain such a campaign? How many more deaths are you willing to put up
with?
Mahara: This fight is not our wish. The rulers of this nation have
compelled us to raise a rebellion against them. If they listen to us
then this fight can stop in a minute. We want this to end as soon as
possible without a single casualty. But our wish means nothing, it is up to the ruling class. It is the ruling class that is committing injustice on people all we
are doing is resisting. Now its up to them when they want this to
finish. They have forced this on us.
Mahara says the government is preparing for a fully-fledged war
CNN: You say you want peace but why is there no peace? What can be
done to bring about peace from both sides?
Mahara: We also want peace. As and when ruling class empowers the
people, peace will prevail. We want them to decentralize all their powers to the people of this nation. The ruling class has kept the power away from the people. We have
demanded an interim government and constituent assembly. Whatever the
people decide we are willing to accept and this is how peace will
prevail.
CNN: You are asking for a constituent assembly. Why does the ruling
establishment or the king in particular not want a constituent
assembly? Why are they saying no to that repeatedly?
Mahara: This is a very important question.
The government is not agreeing to our proposal for a constituent
assembly because they know that they'll lose. They just have the support
of the army and certain pimps in position of power. The common man is
against them.
Our party's chairman comrade Prasayna has appealed for talks again
and again. The slogan for constituent assembly is not ours, it is that
of the capitalist.
Our slogan has always been people's democracy and new democracy. They
know they'll lose that's why they are not even agreeing to our
flexible demand.
CNN: The situation is deadlocked. The government does not agree to
your demands and the fighting goes on. Why do you think the government
has not reached your forces? How are you managing to continue this
conflict?
Mahara: The reason why the government is opposing talks is that they
are preparing for a fully-fledged war. If the government agrees to a
political solution, we are even ready for a ceasefire. We are ready
to redefine our army and make it into a national army because the army
that exists right now is just serving the king. We have gone so far
to say that. But it seems that the government is not ready for talks or a
political solution so we are being forced to a standoff. And this war will be
a historical and decisive one.
CNN: Why do you call this a historical war? Is this going to be a
fight until the finish? Because both sides have been trying to weaken
each other for the last four five years, it's been a stalemate. Both
sides are not strong enough to do it. So do you think this last round,
as you put it, will be the decisive round?
Mahara: This will be the last war because there is no other solution.
The king's army is preparing to bring in reinforcements from outside.
And if they come then we will obviously get the people of Nepal and
the world to fight for us.
History has shown that the people always win because the people
create history. The rulers just know how to commit atrocities on the
people and they create an atmosphere of fear. They can only think of
making their army stronger.
Their rule is illegal, our war is legal. This war will stretch for
long if the foreign army is called in. But we will definitely win.
That's why we call it the last war.
[Nepalese soldiers secure the scene after a thwarted bomb
attack in Kathmandu. The government says the Maoists were behind the plot.]
CNN: How do you see the political landscape in the next few weeks,
perhaps next few months? Will there be elections in Nepal as promised
by the king? Can democracy flourish and prosper there?
Mahara: The king does not want actual democracy. It is a ploy by the
king so that the people are on his side.
If the king was on the side of democracy then he would not have
dissolved the parliament. After dissolving the parliament, there should have been a midterm polls. He had announced midterm polls ... that should have taken place.
All these events, and for the last one year, King Gyanendra's
emergency, the murder of King Birendra -- all these events are linked
together.
What we see is the king, he does not want democracy, all he wants is
the power for himself. The slogan like fair elections and clean government, these are all
like green grass. It is a green grass for both the people and the political parties.
This is a conspiracy by the king to suppress the people and to create a
big war on the people. We do not believe that he is going to have
elections in the near future. He is not going to have elections. His
strategy is to buy time, keep the power for himself and keep the people
of Nepal suppressed.
CNN: So you don't see any hope? You seem to paint a very drab, very
dreary picture for your country?
Mahara: The king's inner desire is not for democracy but the
situation around him is forcing him to talk peace.
All political parities are in favor of the Maoist movement and the
whole world is putting pressure for peace talks and then an interim
government.
In such a situation, the king does not have any other possibility but
to take these talks forward. What I can say sitting now is that the
king's army will not fight for very long.
They will fight for a while but then they will want peace. Right now
the situation as it is is probably leading towards some sort of
dialogue and interim government, the situation is hopeful.
Apart from this there is no other solution for the king.
|
| ashu |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 05:57 AM
All right, someone who just saw the stuff on CNN in Kathmandu says that:
There was a short interview NOT with BRB, but with one of the Maoist netas
called Krishna Prasad Mahara.
