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I understand what you mean, but I don't think your reasoning is right. Of course, Iran as a country has a much more important place in the world than Nepal. But we're not talking about countries themselves, we're talking about the popular movements taking place there.
The current upheaval in Iran is certainly progressive, but it is not revolutionary or socialist. On the other hand, what we're seeing in Nepal is the first revolutionary communist movement to rise with real popular support since decades. It seems clear that the Nepalese revolution is not getting the attention it deserves from leftists and revolutionaries in imperialist countries. This revolution can really help put revolutionary communism back on the map.
Plus, you have to keep in mind the potential "chain reaction factor" :
This quote comes from the pamphlet "4 Reasons Nepal's Revolution Matters", by Mike Ely. I recommend reading and circulating it, it's short and quite good:
4 Reasons... English HTML version
4 Reasons... English PDF version
Spanish version
Farsi version
Urgh, since when did we support liberal uprisings over socialist revolution because the liberal uprising is in a more important country? Dagnabbit man
Formerly zenga zenga !
The article can be found hereNepal: Launching a New Phase of Struggle
Maoist deadline set to end, warning sign ahead; 22 parties firm
KATHMANDU, Aug 6 – With the deadline set by the UCPN (Maoist) to address the issue of ‘civilian supremacy’ ends Thursday evening, there is a warning sign in the road ahead for the already-troubled UML-led government.
The political crisis is likely to deepen and eclipse the major tasks of drafting a new constitution and taking the beleaguered peace process to a logical end as the major political parties remained adamant on their respective stances.
Earlier, the main opposition party UCPN (Maoist), who quit the government in May following a row over reinstating the Chief of Army Staff (CoAS), had warned to storm from the parliament and the streets from Friday if their demand for civilian supremacy over military was not addressed by this evening.
The UML-led alliance and the Maoists reached an understanding on July 4 to address the issues of civilian supremacy and the role President Dr Ram Baran Yadav in reinstating Army Chief Rookmangud Katawal by this evening.
Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal resigned in May after President Dr Ram Baran Yadav reinstated the army chief, who was sacked by him.
The Maoists have described Dr Yadav’s move as unconstitutional and have demanded that the issue be debated in parliament.
The parties could not forge an agreement over the issue until this evening despite hectic parleys among the political parties throughout the day.
Maoist leader Narayan Kazi Shrestha discussed the issue with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and urged the duo to create an environment for discussing the issue in the Legislature-Parliament.
PM Nepal, in response, said he was in favor of solving the issue through consensus adding that the Maoist demand of discussing the issue in the Parliament, however, could not be entertained.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the 22-parties supporting the UML-led coalition is underway at the PM’s official residence in Baluwatar in order to forge consensus on the Maoists’ demand.
The Maoists are all set to commence their earlier announced two-pronged struggle programmes from tomorrow.
A bit old news..
The article can be found hereMaoist chairman Prachanda to leave for London Saturday
In his first foreign trip after stepping down as the Prime Minister, Maoist chairman (Prachanda) Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to leave for London, where he will participate in interactions organised by Nepali expat community, on Saturday.
Dahal will stay in London for a week, participating in programmes organised by various organisations of Nepalis living in Europe, Dahal's press advisor Om Sharma told Nepalnews.
Asked if Dahal would meet British government officials during his stay, Sharma said he was unable to confirm it because few things regarding the tour itinerary were yet to be worked out.
Wife Sita and son Prakash will accompany Dahal during the visit, it is learnt.
The article can be found herePublic Meeting in London with Prachanda August 10th - Woolwich Town Hall
Former Prime Minister and chairman of the Unified CPN (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' arrived in London Saturday evening on a five-day visit to London to apprise his party workers and supporters regarding the decisions made by the recently concluded Central Committee meeting and the latest strategy of his party.
Dahal is being accompanied by his spouse Seeta Dahal and son Prakash Dahal.
