http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/opinion/...&hp&oref=slogin
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Pariah Diplomacy
By JIMMY CARTER
Published: April 28, 2008
About 12 years ago, Maoist guerrillas took up arms in an effort to overthrow the monarchy and change the nationâs political and social life. Although the United States declared the revolutionaries to be terrorists, the Carter Center agreed to help mediate among the three major factions: the royal family, the old-line political parties and the Maoists.
In 2006, six months after the <b>oppressive monarch </b>was stripped of his powers, a cease-fire was signed. <b>Maoist combatants laid down their arms </b>and Nepalese troops agreed to remain in their barracks. Our center continued its involvement and nations â though not the United States â and international organizations began working with all parties to reconcile the dispute and organize elections.
The Maoists are succeeding in achieving their major goals: abolishing the monarchy, establishing a democratic republic and ending discrimination against untouchables and others whose citizenship rights were historically abridged. After a surprising victory in the April 10 election, Maoists will play a major role in writing a constitution and governing for about two years.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Jimmy Carter is good with Hamas, against Israel, good with Maoist against Hindus, good with Castro bad with American Cuban.
I think he need good rest in Georgia, or do more cooking show with Paula Deen. <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>India misses crunch time</b> (Pioneer)
Baleshwar Agarwal
The demand for revising the India-Nepal treaty is being foolishly entertained by India. At this rate, Nepal may be lost as a dependable ally
The Maoist victory in Nepal, even though indecisive, is the end of an important chapter of India's relations with that country and the beginning of a new one marked by great uncertainty. I have been a follower of Nepal affairs since 1951, when I went there as a young correspondent to cover the Mahasamiti of the Nepali Congress. The country has gone through many deaths and rebirths since then, but this is an altogether new situation for me. The emptiness that I feel in my heart is perhaps a small manifestation of the national mood in India on seeing a Communist, demonstrably anti-Indian and pro-Chinese dispensation take over in Kathmandu. In the past, India counted in Kathmandu, whatever the vicissitudes overwhelming that country. But now, India is the diminutive.
At this historic crossroads, the role played by the Indian Government is most unfortunate. New Delhi seem to have lost the influence it wielded in Kathamandu through six decades. It can no longer leverage its economic and political clout. Yet, what is not easily realised is that possibilities still exist for India to play an important role in the process of appointing the next Prime Minister and important members of his Cabinet.
I will come to that later, but first, something most unfortunate and unanticipated has happened this week which, in the context of the emerging situation, diminishes India's prestige in her own backyard. The Maoists, who have got only 29.3 per cent of the vote, are being feted by New Delhi as the unquestioned rulers of Nepal. The new Indian Ambassador, Mr Rakesh Sood, has announced that New Delhi would be willing to work with a "Maoist Prime Minister". Whatever the Maoists want, even if voiced to the reporter of a TV channel, is being given the highest importance in the Indian capital. Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon has given the Maoists their much-needed credibility boost by publicly agreeing to talks on the India-Nepal Treaty.
<b>By far, the biggest disappointment for me was former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra's statement, given in an interview to Karan Thapar on April 29, in which he seemed to prepare the ground for the Foreign Secretary to recognise the Maoists' demand for treaty revision. </b>It was strange that Mr Mishra, with his immense experience as a diplomat, did not even wait for the formal request to be delivered by the new Government in Kath-mandu. <b>What was the reason for his decision to be so pro-Maoist? Only time will tell. </b>
It is highly improbable to me that the Maoists would keep pressing their demand for revising the treaty. Nepal has more to lose than gain from the exercise because as it is the treaty is heavily tilted in her favour. The first Government of India had been extremely generous to Nepal. Today, India is home to more than six million Nepalese. Suppose India should now ask for an end to the era of free immigration for Nepalese? In the past, Man Mohan Adhikary, the first Communist Prime Minister of Nepal, had also voiced this demand. But, after some time, he stopped talking about it. Good enough for India.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Prachanda's chances of being Prime Minister are as good as any other contender's. Mr Sher Bahadur Deuba is the last India-friendly politician of any consequence. Mr Girija Prasad Koirala is, after all, a pro-India leader despite his reduced circumstances. The need of the hour is that India should recognise that anybody is preferable to the Maoists who represent a grave threat not only to India's security, but also the entire region.
