| Who
are Nepal's Maoist rebels? |
August
2004
The
rebels control large swathes of rural Nepal. Just when it seems that revolutionary
communism has all but disappeared in the world, Nepal's Maoist rebels seem
to grow stronger and stronger. It is estimated that they now have between
10,000 to 15,000 fighters, and are active across the country, with many
parts completely under their control.
August
2004
| The
health of the people of Rukum reflects the health of the nation |
To
understand how badly the conflict is affecting the health of Nepalis, a
visit to this rudimentary 15-bed hospital, the only government-run facility
in the remote district of Rukum in mid-western Nepal, is enough.
Inadequately-funded,
understaffed and caught between the guerrillas and the soldiers, hospital
staff struggle to do the best they can to cope with help from an international
charity group. Some patients are direct victims of conflict, wounded by
explosives or bullets, but thousands of others are indirectly affected
by under-nourishment, a lack of vaccines and unsafe drinking water.
|
The
western Terai is now a Maoist stronghold
|
July
2004
| From
the hills to the plains |
In
the absence of government, the Maoists spread rapidly across the Terai.
In six short years, the western Terai is now a Maoist stronghold. Just
six km from Nepalganj in the town of Khajura, the Maoists held a three-hour
mass meeting on the evening of 18 June. About 300 armed rebels dressed
in combat fatigues marched openly down the streets of the town, barely
a few minutes drive from the regional army headquarters.
From
what could be seen in Khajura, Maoist morale is high and there is considerable
support for charismatic commanders like Nanda Kishore Pun (Pasang) who
led the Maoist raid on army bases in Beni in February and on Achham two
years ago.
|
Nepal,
one of the leading suppliers of troops to UN
|
July
2004
To
the Maoists, though, fighting for a constitutional government minus the
royalty, the US represents an evil force with "imperialist designs". That
is why they don't want to see Nepal developing closer relations with Washington.
Their anger against Americans has to be seen in the context of the State
Department's decision to put the Maoists on a terrorist watch list. American
wrath against Maoists accentuated after they shot dead two Nepali staff
of the US embassy in Kathmandu. About 10,000 people have lost their lives
since the Maoists launched their "people's war" in February 1996.
May
2004
| Rolpa:
Shushila Magar - Maoist Militia fighter |
A
British film crew followed a Maoist fighting unit in Nepal's midwestern
Rolpa district in March 2004. One month later the Royal Nepal Army RNA
claimed that it has flushed the Maoists out of their strongholds in Rolpa
and Baglung districts.
 |
Shushila
Magar is 24 years old and a fighter with the Nepali Maoist Militia for
the Ropal district. She can often be recognised by the red, yellow &
green bandana she wears with a huge cannabis leaf insignia. At the age
of 16, Shushila was arrested by the police on suspicion of being a Maoist
sympathiser. |
She
was imprisoned for three days and constantly tortured. When she was released,
she saw no alternative but to join the Maoists and embark on a struggle
for the freedom of her people.
|
