Posts Tagged ‘communist party of nepal’

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Maoists present new ‘martyrs’ List

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

: The Maoists have recently forwarded a fresh list of names of “martyrs” to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (PMO) for inclusion in the list that was approved by the Maoist-led cabinet last February.

The officials at the PMO are in a great dilemma over whether to include the new names in the February list.

A senior bureaucrat said that the Maoists have been exerting pressure on the PMO officials to accept the new list that includes additional names as martyrs.

On Sunday, outgoing Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Janardan Sharma called PMO officials to accept the new list. But the officials could not convey any decision to Sharma.

“We are now cross-checking the new list with the old one to find out the number of new names. It is very difficult for us to incorporate the new names in the old one approved by the cabinet just three months ago,” a PMO official told myrepublica.com on Sunday.

The officials at the PMO, however, said that it is difficult for them to incorporate the new names in the old list.

In a controversial move on February 27, the cabinet had declared around 8,000 people killed during decade-old insurgency, acting on a proposal from Sharma.

Though the government took the decision three months ago, the actual number and the names of the martyrs have not been made public, terming the information as secret. PMO officials said they are still counting the number of the martyrs due to incomplete facts related to name, caste, birth place, date of death and so on, of the martyrs.

The process of the decision as well as the numbe of ´martyrs´ was questioned at that time.

Initially, the list was questioned by the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), which was a partner in the then Maoist-led government, and Nepali Congress. But the CPN-UML silenced its protest later after the cabinet declared Rishi Prasad, a UML leader who was killed in the course of the Constituent Assembly election, a martyr.

It is general practice for the cabinet to receive any proposal related to martyrdom from the Home Ministry. Had the general norms been followed, the ministry would have collected the possible names for the honor and present before the cabinet with justification why the individuals deserve martyrdom. But Home Ministry officials revealed that the ministry was not involved in the whole process. This time around, a Maoist NGO — Sahid Pratisthan — had prepared the list of martyrs. The list excludes security personnel and non-Maoist people killed during the Maoist conflict.

When asked about whether his party would accept if the new names are excluded in the list of martyrs, Sharma said, “Ask the chief secretary.” kiran@myrepublica.com

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UCPN-M to push stir for civil supremacy

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Kathmandu, May 12 – The politburo meeting of Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Tuesday decided to continue protests to establish civilian supremacy and safeguard nationality.

Party spokesman Dina Nath Sharma informed that the meeting drew the conclusion that the president was backing military supremacy and that there was need of more protests from the House and the street to force the president to correct his unconstitutional move.

Party chairman and caretaker Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ today presented a 13-point political proposal in the meeting that started last Thursday.

Politburo member Devendra Paudel ‘Sunil’ informed that the proposal covered issues about current political situation, steps to be taken for establishing civilian supremacy, roles to be played by the party through protests to force the president to correct his unconstitutional move and the party’s future plans.

Out of 45 politburo members, ten members, including senior leaders Mohan Baidhya Kiran, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal, commented on the proposal.

Lokendra Bista Magar, a politburo member, said that most of the speakers viewed that it was unthinkable to join the government until the president rectified his move. “We can rethink about joining or forming a government only when the president corrects his unconstitutional move that reinstated the army chief.”

He informed that those who commented on the proposal stressed on acting true to the commitment to writing the new constitution and taking the peace process to its logical conclusion while protesting against the unconstitutional move of President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav.

He said that discussions were held on army integration and on ways to hold peaceful rallies in four main cities of the country to protest the presidential move. UCPN-Maoist has decided to hold rallies on May 17 in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Biratnagar and Nepalgunj.

Sunil said that the meeting also decided to urge the people to protest against national-capitulating element. The meeting will continue tomorrow.

Meanwhile, leaders of United Democratic Madhesi Front (UMDF) met with Prime Minister Prachanda at the latter’s residence at Baluwatar.

During the meeting, the Madhesi leaders and the Maoist chairman and PM Prachanda discussed the formation of the new government and implementation of the eight-point agreement between the government and the UMDF reached two years back.

Rajendra Mahato, chairman of Nepal Sadbhawana Party, said they discussed resolving the existing problems faced by the nation through court and parliament.

The Madhesh-centred parties urged the PM to take an initiative to implement the eight-point agreement, he added.

During the meeting leaders of the UMDF urged the PM to let the parliament carry out its business for the formation of the new government at a time when the PM had already resigned, said chairman of the Terai Madhesh Democratic Party Mahantha Thakur.

