Nepal situation further deteriorating -- please read

B

Bill Marsh

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Mar 26, 2002
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Email from my freind Steve in Kathmandu, Nepal this morning - please pray for him, his family, our kamis and an end to this horror.

"Bill

"This is a heart sinking article. It really shows how simple over whelming man power has been the key to most of the Maoist attacks. http://www.nepalnews.com.np/ntimes/issue90/headline_1.htm

"I don't send this kind of thing to my parents, as it causes them to worry too much. They know this website anyway, and probably don't check in that often just for the sake of their peace of mind.

"My wife's grandma who still lives in the village, has been forced to "donate" several of her cows, a water buffalo and every one of her chickens to the Maoists. She is probably going to come to Kathmandu next week to get away from that situation. Most of the younger people who are fighting age including the girls have already fled, lest they be forced into duty by the Maoists. Its horrible. Nepal is in trouble.

sigh

Steve"


I am past mad, now I feel like crying from helplessness. Time to pray and think about congressmen to call.
Bill Marsh
 
Nepal stories are starting to hit mainstream news - the New York Times had an AP wire report posted on their website - but nothing nearly as horrific as this. The AP report just said that the streets of Kathmandu were mostly deserted, and shopkeepers feared retaliation by the Maoists if they opened up.
 
I think the conflict in the middle east is going to get most of the news spread. I hope the atrocities will stop or at least reach the public. Only our continued prayers and calling on Bush, will resolve this matter.:(
 
This doesn't sound good. It looks like the rebels are massing popular massive support in some areas. No amount of force can overcome that. Once you see people abandoning their lands, you are starting to loose the game.

n2s
 
Bill,
With Spec Ops. there,theres good news & bad! Good is they are THERE & prowlin!!Bad is it's going to take a little time(know noone wants to hear this)these Bas**** DIDN'T JUST APPEAR A FEW DAYS AGO!
How much time,"as long as it takes, these SPEC.Ops. people will do it right!!
jim
 
The US military is best in the world and if we get serious about the situation 90% of Nepal can be 90% secure in two months. The 10% factor will take a very long time just as it is in Afghanistan. I hope we see fit to make the move.

Pala warned me that he would not be able to ship khukuris anytime soon. UPS is closed along with most everything else.

A sad but telling letter from your pal, Bill. I personally know about 20 village people who have been uprooted, forced to leave their farm and home to the elements and the Maoists, to seek a little more personal security in the Kathmandu Valley.

"I am past mad, now I feel like crying from helplessness. Time to pray and think about congressmen to call."

I know exactly how he feels.
 
I HOPE there are some Spec. Ops. there to help quell the violent factions. Anybody seen anything concrete?

Or is it just this? (good idea in future, but violence and terror must end first, and ASAP!)

"US Team visits Maoist fort, promises help

By Ishwori Neupane

GORKHA, April 22 A high-level team of U S officials has made an in depth study of genesis, causes and extent of terror let loose by the Maoists in one of its strongholds.

The U S Team consisting of military officials, diplomats and technicians returned to the capital on Sunday after holding discussions with local level leaders, government officials and representatives of the non-governmental organisations.

According to the information available, the team had an insight into the level of corruption right from the top to the grassroot level of governance, and intra-party as well as inter-party conflicts among various political outfits in detriment to
the growth of democratic institutions.

Gorkha had been tipped as one of the model districts for its all round development in the earliest phase of implementationof the much-ambitious Integrated Security and Development Plan (ISDP) a year ago.

"The US officials were keen to understand the root causes of the Maoist insurgency and the possible ways to resolve it," Hari Bahadur Ghale, Vice-Chairman of the District Development Committee (DDC) told The Kathmandu Post.

Quoting the US officials, Ghale said, "Foreign aids have not reached to the people. There is rampant corruption right from the top to the grassroots-levels of governance. It will be difficult to solve the problem if the culture of corruption remains?"

Earlier, a team of the US officials had also visited sites of Rolpa, another Maoist strong hold.

According to Ghale the US officials, during the visit, also tried to extract a commitment from the district-level government officials that development projects would be implemented in a time-bound and effective manner and that the foreign aids would be utilised in a a transparent way. At the same time, U S officials are also believed to have advised local people and representatives of the local bodies to counter Maoist activities politically. The study, according to what its members said, was aimed to decide in what way the U S can help Nepal in the present juncture.

Quoting Patricia Mahoney, Political and Economic Officer of US Embassy, Ghale said the US Government would grant appropriate assistance for the development of the district after assessment.

