The Vegan Marxist
23rd July 2010, 08:55
“I hold that it is bad as far as we are concerned if a person, a political party, an army or a school is not attacked by the enemy, for in that case it would definitely mean that we have sunk to the level of the enemy. It is good if we are attacked by the enemy, since it proves that we have drawn a clear line of demarcation between the enemy and ourselves. It is still better if the enemy attacks us wildly and paints us as utterly black and without a single virtue; it demonstrates that we have not only drawn a clear line of demarcation between the enemy and ourselves but achieved a great deal in our work.” ~Mao Zedong
The current dispositional attitude of post-Cold War communist revolutions has mirrored the very thought-strategies of those that remind us eerily of what had been partaken upon, by the help of mainstream media no less, through US intelligence agencies against those that posed a threat to their “national security”. Although, as the information that’ll be provided here will show the mere corruption of foreign governments, the help of the US intelligence agencies & media has allowed the circulation of biased, one sided reporting’s in order to demonize pre-selected resistance organizations, in which bring about either 1) to disengage any support by foreign allies, &/or 2) to justify imperialist actions, politically & economically. [1]
Nepal
Currently in Nepal, the wage of revolutionary warfare has been put to an indefinite halt for the time being by the UCPN-M (Maoist) as the current peace accord between themselves & the now-toppling government is still within effect. For the time being, although the Nepalese Maoists are finding themselves getting closer & closer to winning a majority seat holder in the current government, they are still struggling against oppositional forces in which have sought out to not only disengage the party from near majority ranks, but are at most trying to at least prevent any Maoist-led government to come to form as their numbers as seat holders show. [2] Though, it is best to first understand that in 2008 the UCPN-M had won majority seats within the Nepalese government, in which brought them at majority rule. But because of certain situations, in which became a conflict of interests between the ruling Maoist party & the Nepalese President [3], the party then gave up their majority rule in the government in order to find themselves back in the front lines with the intentions of truly winning majority government rule over the current bourgeois state.
In what seemed to have become a clear attack against the UCPN-M by an Anarchist organization known as Libcom, in which took place during the ruling by the Maoists, word started coming in on claims that the Maoist-led government came to ban certain strikes that were to take place in Nepal. [4] This of course was viewed as an attack against the workers & peasants through a bureaucratic ruling. According to Libcom the “..Maoist Party leader and Nepalese Prime Minister Prachanda proposed to fellow politicians a ban on all public sector strikes..” [5] This of course struck waves of anger by those on the left, ranging from anarchists & leftist-communists. What was failed to be presented was that the Maoist-led government, in fact, did not ban any strike. This was pointed out by Alastair Reith, in which clearly states:
“The Maoists never banned strikes. All the militant, class struggle fighting unions are Maoist unions, and since their change in tactics in 2006 and the shift of the struggle to the urban areas the Maoists have essentially taken over the trade union movement in Nepal, as well as the bulk of the student unions. They regularly lead strikes for both political issues and bread and butter issues like pay and conditions. They have strongholds amongst the teachers, hotel workers, petrol workers, workers in many SEZs and industrial zones, and more. They never stopped leading strikes – they just called a three day general strike across Nepal!”
He then points out the reasoning behind the talks of strike bans in the first place:
“The Maoists briefly put forward a proposal to temporarily ban strikes in certain key sectors. This was at a time when the country had no electricity for most of the day, there was a food shortage and strikes and bandhs called by reactionary parties were causing chaos and undermining the Maoist-led government.” [6]
What we clearly see, now that the whole story had been released, is that the selected reporting by Libcom was used in nothing more than a propaganda campaign in order to demonize the Maoist-led government. Now this reporting didn’t make it to the US, mainstream wise, but, through personal experience, it made its way to many leftist-communist’s eyes within vast sections of the US. But other than that, this was not an attack by US relations & rather became an ideological attack by those who deem themselves as an acting force against Capitalist ruling. But to make something perfectly clear, the US has embarked themselves within a propaganda campaign against the UCPN-M for over a decade now. All of such has been accounted for & as well debunked by Li Onesto throughout her book, “Dispatches from the People’s War in Nepal”. [7]
India
As we bring ourselves to India, a key ally to the current bourgeois state of Nepal, a vastly similar war is being waged by both workers & peasantry, while in alliance with select elements of the petit-bourgeoisie, against the current feudalist Indian state. These elements have come to be known as the CPI-M (Maoist) – or better known as the Naxalites through mainstream media. To this day, the war is at its prime as the Indian ruling class has sought out to destroy the Maoist rebels through a counterinsurgency plan, in what has been labeled as “Operation Green Hunt”. [8] Although vast reporting’s have come out, in which have shown direct evidence of this plan being put to practice, it, of course, has been deemed untrue as pointed out by Home minister Chidambaram where he states that “..there was no ‘Operation Green Hunt’ against Maoists..” & is rather “a media creation..” that “..continues till date.” [9] Though, whether the actions by the Indian state is labeled “Operation Green Hunt” or not, the actions are very real, in which will be pointed out next.
Reporting’s started coming in from both mainstream media [10] & foreign media [11] that close to at least 35 – 40 people were killed in a bus explosion in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Those that were killed in the bus explosion, according to early reports, were, of the majority, innocent civilians, along with police personnel who were of the minority of those killed. This, without hesitation, was deemed as being the work of the Maoist rebels through the use of a land mine. What was made clear by the media was that the bus attack was on Maoist territory, though, what was not made clear was the reasoning on why 1) a bus of civilians was in Maoist territory in the first place, & 2) why there were police personnel that was accompanying them. As you can see, the intentions of publicizing these biased reports were initially being used in order to label the Maoist rebels as those who target innocent civilians in order to attack the enemy – police personnel.
