Nepal/Civil unrest: Police dispersed Maoist protestors in Kathmandu

(Olivier Matthys/polaris/Photo News)

Nearly 35,000 people took to the streets in Kathmandu on Friday to demand an end to a five-day shutdown of the Nepalese capital enforced by Maoists activists, police officials said. The strike was launched on Sunday.

Reportedly, police fired warning shots and tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd gathered in Kathmandu. The protesters included doctors, lawyers, business executives, singers, teachers, and workers. The strike shut down transportation, businesses and schools in Kathmandu and other cities.

The Maoists wanted Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to step down so that they can lead a coalition government. Home Minister Bhim Rawal said the prime minister was not going to bow to the pressure from the protesters and does not plan to resign.

Nepal/Civil unrest: residents defy strike, clash with Maoists


Thousands of Maoists blocked roads for the fifth straight day, demanding the Prime Minister to step down so that they can lead a coalition government. Home Minister Bhim Rawal said the prime minister was not going to bow to the pressure from the protesters and does not plan to resign.

According to officials, angry residents on Thursday clashed with Maoist activists, protesting against the continued shut down. They also set a car on fire. So far two people have been killed in the strike related violence in Kathmandu and Makawanpur district in central Nepal.

Meanwhile, an editor of a local magazine stated that Maoists have beaten up four journalists while enforcing their strike in Kathmandu despite their commitment to respect press freedom.

Nepal/Civil unrest: Maoists blocked roads to government offices in Kathmandu

For the fourth consecutive day, Maoist activists in Kathmandu continue their indefinite strike, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, media reported on Wednesday.

Reportedly, Maoist activists blocked the streets including in front of Singhdurbar, the main secretariat of Nepal. However, many government ministers already had entered the complex under police protection before dawn.

The Maoists want the Prime Minister to step down so that they can lead a coalition government. Home Minister Bhim Rawal told reporters Wednesday that the prime minister was not going to bow to the pressure from the protesters and does not plan to resign.

Earlier on Tuesday, authorities started evacuating scores of tourists stranded by the shut down. Domestic airlines had been forced to cut down the significant amount of flights by as much as 70 per cent as passengers were unable to reach airports.

Nepal/Civil unrest: Maoists continue the strike to force the government to resign

For the third consecutive day, Maoist activists in Kathmandu continue their indefinite strike, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, media reported on Tuesday.

On Monday protesters threw stones at the police, four officers got injured. Maoist protesters also vandalized several shops in Kathmandu, accusing the owners of defying their strike. Police fired teargas to disperse the crowd. The Maoists want the government of Nepal to step down so that they can lead a coalition government. The prime minister said he will step down, but only if the Maoists pursue their demands through dialogue and meet certain conditions.

Meanwhile, authorities started evacuating scores of tourists stranded by the shut down. According to officials, domestic airlines had been forced to cut down the amount of flights by as much as 70 per cent as passengers were unable to reach airports.

Nepal/Insurgency: 1 killed as TJM gunmen attack government official in Birgunj

When gunmen ambushed a government office on Monday in southern Nepal, a senior government official barely escaped, while his police guard was shot dead, officials said.

According to the police, the attackers opened fire at Bam Bahadur Malla, the Assistant Chief District Officer, in front of his house at Ranighat in the commercial hub of Birganj, south of Katmandu. Police spokesman Bigyan Raj Sharma said that the “police officer guarding him, Anand Raj Khadka, was killed on the spot receiving five bullets, while Malla who was injured was rushed to the hospital”.

The responsibility for the attack was later on claimed by Terai Janatantrik Moracha (TJM). TJM is an armed group of the southern Terai-region and has recently called off peace talks with the government. Home Ministry spokesman Jayamukunda Khanal confirmed the attack and said the police have launched an investigation.

The government has introduced special security measures for the Terai-region as it has witnessed an upsurge of violence recently.

Nepal/Civil unrest: Maoist-called strike cripples life in the Himalayan state

Normal life across the country came to standstill as thousands of protesters took to the streets for the second consecutive day, to enforce a general strike called to protest the president. The Maoists called the three-day strike to protest President Ram Baran Yadav, whom they accuse of acting unconstitutionally after he overturned the previous government's decision to fire the army chief.

On Monday, protesters shouting "restore civilian supremacy" demanded the formation of a national unity government headed by the Maoists, who ended a decade-long civil war under a 2006 peace deal. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who replaced Maoist chief Prachanda as prime minister, rules out a new government, but says he is ready to appoint Maoists to his cabinet.

Officials said riot police guarded government buildings and key streets on Monday but there were no major violent incidents. However, on Sunday dozens were injured when protesters burned tyres, vandalised cars and clashed with police. “Six officers were injured, including one who was in critical condition with head injuries, Sharma said. About two dozen protesters were injured,” police spokesman Bigyanraj Sharma said. He added that 67 protesters were arrested.