[Mahara was one of the Maoists who had come to Kathmandu last year to negotiate
with the then government.]
Still, it's striking that the Maoists are using channels such as CNN to broadcast their messages the world outside of Nepal.
When will the government match the Maoists' in prachaar-baazi?
Here's a link (as supplied by a journalist friend):
*********************************
Dear Ashu,
pls find the stuff. the website is
www.cnn.com\world_________________________________________________
Exclusive: Rebel leader on Nepal's 'last war'
Thursday, November 14, 2002 Posted: 5:39 AM EST (1039 GMT)
Mahara: This fight is not our wish
(CNN) -- Krishna Bahadur Mahara is one of three top Maoist leaders in
Nepal. The Maoists have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the
monarchy and make the country a communist state.
Labelled a terrorist by Kathmandu, Mahara has been rumored to have
been killed twice in encounters with Nepalese armies. He carries a
pricetag of $65,000 on his head, a significant sum in the region.
In a CNN exclusive, Mahara talks with CNN's Satinder Bindra -- the
first time any Senior Maoist leader has spoken on camera since the
insurgents went underground late last year when peace talks with the
Nepal government broke off.
CNN: The Nepalese government has branded you as terrorists. How would
you like to respond to that?
Mahara: Just like the Americans branded al Qaeda and the Taliban as
terrorists to wage a war on them, similarly the Nepal government has
categorized the Maoist movement as terrorism because they want to get
rid us. Our movement is based on an ideology. It has the support of the
Nepalese people. I agree that in its initial phase, this movement, six to
seven years ago, had little support. We are a political force and do not support terrorism.
We condemn all types of terrorism. Terrorism is what a few people do for their own selfish reasons but we are a political force. This is a people's
movement, a people's war. It is a people's force. We are not terrorists and that is clear. We want to tell the media that we are against terrorism. We are not a terrorist force. We have a proper political thought to serve the people, to liberate the people,
to establish a society based on equality in the country and we are
fighting for this based on a proper political idea and thought.
I want to tell this to you.
CNN: The Nepalese government points out that you are using what they
call child soldiers, that civilians have been attacked and that
civilians have regularly been scared off by bombing campaigns. You call
for vast strikes for across Nepal and if people don't obey your call
they are killed in cold blood. They say such acts can only be defined
as terrorist acts.
Mahara: These are just baseless allegations made by the Nepalese
government. We have no children in our fighting force. We do not admit anyone
below 18 in our army. We do not have anyone below that age in our army.
This is a baseless allegation.
As far as our movement is concerned, we have the support of the
children as well as the elderly. But they are not part of our army. We
only have young rebellions fighting for our cause.
Secondly, the allegation of Maoist killing civilians is also false.
In fact the government is responsible for all those killings. They
kill those innocent people just because they support our cause. The
Nepalese government claims to have killed four thousand Maoists. But the
truth is that more than 80 percent of them were innocent civilians.
We have only killed the criminal elements of our society and that too
after issuing them several warnings and it was done in front of the
people and according to the wishes of the people.
CNN: What do you mean when you say the Nepalese government is not
killing fighters, your fighters, but killing Maoist sympathizers? What
evidence can you show that this is indeed true?
Mahara: We have loads of evidence against the government. Just to
give an example, seven people were killed in Kabri district some time
ago which the government claimed as Maoists but they had no arms and
ammunitions they were just innocent musicians.
In Salyan, innocent people were killed in an air raid by the
government. And this happened at a fair later on [where] they claimed to have
killed Maoists. If the government claims to have killed 4,000 Maoists
then where are their arms they recovered from them or the uniforms
that our fighters wear. Why doesn't the government show those?
CNN: The U.S. government says you are like the Khmer Rouge, that you
use the same tactics the Khmer Rouge used in the 1970's. How would
you like to respond to that?
Mahara: We do adopt the strategies and tactics of all the past wars
fought for the freedom of people all over the world. But we don't do
that mechanically.
The allegations that we fight like the Khmer Rouge are absolutely
wrong. We are fighting for our cause in our own style. According to the
geography, the enemy and the situation of Nepal, we are fighting
according to that.
CNN: Are you angry and upset that world does not truly understand the
nature of your cause and that the Nepalese government has actually
got some international attention in labeling you in the manner that
they have, as terrorists?