It is for this reason that India should put its weight behind the other contenders for prime ministership.Mr Sher Bahadur Deuba,is enjoying the United States' support. Washington has rightly stood its ground that the Maoists are terrorists and refuse to be awed by their victory. Despite their 120 seats in the First-Past-the-Post system, the Maoists are still short of a majority. In the Proportional Representation system, the Maoists stand to get just 100 seats out of 335. The PR system will give a huge number of seats to the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and the three "Madhesi" parties. If they come together, then Prachanda would have to sulk as the Leader of the Opposition. Moreover, the CPN(UML) is unlikely to ever join the Maoists in any arrangement.
Why is India not seizing the situation? This is the biggest mystery. The two legs of any nation's foreign policy are national interest and ideology. Taking the latter first, there is every indication that Nepal is headed towards a dictatorship, and that too of the most brutal kind. As far as national interests is concerned, under no circumstances would having a Maoist Prime Minister favourable to India. Like Communists everywhere, their fundamental loyalty lies towards the fulcrum of world Communism, China. There was a time when Beijing dismissed Prachanda and his gang as romantic adventurers. Even in their wildest imagination the Chinese did not bargain for a Maoist victory in the Constituent Assembly election. But, now that the impossible has happened, China will not lose any time to play the "Communist" card to give Prachanda the respectability he so desires in the Communist pantheon. The manner in which Nepal suppressed Tibetan opposition to the Olympic torch relay should open India's -- and the world's eyes -- to the possibility of Nepal being reduced to a vassal state of China.
The situation in Nepal is going from bad to worse. People are leaving Kathmandu with their accumulated savings because nobody wants to continue life under a Communist regime. Business owners are transferring their funds to India. Prachanda is hoping to stem the tide by promising to run a "capitalist" economy, but there are few believers. Anti-India sentiments are bound to get a boost very soon because India has banned rice exports, followed by Bangladesh. Prices have touched absurd levels and the poverty of Nepal has become exacerbated. So, India should look at the possibilities.
Nobody won the Constituent Assembly election. It is still a political logjam in Kathmandu. The time is ripe for New Delhi to launch a new diplomatic initiative. But, at this dark moment, nobody appears to be willing to listen.
<i>-- The writer is Secretary-General of Antar Rashtriya Sahyog Parishad and a reputed expert on India-Nepal relations</i>
<b> Nepalâs PM meets foreign envoys secretly, Indian envoy left out</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Nepal's Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala held extensive consultations with the residential Ambassadors of several powerful countries in Kathmandu, on May 5, 2008.
Surprisingly, the newly arrived Indian envoy to Nepal Mr. Rakesh Sood was not invited but was left in the cold, say reports.
Reports add that the meeting secretly took place at the private residence of the NC leader, Dr. Narayan Khadka.
âInvitations were sent on half of Dr. Narayan Khadka to all the envoysâ, adds report.
<b>âThe ambassadors from France, UK, Norway, Denmark, Finland and the charge dâ affairs of the embassy of Germany and the US met Koirala secretlyâ, say reports.</b>
The foreign diplomats collectively suggested Koirala to end the current political deadlock, report concludes.
However, analysts remain confused as to why the all powerful Indian ambassador was not invited and that the meeting did not take place at the PMâs official residence is yet a secret?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
05-07-2008, 01:05 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-07-2008, 01:05 PM by dhu.)
<b> Nepal Kumari custom to be banned by Maoists</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Kathmandu With Nepal's Maoists having begun an inexorable countdown for the ouster of the once all-powerful King Gyanendra, the fate of one of the oldest religious institutions of the nation - the Kumaris or âliving goddessesâ - also lies in jeopardy.
The culture of worshipping the Kumari, whose rituals form a key part of Hindu festivals here and draw thousands of tourists every year, was started in the 16th century by the Malla kings of Kathmandu in the belief that the deity, an incarnation of the Hindu goddess of power Durga, was the protector of the royal family.