Nepal/Civil unrest: Maoists declare Kathmandu free

Maoists on Wednesday stormed into heavily guarded Durbar Square in Napalese capital Kathamandu and announced the capital as a autonomous region. Reportedly, around 5000 militant cadres forced their way into the Durbar Square city centre where their chief Prachanda declared Kathmandu valley as the "Newa Autonomous State".

“Our move is not intended to disrupt the peace process or block the constitution making task,” Prachanda claimed adding it was to “make people aware about federalism and strengthen the republican system”. The Maoist supremo claimed that “regressive forces were hatching a conspiracy against the republican system and trying to reverse the change”.

Maoists have so far declared half-a-dozen “autonomous republic provinces”, ignoring warnings that such moves could lead to fragmentation of the country. Prachanda said the Newar community would enjoy “special powers” and “in due course of time, all communities will enjoy equal rights”. He raised the "Newa Rajya Zindabad" slogan three times.

India/Nepal/China/Civil unrest: Delhi Police arrests 21 Tibetans

(Pierre-Yves Ginet/Rapho/Photo News)

Police have arrested at least 21 Tibetan activists when their demonstration against China went out of hand on Thursday. It has been reported that the activists tried to scale the wall of the Chinese embassy in the capital city of New Delhi in India. "China makes progress by committing atrocities on innocent people," said an activist. "Millions of Tibetans are suffering in Tibet under the Chinese rule," he added. The protest, on Chinese rule in Tibet, was organised by the Tibetan Youth Congress in New Delhi and came on the day China celebrated it the 60th anniversary of Communist party rule.

Meanwhile, police in Nepal dispersed a similar demonstration and have detained at least 50 demonstrators, including 8 women, from different parts of the country. The protestors were detained after they tried to march toward the Chinese embassy's consular section in the central part of Nepal's capital. 38 among the detained have been reportedly sent to police lockups. "They will be released after the necessary investigations," said sub-inspector Chabiraman Bhattarai. "We want justice in Tibet. Down with Chinese rule," shouted demonstrators in Kathmandu.

Nepal/Terrorism: bomb found near VP's house

Security forces discovered a bomb planted near the residence of Vice President Paramananda Jha in the capital Kathmandu on Monday. “The bomb was discovered about 10m away from the residence of the Vice President,” Jha's aide Devananda Jha told reporters. “The army bomb disposal squad is here to defuse it.”

Paramananda Jha has been in controversy ever since he took the oath of secrecy and office in Hindi language on his own at a swearing-in ceremony on July 23 last year. His oath-taking in Hindi triggered street protests across the country. The embattled Vice President, who is of ethnic Indian origin and a former judge from southern Terai region bordering India, has defied a court order to take a fresh oath in Nepali. Jha last month filed a petition for review of the ruling. On September 4, the government stripped him of all facilities and Army guards.

This is the third time that miscreants tried to bomb Jha's residence. On August 28, a bomb had exploded near his residence, injuring one people. Kirat Republican Workers' Party (KRWP), an armed outfit, had claimed responsibility for the blast.

Nepal/Political unrest: thousands attend Maoist rally in Kathmandu

Thousands of Maoist supporters gathered in Nepal's capital Kathmandu  on Friday for a mass protest against the country's new coalition government. The Maoists say the president had undermined the supremacy of the civilian government by overruling the cabinet. "I was forced to resign from the government because I tried to establish the supremacy of the elected government over the army," Maoist chief and former prime minister Prachanda, told the rally. "If we are not allowed to lead a national government again we'll create a storm of popular movement against the government,” he said.

Police estimated that nearly 15,000 Maoist supporters carried hammer and sickle flags as they gathered in a public meeting in the heart of the capital to press for a return to power, four months after they quit in a conflict with the president.

The Maoists emerged as the largest political group in last year's election. But their administration collapsed in May when the president overruled their decision to sack the head of the army -- a move Maoist leaders say was unconstitutional. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal says he is ready to appoint Maoists to his cabinet but rules out a new government headed by the former rebels.

Nepal/Terrorism: church blast mastermind captured

Police in Nepal arrested the mastermind who is the head of an outlawed Hindu militant organisation for bombing a church and mosque three months ago that killed three people. “Ram Prasad Mainali, head of the pro-Hindu group Nepal Defence Army that claimed a church bombing in May, was arrested on Saturday near the southeastern town of Biratnagar,” said Home (interior) Ministry Spokesman Ratna Raj Pandey. "He is being brought to Kathmandu for more interrogation," Pandey said.