Members of Nepali Samparka Mancha UK, entrepreneurs and social workers welcomed the Dahal family at the Heathrow Int'l Airport.
During his stay in London, he will address a gathering of Nepalese at the Woolwich Town hall, south east London, on Monday afternoon and interact with Gurkha veterans on Sunday, organisers said.
A number of Nepali organisations have invited him for meetings during his stay in London, reports said. There is also speculation in The Nepal Telegraph that Prachanda will meet with RIM and CCOMPOSA leaders in UK to discuss differences.
Picture Woolwich Town Hall
Dear all,
Namaskar ! As you might already be informed that Ex-Prime Minister and Chairman of Unified Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) Comrade Prachanda will arrive on 8 August in London and will departure on 12 August for Belarus. Nepali Samaj, UK is going to organise a public meeting in support of United Nepalese Front, Europe in his presence.
He will give a speech and afterwards there will be an interaction with public on various burning political issues which Nepal has witnessed for. So, on the behalf of Nepal Samaj, UK, I am very much pleased to invite all of you to attend this public meeting.
I hope that you will make a time to join in this programme. I am sorry for any inconvenience it may cause to you due to this short notice.
Please note down it in details for programme which will follow as:
Programme: A speech given by comrade Prachanda followed by interaction with public. (Public meeting)
Venue: Woolwich Town Hall, London
Date : 10 August (Monday), 2009
Time: 1:PM ( Sharp)
If you need any further information regarding this programme, please feel free to contact me in your convenience. Thanks.
With best wishes,
Rana K. C.
Coordinator
Nepali Samaj UK
Central Conference Preparation Committee
Nepali Samaj, UK
Contact NO. 07878744494
http://telegraphnepal.com/news_det.php?news_id=6008
This is obviously pure speculation, but the Nepalese media are claiming that Prachanda is going to try and take leadership of the RIM. It'll be interesting to see what happens there.
Nepal Maoist Chief likely to bag RIM leadership in London
TGW
[FONT=Verdana]Reports revealing the inner secrets of Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda, Unified Maoists, sudden dash to London, UK, reveal that the main agenda for the trip is to bag the top leadership position of the RIM (Revolutionary International Movement).[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]“Prachanda left for London, Saturday August 8, 2009, mainly to bag the top leadership position of the RIM”, claims Tarun vernacular weekly dated August 10, 2009. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]The Maoists sources claim, writes the Tarun weekly that though Prachanda’s trip to London has been attributed to his meet with the party cadres spread across Western Europe, however, after meeting the party cadres the Maoists chief will attend a conference organized by the RIM- the global ultra-leftists organization at an unknown place.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]The RIM is the origination of extreme leftists’ from 14 countries across the globe.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]Bob Awakin, a US citizen is the chief of the RIM.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]On the other hand, the Tarun quoting the Maoists’ sources claim that Prachanda is in London to deposit the unauthorized amount he amassed in the last two years. [/FONT]
Is there much point in joining Rim, I can understand Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia.
The spiritual atom bomb which the revolutionary people possess is a far more powerful and useful weapon than the physical atom bomb. - Lin Biao
Our code of morals is our revolution. What saves our revolution, what helps our revolution, what protects our revolution is right, is very right and very honourable and very noble and very beautiful, because our revolution means justice
- Dr. George Habash, founder of the PFLP.
The Nepalese already were in RIM, they've been affiliated since before the beginning of the People's War. RIM is practically non-existent at the moment and I suspect the reason the Nepalese media are playing it up is because some politician (can't remember who) attacked the Maoists by saying they were affiliated to various ultra-left terrorist groups. Also at their recent Central Committee meeting the Maoists voted to reconfirm their affiliation to both CCOMPOSA and the RIM.
"On the other hand, the Tarun quoting the Maoists’ sources claim that Prachanda is in London to deposit the unauthorized amount he amassed in the last two years."
Huh?
Ivan "Bonebreaker" Khutorskoy16.11.2009"We won't forget, we won't forgive"
That's called media slander.