According to legend, the last king of the dynasty, Jayprakash Malla, angered the goddess who forsook him, leading to his defeat. When he tried to woo her back, the goddess is said to have relented, saying that she would be reincarnated as a young virgin identifiable by auspicious physical and mental characteristics.
Despite the divine promise, Malla was vanquished by Prithvi Narayan Shah, the forefather of the current king, who uprooted other ruling dynasties of Nepal and began the Shah reign. The conquering king, however, kept the custom of worshipping the Kumari, making the goddess the protector of his own dynasty.
Even today, there are three Kumaris presiding in Kathmandu and its sister towns of Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. They are prepubescent girls selected from the Buddhist Newar community on the basis of their horoscopes, which have to be compatible with the king's, and physical characteristics.
The Kumaris live in their own palaces till they near puberty. Then they have to exit the palace to make way for a successor.
The Kathmandu Kumari is the most revered, being the only human being before whom the kings of Nepal bowed during important Hindu ceremonies.
But now, the Kumaris may have to leave their palaces once the king exits from his Narayanhity royal palace.
Nepal's newly elected constituent assembly will hold its first meeting next month and officially begin the process of abolishing the king's 239-year-old crown and turning him into a commoner.
âThe people have mandated us to transform Nepal into a federal democratic republic and end the feudal monarchical system,â Maoist lawmaker and winner of constituent assembly election Janardan Sharma told IANS.
âAll institutions associated with the royal family and feudalism will have to be changed. The Kumari is not an essential institution for the new Nepal,â he said.
Two years ago, when the king's bid to seize absolute power with the help of the army failed and he became a hated figure, a national uprising led by the Maoists forced the monarch to step down.
The new government of opposition parties subsequently declared Nepal, the world's only Hindu kingdom, a secular nation.
However, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who succeeded the king, kept up the state attendance at Hindu festivals, triggering much criticism.
Now, however, with the Maoists having emerged the largest party after the April 10 elections and bidding to lead the new government, religious institutions nurtured by the state could face the axe.
âWe are also opposed to other feudal systems like Deuki and Jhuma,â said Sharma, better known as Prabhakar, the nom de guerre he took up during the Maoists' 10-year guerrilla war when he was one of the deputy commanders of the dreaded People's Liberation Army.
Deuki, similar to India's Devadasi ritual, is a culture of poor families offering a girl child to god and leaving her in the temple to be brought up as the deity's âhandmaidenâ. It is still prevalent in the remote mid- and farwest Nepal.
The Deuki becomes a subject of sexual exploitation and lives as an illiterate beggar.
The Jhuma culture, practised by Buddhist families, involves offering a girl child to nunneries to be brought up as a nun.
Both customs have been flayed by women's right organisations, some of which have also filed public interest suits in the Supreme Court, asking the state to abolish the discriminatory practices. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Unfortunate but not surprising.
Next will be the host of other important Hindu shrines and maTha-s including Gorakshamatha and Devi Pattan, that were protected by the royal family and even Nepali government. Next we would see burning of ancient libraries so far maintained by Bhattâs. Only a few years back a team of German-American Indologists Led by anti-hindu Witzel had digitized most of these manuscripts, including probably some rare ones relating to tantra, vyAkaraNa, shaiva siddhAnta and mahAyAna buddhism, which are otherwise are not accessible to the rest of the world.) Next, they would bring down the roadblocks which have so far prohibited missionary activity in Nepal. Cultural Revolution in Maoâs footsteps.
05-07-2008, 05:14 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-07-2008, 05:21 PM by Husky.)
<!--QuoteBegin-Bodhi+May 7 2008, 03:35 PM-->QUOTE(Bodhi @ May 7 2008, 03:35 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Only a few years back a team of German-American Indologists Led by anti-hindu Witzel had digitized most of these manuscripts[right][snapback]81318[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->If they will then have the only remaining copies, they can introduce their little imaginary friends the oryans into the docs and pretend "the AIT was there all the time". (Though documented only in Nepal while Bharat obviously had curious amnesia.)
