|
December
2004
| Giving
children a fighting chance |
With
a .303 slung over his shoulder, Comrade Waibhaba leads a group of Maoists
in Rolpa. He claims to be 15 but his friends say he is younger. There were
seven of them on the trail to Thawang, boys and girls carrying heavy home-made
shoulder bags. The biggest was barely four feet tall, must have been 14.
He was carrying a Chinese radio with the antenna pulled out. There was
a comb in his shirt pocket and his hair was slickly groomed. In a voice
of authority, he asked: "Who are you?" We said we were journalists on our
way to Thawang. "Do you have a pass?" We replied that the head of the people's
government in Mijhing had told us to get a pass further on. "Ok," he replied.
November
2004
| Close
encounters with Maoists |
It
was bound to happen sooner or later: Maoists have become Nepal's latest
tourist attraction. Trekking lodges along the Annapurna Base Camp trail
are abuzz with hikers exchanging experiences on their encounters with the
rebels and passing around precious souvenirs: Maoist tax receipts emblazoned
with portraits of Lenin, Stalin and Mao. Compared to last year, when many
tourists were apprehensive about meeting Maoists and felt uncomfortable
about paying a 'revolutionary tax' to a group espousing violence, this
season's trekkers seem to have taken the rebels in their stride. "They
behaved like friends," said Joni Lundstrom from Sweden, "they gave us a
receipt for Rs 1,000 and told us they would provide us with security."
October
2004
| In
Nepal, It's the King to move |
While
King Gyanendra takes time off to review his own performance since he stalled
the democratic process two years ago, his hand-picked prime minister, Sher
Bahadur Deuba, remains busy finding the right bait to persuade Maoists
to agree to a new round of peace talks. But the Maoists say - from their
hideouts within and outside the country - that they will not negotiate
with royal servant(s); they prefer to directly deal with the king, who
is both the de facto as well as de jure ruler of Nepal.
The
king is the supreme commander of the Royal Nepali Army (RNA), a force currently
with a combined strength of 138,000 armed personnel, including those from
civil and armed police agencies. Recent US and Indian support to these
security organisations in the form of training and equipment has emboldened
the royal regime to take on the rebels, who launched a "people's war" in
1996.
| Between
a Rock and a Hard Place
|
October
2004
| Civilians
Struggle to Survive in Nepal's Civil War |
The
102-page report, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Civilians Struggle to
Survive in Nepal's Civil War," details how civilians in contested areas
are often faced with untenable choices. Refusal to provide shelter to the
rebels puts villagers at risk from Maoists who are ruthless in their punishments,
while providing such support leaves them vulnerable to reprisal attacks
from state security forces.
Contents
Summary
Note
on Methodology
II.
Background
The
Maoist Insurgency
Political
Paralysis in Nepal The International Community |
III.
International Legal Obligations
Nepal
as an Internal Armed Conflict Protections of International Humanitarian
Law
Protections
of Human Rights Law
Limits
on the Use of Force
IV.
Unlawful Killings and Summary Executions by Nepali Security Forces |
V.
Summary Executions of Civiliams by Maoist Forces
VI.
Recruitment and Use of Children by Maoists
VII.
Arbitrary Arrests and "Disappearances"
VIII.
The Role of the International Community
and
more ... |
|
