Severian
25th February 2007, 05:32
Press release by UN monitoring mission in Nepal (http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusnewsnepal.asp?NewsID=1149&sID=37) Highlights:
The total number of Maoist army combatants registered at the seven main cantonment sites, including those from the associated satellite cantonment sites, is 30,852......In view of persistent concerns that minors and persons recruited after the Ceasefire Code of Conduct continue to be associated with the Maoist army, particular efforts will be made to ensure full respect of the requirements of the Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (4.1.3) that any combatant found to be born after 25 May 1988 will be honourably and automatically discharged, and that only those individuals who were members of the Maoist army before 25 May 2006 are eligible for cantonment.
The total number of weapons registered so far is 3,428. The types of weapons are: 91 mortars (of which 55 are locally-made); 61 machine guns; 2,403 rifles; 61 automatic weapons (sub-machine guns); 114 side-arms; 212 shotguns; 253 various/miscellaneous; and 233 home-made weapons. This includes 524 weapons retained for perimeter security by designated guards, in accordance with the Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (4.1.2), and 49 of the weapons are so far retained away from the cantonments, pending an understanding with the Government on arrangements for personal security of leaders.
UNMIN is not and will not be in a position to state whether the weapons it has registered correspond to the full total of weapons held by the Maoist army. The Nepal Army has made available to UNMIN a breakdown by types of 3,430 weapons which it states were taken from the Nepal Army, the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force. There is a high degree of correspondence between the types of weapons listed by the NA and the types of weapons registered. The JMCC has agreed to compare these listings and report its conclusions to the parties. UNMIN is not in a position to confirm or refute reports of weapons purchases by or on behalf of the CPN(M), although the weapons registered include a number of weapons not held in the stocks of the state security forces, such as AK-47s.
....
The Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (4.2.3) provides that the Nepal Army will store arms in equal numbers to those of the Maoist army under equivalent monitoring arrangements. Through the JMCC, the Nepal Army is studying the details reported on Maoist army weapons stored, in order to propose equivalent weapons types for storage.
I don't know how many AK-47s and other weapons the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) may have purchased over the years. But I'd guess a majority of its weapons were captured, and if so this would be a majority of its weapons now locked up.
I'm sure that 3,428 is nowhere near a majority of the weapons owned by the Nepal Army. The CPN(M) is not in a position to block the reestablishment of the old state machine in the rural areas, which in fact has mostly taken place by now (the police posts).
Nor is the CPN(M)'s current stated agenda hostile to the capitalist state. As its leader Prachada explained at a recent rally in Kathmandu:
Stating that there was no alternative to a federal republican setup for the "liberation" of Nepali people, Prachanda said, "There is no alternative but to set up a democratic republic through constituent assembly elections."
We are in the process of creating a new Nepal and the new Nepal "will alter those who have been ruled for the last 250 years into rulers and the vice versa", the former rebel leader said.
The Maoist strongman said the CPN-M would adopt a liberal economic policy, however made it clear that the policy would stress on utilizing national resources including local manpower up to a maximum, minimizing the influx of foreign capital in the country.
Underscoring his party's policy on revolutionary land reform, Prachanda said that a provision of land ceiling will be brought into force that will allow the poor to avail the excess land.
That's the most radical thing he promised. (http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=100569)
On the other hand, an undeterminate number of unregistered weapons could be a handy thing for intimidating unarmed political activists...
A new Maoist target: organizations of Nepal's many oppressed nationalities. The establishment of bourgeois democracy has created an opening for the demands of the long-oppressed peoples of this multi-national state. Especially including demonstrations, strikes, and transport blockades in the Terai region. Prachanda's responded by claiming this eruption of protest is the result of a royalist conspiracy.
In the last few days:
Maoist cadre have attacked a mass meeting organized by the Madheshi People's Rights Forum (http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?nid=101627) and abducted dozens of members of the MPRF (http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?nid=101738). CPN(M) members have also attackedmembers of the Federation of Indigenous Nationalities who were organizing a transport blockade. (http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?template=Nepalturmoil&id=101381&callid=1)
The CPN(Maoist) has also attacked workers for their union membership: (http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?nid=101745)
At least 12 workers affiliated to the workers' unions of the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-UML were injured when Maoist cadres beat them up Saturday in Jorpati.
The workers affiliated to Nepal Trade Union Congress and the federation were beaten up by the combat-dressed Maoist cadres when the workers were returning to their workplaces after attending a mass meeting today afternoon at Tinchuli, Jorpati.
The workers at local carpet factories have been staging demonstration programmes for the last few days to highlight their demands.
And, of course, they're still attacking rival parties. (http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/feb/feb24/news05.php) In this case, the Communist Party of Nepal(United Marxist-Leninist), which is basically a mass reformist workers' party with ties to the country's largest union federation. The CPN(Maoist) is not any kind of workers' party. It is founded by middle-class ex-student types, continues to have a certain student base in addition to its base in rural areas. Much (though certainly not all) of the last is based on intimidation of the peasants.
It is, of course, necessary for workers organizations' to defend themselves and each other from physical attack from anti-worker forces, no matter what ideological label those forces use.
My guess about what's going on here? The CPN(Maoist) is starting to wonder if it's made a mistake with this whole peace process thing. Wonder if it's likely to have much success as an electoral party. Even in the rural areas, people have expressed dissatisfaction with its rule by terror against working people.
Going back to war is not really an option; they'd have bigger problems than before they opted for negotiations. But there has to be a tremendous temptation to try to improve their electoral chances by intimidation. Gotta wonder what'll happen when the date for Constituent Assembly elections is definitely set, and other parties start sending out campaigners to all the villages...