Wouldn't put it past whinerschnitzel to try anything. (Whinerschnitzel! Oh, too funny! How many things one can do with his name. Without even trying. Almost like he picked the name on purpose.)
But were he and the maoists to end up playing Russian Roulette with each other, then one or maybe all of them may end up <i>past</i> the operating table...quite out of reach of it. Should I worry about that happening, I wonder? Let us give it some deep thought...
<b>ADDED:</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Next will be the host of other important Hindu shrines and maTha-s including Gorakshamatha and Devi Pattan, that were protected by the royal family and even Nepali government. Next we would see burning of ancient libraries so far maintained by Bhattâs. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Nepal's Hindu royalist army should go renegade on the usurping communiterrorist government and chase the maoists into TSP or china where they belong. Time for playing secular democrat is over when famously anti-democratic communism can just waltz into power; time for Kshatriya stuff. Else they'll be picked off one by one. After the king, the royalist army could well be the first to feel it. After all, it is only after doing that that the communiterrorists have any chance of terrorising the rest of the populace.
King will stay, say Nepal's soothsayers
Sun, May 18 11:20 AM
Kathmandu, May 18 (IANS) Though Nepal's former Maoist guerrillas who waged a 10-year war on the monarch of the world's only Hindu kingdom say King Gyanendra will have to yield his crown and exit the royal palace in 10 days' time, a small but resolute group of people predict monarchy will not die out.
Nepal's astrologers, who are consulted till this day by the rich and poor alike for auspicious dates to start new ventures and means to ward off bad luck, foresee the nation's 239-year-old institution of monarchy will survive the fateful first meeting of the newly elected constituent assembly on May 28, that is scheduled to deliver the death blow to the crown - with a twist. 'According to star signs, when the king's grandson turns 13, circumstances can put him on the throne of his grandfather,' says Swami Dhruv, an Indian who has made Nepal his home and has been a practising astrologer for eight years. The king's grandson Hridayendra, once third in line to the throne, turns six in July. According to the astrologer, he would have a chance to become a teen king in 2015. Dhruv says while bad luck would dog King Gyanendra till 2010, forcing him to a life of dishonour, people would forgive him after that though he would never reclaim the omnipotence he once enjoyed with both the army and government under his thumb. However, adds the bearded astrologer, despite the Maoists' claim that they would force the king to exit from the Narayanhity royal palace on May 28, he would remain there. Veteran astrologer Dharma Raj Regmi, whose family has been soothsayers for generations, says King Gyanendra will continue to be buffeted by the stars for 15 days more. However, from June 3, the luck of the king, born under the sign of Aquarius, will turn and by 2011, there will be enduring peace and reconciliation in Nepal. 'They will not be able to abolish monarchy,' the 75-year-old says. Dr Madhav Bhattarai, chairman of the committee of astrologers and religious scholars that draws up the almanac each year, too predicts the king's stars will grow stronger. 'From monsoon, his lot will improve,' says Bhattarai. 'However, the position of stars is relative. One has to see how strong the stars of the king's enemies will be.' With little public information available about Maoist chief Prachanda's horoscope, unlike the king's, Bhattarai says it is difficult to make an exact prediction. 'However, as an informed citizen, I can say with assurance that the king will stay,' he says. 'The election last month was not held to decide the fate of the crown but to choose a constituent assembly (that would write a new constitution for Nepal). 'Only a referendum can decide if Nepal should abolish monarchy. 'The king is a symbol of national unity and sovereignty. 'After he was sidelined, see what happened. There was a secessionist movement in the Terai and rifts everywhere on the basis of caste and religion.' King Gyanendra himself still has unshaken faith in the stars though they led him astray in 2005, after his army-backed coup unravelled due to a national uprising. During his 14-month absolute rule, he is said to have made major moves in accordance with the advice of royal astrologers.
05-29-2008, 12:31 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-29-2008, 08:57 AM by shamu.)