UMDF is an alliance of Terai-based parties comprising Madheshi People’s Rights Forum, Nepal Sadbhawana Party and Terai Madhesh Democratic Party.

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Maoist politburo meeting postponed

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

KATHMANDU: Unified Communist Party of Nepal Maoist’s (UCPN-M) politburo meeting, scheduled for Sunday morning was postponed to Monday. The postponement was due to the hectic schedule of Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and other leaders in meetings with different parties for consultations on forming a new government.

The party’s politburo meeting started on Saturday to discuss the latest political events.

Following Prime Minister Dahal’s resignation last week, the major parties were unable to discuss the formation of the new government as they stuck to their guns and they are nowhere close to consensus on a future political course.

In this context, the third-largest party in the Constituent Assembly, CPN-UML has taken the initiative to form a new government under its leadership. The second-largest party, Nepali Congress, has supported CPN-UML to lead the government. But Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) has still remained divided on lending support to the new government.

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Nepal PM defends leaked tape, says he has over 100,000 fighters

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

After a national outcry created by a leaked video tape, in which Nepal’s caretaker Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda was heard saying he had inflated the strength of his guerrilla fighters almost five-fold during a UN verification, the Maoist supremo Wednesday defended himself, saying his People’s Liberation Army (PLA) actually had over 100,000 fighters.

Nepal’s private television channels Tuesday broadcast footage of Prachanda telling his PLA combatants that though he signed a peace pact with the major parties and agreed to take part in an election, it was part of a ‘revolutionary counter-attack’ meant to carry on the revolt under a different strategy and capture complete power.

‘You all know that we were a small force,’ Prachanda said in the tape made during a PLA training session in the infamous Shaktikhor camp in southern Chitwan district where a businessman was beaten to death.

‘Our number was about 7-8,000. But if we had told the UN that, our size would have been cut down to 4,000 (after verification). So we told the UN the PLA had 35,000. And now (after verification), we have 20,000.’

He told the PLA not to be disheartened by the UN verification that reduced it to about 19,600. Once the party was in power, Prachanda indicated it could overturn the verification.

The leaked footage created an outcry Wednesday with the opposition Nepali Congress saying the Maoists had no moral authority to lead a new government while their former allies, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) pressed the exiting PM for a clarification.

‘I made that speech one and a half years ago,’ Prachanda told journalists at a hurriedly convened press conference at the party’s parliamentary office Wednesday. ‘Things were different then. We were an underground party with a price tag on our heads.

‘There are innumerable such videos.’

Prachanda, who had led a 10-year war against the state, said that his words were meant to hearten his cadres at a time they feared that there was a conspiracy to derail the critical constituent assembly election.

‘Today, when circumstances have changed, it is meaningless to air that speech.’

The Maoist prime minister, who resigned Monday to protest against President Ram Baran Yadav reinstating the army chief his government had sacked a day earlier, also said the tape was a red herring to deflect attention from the ‘unconstitutional’ step taken by the president which put the army above civilian supremacy.

Defending himself against allegations that he had hoodwinked the UN and inflated the PLA strength, Prachanda said he had only spoken about one section of the PLA.

‘It has three sections,’ he said, ‘the regular central army, the regular regional army and the militia, who together number more than 100,000′.

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Maoists demand apology from Prez

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

KATHMANDU: The parliamentary party meeting of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal today demanded an apology from the president Dr Ram Baran Yadav for going against the government decision to sack army chief Rookmangud Katawal. The party said that president should apologise in the House. The meeting which was held this morning also said that the party would disrupt the house after other political parties put pressure on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ to step down from office.

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UCPN-M to launch agitation in parliament, street

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

After pulling out from the government Monday afternoon, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) has announced that they will protest from the streets and the parliament.

After the secretariat meeting here Monday, the UCPN-M leader Babu Ram Bhattarai said they would not join the government until President Ram Baran Yadav’s move to reinstate Katawal is scrapped.

Further protest programs are to be announced after the UCPN-Maoist Central Committee meeting, added Bhattarai.

Nepali President Ram Baran Yadav has accepted the resignation tendered by Prime Minister Prachanda Monday evening.

Prachanda submitted his resignation to the president at the latter’s office, soon after announcing his resignation to the nation.

The political turn came in the country after UCPN-M failed to gather political consensus on Chief of Army Staff row which further developed the resignation of prime minister.

