- Joined
- Mar 26, 2002
- Messages
- 1,861
As the Maoists continue their attacks (they have recently been destroying schools and drinking water systems) they have issued this statement trying to encourage tourism.
The following came from a close American friend living in Kathmandu. The violence is increasing.
"Civilians are beginning to regularly get hurt, caught in the cross fire, tripping booby traps in the villages, little bombs on timers (one in Kathmandu not long ago killed women and children on a busy bridge) etc. The Maoists reportedly use people as human shields. They firebombed a bus yesterday"
He enclosed this ridiculous letter from the Maoists welcoming us to Nepal. I think that you can read between the lines and see the real immediate danger here.
"OPEN LETTER TO FOREIGN TOURISTS VISITING NEPAL
Dear Foreign Tourists,
Welcome to the country of the roof of the world, and warmest greetings from
the materially poor but spiritually rich people of Nepal!
As you very well know, a revolutionary Peoples War (PW) under the
leadership of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) is raging in Nepal against
a fascist monarchical state since February 1996. After getting severe
drubbing from the heroic Peoples Liberation Army (PLA.) in every battle
front and losing almost all of the countryside to the advancing
revolutionary forces, the fast crumbling reactionary regime headed by hated
Gyanendra Shah has imposed brutal military dictatorship under the guise of
the so-called state of emergency in the country since November
2001. This last desperate act of the tottering regime to save its skin has
already backfired on itself and the mass rebellion in the form of the PW
has intensified further in recent weeks and will reach a crescendo in the
coming days. It is now obvious that two states, two armies, two laws and
two cultures, one representing a handful of moribund parasitic classes and
the other representing the vast majority of the democratic and progressive
working people, are engaged in life and death struggle in the country. The
United Revolutionary Peoples Council (URPC) is an embryonic Central Peoples
Government Organising Committee in the form of a revolutionary united front
headed by the CPN (Maoist). We, therefore, deem it our duty to acquaint you
with some of our basic positions and dispel some canards spread against us
by the old reactionary state machinery.
What are we basically fighting for? We are fighting for a genuine peoples
democracy in the country. As you know, in the current political
dispensation in Nepal the real state power vests in the feudal monarchy
that effectively controls the royal army, and the parliament is a mere
showcase to embellish the hereditary autocracy. Besides, the
self-proclaimed current king Gyanendra and his son Paras are known criminal
gangsters who have usurped the throne in a bloody coup dtat against King
Birendra last June 2001. Anybody familiar with the Nepalese
history will agree that the archaic institution of feudal monarchy is the
root cause and bulwark of socio-economic backwardness, abysmal poverty,
glaring inequality and all-round underdevelopment plaguing the country, and
its abolition is a minimum precondition for ushering in genuine democracy,
both political and economic, in the country. When the English
could wage war against their monarchy in the 17th century, or the French in
the 18th century, or other civilised peoples in the 19th and 20th century,
why cant the Nepalese people do the same even in the 21st century?
And are we against tourism industry in general and foreign tourists in
particular? Nothing could be farther from the truth. We are all for making
maximum utilisation of the natural and cultural resources for the rapid
economic development and wellbeing of the country and the people. And
given the exquisite natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of the
country, promotion of tourism ovbiously comes high in the priority list of
the future economic development policy. As regards the false accusations of
our xenophobic inclinations and preference for a closed political
system, this is another example of sinister disinformation campaigns
deliberately launched by the counter-revolutionary forces. By ideological
persuation we are for the ultimate withering away of all national and state
boundaries and creation of a classless and stateless global community of
people. Rather the fake votaries of globalisation of capital are mortally
against the globalisation of labour as well and hence, in essence, against
genuine all-round globalisation. Foreign tourists are,
therefore, most welcome in the country and will be so in future as well.
However, we would like to draw your attention to the grossly lopsided
nature of current tourism industry in the country and would advise you to
take special precautionary measures while travelling during the period of
war. Firstly, the tourism industry in Nepal is monopolised by the
arch-reactionary Shah-Rana family and their close courtiers (for example,
all the five-star hotels and most of the star hotels and travel business
are either owned or controlled by them), and most of the earnings from
tourism is said to flow back to foreign countries. Therefore it is quite
imperative to smash this anti-people and anti-national monopolistic
structure of the tourism industry and foreign tourists would be advised not
to patronise such tourism services (e.g., hotels, airlines, buses etc.)
particularly owned by the hated Shah-Rana families. Secondly, during
wartime the unassuming traveler can be caught between the crossfire of the
contending armies. The foreign tourists are, therefore, kindly advised not
to venture into areas where active fighting is going on. They are most
welcome into the revolutionary base areas, which are firmly under the
control of the revolutionary forces.
And a few words to our honoured guests from neighbouring India. Though the
reactionary state media cries hoarse about our so-called anti-India
posture, you need not be unduly perturbed. Despite the conspiracy of the
ruling classes of both the countries to drive wedges between the people of
Nepal and India, we are conscious of the common destiny of the two peoples
and are for developing a close and cordial relations between the two. You
are, therefore, most welcome to visit Nepal.
And finally, in view of the 5-day long Nepal bandh (i.e. general shutdown)
from April 2 to April 6, 2002, and the subsequent surcharged atmosphere in
the aftermath, the foreign tourists are well advised to skip the tour
itinerary, if any, for the said period. We deeply regret the inconveniences
likely to cause to you all.
Wishing you all the best for a future visit to a democratic, progressive
and prosperous peoples republic of Nepal,
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Baburam Bhattarai,
Convenor,
United Revolutionary Peoples Council, Nepal"
These people are real, serious, want to take Nepal into the dark ages.