I've heard similar things before. Is it at all founded? He was Prime Minister for a while, I am sure some financial benefits come with that, unless the Moiasts exercised the 'working wage' rule that some revolutionarys talk about.
Ivan "Bonebreaker" Khutorskoy16.11.2009"We won't forget, we won't forgive"
none of the maoist leaders are allowed to own personal property and last i heard the maximum amount of income they were allowed was 3x that of an average worker. but, regarding pay that was many months ago and since there have been investigation campaigns surrounding possible corruption headed by the far left winger in the party 'kiran', so that may have changed as well.
an article from mrzine putting recent events in context.
Is Civil Peace in Nepal Endangered?
by Analytical Monthly Review Analytical Monthly Review, published in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India, is a sister edition of Monthly Review. Its May 2009 issue features the following editorial. -- Ed.
Today, in May 2009, few familiar with recent events in Nepal would dispute that there is a serious threat to the civil peace, whose origin dates from the unilateral cease-fire obeyed by the Peoples Liberation Army ("PLA") from the start of Dasain 2005.
In fact, civil peace in Nepal has been endangered continuously since it was first achieved. But the discipline of the PLA has preserved the peace, despite -- from the outset -- repeated provocations. In December of 2005 the U.S. advised and trained Rangers Battalion of the Royal Nepal Army ("RNA") landed, heavily armed, in helicopters in towns in central Rolpa, the heart of the then liberated district. But PLA discipline prevailed, they withdrew, and the Rangers were permitted to leave unmolested, without even a tear or rip in their new uniforms. In the months leading up to the success of the great urban rebellion of April 2006, the "Second Janandolan," civilian Maoist meetings in the countryside were attacked from helicopter gunships, and those who today command the Nepal Army were then ordering their troops to "shoot-to-kill" to enforce the Royal curfews in the cities. But the PLA kept its discipline. The initiative fell to the brave unarmed urban demonstrators, and it was the soldiers of the RNA who refused orders to shoot down the protesting crowds in the cities -- acts of defiance that brought the Royal regime to its close.
The April 2006 temporary regime of politicians from the expired Royal parliament -- leaders of the Nepal Congress and the Communist Party (United Marxist-Leninist) ("UML") -- set out to reach a peace agreement. The November 2006 agreement between the revolutionaries and the parliamentary politicians put a formal end to the civil war, and provided for a new transitional government that would hold elections for a Constitutional Assembly to draft a new Constitution. This now official civil peace commenced with the agreement that the former Royal Nepal Army (now "Nepal Army") would be placed under the command of a new coalition government that would include the revolutionary CPN(Maoist), and that would "democratise the institution to make it an inclusive and national army." In the meantime, both the Nepal Army and the Peoples Liberation Army would alike be confined to barracks under UN watch, and fed and supported by the national government.
Not until April 2007 were the leaders of the Nepal Congress, who dominated the interim regime, willing to create the coalition government with the CPN(Maoist) called for by the November 2006 agreement. The Nepal Congress kept control of the chief executive position of Prime Minister and the Defense Ministry. But no steps were taken to "democratise" the Nepal Army, now under the command of the arrogant royalist General Katawal, adopted brother of the King Gyanandra. Instead a policy of provocation began, marked by a deliberate refusal to abide by the agreement to provide the funds necessary to feed and support the PLA. But the PLA kept its discipline and the peace, constructing its cantonments under conditions that would have provoked a mutiny had they been imposed upon the Nepal Army.
At last, elections for the Constituent Assembly were held in April 2008. The Nepal Congress and the UML were soundly defeated. The CPN(Maoist) won more seats than both Nepal Congress and UML combined, and became the leading party of the Constituent Assembly with some forty percent of the seats. In June 2008 the Republic was declared by the Constituent Assembly, and the King deposed.