Mahara: The rulers in today's world are all mad. They have no
ideology. They have nothing to offer to the public and end up taking all the
wrong decisions about any movement or any organization.
This does not surprise or anger us but, of course, disgusts us, and
the disgust and the hate that we have for them gives us the power to
fight. Because if they said that we were right then there was no need for
any war or revolution. They are so selfish that they can never see the people's viewpoint. Their ignorance fuels our will to fight and rebel. If they could see
our viewpoint, there will be no need for this rebellion.
CNN: Thousands have been killed in the ongoing conflict between the
Maoists and the army and security forces in Nepal. How long can you
sustain such a campaign? How many more deaths are you willing to put up
with?
Mahara: This fight is not our wish. The rulers of this nation have
compelled us to raise a rebellion against them. If they listen to us
then this fight can stop in a minute. We want this to end as soon as
possible without a single casualty. But our wish means nothing, it is up to the ruling class. It is the ruling class that is committing injustice on people all we
are doing is resisting. Now its up to them when they want this to
finish. They have forced this on us.
Mahara says the government is preparing for a fully-fledged war
CNN: You say you want peace but why is there no peace? What can be
done to bring about peace from both sides?
Mahara: We also want peace. As and when ruling class empowers the
people, peace will prevail. We want them to decentralize all their powers to the people of this nation. The ruling class has kept the power away from the people. We have
demanded an interim government and constituent assembly. Whatever the
people decide we are willing to accept and this is how peace will
prevail.
CNN: You are asking for a constituent assembly. Why does the ruling
establishment or the king in particular not want a constituent
assembly? Why are they saying no to that repeatedly?
Mahara: This is a very important question.
The government is not agreeing to our proposal for a constituent
assembly because they know that they'll lose. They just have the support
of the army and certain pimps in position of power. The common man is
against them.
Our party's chairman comrade Prasayna has appealed for talks again
and again. The slogan for constituent assembly is not ours, it is that
of the capitalist.
Our slogan has always been people's democracy and new democracy. They
know they'll lose that's why they are not even agreeing to our
flexible demand.
CNN: The situation is deadlocked. The government does not agree to
your demands and the fighting goes on. Why do you think the government
has not reached your forces? How are you managing to continue this
conflict?
Mahara: The reason why the government is opposing talks is that they
are preparing for a fully-fledged war. If the government agrees to a
political solution, we are even ready for a ceasefire. We are ready
to redefine our army and make it into a national army because the army
that exists right now is just serving the king. We have gone so far
to say that. But it seems that the government is not ready for talks or a
political solution so we are being forced to a standoff. And this war will be
a historical and decisive one.
CNN: Why do you call this a historical war? Is this going to be a
fight until the finish? Because both sides have been trying to weaken
each other for the last four five years, it's been a stalemate. Both
sides are not strong enough to do it. So do you think this last round,
as you put it, will be the decisive round?
Mahara: This will be the last war because there is no other solution.
The king's army is preparing to bring in reinforcements from outside.
And if they come then we will obviously get the people of Nepal and
the world to fight for us.
History has shown that the people always win because the people
create history. The rulers just know how to commit atrocities on the
people and they create an atmosphere of fear. They can only think of
making their army stronger.
Their rule is illegal, our war is legal. This war will stretch for
long if the foreign army is called in. But we will definitely win.
That's why we call it the last war.
[Nepalese soldiers secure the scene after a thwarted bomb
attack in Kathmandu. The government says the Maoists were behind the plot.]
CNN: How do you see the political landscape in the next few weeks,
perhaps next few months? Will there be elections in Nepal as promised
by the king? Can democracy flourish and prosper there?
Mahara: The king does not want actual democracy. It is a ploy by the
king so that the people are on his side.
If the king was on the side of democracy then he would not have
dissolved the parliament. After dissolving the parliament, there should have been a midterm polls. He had announced midterm polls ... that should have taken place.
All these events, and for the last one year, King Gyanendra's
emergency, the murder of King Birendra -- all these events are linked
together.
What we see is the king, he does not want democracy, all he wants is
the power for himself. The slogan like fair elections and clean government, these are all
like green grass. It is a green grass for both the people and the political parties.
This is a conspiracy by the king to suppress the people and to create a
big war on the people. We do not believe that he is going to have
elections in the near future. He is not going to have elections. His
strategy is to buy time, keep the power for himself and keep the people
of Nepal suppressed.
CNN: So you don't see any hope? You seem to paint a very drab, very
dreary picture for your country?
Mahara: The king's inner desire is not for democracy but the
situation around him is forcing him to talk peace.