Mainali, chief of the Nepal Defence Army, a shadowy outfit that had asked all Christians and Muslims to leave Nepal or face dire consequences, was caught with three associates from southeast Nepal. The four men were said to be armed and were caught from Rajgarh between Jhapa and Sunsari districts in eastern Nepal. Mainali and his NDA, had taken responsibility for an explosion at the Assumption Church in Kathmandu Valley's Dhobighat area in May, that killed a schoolgirl and two women. The NDA had also claimed responsibility for bombing a mosque in southeast Nepal last year, killing three people.

The arrest came as an explosion in southwest Nepal on Sunday killed three people, including two children, police said without giving details. The blast took place in Malakheti village in Dhangadhi area of Nepal’s western Kailali district. Three of the injured were in serious condition at a hospital.

Nepal/Political unrest: Maoists issue new warning

The Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) issued a deadline of Thursday for the government to resolve a crisis that led to its resignation from power this year. Maoist Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha on Wednesday warned that the party would take a step further if the fresh round of protests was not sufficient to establish “civilian supremacy”. “There will be no option but a people's revolt if the government fails to correct the president's unconstitutional move,” said Shrestha at a programme in Kathmandu. Reaffirming his party's decision to disrupt the House session from Friday if the president's move was not corrected by Thursday, Shrestha said, “The House proceedings are useless when people's issues cannot be raised there.”

However, NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat, dismissed the Maoist demand for addressing the president's move from the House. “Most parties have termed it constitutional,” said Mahat. “The Maoists call themselves a democratic party, but by disrupting the House in the past and threatening to disrupt it again, they have proven they are not democratic and they don't believe in democratic norms.” Maoist Prime Minister and former Insurgency leader Prachanda resigned in May after his decision to sack the army chief was overruled by the president.

Nepal/Political unrest: Maoists give govt 72 hrs to quit

The Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) warned that if new Prime Minister Madhav Kumar did not quit from his post within 72 hours, it would start a new nationwide protest. “The current government is unconstitutional and illegal,” said Maoist leader and former finance minister Baburam Bhattarai.

“This government was formed under the shadow of the military after the president (Ram Baran Yadav) took the unconstitutional step of reinstating the chief of the army (who was sacked by the earlier Maoist government),” Bhattarai told reporters. “We gave the Nepal government a month’s time to establish civil supremacy over the military. If our demand is not met within that, we will start a new opposition movement.”

Maoist spokesman Dinanath Sharma said a three-member “united front” had been formed under former finance minister Baburam Bhattarai, which would lead the future protests. From Friday, the Maoists will begin to block the parliament once more. The Maoists are demanding for the dissolution of the coalition government and the formation of a new 'national' government under their leadership. If the government fails to reach a compromise within 48 hours, the siege of parliament will start.

Nepal/Civil unrest: strike paralyse normal life in Katmandu

The capital city of Katmandu was paralysed on Monday as members of the Young Communist League (YCL), the youth wing of the former Maoist rebels, called a general strike. The strike was called demanding a separate autonomous province for the ethnic Newar people. If the demands are met, Kathmandu valley would turn into an autonomous state.

Stone-throwing YCL activists took to the main intersections of the city, forcing businesses, schools and colleges to close down. According to police sources, protesters destroyed at least three vehicles for not cooperating with the strike. "Streets are deserted as they (protesters) have not allowed even a bicycle to run," said police officer Rim Bahadur Khadka.

On several occasions in the past, the YCL has been accused for carrying out violent attacks. Rights group have also repeatedly urged the authorities to break up the league. Even Washington have set disbanding the group as one of the key conditions to strike the Maoists out from its list of terror groups.

Nepal/Civil unrest: Maoists move to oust President in Kathmandu

Nepal’s Maoist party on Wednesday asked the interim parliament to initiate a debate on whether President Ram Baran Yadav had acted constitutionally when he stepped into the army-Maoist row and reinstated Gen Rookmangud Katawal. Maoists' deputy leader in parliament, Narayan Kaji Shrestha Prakash on Wednesday offered a proposal at the parliament secretariat, asking for a debate in the house to be followed by a vote. If the proposal is accepted and the vote goes against the president, he would be under tremendous pressure to step down. The motion filed in parliament comes just days after Maoist lawmakers demonstrated inside the assembly hall to prevent a vote for a new prime minister.

C P Gajurel, Maoist lawmaker said, “Though the proposal doesn't amount to impeachment, yet, if we get majority in the vote, it will indicate the president had acted unconstitutionally by bringing the sacked army chief back. It will be a moral victory for us while there will be tremendous moral pressure on the president to quit."

Nepal/Security: Maoists block parliament in Kathmandu

The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) disrupted parliament's proceeding on Monday to elect a new prime minister. Maoist lawmakers gathered as the House opened for business and chant slogan demanding the president reverse his move and dismiss army chief General Rookmangud Katawal.