Though, mixed reporting started coming in later on, as pointed out by Press TV. It was stated that, through the local media, “..as many as 50 people had lost their lives in the attack.” This was then accompanied through another reporting by an Indian official stating that “..35 people were killed in the incident.” Reports remained the same when it came to who was of the majority that died & those who were of the minority that died, but what should be pointed out as well in the same article is where it states that “..the bus was transporting special pro-government militiamen helping security forces in anti-Maoist operations.” [12] This became the first revealing information on why exactly the bus was in Maoist territory in the first place & why police were on the same bus with these innocent civilians. On the same day of this report, a new stunning reporting by Al Jazeera came in, in which gave an enlightening new revelation on who exactly was in the bus:
“The bus was an ordinary public transport bus, but many of the passengers were security forces in civilian clothes.” [13]
Just a few days later, CNN-IBN gave an interview over the phone with CPI (Maoist) Special Zone Committee member of Dandakaranya, Ramanna. In this interview, Ramanna spoke about the incident that had taken place in Chhattisgarh, in which was consistent with the stunning reporting’s of before: (just so you know, I will not release the full interview, but rather only sections of it in which are relevant to the current situation)
“CNN-IBN: What you have to say about Monday’s killing of civilians?
“Ramanna: In yesterday’s (Monday’s) incident it is alleged that Maoists targeted civilians. Our target were Koya commanders. Our aim was precise and correct and 16 Koya commanders are dead. Police was using civilians as human shields.
“CNN-IBN: If the government did a wrong thing by using civilians as human shields, can you say that you did the right thing in blasting a bus and killing innocent and poor people?
“Ramanna: You are right. Out target were not civilians. Our target were the Koya commanders. The administration is using civilians as a human shield, so they got killed. But I regret this.”
After these questions were asked the interview then diverged into a discussion on why the Maoists refuse to lay down their arms, despite claims of there being a peace process is such was to happen. By the end of the interview, the initial conversation of the incident comes back for a couple last questions:
“CNN-IBN: If you target civilians, don’t you fear that you will lose popular support?
“Ramanna: Yes. Civilian deaths constitute less than 1 per cent of the killings. In every operation we exercise extreme caution that ordinary people should not suffer. That is the discipline we follow. That is our code of conduct. About yesterday, we agree we made a mistake, we regret it. We don’t have a policy of killing people. We serve people. You can come, investigate and find out how many innocent civilians we have killed.
“CNN-IBN: Our viewers would want to know whether you will target civilians again?
“Ramanna: No we will not target civilians We have not done that before, are not doing it now and will not do it in the future. It is the police, which brought the civilians in the bus.” [14]
What has been pointed out here was a complete overturn on the earlier reporting’s, in which only stated that the Maoists were responsible, but no details as to why or initially who exactly was in the bus. Because of the great reporting by independent media, & with clarification by the Maoists themselves, we now know that the bus, although filled with innocent civilians, was being operated by a bunch of special pro-government militiamen & police personnel, some who were dressed in civilian clothes, in order to be used through “Operation Green Hunt”. As to the reason on why the civilians were there with them, as one could’ve speculated, the militiamen & police were using them as human-shields against the Maoists in order to discredit them if attacked. Thanks to a fellow comrade [15], it was then shown how this very tactical maneuver has been used plenty of times before throughout other regions, especially in past Maoist hot-spots in Peru:
The policy of pitting masses against masses was seen initially in the southern portions of the country, in the sierra. Now that the People’s War has vigorously expanded nationwide, the reactionaries have also expanded their paramilitary, for example in Northern Peru and the jungle region (e.g., Huallaga). The tactic of the genocidal army to build their anti-guerrilla bases is as follows: in a given town or community, the counter-insurgent forces gather together all the survivors from the various settlements scorched or wiped out by the armed forces. The peasants selected to prevent Maoist infiltration are forced to do tasks, including building houses for the soldiers and a series of military fortifications. The women are compelled to abandon their own families so that they can cook and feed the criminals. Women are used as servants and even as sexual objects by these butchers.
For a period of about three or four months, the peasants are trained physically, with minimal nutrition provided by the Army or by a non-governmental organization (NGO) working with the military (in many cases this causes them to contract diseases such as tuberculosis). The Army devises a watch system for the rondas. In their search for guerrillas, the genocidal armed forces deploy themselves behind the members of the rondas. For example, they force the ronderos to walk “in point,” first in the column, exposing them as cannon fodder, highly vulnerable in any ambush by the Maoists. The purpose is two fold:
1) to cowardly preserve the army forces by using the rondas as a buffer,
2) if the Maoists attack the rondas, the NGOs working with the military (e.g., fake human rights groups) or the military itself, can accuse the PCP of “killing peasants.” [16]
Just a few days after this incident, another accident occurs, in which became a hot topic by US mainstream media. [17] Reports came in saying that a train crash took place near Sardiha, India, in which took the lives of at least 71 people. Again, like the bus attack, it was blamed on the Maoist rebels without hesitation. This was clarified by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, saying “The Maoists have done this work … efforts will be made to free the state and the country from this danger.” Though, as fast as they were in pointing the finger on who the deadly culprit was, it was then stated that “..the train tracks had been sabotaged but disagreed about exactly what had happened, with some saying it was caused by an explosion but others blaming cut rail lines.” [18] It’s amazing how they can identify who the culprit was without hesitation, yet fail to know what exactly happened in the first place. Soon after, a reporting by the “International Campaign Against War on the People in India’ (ICAWPI) came to light in which allowed for the Maoists to speak their plea & also to point out governing officials, like Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who shares the same opinion as well, stating that “..there was no evidence of any bomb blast in the incident.” [19] The Maoists were then given the chance to speak, stating:
“We are in no way involved in this incident. We did not carry out any explosion in the railway line. Killing innocent people by sabotaging railway line is not our agenda. When we carry out any action, there are always some specific reasons behind. We also acknowledge responsibility for that. Whenever we commit mistakes we admit it. However, responsibility is being placed on us now for an incident in which we are in no way involved.”