Nepal votes to abolish monarchy
What about these European countries:
Kingdom of Spain
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Kingdom of Denmark
Kingdom of Belgium
Kingdom of Norway
Kingdom of Sweden
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
State of the Vatican City
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Principality of Monaco
Faroe Islands (Government - Monarch)
Gibraltar (Head of state - Queen Elizabeth II )
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b> Nepal bans bird sacrifice at two Hindu temples</b>
Kathmandu (PTI): Nepal has imposed a ban on sacrifice of birds at two famous Hindu temples in western part of the country, in the wake of cases of bird flu being detected in Indian districts bordering the area.
The district administration has also banned the practice of freeing pigeons at the Manakamana and Gorakhkali shrines situated in Gorkha district, officials said.
Dozens of chickens and ducks are sacrificed at the temples everyday by devotees who come here from the Terai region in southern Nepal.
Reports of pigeons deaths in the temple area, had earlier spelled fear about the outbreak of the disease, they added.
The police and volunteers have been instructed to keep a vigil on the activities of the birds in the area.
Nepal has issued bird flu alert in eight of the districts of the Terai region bordering India following reports of bird flu in Indian districts bordering the nation. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Maoists say Prachanda's comments a joke, 12 papers close
A day after their chief Prachanda warned the media of serious consequences if it criticises his party, the Maoists went into a damage control mode saying the comments were a "joke" even as 12 newspapers shut shop in western Nepal due to terror unleased by the former rebels.
"Prachanda was just joking pointing to a news coverage by The Kathmandu Post that predicted the Maoists getting only 15 seats in CA polls," the CPN-Maoist's second in command Baburam Bhattarai told journalists at a reception hosted by Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) on Saturday evening.
"We will no longer tolerate criticism as we have already been elected by the people... we have become the largest party," Prachanda was quoted as saying at a party rally here on Friday.
The FNJ, which has said Prachanda's remarks were against press freedom, claimed 12 newspapers in western Nepal city of Dhangadi in Kailali district had shut down their publication indefinitely due to threats by Maoists a day after he threatened to take action against popular daily The Kathmandu Post and other newspapers that were writing against Maoists.
Last week when local journalist Lucky Chaudhari was severely beaten up by Maoists, the scribes staged sit-in at the District Administration Office demanding security for journalists on May 28 but were attacked by the former rebels, it said.
Three persons were killed after police opened fire to control the situation.
The Maoist threat has led to closure of 12 newspapers in Kailali district. The journalists are facing increasing threats by the Maoist cadres, said FNJ president Dharmendra Jha and demanded security for scribes.
www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200806011661.htm<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Maoist monarchyÂ
Fri, 30 May, 2008 , 02:12 PM
The newly elected 601 member Constituent Assembly of Nepal has formally abolished the 240-year-old Monarchy and declared the erstwhile Himalayan Hindu Kingdom as âSecular and Federal Democratic Republicâ.
In other words, The âHindu Monarchyâ has been turned into a âMaoist Monarchyâ.
When Hindu Bharat became a âSecular Indiaâ, thanks to Gandhiji, Nehru and the Indian National Congress, the world was left with only one Hindu country in Nepal and now that is also gone, thanks to the Nepal Congress and the seven party alliance.
A Hindu Bharat had always been secular and tolerant in character and that is why the offshoots of Hinduism like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism were able to coexist peacefully and more importantly, the Abrahamic religions were able to set foot here and establish themselves without any problems.
Being classified as âHinduâ did not come in the way of India being secular. Yet, in the glee to be tagged as secular, the Constituent Assembly while drafting the Constitution, ignorantly gave undue privileges to certain groups. perhaps with a good intention, which has turned out to be a big source of trouble within just sixty years of independence.
The Royal Monarchy of Nepal failed to understand the plight of its bigger Hindu brother and inconsiderately led the Kingdom to its present peril.
The Maoists, who have been taking the kingdom to ransom for more than ten years, have achieved their objective of defeating the monarchy due to the stupidity of the seven party alliance, which mindlessly allied with them and yielded to their pressure tactics.
No doubt, it is the compulsion of times for any country to become democratic and such an evolution must be appreciated, but trusting the Maoists in the process of democratic evolution is the height of ignorance.
That is precisely what the seven party alliance has done in Nepal and within a short span of time it will realise its folly.