The Nepali government led by the UCPN-M on Sunday morning decided to sack Chief of Army Staff Rookmangud Katawal without the coalition’s consensus.

Late on Sunday, President Ram Baran Yadav faxed a special instruction to Katawal, asking him to continue in his office, which the UCPN-M leaders termed as unconstitutional and meaningless.

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Nepali political parties urged to form new gov’t by Saturday

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

KATHMANDU, May 5 (Xinhua) — Nepali President Ram Baran Yadav has urged the political parties to form a new government by Saturday within the next four days.

In a letter furnished to the parliament secretariat, Yadav asked the parties to form the government with a consensus among political parties represented at the constituent assembly within Saturday.

Yadav had accepted the resignation tendered by Prime Minister Prachanda on Monday.

Meanwhile, the parties have begun their discussion to form a new coalition government.

Twenty-two political parties of the Nepali Constitutional Assembly (CA) concluded their meeting Tuesday afternoon with an agreement on the forming of the next government comprising the all24 parties represented in the CA.

The meeting that was held at Singha Durbar, in capital Kathmandu said that the next government will be led by the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).

Nepali supreme court issues show cause order to president

KATHMANDU, May 5 (Xinhua) — The Nepali Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday asked the President Secretariat, Cabinet Secretariat and Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Rookmangud Katawal to furnish their written explanations before the court within the next ten days.

Issuing a show cause notice on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed at the SC challenging President Ram Baran Yadav’s orderto CoAs Katwal to hold the post even after the government retired him, a single bench justice of Balaram KC asked the trio to submit written explanations on the issue.

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UCPN-M to launch agitation in parliament, street

KATHMANDU, May 4 (Xinhua) — After pulling out from the government Monday afternoon, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) has announced that they will protest from the streets and the parliament.

After the secretariat meeting here Monday, the UCPN-M leader Babu Ram Bhattarai said they would not join the government until President Ram Baran Yadav’s move to reinstate Katawal is scrapped.

KATHMANDU, May 4 (Xinhua) — National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Nepal has expressed grave concern over the critical situation in the country and urged concerned political parties to resolve the present political crisis by dialogue.

Issuing a press statement on Monday, NHRC said, “This adverse situation may seriously affect the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Interim Constitution of Nepal-2007 and institutionalizing the efforts of the People’s Democratic Movement in 2006″.

KATHMANDU, May 4 (Xinhua) — Nepali Prime Minister and Chairman of Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) Prachanda is set to address the nation at 3 p.m. (0915 GMT) Monday, Avenues TV said.

According to the TV, the prime minister is expected to address his views about recent political situation developed especially after the government’s decision to sack Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Rookmangud Katawal and President Ram Baran Yadav’s order to ask Katawal to continue in office.

KATHMANDU, May 4 (Xinhua) — Nepali Prime Minister and Chairman of Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Prachanda has started consultation with his party’s cabinet ministers and legal advisers to thrash out strategy on how to react to president’s move to reinstate sacked army chief in office.

The prime minister called Attorney General Raghav Lal Baidya and senior cabinet colleagues early morning Monday and started discussion on the constitutionality and consequences of the president’s move.

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Nepali supreme court issues show cause order to president

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

KATHMANDU, May 5 (Xinhua) — The Nepali Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday asked the President Secretariat, Cabinet Secretariat and Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Rookmangud Katawal to furnish their written explanations before the court within the next ten days.

Issuing a show cause notice on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed at the SC challenging President Ram Baran Yadav’s orderto CoAs Katwal to hold the post even after the government retired him, a single bench justice of Balaram KC asked the trio to submit written explanations on the issue.

Advocates Shreekrishna Subedi and Ram Krishna Kafle of the International Institute for Human Rights, Environment and Development (INHURED-International) moved the apex court challenging the president’s move to stay the government’s decision.

The advocates have argued that the ceremonial head of the state does not have the authority to ignore the decision of the executive, according to local news website THT online.

“The President cannot act without the recommendation of the executive,” they said, urging the SC to scrap the presidential order.

The Nepali government led by the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) on Sunday morning decided to sack CoAS Katawal without the coalition’s consensus.

Late on Sunday, President Yadav faxed a special instruction to CoAS Katawal, asking him to continue in his office, which the UCPN-M leaders termed as unconstitutional and meaningless.