An interim constitution provided for a ceremonial president, and in July 2008 a minor Nepal Congress politician was selected for the post -- qualified solely by the facts that he was a Yadav [the most numerous caste of the Tarai, historically tenants and in confrontation with their Brahmin landlords] and had not been defeated in his constituency, unlike all the more senior Nepal Congress politicians. As for the executive positions, the CPN(Maoist) -- having won the elections -- claimed the leading positions in the coalition government previously held by the defeated Nepal Congress. In August 2008 Comrade Prachanda became Prime Minister, and Comrade Badal, Defense Minister. The CPN(Maoist) sought to preserve the all-party coalition, but the defeated Nepal Congress leadership demanded the Defense Ministry and went into opposition when it was denied. From that point on they allied with the Nepal Army command, in opposition.
The commander of the Nepal Army, General Katawal, refused to obey the orders of the Defense Minister and accept civilian supremacy, and the defeated politicians of the Nepal Congress obstructed the proceedings of the Constituent Assembly. Despite these provocations, as well as a fierce campaign by the bourgeois (and foreign connected) media that blew up every report of a village fight involving a revolutionary into a national cause célèbre, the PLA and the cadres of the revolutionary party -- now expanded through the association of smaller communist parties into the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) ("UCPN-M") -- have kept the peace, and kept their discipline.
In Nepal for eight months there have been no political prisoners, no political exiles, and -- by the standards of every other country in South Asia -- complete civil peace. The UCPN-M have established their credentials with the majority of the people of Nepal, and with all fair-minded observers elsewhere, as the party of peace. In April 2009 by-elections were held simultaneously in several constituencies of the Constituent Assembly. Only the UCPN-M, already the largest party, improved its position.
The insolent disobedience of General Katawal reached new heights. Recruitment for the Nepal Army was commenced, in open violation of the peace agreement as noted by the UN. Ordered to stop, he refused. Eight senior generals reached retirement age; the elected government ordered them retired and he defied the order. The fifth Nepal National Games were held at the start of April, the first in eleven years, and the command withdrew the Nepal Army teams to protest the participation of the PLA, in defiance of an order from the government.
In May, the elected government cashiered General Katawal for his insubordination. He refused to obey the order. The Nepal Congress leaders defeated in the April 2008 elections made the ceremonial president "countermand" the order of the executive. Prime Minister Prachanda then resigned, placing civilian supremacy over the Nepal Army as the unavoidable question of the hour.
In his defiance General Katawal enjoyed the open support of the defeated politicians of the Nepal Congress. And Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood, who, in the power vacuum occasioned by the interminable Lok Sabha elections, publicly demonstrated the limitations of the foreign service mindset to the fullest possible degree; servile toward the United States, paranoid toward China, and arrogant toward Nepal. Katawal also had the quiet backing of U.S. Ambassador Nancy Powell, who engineered a timely U.S. denunciation of the UCPN(M) as "terrorists." If any question remained as to the role of the United States, it was removed days after Prachanda's resignation when a report in the official media revealed that a videotape that had suddenly appeared, displaying an old boldly revolutionary talk by Prachanda to PLA commanders, had been distributed by the Army's Directorate of Psychological Operations. Commanded by Army spokesperson Ramindra Chhetri, the Directorate was set up under the supervision of U.S. "advisers" and has remained a primary U.S. intelligence asset in Nepal.
In short, the defiance by General Katawal, the calculated sudden assertion of Royal authority by the ceremonial president, the "scandalous" video portraying Prachanda in his role as a revolutionary leader (!), the betrayal by several UML politicians -- most particularly the shady Ishwor Pokharel -- who had promised Prachanda support in asserting civilian supremacy and then stabbed him in the back, suggest a coup attempt. But a key factor was missing; there was not even a trace of public support. When General Katawal defied his dismissal, the Nepal Congress politicians called out the "outraged" public so that the ploy with the ceremonial president would appear the result of pressure from the masses; but no one came out.
