Maoists Vow To Continue Blockades In Nepal
Financial Times
April 25, 2006
By Binod Bhattarai in Kathmandu
Nepal’s seven-party alliance named former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala as the new head of goverment on Tuesday and stated their wish for a constituent assembly election to bring Maoist insurgents into mainstream politics.
But doubts remained as to whether the Maoists, who have been fighting a “people’s war” to topple the monarchy since 1996, would agree to work with the new government.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the rebels accused the political parties of going against the spirit of their earlier understanding and added that they would continue to blockade highways and the capital Kathmandu until an “unconditional” constituent assembly election was announced.
The rapid developments came after King Gyanendra announced on Monday night the restoration of parliament and his decision to let political parties take full charge of the country. He had seized executive powers in a coup in February 2005.
The king has yet to provide a clear answer to demands for elections to a constituent assembly. Such a body would write a new and possibly republican Nepali constitution that might end centuries of rule by the Shah dynasty.
There is a general sense of victory on the streets of Kathmandu as the capital began returning to normalcy on Tuesday. People were gradually getting back to work and businesses reopened after almost three weeks of curfews.
The seven parties have formally announced the end of the protests and a general strike which began on April 6. Fifteen people were killed during the three week-long protests.
Mr Koirala, the leader the Nepali Congress and the largest party in the alliance, is becoming prime minister for the fourth time since 1991.
The first parliamentary meeting, scheduled for 1pm on Friday, would take forward the process of holding constituent assembly elections, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, the Nepali Congress spokesman said.
The parties said the King’s decision on Monday to step back provided a “solid basis” for moving towards lasting peace and “total” democracy in accordance with the wishes of the people.
They also thanked the Maoists for joining in their protests in accordance with the an agreement reached in November last year, and asked them to withdraw all protests while they begin work to implement the pact.
The statement from the Maoists, released after the seven-party announcement, was signed by the chairman Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai, the other top leader.
The Maoists and the alliance have disagreed on how the election should be held. The seven parties wa
nt to take the parliamentary route while the Maoists have demanded the opposition topple the monarchy and form an interim government, which must include the Maoists, ahead of the election.
The Maoist leaders said the king’s offer was just another ploy to put out “the flames” of the people’s movement and that they had “rejected” and “trashed” the king’s proclamation.
The US State Department said in a statement that it “salutes the people of Nepal’s courage and resilience in their struggle for democracy” and that the political parties now “must step up to their responsibilities and cooperate to turn the people’s demands for democracy and good governance into reality.”
It also called on the Maoists to end their violent attacks and join a peaceful political process, saying the US was ready to help in the process.
The alliance has called on those planning to attend a massive rally originally planned for Tuesday to celebrate their victory peacefully. The party leaders will jointly address a public meeting in the centre of Kathmandu on Thursday.
The Home Ministry began freeing all detainees arrested in connection with the protests within hours of the royal proclamation. The government has also lifted a ban on protests inside and within 200m of the ring road which surrounds Kathmandu.
Small groups of students and political activists in “victory rallies” began converging on Tuesday morning. They were shouting: “Whose victory – the people’s! Declare constituent assembly election, take actions against those who repressed the protests and hang the murderers.”
“We must force all our leaders to publicly commit that they won’t be corrupt like in the past, otherwise [they] will again betray all those who gave up their lives for democracy,” said Prem Lama, a bus driver.
“I wish we had a prime minister from the smaller parties because we’ve seen the large ones and how they functioned,” Mr Lama added.
April 25, 2006
By Binod Bhattarai in Kathmandu
Nepal’s seven-party alliance named former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala as the new head of goverment on Tuesday and stated their wish for a constituent assembly election to bring Maoist insurgents into mainstream politics.
But doubts remained as to whether the Maoists, who have been fighting a “people’s war” to topple the monarchy since 1996, would agree to work with the new government.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the rebels accused the political parties of going against the spirit of their earlier understanding and added that they would continue to blockade highways and the capital Kathmandu until an “unconditional” constituent assembly election was announced.
The rapid developments came after King Gyanendra announced on Monday night the restoration of parliament and his decision to let political parties take full charge of the country. He had seized executive powers in a coup in February 2005.
The king has yet to provide a clear answer to demands for elections to a constituent assembly. Such a body would write a new and possibly republican Nepali constitution that might end centuries of rule by the Shah dynasty.
There is a general sense of victory on the streets of Kathmandu as the capital began returning to normalcy on Tuesday. People were gradually getting back to work and businesses reopened after almost three weeks of curfews.
The seven parties have formally announced the end of the protests and a general strike which began on April 6. Fifteen people were killed during the three week-long protests.
Mr Koirala, the leader the Nepali Congress and the largest party in the alliance, is becoming prime minister for the fourth time since 1991.
The first parliamentary meeting, scheduled for 1pm on Friday, would take forward the process of holding constituent assembly elections, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, the Nepali Congress spokesman said.
The parties said the King’s decision on Monday to step back provided a “solid basis” for moving towards lasting peace and “total” democracy in accordance with the wishes of the people.
They also thanked the Maoists for joining in their protests in accordance with the an agreement reached in November last year, and asked them to withdraw all protests while they begin work to implement the pact.
The statement from the Maoists, released after the seven-party announcement, was signed by the chairman Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai, the other top leader.
The Maoists and the alliance have disagreed on how the election should be held. The seven parties wa
nt to take the parliamentary route while the Maoists have demanded the opposition topple the monarchy and form an interim government, which must include the Maoists, ahead of the election.The Maoist leaders said the king’s offer was just another ploy to put out “the flames” of the people’s movement and that they had “rejected” and “trashed” the king’s proclamation.
The US State Department said in a statement that it “salutes the people of Nepal’s courage and resilience in their struggle for democracy” and that the political parties now “must step up to their responsibilities and cooperate to turn the people’s demands for democracy and good governance into reality.”
It also called on the Maoists to end their violent attacks and join a peaceful political process, saying the US was ready to help in the process.
The alliance has called on those planning to attend a massive rally originally planned for Tuesday to celebrate their victory peacefully. The party leaders will jointly address a public meeting in the centre of Kathmandu on Thursday.
The Home Ministry began freeing all detainees arrested in connection with the protests within hours of the royal proclamation. The government has also lifted a ban on protests inside and within 200m of the ring road which surrounds Kathmandu.
Small groups of students and political activists in “victory rallies” began converging on Tuesday morning. They were shouting: “Whose victory – the people’s! Declare constituent assembly election, take actions against those who repressed the protests and hang the murderers.”
“We must force all our leaders to publicly commit that they won’t be corrupt like in the past, otherwise [they] will again betray all those who gave up their lives for democracy,” said Prem Lama, a bus driver.
“I wish we had a prime minister from the smaller parties because we’ve seen the large ones and how they functioned,” Mr Lama added.
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