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July
2005
| Tamil
Tigers Training Nepalese Rebels |
An
Interview Revealing All
The
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers as they are
commonly known, are providing military training to the Maoist rebels of
Nepal in Bihar near the Nepalese borders. Some French trainers have also
been hired, a Maoist rebel leader revealed to the South Asia Tribune.
Talking
to this correspondent in a recorded conversation, the Maoist rebel said
the Tamil Tigers were helping in formation of human bomb squads for suicidal
missions. Women and teenage boys and girls were being recruited for these
squads. They also carry cyanide capsules with them.
July
2005
A
10-day trek across the Maoist heartland
The
first thing you notice as you enter Nuwagaon is the road. This little hamlet
nestled in a deep valley just north off Holeri in Rolpa was once the end
of an old road constructed by the government. Seven months ago, the Maoists
decided to extend it from Nuwagaon all the way to Thawang, the village
where the rebellion first began.
It
was nearly sunset when we, a group of four journalists, reached Nuwagaon.
We had ventured out into the Maoist heartland without any "permission"
or information to either of the two warring sides. Our local guide had
warned that travelling within the base areas without rebel permission could
be dangerous. Worse, there was always the possibility that we could get
caught in a crossfire. But we decided to risk it, and see for ourselves
what the Maoist base areas looked like.
June
2005
Maoists
are financing their revolution with Himalayan viagra
The
villages in this arid and remote district are all empty. No, it's not because
of the Maoists. Every able-bodied person is up on the mountains collecting
yarsagumba.
This
unique Himalayan fungus that grows like a worm out of the soil after the
snow melts is in high demand internationally. Called 'Himalayan viagra'
for its alleged potency, prices have shot up as China becomes more affluent.
June
2005
Madi
is a very close-knit community, it is isolated from the rest of the country
by the national park and its regulations, we suffer flash floods and wild
animals, we have learnt to look after each other," says Chaudhary, "every
villager in Madi feels the pain of what happened to the bus because we
are a special kind of community within Nepal."
In
Chaudhary's list were: 'Woman, wife of Nirmal Sapkota', 'Child, son of
Nirmal Sapkota'. I had flown with Nirmal Sapkota to Bharatpur from Kathmandu
earlier that day. When we landed, he had headed straight to Bharatpur Hospital
by riksa in search of his wife and son. He would have already learnt the
terrible truth.
The
soldiers on the bus were moving between the military posts of Baghai and
Bankatta. For more than a year, the villagers had been warned by the Maoists
not to allow this. It was impossible for the villagers to make such demands
of the RNA and the rebels obviously did not care how many civilians died
in order to get at a few soldiers.
May
2005
| Nepal's
Maoists air their dirty laundry |
Rumors
of a rift in the top leadership of the Nepalese Maoists were confirmed
last month when Maoist "supreme leader" Prachanda admitted to serious differences
with his deputy and political ideologue, Dr Baburam Bhattarai. While the
rift could undermine the strength of the Maoists, it could also prove problematic
for the Nepalese government.
The
rift between Prachanda - or the "fiery one" - and Bhattarai is not new.
Rumors regarding differences between the two have swirled for years. But
it was only in March this year that the division erupted into the open
and was publicly acknowledged by the Maoist leaders. And this is the first
time that the leaders are airing their differences in public.
Nine
years have gone by since Nepal's Maoists launched their "people's war"
to overthrow the monarchy and set up in its place a secular republic. The
transformation of Nepal's Maoists from a rag-tag band of idealistic revolutionaries
to battle-hardened insurgents in control of vast swathes of rural Nepal
has been dramatic. Today, not only do they run parallel administrations
in villages under their control, but they have also repeatedly signaled
that a mere call from them for a general strike is enough to paralyze the
capital, Kathmandu.
May
2005
| Nepal's
Maoist leadership divisions |
It
was widely perceived to be government propaganda. But now rumours of divisions
within Nepal's Maoist rebel movement have more than a whiff of truth.
A
power struggle between Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Chairman Prachanda
and an influential leader of the party, Baburam Bhattarai, has been hidden
from the Maoist rank and file for many months but is now very much in the
open.
Analysts
say the rift could jeopardise what the rebels call the "people's war",
which has claimed 11,000 lives in the last 10 years.
It
seems that for some time no one but the two rebel leaders themselves realised
the full extent of their bitter dogfight.
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