Peace is the achievement of the revolutionaries, and it is less endangered today than before the coup fizzled out. The UCPN-M has the masses behind it, and it needs solely to preserve its discipline, as it has since it began the peace process at Chumwang in Rukum in the weeks before Dasain 2005.
One can be confident that in not too many weeks General Katawal will go, and the ceremonial president will be reduced to his proper place or disappear into the obscurity from which he was plucked. These conditions are understood by every Nepali to be the minimum required for the UCPN-M to support a new government. Will the feudal remnants leave the scene without a final desperate attempt at restarting the civil war? One can hope so; they are angry, fearful and stubborn, but they are not insane.
The UCPN (M) is doing magnificent work. Keep it up Comrades!
If this is true, it's probably one of the best things that could happen to the RIM in recent years.
"If communism means anything at all, it means the radical eruption of democracy. Bursting its present narrow political confines, where it is allowed to hold truncated and partly illusory sway, democracy is to engulf all spheres of social life."
~Moshe Machover, "Collective Decision-Making and Supervision in a Communist Society"
" I swear the neighbours must have heard the facepalm I just made."
~Majakovskij
Significant development
Lt. Gen. Gurung appointed acting army chief in Nepal
Aug 10, 2009
Kosh R. Koirala - Reporting from Nepal
Kathmandu, 10 August, (Asiantribune.com): Nepal government has appointed Lt. Gen. Chhatra Man Singh Gurung as an acting chief of Nepal Army as the incumbent army chief Rookmangud Katawal is taking a customary leave one month before his retirement. A cabinet meeting held on Sunday took a decision to this effect.
Gurung, 57, will officially head state army after Katawal’s three-year tenure expires on September 9. This is the first instance of a person belonging to ethnic community heading the national army with 92,000 plus strong force so far.
Traditionally, the army chief would come from the families close to erstwhile Royal Place. Only the ruling Shah, Rana and Thapa have been appointed as the army chief in its entire history of some 250 years.
Started his army career in 1971 after completing Bachelor level education from Tribhuvan University, Gurung has had an untainted career as an apolitical officer within the army. Gurung has received training from the Indian Military Academy, Deharadun and has also completed military courses from US Army Command and General Staff College and National Defense University of China.
The retirement of incumbent army chief Katawal will bring the curtain down on the career of the most controversial army chief so far in Nepal.
Katawal was dragged into controversy as he vehemently opposed idea of former rebel party, Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), to integrate their combatants into the army, arguing that the integration of ‘politically indoctrinated’ guerillas will spoil the institution of army.
The erstwhile Maoist-led government was forced to step down from the government on May 4 after President Dr Ram Baran Yadav blocked their decision to sack him. The Maoists are still staging protest against the president’s move both in the House and in the streets.
***
This is a pretty significant development. Judging by the timing this clearly a move from the government to try and discredit the Maoists recently initiated wave of struggles.
The kicker is this person comes from a "commoner's" background. Katawal does as well, but was adopted into royalty. So, this person will be the first head general not from an aristocratic background.
This is also done in opposition to the Maoists choice candidate (Lt. Gen. Kul Bahadur Khadka), who they originally chose because he was supposedly favorable to integration.
So, likely the government is hoping that the new appointees class background, along with Katawal stepping down, will stave of the justified anger of people in nepal towards Katawals insubordinance and defuse the the power of the mobilzations the UCPN is calling for.
student activities in recent wave of struggle
http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index....unce-stir.html
Maoist students announce stir
Maoist affiliated All Nepal National Independent Student Union – Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) has announced a fresh phase of stir against the Tribhuvan University administration.
In a press meet on Tuesday, union general secretary Himal Sharma said they would close all private higher secondary schools for an indefinite period from Wednesday.
He also said they would also force all educational institutions across the country to remain shut on August 18.
The union’s chairman, Lekhnath Neupane, threatened of action against the university vice chancellor if the university fails to agree for opening new admissions at the Proficiency Certificate Level (PCL).