India for its part failed in its responsibility of helping the people of Nepal by ignoring the happenings in the Himalayan Kingdom for the past ten years.
With the advent of the UPA-Left combination matters have happened very fast and the unholy nexus of âUPA/Left-Maoists-UNMINâ has ensured the dethroning of King Gyanendra, thereby facilitating the transfer of power from the Hindu monarchy to Maoist monarchy and the Maoist leader Prachanda in all likelihood would become the Monarch of Nepal in the garb of either the President or the Prime Minister.
The Maoist-UNMIN nexus has ensured that the election was conducted as per its own designs and the people have voted out of fear and the Maoistsâ victory has been trumpeted as Peopleâs triumph.
Last year when the King was made powerless and the Maoists were admitted in to Nepal Parliament and when it was proclaimed that itl would soon become a âsecularâ republic, the Vatican openly exhibited its joy and welcomed the proclamation.
Since then, missionaries have been having a heavy harvest with the connivance of the Maoists. UNMIN (United Nationâs Mission in Nepal), under the leadership of Ian Martin, an alleged favourite of World council of Churches, can be expected to lay the road map for Christianisation of Nepal and Prachanda and his men would be too happy to help them.
Another imminent danger for Nepal is in the form of the Red Rogues of PLA (Peopleâs Liberation Army) taking over the RNA (Royal Nepalese Army).
RNA has a remarkable history of discipline, dedication, patriotism, performance and pride, but the Maoistsâ PLA consists of dacoits and murderers, who have massacred more than twenty thousand people in the last ten years.
Their integration in the RNA and taking over its command do not augur well for Nepal as well as India. Prachandaâs attitude towards India before the elections has not been friendly, as evidenced by his statements and interviews. India has been already reeling under the threat of Naxal-Maoist nexus along the âRed Corridorâ connecting more than 15 States from Assam to Tamilnadu and a Maoist controlled Nepal would certainly make matters worse for India.
The Himalayan Hindu Kingdom, which has become âsecularâ under the grip of Maoists and the influence of UN /Vatican, would lose its glorious civilisation, grand culture, healthy heritage in the garb of building a new, modern and progressive Nepal.
India has gained another hostile neighbour in addition to the cunning China and terrorising Pakistan. Tough times ahead for India and the Nepal.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"Kathmandu, July 9: The Nepal Maoists, who played a key role in abolishing the 240-year-old Hindu monarchy and turning the country into a secular state, have vowed to ensure special rights to the minority Muslim community in the Himalayan nation.
âIt is not enough to provide equal rights to the Muslims but they should be given special rights as compensation for having been suppressed,â CPN-Maoist Chairman Prachanda told a gathering of the Muslim
Prachanda, who is poised to lead the new government in Nepal, promised to form a âMuslim Commissionâ for the welfare of the minority community and develop historically important pilgrimage sites of the community as tourist destinations.
In the past, the Maoist cadres were known to slaughter cows in remote villages and even punish people for celebrating Hindu festivals like Dussera and Diwali."
http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/search?q=Kathmandu<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The original link isn't working.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Maoist perversion - Prachanda uses Muslims as pawns</b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
The Nepal Maoists, who have made the transition from being armed thugs fighting to subvert the state into legitimate and elected participants in the that country's Constituent Assembly without disowning their past or giving up their intimidatory tactics, have now vowed to grant 'special rights' to the Muslim community. This is of a piece with the Maoists's efforts to cleanse Nepal of its Hindu character and obliterate its cultural and civilisational identity. Chairman Prachanda of the CPN(Maoist) last week told a gathering of the so-called Muslim Mukti Morcha that Muslims in Nepal would be given 'special rights' as compensation for being 'suppressed'. He has promised to form a 'Muslim Commission' for the welfare of the minority community and develop historically important pilgrimage sites of the community as tourist destinations. On the face of it, these are innocuous promises but there is a sinister, dark edge to them. They suggest cleavages that are not real and a denial of rights that never happened. Though Nepal's monarchy, now reduced to the pages of that country's history, was seen as the protector of Hinduism and Nepal was the last Hindu Kingdom till it was redesignated a 'secular' state under pressure from the Maoists, in practice the palace was secular. Discrimination on the basis of religion was never practiced and Muslims have all along enjoyed equal rights, that have included access to pilgrimage sites.
