Head Over Heels for Peace
On August 7, Dipo Yadav a Nepali Congress party activist was kidnapped by the Maoists from Dhanusha district. He had been receiving threats from the insurgents and moved to Janakpur to escape and retribution.
In other incident, a woman in Pancthar, was severely tortured by the Maoists. The reason? To settle family dispute. The woman was so humiliated by this act later tried to kill herself.
These actions by the Maoists clearly show that they are not taking the peace process seriously. The National Human Rights Commission has reported that it has continued to receive complaints about rights violations. The report said that, between June 27 and July 28, they received about 48 complaints, out of which six are cases of abduction by the Maoists.
The Maoists have continued their forced “donation” drive to fund their large militia. Nepali media has reported on this time and again but the Maoist leadership has shown little interest in ending it. On August 2, in Bardiya district The Maoists started a donation campaign, clearly stating that need the money for the upkeep of their militia.
The government has been largely helpless to deal with the cease fire violation by the Maoists because of intense pressure from the public and the international community to keep the current peace process alive.
The pressure to keep the fragile peace increased when Maoists leader Baburam Bhattari said that the peace process is in verge of collapse if the government tries to push for ceremonial monarchy. His warning came after Prime Minister Koirala commented that even the King should have a role in the country’s democracy.
The Maoists have been able to keep the pressure on the government with their warning about the peace process. But how far the government is willing to go to keep the cease fire ignoring the violations by the Maoists is yet to be seen.