Narayan Kaji Shrestha, senior Maoist deputy said other political parties must "discuss and settle" the Maoist demand in the legislature before taking up other business. "We'll not let the normal proceedings of the House take place without that," Shrestha said. "Election of the new prime minister can go ahead if political parties come to a consensus and admit a motion in parliament that the president has acted extra-constitutionally," he said. However, this demand has been rejected by other political parties.

Monday's session was to elect a successor to Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the Maoist leader who resigned as prime minister after a power struggle with the president two weeks ago. On Sunday, political parties led by the rival Communist Party of Nepal - Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and the Nepali Congress said they had the enough support to form a new government.

Nepal/Demonstration: new clashes in Kathmandu,

Hundreds of Maoist protesters clashed with security forces on Monday in central Kathmandu, after Riot Police used batons to break up the demonstrations and prevent the Maoists from entering President Ram Baran Yadav’s offices. 

Police officers have been mobilized across Kathmandu since last week, following Maoist leader Prachanda stepped down as Prime minister on Monday May 4. The political deadlock began after the Nepalese President overturned the government decision to fire Army chief General Rookmangud Katawal. The Maoists indeed accuse General Rookmangud Katawal of not respecting the 2006 peace agreement by refusing to integrate former rebels into the regular army. The military however said the former rebels could never become non-partisan soldiers and accused the Maoists of recruiting new fighters to take over the army and capture power.

Nepal/Civil unrest: Maoist demonstrators intensifies protest

At least 1000 Maoist demonstrators took to the streets of Katmandu on Wednesday, protesting President Ram Baran Yadav's decision to overrule the dismissal of General Rookmangud Katawal, the Army Chief. The demonstrators clashed with the riot  police – injuring three officers in the process. The latest protest came along with the wave of protests that followed the fall of the Maoist government. Anti-riot police used bamboo sticks and fired tear gas shells to disperse the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN) demonstrators, but no one reported with critical injuries. "We are showing maximum restraint so the situation does not get out of hand," said Bharad Lama, a police inspector. Authorities have disallowed further protests and rallies this week in the capital.

It has been reported that the protests started after Dahal, CPN leader and a former Maoist guerrilla chief, resigned on Monday in protest against the president's decision. Barsa Man Pun, Maoist party law maker ordered the closure of the Parliament on Tuesday for the same. "There will be more protests until the president withdraws his unconstitutional decision," said Pun. "There is no meaning of holding these consultations until the issue is resolved,"  he added.

Meanwhile, major political parties are looking forward to form a new coalition government, but the Maoists have been restraining from participating.

Nepal/Security: police break up protest in Kathmandu

Navin Ghimire, a home ministry official in Kathmandu announced that riot police  have dispersed a crowd of  protesters outside the president's office and detained several demonstrators on Tuesday. "We are expecting trouble and are prepared to stop violence in the streets," Ghimire said, adding that security forces were preparing to deal with potential unrest.

Maoists supporters staged protests on Tuesday against the president's action to reverse the dismissal of army chief Rukmangad Katuwal, which had led to the collapse of the government. "We have decided to begin mass protests ... and stall parliament until the president takes back his decision," Nath Sharma, the party spokesman, said. "We demand the revoking of the unconstitutional step and will not allow the house to sit till it is done," the chief of the Maoists' parliamentary party, Narayan Kaji Shrestha Prakash, said.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the prime minister, resigned after Ram Baran Yadav, the president, dismissed the government's attempt to sack the country's army chief. Meanwhile, the president on Tuesday asked political parties to form a new government by Saturday.

Nepal/Security: Prime minister Prachanda to resign

Prime Minister Prachanda resigned this Monday from the cabinet as security forces in Nepal have been put on high alert after he ordered on Sunday army chief General Rookmangud Katawal to step down. The Nepalese government decided on Sunday to fire the army chief without consulting the coalition, accusing him of "disobeying instructions not to hire new recruits and refusing to accept the supremacy of the civilian government". So, authorities “are expecting trouble and are prepared to stop violence in the streets. Policemen are on high alert and will be mobilized through out the capital Katmandu,”  said Home Ministry official Navin Ghimire.

 

The Maoists who are ruling the country have accused President Ram Baran Yadav of attempting a “constitutional coup”. Indeed, according to the local daily newspaper the Himalayan Times, the president has supported the General by sending him a letter in which he said “if somebody prevents you from doing your job and assuming your functions, you are authorized to take measures against him”. The furious Maoists have threatened to fight back and to go down the street after the presidential support. According to Krishna Bahadur Mahara, the Maoist spokesman and cabinet minister, “Our party has taken the president's step as a constitutional coup and we will fight against it.”

Political tensions could wobble the peace agreement that ended the 10 years civil war in the country that put an end to the centuries old-monarchy. Maoist have joined the government since the last election in 2006, winning the most votes. Prime minister Prachanda wants the former maoist fighter to be free while general Katawal has resisted for his part against that decision.