The Muslims in Nepal comprise less than 10 per cent of the population, though these are approximate estimates. Traditionally, they are well assimilated with the rest of the population and have not needed special safeguards. The Muslims in Nepal have always considered themselves to be Nepali first and they have lived in harmony with Hindus and Buddhists. If such rights were to be given, it would constitute a break from the past and create needless friction. It is amazing that having pressed for a secular state, the Maoists now want to indulge in communal politics of the variety that we get to see in India. Are we then to believe that the concept of secularism has now come to mean sectarian politics and minority appeasement? Have India's cynical politicians set a standard for others to follow? That apart, there is reason to worry about Prachanda's journey into Muslim politics. It is entirely possible that the new political elite in Kathmandu have struck a Faustian deal with the ISI, hoping to use this Pakistani agency to further its anti-India agenda. Let us not forget that had it not been for Muslims the ISI could not have used Nepal's Terai as a launching pad for jihad against India.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><span style='color:red'>Ram Baran Yadav of Indian origin elected Nepal Prez</span>
KATHMANDU: There was much dancing and slogan-shouting on Monday as Ram Baran Yadav of the Nepali Congress made history by becoming the first president of the new Himalayan republic, defeating the Maoists' candidate.
This brought to an end the long standoff over the presidential election between Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's Nepali Congress and the Maoists.
Yadav, a 61-year-old former minister with Indian roots, garnered 308 votes and will replace ousted king Gyanendra as head of state.
A last-minute candidate after the Maoists refused to accept Koirala as president, Yadav defeated for the second time his Maoist-backed rival, 73-year-old former revolutionary Ram Raja Prasad Singh, who polled only 282 votes, two of which were later declared invalid.
Though the election was to have paved the way for a new government headed by the Maoists, it will now cast a cloud on future developments with senior Maoist leaders earlier warning that they would not sit in the government if they lost the election.
<b>After winning a stunning victory in the April election, the defeat in the presidential contest will be a blow for the Maoists, showing up their lack of foresight and inability to carry the other major parties with them. </b>
Yadav, who comes from Sapahi village in Dhanusha district along the India-Nepal border, is regarded as a national leader who had been resisting the polarisation of Nepalis into hill and plain communities.
His nomination was also backed by the third largest party, the Communist party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), and the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), the biggest party from the Terai plains.
Though Nepal held its first presidential election on Saturday and Yadav emerged as the front-runner, a re-poll had to be ordered since he did not garner the simple majority -- 298 votes -- required by the constitution.
The Saturday election, however, elected MJF man Parmanand Jha as vice-president.
Madhesis, people from the Terai plains, had been the most neglected and underprivileged community for a succession of governments, with little representation in the bureaucracy, judiciary and army.
Now, in an irony of fate, <b>two of the nation's top jobs have gone to two Madhesis. </b>
A stung Maoist chief Prachanda called the opposition alliance "unholy" while the alliance said the politics of consensus had prevailed over the Maoists' double-dealing.
The Maoists contributed to their own defeat by first forging a pact with the UML and then refusing to support the UML candidate.
After the spurned UML joined forces with Koirala's party, the Maoists tried to woo the terai parties.
However, at the end, the main Terai party went to the opposition alliance, resulting in Singh's decisive defeat.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/R...how/3259939.cms
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07-23-2008, 10:37 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-23-2008, 10:46 PM by dhu.)
<b> New twist in Nepal royal massacre
</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In a new twist to the controversy surrounding the 2001 royal palace massacre, <b>a Nepalese soldier claiming to be an eyewitness to the tragedy </b>has said <b>Crown Prince Dipendra, blamed for the ghastly act, was killed before the rest of his family members on the fateful Friday night.</b>
Dipendra was first killed on the June one, 2001 at the royal palace before his father King Birendra and mother Aishwarya [Images] died of gun shots during a dinner party, Lal Bahadur Lamteri told Nepali language Naya Patrika newspaper.