The CPI-M (Marxist) – a revisionist counterrevolutionary group of pro-government rebels – stated that they also believe the Maoists were behind the attacks. Because of this, the Maoists then made a statement in regards to the Marxist’s claims:
“The CPI(M) is haunted by the prospect of a landslide defeat in the coming municipal elections. Thus they have opted for a strategy of killing two birds with a single stone. On the one hand, attempts are being made to brand us as terrorists and thus isolate us from the people. On the other hand, they are seeking to prove that Mamata Banerjee is completely misfit as the railway minister.”
The Maoists then clarified on an earlier incident, in which the Indian government blamed the Maoists for it too, but then found out that they were not behind it, & rather was a natural accident:
“Three days back, eleven bogies of the New Delhi -Gwahati Rajdhani Express were derailed near Naogachhia Station in Bihar. It was not a major accident. However, initially the blame was put on us. Later on, it was found that it was the fault of the railways that led to such a mishap.” [20]
Later on, a new reporting by the ICAWPI came in, in which they helped clarify hidden facts behind the incident & reason why the Maoists, through a reasonable & justifiable position, were not behind the accident at all. In the report, they stated that if “one goes through the track record of attacks by the Maoists, it becomes apparent that they have always intended to attack those whom they regard as a major threat to them – security forces, intelligence officers, landlords, political leaders, police informers and others tied up in one way or the other with what they regard as the present repressive state apparatus. This train was a passenger train without having any special contingent of security forces on board, as far as one could gather.” It was then stated that the “incident, as is quite clear, is man-made; it is not an accident and the arrival of the goods train that actually did the most damage, was supposed to come in another line. The Maoists do not stand to gain from it. They stand to lose very much. The incident took place at a time when the municipal elections in West Bengal are just round the corner and the CPI(Marxist) is threatened with the prospect of landslide defeat that is being considered by many observers as the dress rehearsal for the 2011 legislative assembly elections.” [21]
Keeping the CPI-M (Marxists) in mind, they make a stunning fact about the location of where this incident took place & who was there during the time of the incident:
The location: “The incident took place at Rajbandh that stands between Khemashuli and Sardiha stations. If one makes a circle around the zone keeping a radius of 3 kilometres, then villages such as Manikpara, Daldali, Barjar, Ghaghrashole, Burimol, Lalitashole, Putushol, Bhangabandh, Bahargora, Chhnanapara, Jhatibandh, Aakhrashole, Jaipur, Sardiha, Aamdila, Borchati, Kharda, Burishole, Dhudhkundi, Rajbandh, etc would come within it. Except Rajbandh where the incident took place, all other villages are controlled by the CPI(Marxist) … at that very night just after the incident, about ten persons were seen to have been looking at the rail line with torches and talking among themselves. This has been corroborated by some injured passengers as also some common villagers. Suddenly they vanished and went towards Manikpara. Manikpara is now a CPM stronghold and a den of armed hermads. It was also reported that a meeting took place in the night of 26 May in the house of Arjun Mahato, a CPI(Marxist) leader at Putushole where Anuj Pandey-the CPM leader of Lalgarh zonal committee(whose palatial building was broken down by the people) was also present. In fact, the local people of Sardiha totally discard the theory of Maoist involvement in the incident. “
And who was there: “What is also quite remarkable is the appearance of CPM minister Sushanto Ghosh(who had earned much notoriety because of his role in Garbeta, Keshpur, Nandigram and Lalgarh) along with Rabilal Maitro and other ministers as also party members at the spot in the early hours of 28 May 2010 followed by the chief minister himself.” [22]
So, according to local reports by both media & those who live around the area, instead of the Maoists being put to the blame like they were before, the tide has now turned on those who have openly opposed the Maoists for quite some time – the CPI-M (Marxist). And as long as the counterinsurgency operations continue, the Maoists will continue to gain the hearts & support of those of the exploited & oppressed. This can be seen as a fact when the Maoists gained the heart & support of Arundhati Roy, a vastly known & supportive figure within the country of India. [23]
The Philippines
In the Philippines, again, a similar war is being waged as well. This time by a group known as the New People’s Army (NPA), who is the militant wing of the Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The main propaganda campaign that was put out against the Maoist rebels were during the times when elections were still going on. Throughout each village, there are PCOS machines in which allow the villagers to vote & participate in the election results. Though, for while, many attacks were being brought out on the PCOS machines, in which the Filipino state initially blamed the Maoists for such. The Mindanao Examiner, a Filipino news site, stated on May 7 that “Communist insurgents on Friday opened fire on government troops guarding polling machines in the southern Philippines, wounding two infantrymen.” [24] Though, just two days later, the NPA responds to such allegations with clear clarification on why they were not behind any PCOS attack:
“The May 7 military action of the NPA’s Wilfredo Zapanta Command-Front 18 Operations Command (Wizac-NPA) is a punishment against the abusive 28th IB-AFP troops and a response to the complaints of the masses. The 28th IB-AFP casualties were not delivering Comelec PCOS machines as 10th ID-AFP spokesman Capt. Emmanuel Garcia claims. The NPA, as a matter of policy and as track record shows, fully respects the people’s will in the guerilla base areas especially during this most chaotic election period.