All political parities are in favor of the Maoist movement and the
whole world is putting pressure for peace talks and then an interim
government.
In such a situation, the king does not have any other possibility but
to take these talks forward. What I can say sitting now is that the
king's army will not fight for very long.
They will fight for a while but then they will want peace. Right now
the situation as it is is probably leading towards some sort of
dialogue and interim government, the situation is hopeful.
Apart from this there is no other solution for the king.
|
| DHUMBASSE (DUMBASS) |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 07:50 AM
THank you ashu!! awesome job you did by bringing this to our attention!!
Also very good question raised, when is the gov. gonna do something like that?
|
| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 08:05 AM
CNN: The Nepalese government has branded you as terrorists. How would you like to respond to that?
Mahara: Just like the Americans branded al Qaeda and the Taliban as terrorists to wage a war on them, similarly the Nepal government has categorized the Maoist movement as terrorism because they want to get rid us.
--
The answer to this first question, gives that Mahara is still not matured. He lined up with al Qaeda, comparing similarities. Its very funny, and his opponents have good points to sale his words. "Just like the Americans branded al Qaeda and the Taliban as terrorists to wage a war on them". This sentence is total disrespect to the american citizens who died in world trade center. Mahara thinks that the term "terrorist" on al Qaeda is not what they deserve.
|
| Deep |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 10:02 AM
A lousy interview.
"Their rule is illegal, our war is legal."
Yeah! Right!
|
| SMR |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 10:26 AM
Agreeing with HG, Mr. Mahara's use of Al Queda as an example does not show his smatness.
But, I agree that the goverment should also go on an offensive in their PR campaign. The nepalnews.com poll with a support of 65% in favor of the military aid to US shows that a significant portion of the Nepali society does not want the Maoists to overrun the country to establish a one-party communist system. (i know, I know, a more broader survey is needed to do this properly, still..)
Nepali situation reminds me of a movie that I had watched a long time ago: Satyajit Ray's Satranja, where the Lukhnowi Nabab sits in his palace playing chess while the British soldiers eat away his Jagir inch by inch.
|
| Deep |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 10:38 AM
If Maoists really want ceasefire, they should come to the negotiating table without any conditions. They say they are supported by most of the population. Why don't they then fight for an election? Come to the parliament and change what ever they want to change. Pass a bill from the parliament to end the monarchy and ratify the move by the referendum. Why are they crying for the dissolvement of the parliamnent they don't even recognize?
They know what they deliver is nothing more than dreams for poor and fear for the rest. With a defunct ideology, they will lead us nowhere but to the desert!
However, the nation should not suffer anymore. Why doesn't govt. show its gesture by declaring unilateral ceasefire? let's see how do they respond?
Right now, what we need is peace at home not any economy reforms or development crap. No peace means nothing! absolutely nothing.
|
| paramendra |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 11:51 AM
This guy is among the top 3, so his words carry weight. And they also help us understand some of their mentality, their hopes, fears, strengths, weaknesses.
".........We have demanded an interim government and constituent assembly. Whatever the people decide we are willing to accept and this is how peace will prevail. ....... The slogan for constituent assembly is not ours, it is that of the capitalist. ......... Our slogan has always been people's democracy and new democracy. They know they'll lose that's why they are not even agreeing to our flexible demand. ........ The reason why the government is opposing talks is that they are preparing for a fully-fledged war. ....... And this war will be a historical and decisive one. ....... The king's army is preparing to bring in reinforcements from outside. ......... This war will stretch for long if the foreign army is called in. .........The king's inner desire is not for democracy but the situation around him is forcing him to talk peace. ........All political parities are in favor of the Maoist movement and the whole world is putting pressure for peace talks and then an interim government. ........What I can say sitting now is that the king's army will not fight for very long. They will fight for a while but then they will want peace. Right now the situation as it is is probably leading towards some sort of dialogue and interim government, the situation is hopeful. Apart from this there is no other solution for the king. .........."
I don't think they think they are strong enough to be able to impose a communist dictatorship on the country. On the other hand, if pushed and cornered, they are ready for a few more rounds of senseless violence. A face-saving exercise of some sort might be the way out from here. Some creative leadership needed.
Go for an interim government and a constituent assembly if they are willing to lay down all their arms, if they promise there will not be a second round of "people's war!"
|
| protean |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 01:38 PM
Some of my thoughts based on the answers to the questions posed by CNN . Have posted some of the speech for reference.