The paper also questioned the official probe commission's report holding Dipendra responsible for the killings. Most of the Nepalese people also do not back the official version and believe that there was a conspiracy involved to eliminate the royal family following which the last King Gyanendra succeeded his brother Birendra to the throne.
Lamteri, a junior army staff deputed at the Narayanhiti Palace during the period, claimed that Paras, son of ousted King Gyanendra and his cousin Dipendra, came to the palace dinner party that night accompanied by a person wearing a Dipendra look-alike mask.
The masked man shot dead Dipendra before other royal family members were killed, Lamteri told the daily.
Lamteri claimed that he saw Dipendra, who got six bullet shots on his back and one on the left hand, in an inebriated state in his private room before the royal family was killed.
Lamteri said he along with some other security staff also sent an unnamed letter to the palace saying that Dipendra was innocent. But three months later, he was transferred to another battalion with a demotion and then sent to jail on a false murder charge of a businessman, the daily reported.
According to the controversial probe commission report, Dipendra, under the influence of alcohol, killed King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and other members of the royal family before committing suicide.
In Kathmandu's paper stalls today, Naya Patrika<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
07-25-2008, 09:39 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-25-2008, 09:41 AM by Bodhi.)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><span style='color:red'>Nepal VP takes Oath in Hindi not Nepali/Maithili causing protests</span>
Indo Asian News Service
Thursday, July 24, 2008 (Kathmandu)
Within 24 hours of being sworn in as republic of Nepal's first Vice President, former judge Parmanand Jha found himself at the centre of a controversy when he took the oath of office in Hindi, triggering widespread protests.
Protests erupted in Nawalparasi, Chitwan and Sarlahi districts and in parts of Kathmandu valley after Jha took his oath of office and secrecy in a grand ceremony on Wednesday.
While Nepal's first President Ram Baran Yadav administered the oath in Nepali, Jha repeated it in Hindi.
Protesters said Jha ignored Nepal's culture and national interests by not taking the oath in his mother tongue Maithili, which is spoken by the maximum number of people in the Terai plains.
Eight student unions affiliated to the ruling parties began demonstrations in front of Kathmandu's college campuses. Waving black flags and blocking roads by burning tyres, they said Jha insulted the dignity of his post by taking his oath in a non-Nepali language imported from India.
In the Balaju industrial area of the capital, there was tension as protesters blocked the main road, shouting anti-Hindi slogans.
In Chitwan district, students blocked the highway leading to India and shut down the main Narayangarh market.
In Sarlahi district, the Chure Bhabar Ekta Samaj, a fringe party that has a legislator in Nepal's new constituent assembly, blocked the East-West Highway connecting Nepal with India, for an hour Thursday morning to express its anger.
The party has been a fierce opponent of the Madhesi parties' call for an autonomous Madhes state in the Terai plains, saying such a state would marginalise the other indigenous communities in the plains who are not of Indian origin.
The Maoists, who this week deepened the political crisis by refusing to form the next government, flayed Jha's choice of language.
<b>''Is Vice-President Jha Nepali or Hindustani?'' asked Maoist daily</b> Janadisha in a front-page report on Thursday.
''By taking his oath of office and secrecy in Hindi, the national language of India, Jha insulted Nepal's national language Nepali as well as his own mother tongue Maithili,'' the daily said.
''Now how can he be considered the vice-president of all Nepalis?''
There was a similar uproar after the lawmakers from the Terai parties took their oath of office two months ago in Hindi in the constituent assembly.
Jha's decision not to wear the traditional Nepali cap was also remarked upon by Nepal's media.
<b>The first Vice President had worn the dhoti, kurta and waistcoat worn by Indians along the Indo-Nepal border and looked down upon in Nepal, where ''dhoti'' is a term of insult.
Though President Yadav himself is also from the Madhesi community, he avoided any controversy, taking the oath in Nepali and appearing in the traditional Nepali attire, including a black cap.</b>
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story...%201:38:00%20AM
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He could have taken oath in saMskR^ita putting the controversy to rest.
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