“At around 8 am that day, a team of Red fighters under the Wizac-NPA hit a unit of the 28th IB-AFP RSOT (Reengineered Special Operations Team) in Brgy. Taguibo, Mati, Davao Oriental. The ambushed enemy section was on reconnaissance patrol. They were the security elements of the 28th IB RSOT who have been conducting a month-long psychological warfare operations in Brgy. Taguibo and were not delivering Comelec PCOS machines. Private John Glenn J. Aniasco was killed while Privates First Class Abdulgani Paguildan and Julieto Domingo were wounded in the May 7 NPA ambush..
“..it is not surprising for Capt. Garcia to quickly conjure the lie that the NPA sought to thwart the delivery of the PCOS machines. He has to get creative and make a perfect excuse for the dismal failure of the 28th IB-AFP’s RSOT operations in Taguibo, and their entire operations in Davao Oriental. Onto the homestretch of the doomed counter-revolutionary Oplan Bantay Laya, all they gained was widespread demoralization among their ranks, further alienation from the masses and the failure of the US-Arroyo regime in stemming the tide of the armed revolutionary movement.” [25]
These allegations have been clearly distorted, with the lack of any details of the incident by the Filipino media, the Maoists come clean by clarifying to us all what is really going on. Not too long after the NPA spoke out against the media’s distorted lies against them, the Filipino army then came out stating that they no longer believe the NPA are behind the attacks of the PCOS machines. [26] Though, even with the PCOS propaganda campaign out of the way, & the NPA still fighting & gaining more & more support by the Filipino people, the US seems to have found a certain interest in helping out the Filipino state by lending a hand as they wage a counterinsurgency attack against the NPA. [27]
The propaganda campaign continues
Through out each separate region, which similar resistance being waged by Maoist rebels, & similar counter-resistance being waged by the bourgeois states, a propaganda campaign has been used with no mercy in order to try & dismantle what oppositional forces stands in the way of the ruling elite. These campaigns are not coincidental, they are not unintentional. These are campaigns, in which are merely waged by capitalist/imperialist forces, that have been put into action for many years – both pre- & post-Cold War eras. Whether it be to merely discredit certain groups through the use of the media, or through the acts of State sponsored terror, or even through the acts of “false-flag” operations, they have been used numerously – ranging from Cuba [28], Venezuela [29], Vietnam [30], & just recently, through a stunning revelation on recent events between SKorea & NKorea, it has been revealed of the latest possible “false-flag” attack against the DPRK (NKorea). [31][32] So, remember, always keep an open eye out on what you are told. These propaganda campaigns have been used in the past, they are being used today, & they will be used even in the future. The wars that we are to face here or later, will not only be waged physically, but also psychologically. Keep your minds straight & look past the propaganda.
Red Love & Salutes!
———————————————————-
“To Be Attacked by the Enemy Is Not a Bad Thing but a Good Thing” (May 26, 1939), first pocket ed., p. two
[1] “One year since the Honduran coup”, WSWS, June 28, 2010.
[2] Alastair Reith, “Balance of forces in Nepal”, Ride The Tiger, June 13, 2010.
[3] Tilak Pokharel, “Nepal’s Premier Resigns After Power Struggle Over Army Chief”, The New York Times, May 4, 2009.
[4] Ret Marut, “Nepalese Maoists restate intention to ban strikes and other news”, Libcom, April 10, 2009.
[5] Ret Marut, “Nepal: victory turns sour”, Libcom, January 22, 2009.
[6] Alasteir Reith, “Did the Maobadi ban strikes?”, Ride The Tiger, January 2, 2010.
[7] Onesto, Li. Dispatches from the People’s War in Nepal. London: Pluto Press, 2005.
[8] “India launches attack against Maoists”, Russia Today, November 11, 2009.
[9] “There is no ‘Operation Green Hunt’: Chidambaram”, The Times of India, April 7, 2010.
[10] “Rebels in India Blow Up Bus, 40 Dead”, CBS News, May 17, 2010.
[11] “Maoists blow up bus in India; 35 dead”, The Himalayan Times, May 18, 2010.
[12] “Naxalites blamed for deadly attack”, Press TV, May 17, 2010.
[13] “India bus blast ‘kills dozens’”, Al Jazeera, May 17, 2010.
[14] Rupashree Nanda, “Indian Maoists: Police Are Using Civilians as Human Shields”, CNN-IBN, May 20, 2010.
[15] Sankofa, “Maoists blow up bus in India; 35 dead”, RevLeft, May 19, 2010.
[16] “Militarized Settlements and Peasant Rondas: Reaction’s Sand Castles in the Tide of the People’s War”, NY Transfer.
[17] “Train derailment kills at least 71 in eastern India; authorities suspect rebel sabotage”, Fox News, May 27, 2010.
[18] Ibid.
[19] G. N. Salibaba, “Both the CPI (Maoist) and PCAPA have denied their involvement in the Friday train derailment”, ICAWPI, May 28, 2010.
[20] Ibid.
[21] Amit Bhattacharyya, “Why the Maoists cannot be accused of being involved in the Gyaneswari Express incident”, ICAWPI.
[22] Ibid.
[23] Arundhati Roy, “Walking With The Comrades”, Outlook India, March 29, 2010.
[24] “NPA rebels attack troops guarding poll machines in South”, The Mindanao Examiner, May 7, 2010.
[25] Simon Santiago, “NPA to 10th ID-AFP’s Capt. Garcia: What PCOS machines are you talking about?”, Philippine Revolution, May 9, 2010.
[26] “Army unit now doubts ‘NPA role’ in Iloilo PCOS burning”, GMA News, May 11, 2010.
[27] “US troops engaged in combat and other forms of military intervention–CPP”, Philippine Revolution, July 8, 2010.
[28] “Operation Northwoods” (PDF), March 13, 1962.
[29] The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Dir. Kim Bartley. DVD. Vitagraph Films, 2003.
[30] “Report reveals Vietnam War hoaxes, faked attacks”, The Washington Post, January 7, 2008.