[CNN: How do you see the political landscape in the next few weeks,
perhaps next few months? Can democracy flourish and prosper there
Mahara: The king does not want actual democracy. It is a ploy by the
king so that the people are on his side. ]
Ok, granted that the King might not want democracy. Here Mahara speaks as if, the Maoists beleives in following democractic ideals.
This talk doesn't differentiate them from the Makunes, and the Girijas,who talk about
Grand Designs.
The fact that he states that they beleive in following demoratic processes, and that he , along with the Democratic parties feel the same, means he is no different.
But then, they go on Killing innocent people in the name of People's War. How logical is that?
It is not that they've any revolutinary ideas. It's just that they somehow seem to deliver the "accepted speech" in media like the other parties do.
So what is the difference here?
[CNN: You are asking for a constituent assembly. Why does the ruling
establishment or the king in particular not want a constituent
assembly? Why are they saying no to that repeatedly?
Mahara: This is a very important question.
Our party's chairman comrade Prasayna has appealed for talks again
and again. The slogan for constituent assembly is not ours, it is that
of the capitalist.
Our slogan has always been people's democracy and new democracy. They
know they'll lose that's why they are not even agreeing to our
flexible demand. ]
First, the name of the leader is wrong . Should have been Prachanda.
I don't see a difference between demoracy and people's democracy.
They seem to confound me.
Did his Party leader actually work in earnest for peace talks to be held?
I don't think so. It seems that there is already a rift between the Maoists themselves, and each division might not be knowing what they are demanding.
[CNN: So you don't see any hope? You seem to paint a very drab, very
dreary picture for your country?
Mahara: The king's inner desire is not for democracy but the
situation around him is forcing him to talk peace.
All political parities are in favor of the Maoist movement and the
whole world is putting pressure for peace talks and then an interim
government.]
Who is in favor of them and their actions? All political parties? All janatas?
[
Mahara: Their rule is illegal, our war is legal. This war will stretch for
long if the foreign army is called in. But we will definitely win.
That's why we call it the last war. ]
OK, I agree that revolution was needed in our society for bringing out reforms. We do want to get rid of inequities, and oppression.
But, their war is not legal either, at least the way they're waging it. It's butchery for crying out loud. I don't see what they hope to provide to us if their leader talks with so much sloganism deeply rooted in his heart and mind. Just pure rhetoric.
Ok, time for peace talks ,and compromise, and nation building.
As HG alluded, the comparision with Al Qaeda itself is losing grounds.
He should at least have been articulate to come up with a better group to compare themselves with. This to me, appears like pure propaganda to spread terror, and raise their voices in this war. But, they've to be raising the stake now with a better means than cheap popularity and unwarranted violence. Time for them to be more creative --even the way they present themselves to the world.
|
| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 04:52 PM
Now, Mahara will be considered as a celebrity within Maoist and Maoist supporter's community. Its good that he is out of bushes.
My opinion on his statements to CNN interview is that "if you are not well prepared to what to say and what not to say", better not appear publicly. The very first question, as I said before, will discredit their whole terror campaign, well, its true that Maoist movement is partly the idea copied from Taliban. Taliban also started from small group punishing wrong doers in their lawless village/towns, and public who were tired of lawlessness and anarchy, the number grew up exponentially and finally, they highjacked whole country with the support of al Qaeda members. One Maoist supporter "friend of mine" whose brother is in wanted list at nepalpolice.gov.np once told me (even before his brother joined Maoists) and explained how Nepali Maoists are learning lessons from Taliban, and he was appreciating what Taliban is doing in Afganistan. That is why Maoist and Maoist supporters think al Qaeda and Taliban as their partners in peoples cause.
Well, Tamil Tiger leader Pravakaran hardly appeared in public or in interviews, and always remained in silence, that made his weight very high. Instead of giving such bullshit interview, it was better he asked questions first, then, did a lot of home work and finally appeared in a drama type interview, "looks live but, every questions known before", under the condition "no cross questioning: just ask the questions written in the supplied question list". At least first interview in CNN should be like this, so that, you have image up and when peoples catch your name, from 2nd time onward live interview or cross-questioning is OKAY. First impression is last impression, is largly true. Mahara failed to catch the impression from non-Maoist supporters, and in Maoist community, this interview does not make any added sense, he is what he is. Well, I thought Maoists know game theory, but, they are also poor in laws and rules of "Nash Equilibrium" as well known part of Game Theory. If such bullshit interview appear few more times, they are in losing points from the world's perspective.