Defence Attaché at the US Embassy Colonel Cheryl A Mach, USMC Chief of the Logistic Plan Division – US Pacific Command Camp, Colonel James Harbison, Deputy Engineering Division – US Pacific Command, the Camp Smith Major Mike Wehr were among half-dozen members of the US team."

--Kathmandu Post
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishdaily/ktmpost/2002/apr/apr23/index.htm#2

(in a long list of stories, so I stole it, since I couldn't link directly to it)
 
Twenty years ago this is exactly what I was complaining about to the US Embassy and Washington -- and warned that the Maoists would build on this and become a real and present danger. Nobody wanted to listen.

When you see commodities in the olive drab cans clearly marked "Gift from the USA. Not to be sold." being sold in the pasals next door to and across the street from the US Embassy you'd think the Embassy folks could figure out for themselves that things were not going as they should.
 
This is from a friend via one of the cable government channels I wasn't aware of, and he reported it's been discussed daily the last week. I'm reporting his take or that news, so take with a grain ( or cattle lick ) or salt.

Apparently the 101 Airborne, and the 75th including Delta is already there for a week and advanced in training the Nepalis on the AR. Also, the Brits on the L1.

The King reportedly took two days to agree to US and British assistance as we demanded that WE distribute aid rather than thru Nepali channels. We are reportedly literally arming the Nepalis with full equipment and they cannot believe each individual soldier is getting all that ammo for free. Transition to the L1 and AR is advanced except for having to recharge the bolt after putting in a new mag. Reportedly the Nepalis are acting like kids with new toys on the guns, and especially the grenade launchers.

The Nepalis are also agitating to use their new toys right now. Apparently the hearts of the Gorkhas and Ghurkas are representative of the hearts of those of their people.

Someone estimated the king would have toppled in 8 days if he had turned down American and British aid.

Also, mre's are being distributed to the Nepali Army and reported to be good food, but in need of seasoning.

And 200,000 tons of rice and beans is in country ready to be distributed to the population.

Oh yes, also compounding the problem is there are apparently 5 different dialects spoken and getting translators slowed things down. But the upgraded Nepali army is reportedly getting close to a week before it can go into limited action under US/UK leadership.

In the meantime, the Brits, part of them, are interdicting along one border. Not sure which.

So if what I was told is right, there is hope, and under the kind of terms the forum talked of.
 
Rusty - your news is uplifting, assuming it's true (hopefully). I don't know whether the king would have really toppled in 8 days or whatever (how does one predict this? some sort of monarchial version of metereology?? :confused:) - but US & UK assistance seems to be what Nepal needs, and it's good to have two powers in a place at the same time, they keep an eye on one another...

--B
 
Another story from the same paper:

Synopsis:

Man has growth on face that has grown to completly obstruct one eye. Cannot continue studies.

Hospital will operate but he needs to present Nepali citizeship card.

District Anministration office will not issue Nepali citizenship card since his appearance will be different after the operation.

*Catch-22*

bottom of page:
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishdaily/ktmpost/2002/apr/apr23/local.htm#6

If this is typical I can see how many might be receptive to nearly any proposal of drastic change in the government. I would be if I was that guy.
 
That's how the Chinese did it -- WE distribute, not you. WE buy supplies for projects, not you. WE hire and pay workers, not you. WE manage the project, not you. AND for each Nepali worker we hire there will be a Chinese partner -- to increase friendship at local level. (The Chinese partner was a dedicated Mao recruiter)

At the Embassy armed with a letter from the Speaker of the House and letters from a couple of Senators which got me through the door, I suggested that the US follow this example. Embassy personnel said they had nothing to do with such things. "Please go away. I have a tennis match at the American Compound in just 30 minutes."

Letters to Washington got replys like: "Thank you very much for this fine information and excellent suggestions. We will give it our devout consideration."

The Royalty has always had the option of stealing as much foreign aid as they wanted. The old queen demanded that all foreign aid cash go thru her trust fund. She took about half. The upper eschelon took about 90% of the remaining half. I figure less than five cents per dollar ever got to the folks it was supposed to help. Little wonder the king had to wrestle for two days with the notion of letting all those goodies slip through his fingers.
 
It's good to hear the US and Brit forces are there. Hopefully things will go as they have planned without too much loss of life except for the maoists and I pray that all of those bastards are killed in the worst way imagineable!!!!!
 
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