[31] Stephen Gowans, “The sinking of the Cheonan: Another Gulf of Tonkin incident”, Stephen Gowans, May 20, 2010.
[32] Yoichi Shimatsu, “Did an American Mine Sink South Korean Ship?”, New American Media, May 27, 2010.
The current dispositional attitude of post-Cold War communist revolutions has mirrored the very thought-strategies of those that remind us eerily of what had been partaken upon, by the help of mainstream media no less, through US intelligence agencies against those that posed a threat to their “national security”. Although, as the information that’ll be provided here will show the mere corruption of foreign governments, the help of the US intelligence agencies & media has allowed the circulation of biased, one sided reporting’s in order to demonize pre-selected resistance organizations, in which bring about either 1) to disengage any support by foreign allies, &/or 2) to justify imperialist actions, politically & economically. [1]
Nepal
Currently in Nepal, the wage of revolutionary warfare has been put to an indefinite halt for the time being by the UCPN-M (Maoist) as the current peace accord between themselves & the now-toppling government is still within effect. For the time being, although the Nepalese Maoists are finding themselves getting closer & closer to winning a majority seat holder in the current government, they are still struggling against oppositional forces in which have sought out to not only disengage the party from near majority ranks, but are at most trying to at least prevent any Maoist-led government to come to form as their numbers as seat holders show. [2] Though, it is best to first understand that in 2008 the UCPN-M had won majority seats within the Nepalese government, in which brought them at majority rule. But because of certain situations, in which became a conflict of interests between the ruling Maoist party & the Nepalese President [3], the party then gave up their majority rule in the government in order to find themselves back in the front lines with the intentions of truly winning majority government rule over the current bourgeois state.
In what seemed to have become a clear attack against the UCPN-M by an Anarchist organization known as Libcom, in which took place during the ruling by the Maoists, word started coming in on claims that the Maoist-led government came to ban certain strikes that were to take place in Nepal. [4] This of course was viewed as an attack against the workers & peasants through a bureaucratic ruling. According to Libcom the “..Maoist Party leader and Nepalese Prime Minister Prachanda proposed to fellow politicians a ban on all public sector strikes..” [5] This of course struck waves of anger by those on the left, ranging from anarchists & leftist-communists. What was failed to be presented was that the Maoist-led government, in fact, did not ban any strike. This was pointed out by Alastair Reith, in which clearly states:
“The Maoists never banned strikes. All the militant, class struggle fighting unions are Maoist unions, and since their change in tactics in 2006 and the shift of the struggle to the urban areas the Maoists have essentially taken over the trade union movement in Nepal, as well as the bulk of the student unions. They regularly lead strikes for both political issues and bread and butter issues like pay and conditions. They have strongholds amongst the teachers, hotel workers, petrol workers, workers in many SEZs and industrial zones, and more. They never stopped leading strikes – they just called a three day general strike across Nepal!”
He then points out the reasoning behind the talks of strike bans in the first place:
“The Maoists briefly put forward a proposal to temporarily ban strikes in certain key sectors. This was at a time when the country had no electricity for most of the day, there was a food shortage and strikes and bandhs called by reactionary parties were causing chaos and undermining the Maoist-led government.” [6]
What we clearly see, now that the whole story had been released, is that the selected reporting by Libcom was used in nothing more than a propaganda campaign in order to demonize the Maoist-led government. Now this reporting didn’t make it to the US, mainstream wise, but, through personal experience, it made its way to many leftist-communist’s eyes within vast sections of the US. But other than that, this was not an attack by US relations & rather became an ideological attack by those who deem themselves as an acting force against Capitalist ruling. But to make something perfectly clear, the US has embarked themselves within a propaganda campaign against the UCPN-M for over a decade now. All of such has been accounted for & as well debunked by Li Onesto throughout her book, “Dispatches from the People’s War in Nepal”. [7]
India
As we bring ourselves to India, a key ally to the current bourgeois state of Nepal, a vastly similar war is being waged by both workers & peasantry, while in alliance with select elements of the petit-bourgeoisie, against the current feudalist Indian state. These elements have come to be known as the CPI-M (Maoist) – or better known as the Naxalites through mainstream media. To this day, the war is at its prime as the Indian ruling class has sought out to destroy the Maoist rebels through a counterinsurgency plan, in what has been labeled as “Operation Green Hunt”. [8] Although vast reporting’s have come out, in which have shown direct evidence of this plan being put to practice, it, of course, has been deemed untrue as pointed out by Home minister Chidambaram where he states that “..there was no ‘Operation Green Hunt’ against Maoists..” & is rather “a media creation..” that “..continues till date.” [9] Though, whether the actions by the Indian state is labeled “Operation Green Hunt” or not, the actions are very real, in which will be pointed out next.
Reporting’s started coming in from both mainstream media [10] & foreign media [11] that close to at least 35 – 40 people were killed in a bus explosion in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Those that were killed in the bus explosion, according to early reports, were, of the majority, innocent civilians, along with police personnel who were of the minority of those killed. This, without hesitation, was deemed as being the work of the Maoist rebels through the use of a land mine. What was made clear by the media was that the bus attack was on Maoist territory, though, what was not made clear was the reasoning on why 1) a bus of civilians was in Maoist territory in the first place, & 2) why there were police personnel that was accompanying them. As you can see, the intentions of publicizing these biased reports were initially being used in order to label the Maoist rebels as those who target innocent civilians in order to attack the enemy – police personnel.
