NEPAL: Peace Talks Stalled, Maoists Turn to Law and Order

By Marty Logan Reprint | | Print |

Marty Logan

KATHMANDU, Oct 26 2006 (IPS) - The rumours flew fast as young men doused and set alight piles of tyres at strategic intersections around Nepal’s capital: the Maoists have taken over the city, reported one homeowner on the phone with a relative; they are asking for one person from each house to join their ranks, said the owner of a small furniture shop.

But the former rebels were actually providing security at the request of local people tired of being victimised by gangs of criminals who are themselves protected by police and government, the leader of a Maoist-associated group told IPS on Thursday.

Swirls of thick, pungent black smoke filled the air Wednesday morning as the young Maoist workers torched tyres to protest police seizing from their custody a member of the Armed Police Force (APF) who had assaulted two locals the previous day, said Pawan Man Shrestha, head of the Newar National Liberation Front, the Maoist ethnic body that represents Newars, the indigenous people of the Kathmandu Valley.

The policeman was captured by locals “who believed that since the culprit was a member of the police, if he was turned over to the police, justice would not be done”, added Shrestha at the Front office Thursday morning. Instead, they handed him over to Maoist workers.

Then police surrounded the area, demanding the Maoists release the APF man. The two sides negotiated for hours and even Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula got involved, promising to ensure that if police took their colleague, he would be punished if found guilty, according to Shrestha. But no deal emerged and Tuesday evening police charged the Maoists and seized the APF man, leading Maoist leaders to call Wednesday morning’s protest that shut traffic across this city of more than a million people.

“After the people’s revolution, the kind of security situation that should have prevailed has not emerged. There are many reports of incidents against local people and the gangsters responsible are being given protection by the current governance system and the police,” said Shrestha. “We feel that the steps we have taken to control gang activities have brought about some positive results but they haven’t been fully controlled – our efforts are ongoing.”

Last Saturday, Shrestha revealed that his group and Maoist partners had captured 70 alleged criminals freeing 60 after investigations. Cases of rebels taking away large groups of people – often schoolchildren destined for Maoist ‘education’ – became familiar during their 10-year uprising that ended when the insurgents joined forces with opposition political parties to defeat King Gyanendra’s direct rule in April.

But Kathmandu and other cities and towns in this small country, the home of Mt Everest, wedged between giants India and China, were largely spared Maoist activities. That changed after April’s “people’s movement”, when the restored parliament removed the ‘terrorist’ tag from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). Since then, the group has opened party offices across the nation, its leaders are hot media interviews and Maoist cadres have accelerated their ‘donation’ drive from businesses and homeowners.

Maoist leaders have also been holding talks with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and chiefs of the six other political parties in the alliance that united against the king. The last session stalled earlier this month, tantalisingly close to a deal that would bring the peace that average Nepalis yearn for.

“Because of the blockade we can’t bring goods; this is the main problem for us,” the manager of a small hardware shop told IPS on Wednesday. “We can’t say if Maoists should rule or democracy should rule, but it is still affecting us, the situation in Kathmandu. There is tension if you try to go anywhere because of the blockades,” he added.

“I don’t care who runs the country if they do a good job, whether it’s the Maoists or the seven parties,” said a woman leaning on the wooden counter of a small dry goods shop looking onto the street. “It should be good for the country, that’s all.”

How to sequester Maoist arms and fighters and the role of the monarchy – if any – in a future Nepal appear to remain the main points blocking a peace deal. The two sides announced earlier this month that voting to a constituent assembly whose members would write a new constitution will be held by next June, but experts say if a deal is not signed soon, there will not be enough time to hold the polls.

One political leader said he emphasised with the Maoists’ frustrations but not their tactics. “If the government will not hear us the United Left Front will also demonstrate on the street…we have no other way,” said ULF leader Sitaram Tamang in an interview.

“We will pressure the government from the street the right way, by demonstrating with people pressure, not by arresting people, not by blocking traffic,” added Tamang. “We continually criticise the Maoists about these activities. That is not the right approach. That is not part of the political process.”

The prime minister sounded optimistic talking to reporters and workers from his Nepali Congress party at his home in Biratnagar on Wednesday. “Do not be afraid. Maoists will stop their donation collection drive and abductions, among other such activities, after the success of the talks,” said Koirala, reported The Himalayan Times.

But according to Shrestha, citizens have nothing to fear. Recent activities “don’t imply that we are taking law and order into our own hands. It implies that we are protecting the citizens and their property. It’s social work.”