April
20 2006
Updated July 2006
Trekking
to Sarangkot
in Pokhara Nepal
Part
3
Conversations
with Nepali City People
Drinking
coffee and eating Huevos Rancheros at the restaurant,
I had a chance to speak with Mr. S, a Nepali business
owner about the current political situation. For some
background, there are basically 3 actors in this political
drama. The first is the King, who came to power in
2002 after his brother, who was then King was killed
in a palace massacre. The second actor is the 7 political
parties that previously formed the parliament before
it was disbanded by the King. The third actor is the
Maoist Rebels, who are mainly in the mountains.
According
to Mr. S., the former King Birendra, the previous
King,was a great leader and loved by the people. The
news reports of his massacre were misleading. According
to Mr. S., the killing of the King (and the King's
family) was a coup by his brother, the present King,
a move to gain power and the throne. The official
story of the massacre differs however.
According
to the official version, the King and family were
gunned down by the King's son who was in a drunken
rage. According to these reports, the son was distraught
by his family's disapproval of his engagement to a
certain woman that he deeply loved. The son came home
drunk, then dressed in military fatigues, and assisted
by masked gunmen, killed his family and then turned
the gun on himself.
Mr.
S, said no, that is not the way it happened. The son
was normal and a well-liked person, and the official
version was a cover-up.
Meanwhile,
in the mountain regions, the Maoist rebels were gaining
support for their cause, which is apparently a Marxist-Leninist
agenda. The Maoists were reportedly recruiting children
soldiers and generally destabilizing the region. According
to reports almost 10,000 people have been killed in
clashes with the Maoists. They are listed as a terrorist
organization by some governments.
Fast
forward to 2003 and the new King, disgusted with the
lack of progress in defeating the rebels, disbands
the government and slowly assumes more power by a
series of political maneuvers. The dislodged political
parties, that were formerly the members of parliament,
comprise the third actor in this drama.
Now,
back to present day Nepal shortly before my trip.
The political parties form an alliance with the Maoists
to restore democracy in Nepal. In furtherance of their
objectives, they organize a series of general strikes,
shutting down all businesses and transportation. Accelerating
the process of civil disorder are huge demonstrations
in major cities against the King. The King cracks
down by issuing daytime curfews enforced by the army.
The protesters defy the curfews and continue protesting.
Things start getting ugly, some skulls are broken,
threats are made and a temporary stalemate is the
only result. A few people are killed. It is like a
pressure cooker ready to explode.
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