Though, mixed reporting started coming in later on, as pointed out by Press TV. It was stated that, through the local media, “..as many as 50 people had lost their lives in the attack.” This was then accompanied through another reporting by an Indian official stating that “..35 people were killed in the incident.” Reports remained the same when it came to who was of the majority that died & those who were of the minority that died, but what should be pointed out as well in the same article is where it states that “..the bus was transporting special pro-government militiamen helping security forces in anti-Maoist operations.” [12] This became the first revealing information on why exactly the bus was in Maoist territory in the first place & why police were on the same bus with these innocent civilians. On the same day of this report, a new stunning reporting by Al Jazeera came in, in which gave an enlightening new revelation on who exactly was in the bus:
“The bus was an ordinary public transport bus, but many of the passengers were security forces in civilian clothes.” [13]
Just a few days later, CNN-IBN gave an interview over the phone with CPI (Maoist) Special Zone Committee member of Dandakaranya, Ramanna. In this interview, Ramanna spoke about the incident that had taken place in Chhattisgarh, in which was consistent with the stunning reporting’s of before: (just so you know, I will not release the full interview, but rather only sections of it in which are relevant to the current situation)
“CNN-IBN: What you have to say about Monday’s killing of civilians?
“Ramanna: In yesterday’s (Monday’s) incident it is alleged that Maoists targeted civilians. Our target were Koya commanders. Our aim was precise and correct and 16 Koya commanders are dead. Police was using civilians as human shields.
“CNN-IBN: If the government did a wrong thing by using civilians as human shields, can you say that you did the right thing in blasting a bus and killing innocent and poor people?
“Ramanna: You are right. Out target were not civilians. Our target were the Koya commanders. The administration is using civilians as a human shield, so they got killed. But I regret this.”
After these questions were asked the interview then diverged into a discussion on why the Maoists refuse to lay down their arms, despite claims of there being a peace process is such was to happen. By the end of the interview, the initial conversation of the incident comes back for a couple last questions:
“CNN-IBN: If you target civilians, don’t you fear that you will lose popular support?
“Ramanna: Yes. Civilian deaths constitute less than 1 per cent of the killings. In every operation we exercise extreme caution that ordinary people should not suffer. That is the discipline we follow. That is our code of conduct. About yesterday, we agree we made a mistake, we regret it. We don’t have a policy of killing people. We serve people. You can come, investigate and find out how many innocent civilians we have killed.
“CNN-IBN: Our viewers would want to know whether you will target civilians again?
“Ramanna: No we will not target civilians We have not done that before, are not doing it now and will not do it in the future. It is the police, which brought the civilians in the bus.” [14]
What has been pointed out here was a complete overturn on the earlier reporting’s, in which only stated that the Maoists were responsible, but no details as to why or initially who exactly was in the bus. Because of the great reporting by independent media, & with clarification by the Maoists themselves, we now know that the bus, although filled with innocent civilians, was being operated by a bunch of special pro-government militiamen & police personnel, some who were dressed in civilian clothes, in order to be used through “Operation Green Hunt”. As to the reason on why the civilians were there with them, as one could’ve speculated, the militiamen & police were using them as human-shields against the Maoists in order to discredit them if attacked. Thanks to a fellow comrade [15], it was then shown how this very tactical maneuver has been used plenty of times before throughout other regions, especially in past Maoist hot-spots in Peru:
The policy of pitting masses against masses was seen initially in the southern portions of the country, in the sierra. Now that the People’s War has vigorously expanded nationwide, the reactionaries have also expanded their paramilitary, for example in Northern Peru and the jungle region (e.g., Huallaga). The tactic of the genocidal army to build their anti-guerrilla bases is as follows: in a given town or community, the counter-insurgent forces gather together all the survivors from the various settlements scorched or wiped out by the armed forces. The peasants selected to prevent Maoist infiltration are forced to do tasks, including building houses for the soldiers and a series of military fortifications. The women are compelled to abandon their own families so that they can cook and feed the criminals. Women are used as servants and even as sexual objects by these butchers.
For a period of about three or four months, the peasants are trained physically, with minimal nutrition provided by the Army or by a non-governmental organization (NGO) working with the military (in many cases this causes them to contract diseases such as tuberculosis). The Army devises a watch system for the rondas. In their search for guerrillas, the genocidal armed forces deploy themselves behind the members of the rondas. For example, they force the ronderos to walk “in point,” first in the column, exposing them as cannon fodder, highly vulnerable in any ambush by the Maoists. The purpose is two fold:
1) to cowardly preserve the army forces by using the rondas as a buffer,
2) if the Maoists attack the rondas, the NGOs working with the military (e.g., fake human rights groups) or the military itself, can accuse the PCP of “killing peasants.” [16]
Just a few days after this incident, another accident occurs, in which became a hot topic by US mainstream media. [17] Reports came in saying that a train crash took place near Sardiha, India, in which took the lives of at least 71 people. Again, like the bus attack, it was blamed on the Maoist rebels without hesitation. This was clarified by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, saying “The Maoists have done this work … efforts will be made to free the state and the country from this danger.” Though, as fast as they were in pointing the finger on who the deadly culprit was, it was then stated that “..the train tracks had been sabotaged but disagreed about exactly what had happened, with some saying it was caused by an explosion but others blaming cut rail lines.” [18] It’s amazing how they can identify who the culprit was without hesitation, yet fail to know what exactly happened in the first place. Soon after, a reporting by the “International Campaign Against War on the People in India’ (ICAWPI) came to light in which allowed for the Maoists to speak their plea & also to point out governing officials, like Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who shares the same opinion as well, stating that “..there was no evidence of any bomb blast in the incident.” [19] The Maoists were then given the chance to speak, stating:
“We are in no way involved in this incident. We did not carry out any explosion in the railway line. Killing innocent people by sabotaging railway line is not our agenda. When we carry out any action, there are always some specific reasons behind. We also acknowledge responsibility for that. Whenever we commit mistakes we admit it. However, responsibility is being placed on us now for an incident in which we are in no way involved.”