But the opening up of mass politics in Nepal seems hard to reverse. It's a heartening thing that all kinds of oppressed groups are finally finding their voices....
The total number of Maoist army combatants registered at the seven main cantonment sites, including those from the associated satellite cantonment sites, is 30,852......In view of persistent concerns that minors and persons recruited after the Ceasefire Code of Conduct continue to be associated with the Maoist army, particular efforts will be made to ensure full respect of the requirements of the Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (4.1.3) that any combatant found to be born after 25 May 1988 will be honourably and automatically discharged, and that only those individuals who were members of the Maoist army before 25 May 2006 are eligible for cantonment.
The total number of weapons registered so far is 3,428. The types of weapons are: 91 mortars (of which 55 are locally-made); 61 machine guns; 2,403 rifles; 61 automatic weapons (sub-machine guns); 114 side-arms; 212 shotguns; 253 various/miscellaneous; and 233 home-made weapons. This includes 524 weapons retained for perimeter security by designated guards, in accordance with the Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (4.1.2), and 49 of the weapons are so far retained away from the cantonments, pending an understanding with the Government on arrangements for personal security of leaders.
UNMIN is not and will not be in a position to state whether the weapons it has registered correspond to the full total of weapons held by the Maoist army. The Nepal Army has made available to UNMIN a breakdown by types of 3,430 weapons which it states were taken from the Nepal Army, the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force. There is a high degree of correspondence between the types of weapons listed by the NA and the types of weapons registered. The JMCC has agreed to compare these listings and report its conclusions to the parties. UNMIN is not in a position to confirm or refute reports of weapons purchases by or on behalf of the CPN(M), although the weapons registered include a number of weapons not held in the stocks of the state security forces, such as AK-47s.
....
The Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (4.2.3) provides that the Nepal Army will store arms in equal numbers to those of the Maoist army under equivalent monitoring arrangements. Through the JMCC, the Nepal Army is studying the details reported on Maoist army weapons stored, in order to propose equivalent weapons types for storage.
I don't know how many AK-47s and other weapons the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) may have purchased over the years. But I'd guess a majority of its weapons were captured, and if so this would be a majority of its weapons now locked up.
I'm sure that 3,428 is nowhere near a majority of the weapons owned by the Nepal Army. The CPN(M) is not in a position to block the reestablishment of the old state machine in the rural areas, which in fact has mostly taken place by now (the police posts).
Nor is the CPN(M)'s current stated agenda hostile to the capitalist state. As its leader Prachada explained at a recent rally in Kathmandu:
Stating that there was no alternative to a federal republican setup for the "liberation" of Nepali people, Prachanda said, "There is no alternative but to set up a democratic republic through constituent assembly elections."
We are in the process of creating a new Nepal and the new Nepal "will alter those who have been ruled for the last 250 years into rulers and the vice versa", the former rebel leader said.
The Maoist strongman said the CPN-M would adopt a liberal economic policy, however made it clear that the policy would stress on utilizing national resources including local manpower up to a maximum, minimizing the influx of foreign capital in the country.
Underscoring his party's policy on revolutionary land reform, Prachanda said that a provision of land ceiling will be brought into force that will allow the poor to avail the excess land.
That's the most radical thing he promised. (http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=100569)
On the other hand, an undeterminate number of unregistered weapons could be a handy thing for intimidating unarmed political activists...
A new Maoist target: organizations of Nepal's many oppressed nationalities. The establishment of bourgeois democracy has created an opening for the demands of the long-oppressed peoples of this multi-national state. Especially including demonstrations, strikes, and transport blockades in the Terai region. Prachanda's responded by claiming this eruption of protest is the result of a royalist conspiracy.
In the last few days:
Maoist cadre have attacked a mass meeting organized by the Madheshi People's Rights Forum (http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?nid=101627) and abducted dozens of members of the MPRF (http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?nid=101738). CPN(M) members have also attackedmembers of the Federation of Indigenous Nationalities who were organizing a transport blockade. (http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?template=Nepalturmoil&id=101381&callid=1)
The CPN(Maoist) has also attacked workers for their union membership: (http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?nid=101745)
At least 12 workers affiliated to the workers' unions of the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-UML were injured when Maoist cadres beat them up Saturday in Jorpati.
The workers affiliated to Nepal Trade Union Congress and the federation were beaten up by the combat-dressed Maoist cadres when the workers were returning to their workplaces after attending a mass meeting today afternoon at Tinchuli, Jorpati.
The workers at local carpet factories have been staging demonstration programmes for the last few days to highlight their demands.
And, of course, they're still attacking rival parties. (http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/feb/feb24/news05.php) In this case, the Communist Party of Nepal(United Marxist-Leninist), which is basically a mass reformist workers' party with ties to the country's largest union federation. The CPN(Maoist) is not any kind of workers' party. It is founded by middle-class ex-student types, continues to have a certain student base in addition to its base in rural areas. Much (though certainly not all) of the last is based on intimidation of the peasants.
It is, of course, necessary for workers organizations' to defend themselves and each other from physical attack from anti-worker forces, no matter what ideological label those forces use.
My guess about what's going on here? The CPN(Maoist) is starting to wonder if it's made a mistake with this whole peace process thing. Wonder if it's likely to have much success as an electoral party. Even in the rural areas, people have expressed dissatisfaction with its rule by terror against working people.
Going back to war is not really an option; they'd have bigger problems than before they opted for negotiations. But there has to be a tremendous temptation to try to improve their electoral chances by intimidation. Gotta wonder what'll happen when the date for Constituent Assembly elections is definitely set, and other parties start sending out campaigners to all the villages...
But the opening up of mass politics in Nepal seems hard to reverse. It's a heartening thing that all kinds of oppressed groups are finally finding their voices....