They must be stopped.
Bill
The following came from a close American friend living in Kathmandu. The violence is increasing.
"Civilians are beginning to regularly get hurt, caught in the cross fire, tripping booby traps in the villages, little bombs on timers (one in Kathmandu not long ago killed women and children on a busy bridge) etc. The Maoists reportedly use people as human shields. They firebombed a bus yesterday"
He enclosed this ridiculous letter from the Maoists welcoming us to Nepal. I think that you can read between the lines and see the real immediate danger here.
"OPEN LETTER TO FOREIGN TOURISTS VISITING NEPAL
Dear Foreign Tourists,
Welcome to the country of the roof of the world, and warmest greetings from
the materially poor but spiritually rich people of Nepal!
As you very well know, a revolutionary Peoples War (PW) under the
leadership of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) is raging in Nepal against
a fascist monarchical state since February 1996. After getting severe
drubbing from the heroic Peoples Liberation Army (PLA.) in every battle
front and losing almost all of the countryside to the advancing
revolutionary forces, the fast crumbling reactionary regime headed by hated
Gyanendra Shah has imposed brutal military dictatorship under the guise of
the so-called state of emergency in the country since November
2001. This last desperate act of the tottering regime to save its skin has
already backfired on itself and the mass rebellion in the form of the PW
has intensified further in recent weeks and will reach a crescendo in the
coming days. It is now obvious that two states, two armies, two laws and
two cultures, one representing a handful of moribund parasitic classes and
the other representing the vast majority of the democratic and progressive
working people, are engaged in life and death struggle in the country. The
United Revolutionary Peoples Council (URPC) is an embryonic Central Peoples
Government Organising Committee in the form of a revolutionary united front
headed by the CPN (Maoist). We, therefore, deem it our duty to acquaint you
with some of our basic positions and dispel some canards spread against us
by the old reactionary state machinery.
What are we basically fighting for? We are fighting for a genuine peoples
democracy in the country. As you know, in the current political
dispensation in Nepal the real state power vests in the feudal monarchy
that effectively controls the royal army, and the parliament is a mere
showcase to embellish the hereditary autocracy. Besides, the
self-proclaimed current king Gyanendra and his son Paras are known criminal
gangsters who have usurped the throne in a bloody coup dtat against King
Birendra last June 2001. Anybody familiar with the Nepalese
history will agree that the archaic institution of feudal monarchy is the
root cause and bulwark of socio-economic backwardness, abysmal poverty,
glaring inequality and all-round underdevelopment plaguing the country, and
its abolition is a minimum precondition for ushering in genuine democracy,
both political and economic, in the country. When the English
could wage war against their monarchy in the 17th century, or the French in
the 18th century, or other civilised peoples in the 19th and 20th century,
why cant the Nepalese people do the same even in the 21st century?
And are we against tourism industry in general and foreign tourists in
particular? Nothing could be farther from the truth. We are all for making
maximum utilisation of the natural and cultural resources for the rapid
economic development and wellbeing of the country and the people. And
given the exquisite natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of the
country, promotion of tourism ovbiously comes high in the priority list of
the future economic development policy. As regards the false accusations of
our xenophobic inclinations and preference for a closed political
system, this is another example of sinister disinformation campaigns
deliberately launched by the counter-revolutionary forces. By ideological
persuation we are for the ultimate withering away of all national and state
boundaries and creation of a classless and stateless global community of
people. Rather the fake votaries of globalisation of capital are mortally
against the globalisation of labour as well and hence, in essence, against
genuine all-round globalisation. Foreign tourists are,
therefore, most welcome in the country and will be so in future as well.
However, we would like to draw your attention to the grossly lopsided
nature of current tourism industry in the country and would advise you to
take special precautionary measures while travelling during the period of
war. Firstly, the tourism industry in Nepal is monopolised by the
arch-reactionary Shah-Rana family and their close courtiers (for example,
all the five-star hotels and most of the star hotels and travel business
are either owned or controlled by them), and most of the earnings from
tourism is said to flow back to foreign countries. Therefore it is quite
imperative to smash this anti-people and anti-national monopolistic
structure of the tourism industry and foreign tourists would be advised not
to patronise such tourism services (e.g., hotels, airlines, buses etc.)
particularly owned by the hated Shah-Rana families. Secondly, during
wartime the unassuming traveler can be caught between the crossfire of the
contending armies. The foreign tourists are, therefore, kindly advised not
to venture into areas where active fighting is going on. They are most
welcome into the revolutionary base areas, which are firmly under the
control of the revolutionary forces.
And a few words to our honoured guests from neighbouring India. Though the
reactionary state media cries hoarse about our so-called anti-India
posture, you need not be unduly perturbed. Despite the conspiracy of the
ruling classes of both the countries to drive wedges between the people of
Nepal and India, we are conscious of the common destiny of the two peoples
and are for developing a close and cordial relations between the two. You
are, therefore, most welcome to visit Nepal.
And finally, in view of the 5-day long Nepal bandh (i.e. general shutdown)
from April 2 to April 6, 2002, and the subsequent surcharged atmosphere in
the aftermath, the foreign tourists are well advised to skip the tour
itinerary, if any, for the said period. We deeply regret the inconveniences
likely to cause to you all.
Wishing you all the best for a future visit to a democratic, progressive
and prosperous peoples republic of Nepal,
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Baburam Bhattarai,
Convenor,
United Revolutionary Peoples Council, Nepal"
These people are real, serious, want to take Nepal into the dark ages.
They must be stopped.
Bill