The CPI-M (Marxist) – a revisionist counterrevolutionary group of pro-government rebels – stated that they also believe the Maoists were behind the attacks. Because of this, the Maoists then made a statement in regards to the Marxist’s claims:
“The CPI(M) is haunted by the prospect of a landslide defeat in the coming municipal elections. Thus they have opted for a strategy of killing two birds with a single stone. On the one hand, attempts are being made to brand us as terrorists and thus isolate us from the people. On the other hand, they are seeking to prove that Mamata Banerjee is completely misfit as the railway minister.”
The Maoists then clarified on an earlier incident, in which the Indian government blamed the Maoists for it too, but then found out that they were not behind it, & rather was a natural accident:
“Three days back, eleven bogies of the New Delhi -Gwahati Rajdhani Express were derailed near Naogachhia Station in Bihar. It was not a major accident. However, initially the blame was put on us. Later on, it was found that it was the fault of the railways that led to such a mishap.” [20]
Later on, a new reporting by the ICAWPI came in, in which they helped clarify hidden facts behind the incident & reason why the Maoists, through a reasonable & justifiable position, were not behind the accident at all. In the report, they stated that if “one goes through the track record of attacks by the Maoists, it becomes apparent that they have always intended to attack those whom they regard as a major threat to them – security forces, intelligence officers, landlords, political leaders, police informers and others tied up in one way or the other with what they regard as the present repressive state apparatus. This train was a passenger train without having any special contingent of security forces on board, as far as one could gather.” It was then stated that the “incident, as is quite clear, is man-made; it is not an accident and the arrival of the goods train that actually did the most damage, was supposed to come in another line. The Maoists do not stand to gain from it. They stand to lose very much. The incident took place at a time when the municipal elections in West Bengal are just round the corner and the CPI(Marxist) is threatened with the prospect of landslide defeat that is being considered by many observers as the dress rehearsal for the 2011 legislative assembly elections.” [21]
Keeping the CPI-M (Marxists) in mind, they make a stunning fact about the location of where this incident took place & who was there during the time of the incident:
The location: “The incident took place at Rajbandh that stands between Khemashuli and Sardiha stations. If one makes a circle around the zone keeping a radius of 3 kilometres, then villages such as Manikpara, Daldali, Barjar, Ghaghrashole, Burimol, Lalitashole, Putushol, Bhangabandh, Bahargora, Chhnanapara, Jhatibandh, Aakhrashole, Jaipur, Sardiha, Aamdila, Borchati, Kharda, Burishole, Dhudhkundi, Rajbandh, etc would come within it. Except Rajbandh where the incident took place, all other villages are controlled by the CPI(Marxist) … at that very night just after the incident, about ten persons were seen to have been looking at the rail line with torches and talking among themselves. This has been corroborated by some injured passengers as also some common villagers. Suddenly they vanished and went towards Manikpara. Manikpara is now a CPM stronghold and a den of armed hermads. It was also reported that a meeting took place in the night of 26 May in the house of Arjun Mahato, a CPI(Marxist) leader at Putushole where Anuj Pandey-the CPM leader of Lalgarh zonal committee(whose palatial building was broken down by the people) was also present. In fact, the local people of Sardiha totally discard the theory of Maoist involvement in the incident. “
And who was there: “What is also quite remarkable is the appearance of CPM minister Sushanto Ghosh(who had earned much notoriety because of his role in Garbeta, Keshpur, Nandigram and Lalgarh) along with Rabilal Maitro and other ministers as also party members at the spot in the early hours of 28 May 2010 followed by the chief minister himself.” [22]
So, according to local reports by both media & those who live around the area, instead of the Maoists being put to the blame like they were before, the tide has now turned on those who have openly opposed the Maoists for quite some time – the CPI-M (Marxist). And as long as the counterinsurgency operations continue, the Maoists will continue to gain the hearts & support of those of the exploited & oppressed. This can be seen as a fact when the Maoists gained the heart & support of Arundhati Roy, a vastly known & supportive figure within the country of India. [23]
The Philippines
In the Philippines, again, a similar war is being waged as well. This time by a group known as the New People’s Army (NPA), who is the militant wing of the Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The main propaganda campaign that was put out against the Maoist rebels were during the times when elections were still going on. Throughout each village, there are PCOS machines in which allow the villagers to vote & participate in the election results. Though, for while, many attacks were being brought out on the PCOS machines, in which the Filipino state initially blamed the Maoists for such. The Mindanao Examiner, a Filipino news site, stated on May 7 that “Communist insurgents on Friday opened fire on government troops guarding polling machines in the southern Philippines, wounding two infantrymen.” [24] Though, just two days later, the NPA responds to such allegations with clear clarification on why they were not behind any PCOS attack:
“The May 7 military action of the NPA’s Wilfredo Zapanta Command-Front 18 Operations Command (Wizac-NPA) is a punishment against the abusive 28th IB-AFP troops and a response to the complaints of the masses. The 28th IB-AFP casualties were not delivering Comelec PCOS machines as 10th ID-AFP spokesman Capt. Emmanuel Garcia claims. The NPA, as a matter of policy and as track record shows, fully respects the people’s will in the guerilla base areas especially during this most chaotic election period.
“At around 8 am that day, a team of Red fighters under the Wizac-NPA hit a unit of the 28th IB-AFP RSOT (Reengineered Special Operations Team) in Brgy. Taguibo, Mati, Davao Oriental. The ambushed enemy section was on reconnaissance patrol. They were the security elements of the 28th IB RSOT who have been conducting a month-long psychological warfare operations in Brgy. Taguibo and were not delivering Comelec PCOS machines. Private John Glenn J. Aniasco was killed while Privates First Class Abdulgani Paguildan and Julieto Domingo were wounded in the May 7 NPA ambush..