Lets keep on watching the anoter move in this Maoist vs HMG/Nepal Power Game.
HG
|
| krishna |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 05:48 PM
Ashu, thanks for bringing the interview to Sajha...Protean, Hahooguru, Deep, Paramendra very nice thoughts indeed. I donot entirely disagree with Mr. Mahara. In some context he has the point. The one he said about the King's murder incident, and the King dissolving parliament and appointed new PM, is linked, I too feel the same.
CNN: How do you see the political landscape in the next few weeks,
perhaps next few months? Will there be elections in Nepal as promised
by the king? Can democracy flourish and prosper there?
Mahara: The king does not want actual democracy. It is a ploy by the
king so that the people are on his side.
If the king was on the side of democracy then he would not have
dissolved the parliament. After dissolving the parliament, there should have been a midterm polls. He had announced midterm polls ... that should have taken place.
All these events, and for the last one year, King Gyanendra's
emergency, the murder of King Birendra -- all these events are linked
together.
What we see is the king, he does not want democracy, all he wants is
the power for himself. The slogan like fair elections and clean government, these are all
like green grass. It is a green grass for both the people and the political parties.
This is a conspiracy by the king to suppress the people and to create a
big war on the people. We do not believe that he is going to have
elections in the near future. He is not going to have elections. His
strategy is to buy time, keep the power for himself and keep the people
of Nepal suppressed.
Now he made a good point here. Even if the King dissolved the parliament and sacked Deuba, there should have been a midterm elections. This definitely shows to me that King is against democracy and he wants to take power in his shoulders, which will be an absolutely pathetic actions.
I think the government doesn't want peace talks at all. Had they want it, they should have done it a long time back. I know they held one or two peace talks without conclusions but it should be held for the sake of Nepalese people and the democracy. I also know that democracy has just been a mere bridge for people in power to go much and more further.
What are they fighting for?? Peace!! yeah right!! If they are fighting for peace, why are they killing innocent civilians?? They don't deserve this at all. Maoists are making a shield of the innocent people to held a full-fledged war which is definitely and for sure will boil down the infrastructure of Nepal and by the rate they are going right now, after the war is over, the next 50 or so years will be spent re-building the nation.
Krishna!
|
| toilet paper |
Posted
on 14-Nov-02 07:55 PM
CNN: The Nepalese government points out that you are using what they
call child soldiers, that civilians have been attacked and that
civilians have regularly been scared off by bombing campaigns. You call
for vast strikes for across Nepal and if people don't obey your call
they are killed in cold blood. They say such acts can only be defined
as terrorist acts.
Mahara: These are just baseless allegations made by the Nepalese
government. We have no children in our fighting force. We do not admit anyone
below 18 in our army. We do not have anyone below that age in our army.
This is a baseless allegation.
As far as our movement is concerned, we have the support of the
children as well as the elderly. But they are not part of our army. We
only have young rebellions fighting for our cause.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, we all know that the Maoists leaders have exploited the children of nepal.
There have been cases where kids from ninth grade or even lower have quit school and joined Maoists either by choice or by force. There is a picture in sebsonline.org of a dead maoist. The guy doesn't seem to be over eighteen as Mahara says.
Some maoist leaders have, for their own self interest in the war, used kids less than 18 years of age because they know it is easy to manipulate them and use their hot blood againts the government.
"Secondly, the allegation of Maoist killing civilians is also false.
In fact the government is responsible for all those killings. They
kill those innocent people just because they support our cause. The
Nepalese government claims to have killed four thousand Maoists. But the
truth is that more than 80 percent of them were innocent civilians."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What about all the boms blasts all over nation that have killed many civilians? And the recent incident about the bus being ambushed.
And the fact that they have forced the civilians in villages to join their group? What's all that? Aren't they killing the civilians. And also the fact that the ex-major who got hacked to death just a couple of weeks ago. What about that?
They are killing civilians, and that is a known truth.
|
| takura |
Posted
on 15-Nov-02 11:58 AM
Yeah,
I will have to agree with HahooGuru and some other guys...Noobdy is comparing the Moaists with Al-qaeda, they are just proclaiming themselves....These guys are fanatic...Noone in the right state of mind would support their policies or philosophy....I'm not 'panchey' or anything but in a country like Nepal, we must respect the monarchy, regardless...The King is the only way to our solidarity....Nepali people are tired of these clowns that are knowns as maoists...the communism is vanishing from evrywhere in the world, and now they want us become one...hell no! screwthem...
|