Three members of the union are on indefinite hunger strike at the TU premises in Kirtipur since three days demanding TU to open admission at PCL level. nepalnews.com
http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index....y-issues-.html
Maoists tell govt to face 'serious consequences' for refusing to address 'civilian supremacy' issue
Unified CPN (Maoist) Vice-Chairman Narayan Kazi Shrestha has said that the government should now be prepared to face the 'grave consequences' of the month-long nationwide agitation Maoists are waging to restore 'civilian supremacy' and national sovereignty.
Speaking at a press meet organized by Tamuwan State Council in Pokhara Monday, Shrestha, who is also the deputy parliamentary party leader of the UCPN (Maoist), said that the Maoists have also started the protest movement to exert pressure (on the government) for integration of former Maoist combatants into Nepal Army, timely drafting of constitution and taking the ongoing peace process to its desired conclusion.
He also hinted that the Maoist agitation might be the beginning of the 'third People's movement ', if the aforementioned demands are not met.
The second people's movement waged by various political parties including ruling CPN-UML, Nepali Congress and Maoists had toppled the royal regime in 2006.
He blasted at the 'reactionary forces', the usual Maoist punch bag, "for trying to impose traditional parliamentary system in the country against the people's wishes, wanting foreign intervention to continue, not wanting to see integration of Maoist combatants into NA and favouring military supremacy over civilian supremacy".
"While continuing our agitation against all this, we would also keep the doors for consensus and cooperation open," he said.
Shrestha said Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal's statement that the government will suppress the Maoist agitation if it threatens to turn into a 'people's revolt' is very careless and will only push the country towards more confrontation.
He again reiterated that the Maoists will under no circumstances join the 'puppet government' led by UML.
The Maoist party had announced stir from Friday with the expiry of the four-day ultimatum to the government to address the contentious issues of 'civilian supremacy', including what it called 'unconstitutional move' of the President vis-à-vis the Army chief row.
The main opposition party had staged demonstrations in different parts of the country Sunday as part of its month-long protest movement.
In Kathmandu, Maoist leaders and cadres took out demonstration rallies. Similar demonstrations were organised outside the capital. There were no reports of violence or arrests during the largely peaceful Maoist demonstrations. nepalnews.com
Retaliate if Nepal Govt resorts to repressive measures: Prachanda
TGW
The Chairman of the Unified Communist Party-Maoist Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal has asked his political cadres to forcefully retaliate if the government resorts to repressive measures against their protest beginning today, August 7, 2009.
Mr. Dahal instructed his cadres while addressing a training program in Pokhara, Kaski district Thursday, August 6, 2009.
“The Protest will lead to the formation of the National Government, however, I will not lead the emerging government”, Dahal was quoted as saying by one of his cadres adding, “Henceforth, I will steer the party.”
Dahal also told his cadres that the mood of the government was to take retaliatory action against their what he called “logical protest programs”.
Some four hundred Maoists’ cadres had participated in the cadre training program that saw the presence of Maoists’ top hats as well.
Senior Vice President Mohan Baidya Kiran, Vice President Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai, General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa alias Badal were some of the top-hats of the party who were present at the meeting.
The security at the meeting venue was provided by the YCL cadres who were equipped with Khukuri and Lathi, writes Kantipur Daily
Dated August 7, 2009.
http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/20...ion-for-power/
for all the haters claiming the PLA doesn't have access to weapons
i know this is dated, but its important to clear up misconceptions.
a direct quote from the comprehensive peace agreement of 2006
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countr...eagreement.htm
In other words there are storage facilities with lots of weapons located inside Maoist camps with a single lock to qhich only the maoists have the key for. the weapons are monitored with an alarm system that will ring if they decide they want all their arms.
so, they have NOT been disarmed by the UN or any other such nonsense that has been propagated by misinformed folks.
Excellent. The time for the Revolution is at hand...
COMMUNISM !
