NEPAL:Revolutionary Taxes,Political Terror

[Guest guest]

HinduThought, "vrnparker" <vrnparker>

wrote:

 

NEPAL: Revolutionary Taxes and Political Terror

October 15, 2004: The fighting continues, especially in the remote

areas of Nepal, as the army tries to cut the Maoist rebellion off at

its source by finding and destroying Maoist camps. This is difficult

because of the large area of mountains and forests available to the

Maoists. Moreover, the Maoists are careful to terrorize the local

civilians thoroughly, to minimize the amount of information the

villagers give to the army.

 

October 12, 2004: The Maoists have kept up pressure on local

journalists, using threats, kidnappings and murder to persuade

reporters and editors to publish pro-Maoist articles. This is having

some effect.

 

October 10, 2004: The government has upped the ante in its war with

Maoist rebels, by increasing the size of the army by 6,000 (to

85,000.) In poverty stricken Nepal, becoming a soldier is seen as an

economic opportunity. The government is depending on foreign aid,

particularly from India and the United States, to pay for the

additional troops.

 

October 9, 2004: To many Nepalis, the Maoist rebels are a bunch of

greedy criminals. The Maoists survive by demanding "revolutionary

taxes" from people in rural areas where there are few police. The

Maoists are well organized, collecting information on areas

they "control", and are especially keen on finding out which

families are getting money from a relative working abroad. Such

remittances account for 12 percent of Nepal's GNP. The Maoists also

extort "protection" money from businesses large and small. Some

businesses, and villages, form security forces and resist. But this

often leads to large scale rebel violence in the area. The Maoists

cannot afford to have too many examples of people resisting the

extortion.

The Latest Comment On This Topic:

DrCruel

The Maobadi

They are simply bandits that rob peasants and foreign visitors

alike, and hold teh country in a reign of terror. They are like the

Thuggees of India, and ought to be treated similarly. I suspect all

these pro-Maobadi characters are apologists for teh PRC. They

certainly aren't Nepalese - virtually all people in Nepal despise

the Maobadi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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