“..it is not surprising for Capt. Garcia to quickly conjure the lie that the NPA sought to thwart the delivery of the PCOS machines. He has to get creative and make a perfect excuse for the dismal failure of the 28th IB-AFP’s RSOT operations in Taguibo, and their entire operations in Davao Oriental. Onto the homestretch of the doomed counter-revolutionary Oplan Bantay Laya, all they gained was widespread demoralization among their ranks, further alienation from the masses and the failure of the US-Arroyo regime in stemming the tide of the armed revolutionary movement.” [25]
These allegations have been clearly distorted, with the lack of any details of the incident by the Filipino media, the Maoists come clean by clarifying to us all what is really going on. Not too long after the NPA spoke out against the media’s distorted lies against them, the Filipino army then came out stating that they no longer believe the NPA are behind the attacks of the PCOS machines. [26] Though, even with the PCOS propaganda campaign out of the way, & the NPA still fighting & gaining more & more support by the Filipino people, the US seems to have found a certain interest in helping out the Filipino state by lending a hand as they wage a counterinsurgency attack against the NPA. [27]
The propaganda campaign continues
Through out each separate region, which similar resistance being waged by Maoist rebels, & similar counter-resistance being waged by the bourgeois states, a propaganda campaign has been used with no mercy in order to try & dismantle what oppositional forces stands in the way of the ruling elite. These campaigns are not coincidental, they are not unintentional. These are campaigns, in which are merely waged by capitalist/imperialist forces, that have been put into action for many years – both pre- & post-Cold War eras. Whether it be to merely discredit certain groups through the use of the media, or through the acts of State sponsored terror, or even through the acts of “false-flag” operations, they have been used numerously – ranging from Cuba [28], Venezuela [29], Vietnam [30], & just recently, through a stunning revelation on recent events between SKorea & NKorea, it has been revealed of the latest possible “false-flag” attack against the DPRK (NKorea). [31][32] So, remember, always keep an open eye out on what you are told. These propaganda campaigns have been used in the past, they are being used today, & they will be used even in the future. The wars that we are to face here or later, will not only be waged physically, but also psychologically. Keep your minds straight & look past the propaganda.
Red Love & Salutes!
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“To Be Attacked by the Enemy Is Not a Bad Thing but a Good Thing” (May 26, 1939), first pocket ed., p. two
[1] “One year since the Honduran coup”, WSWS, June 28, 2010.
[2] Alastair Reith, “Balance of forces in Nepal”, Ride The Tiger, June 13, 2010.
[3] Tilak Pokharel, “Nepal’s Premier Resigns After Power Struggle Over Army Chief”, The New York Times, May 4, 2009.
[4] Ret Marut, “Nepalese Maoists restate intention to ban strikes and other news”, Libcom, April 10, 2009.
[5] Ret Marut, “Nepal: victory turns sour”, Libcom, January 22, 2009.
[6] Alasteir Reith, “Did the Maobadi ban strikes?”, Ride The Tiger, January 2, 2010.
[7] Onesto, Li. Dispatches from the People’s War in Nepal. London: Pluto Press, 2005.
[8] “India launches attack against Maoists”, Russia Today, November 11, 2009.
[9] “There is no ‘Operation Green Hunt’: Chidambaram”, The Times of India, April 7, 2010.
[10] “Rebels in India Blow Up Bus, 40 Dead”, CBS News, May 17, 2010.
[11] “Maoists blow up bus in India; 35 dead”, The Himalayan Times, May 18, 2010.
[12] “Naxalites blamed for deadly attack”, Press TV, May 17, 2010.
[13] “India bus blast ‘kills dozens’”, Al Jazeera, May 17, 2010.
[14] Rupashree Nanda, “Indian Maoists: Police Are Using Civilians as Human Shields”, CNN-IBN, May 20, 2010.
[15] Sankofa, “Maoists blow up bus in India; 35 dead”, RevLeft, May 19, 2010.
[16] “Militarized Settlements and Peasant Rondas: Reaction’s Sand Castles in the Tide of the People’s War”, NY Transfer.
[17] “Train derailment kills at least 71 in eastern India; authorities suspect rebel sabotage”, Fox News, May 27, 2010.
[18] Ibid.
[19] G. N. Salibaba, “Both the CPI (Maoist) and PCAPA have denied their involvement in the Friday train derailment”, ICAWPI, May 28, 2010.
[20] Ibid.
[21] Amit Bhattacharyya, “Why the Maoists cannot be accused of being involved in the Gyaneswari Express incident”, ICAWPI.
[22] Ibid.
[23] Arundhati Roy, “Walking With The Comrades”, Outlook India, March 29, 2010.
[24] “NPA rebels attack troops guarding poll machines in South”, The Mindanao Examiner, May 7, 2010.
[25] Simon Santiago, “NPA to 10th ID-AFP’s Capt. Garcia: What PCOS machines are you talking about?”, Philippine Revolution, May 9, 2010.
[26] “Army unit now doubts ‘NPA role’ in Iloilo PCOS burning”, GMA News, May 11, 2010.
[27] “US troops engaged in combat and other forms of military intervention–CPP”, Philippine Revolution, July 8, 2010.
[28] “Operation Northwoods” (PDF), March 13, 1962.
[29] The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Dir. Kim Bartley. DVD. Vitagraph Films, 2003.
[30] “Report reveals Vietnam War hoaxes, faked attacks”, The Washington Post, January 7, 2008.
[31] Stephen Gowans, “The sinking of the Cheonan: Another Gulf of Tonkin incident”, Stephen Gowans, May 20, 2010.
[32] Yoichi Shimatsu, “Did an American Mine Sink South Korean Ship?”, New American Media, May 27, 2010.