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President seeks new Nepal government by Saturday, Maoists on war path

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

Nepal’s President Ram Baran Yadav, one of the key figures in the triangular drama that led to the fall of the Maoist-led government and triggered a constitutional crisis, Tuesday set a Saturday deadline for the formation of a new consensus government, a directive strongly rejected by the former guerrillas.

Shital Niwas, the presidential office, asked Nepal’s 25 parliamentary parties to form a new consensus government by Saturday to fill the vacuum left by Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’s resignation Monday after a protracted row over the dismissal of the army chief.

However, the presidential directive seems doomed to fail.

The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), the ally of the Maoist government whose pullout over the sacking row led to the collapse of the coalition, called a meeting of all parties but was boycotted by the Maoists.

The meeting, supported by the main opposition, former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s Nepali Congress, was also boycotted by another former ruling alliance member, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF).

‘We will not attend the meeting,’ Maoist spokesman and lawmaker Dinanath Sharma said after the parliamentary wing of his party called a council of war Tuesday to discuss its new strategy.

‘We have also decided not to allow the interim parliament to conduct regular proceedings till army chief Gen Rookmangud Katawal is sacked and the unconstitutional step taken by the President, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, (in reinstating Katawal) is rectified.

‘We will keep up pressure through the house and the street.’

As part of the pressure tactic, protests condemning the presidential interference’ erupted in Kathmandu and outer districts like Mahottari, Nawalparasi and Palpa with Maoist cadres burning Yadav’s effigy.

Police said 63 people – mostly leading human rights activists and civil society leaders – were arrested after they defied a prohibitory order and tried to stage a sit-in before the presidential office and residence.

‘We have the right to hold peaceful protests,’ said Devendra Raj Pandey, a leading human rights activist. ‘We will keep up our protests till the president takes back his unconstitutional step.’

With a consensus government unlikely by Saturday, Nepal seems destined to repeat last year’s history when the same difficulty finally made the interim parliament elect a prime minister by simple majority.

If the parties fail to meet the Saturday deadline, the president will have to call for a vote in the house. However, that too seems impossible with the Maoists deciding to obstruct parliament till Yadav or his controversial decision goes.

However, a solution could come from the Supreme Court.

Inhured International, Nepal’s oldest rights organisation, Monday moved court, accusing the president of having overstepped his jurisdiction.

Five lawyers Tuesday asked judge Balram KC to stay the reinstatement, saying the president had acted unconstitutionally by countermanding the order of the elected government.

The UML said it would leave it to the court to resolve the row.

‘Though there are questions about the legality of the president reinstating the army chief, we realise that it was done to resolve the growing crisis,’ said UML lawmaker Shanker Pokhrel.

‘While we feel the Maoists acted unilaterally by sacking the army chief when it was not endorsed by any other party, we are happy to leave the issue of the president to the court.’

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once again asked the warring parties to honour the peace pacts ahead of a UN Security Council meeting.

While saddened by developments leading to Prachanda’s resignation, Ban however was encouraged by the former guerrillas’ assurances of their commitment to the peace process, including continued participation in the drafting of the constitution.

Reiterating his call for restraint and political consensus, Ban has asked all the stakeholders to ’strictly’ adhere to the comprehensive peace agreement signed in 2006 that led to the end of the communist insurgency and all other associate pacts.

The statement came ahead of the UN Security Council meeting in New York to discuss a recent report on the developments submitted by Ban.

Ban’s representative in Nepal, UN Mission in Nepal chief Karin Landgren, would brief the Security Council on the current situation in the country.

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UN asks Nepal parties to end row

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Alarmed at the crisis in Nepal triggered by the ruling Maoist party’s bid to sack the chief of the army, the fresh violence on the streets and the danger of the peace process becoming unstuck, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked the warring parties to bury the hatchet.

‘The secretary general is seriously concerned about the current political crisis in Nepal centred on the relationship between the government and the chief of army staff and the possible risks posed to the peace process,’ a statement issued by the UN chief’s office in New York said.

‘The secretary general calls on all concerned to resolve the crisis through dialogue and consensus, with full respect for the provisions of the constitution.’

The Maoists unleashed a new crisis Sunday when they fired the army chief, Gen Rookmangud Katawal, for alleged disobedience, and faced flak from the opposition as well as its own allies.

Two of its alliance partners, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist and Sadbhavana Party, have withdrawn support to the government of Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, reducing it to minority.

The opposition Nepali Congress party is now calling for Prachanda’s resignation and seeking to bring a no-trust vote against him in the interim parliament.

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