Nepalese Peoples War
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The Nepalese People's War was launched by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on February 13, 1996. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) now controls most of the country, despite foreign aid to the government. In 2001, the Nepalese government began deploying the armed forces against the Maoists, and since then more than 10,000 people have been killed.
Timeline
1996
- February 13 Initiation of the people's war by the Communist Party of Nepal.
- Kathmandu: A soft-drink bottling factory owned by a multi-national company was attacked and a portion of the building torched.
- Gorkha district
- A liquor factory was 'blasted'.
- Office of the Small Farmer's Development Programme of the state owned Agricultural Development Bank in Chyangli VDC (Village Development Committee) ransacked.
- Kavre district: An usurer's house was raided at night, properties and cash reportedly worth 1.3 million rupees were seized, and loan documents worth several million rupees reportedly destroyed.
- Rolpa, Rukum & Holeri, Rolpa had its store seized, including a "substantial amount of high explosives". Athbiskot-Rari, Rukum was also raided. The Sindhuligarhi post in Sindhuli was reportedly raided without resistance.
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
- May 28: Chairman Prachanda gave an with the journal May 11 A found by Nepalese soldiers in western Nepal depicts Nepalese Maoist rebel leaders Baburam Bhattarai, Hishila Yami, Ram Bahadur Thapa (alias Badal), and Pushpa Kamal Dahal (alias Prachanda).
- May: King Gyanendra dissolves parliament due to opposition to the state of emergency, and orders new elections
- October: on the recommendation of his prime minister, King Gyanendra postpones elections indefinitely
2003
- January: The United States held exercises with the Nepali army.
- January 29 A ceasefire is established and peace talks begin.
- August 17 Killing of '19 rebels and civilians' in the Ramechhap district of central Nepal.
- August 24 The Maoists threatened to withdraw from the cease-fire if the government would not agree to include discussion of their participation in the Constituent Assembly within 48 hours.
- August 26 Maoist ultimatum expires.
- August 27
- Strike. "the rebels called for a one-day strike to denounce the army's attacks on rebel cadres"
- The rebels unilaterally withdrew from the January 29th cease-fire. Prachanda's statement revived the rebels' demand for an end to monarchic rule in favor of a people's republic. Excerpt of statement: "since the old regime has put an end to the forward-looking solution to all existing problems through the cease-fire and peace talks, we herein declare that the rationale behind cease-fire...and peace process has ended."
- September 27 "Twelve Maoists were killed in a gunbattle with security forces at Chhita Pokhara in the Khotang district, 340 kilometres east of Kathmandu, a police officer said." "Elsewhere in eastern Nepal, the Maoists killed two policemen, Purna Giri and Radha Krishna Rai, and a woman selling beetle nuts, Kala Chaudhary, in the Jaljale-Gaighat area, an official said." "In Janakpur, an industrial hub on the Indian border 260 kilometres south-east of Kathmandu, the rebels carried out five early morning bombings that disrupted telephone service and power, police said." "He said the sites that were bombed included the offices of the roads department and the Nepal Electricity Authority and a telecommunications tower." "Troops and Maoists traded fire for nearly 40 minutes after the blasts but the rebels escaped and no one was injured, Mr Khadka said."
- October 13 At least 37 people were killed when an estimated 1,000 Maoists attempted to storm a police training centre in October 27 "Lieutenant Colonel Adrian Griffith and six Nepali nationals were freed last week 42 hours after being taken captive in Baglung, 300 km (190 miles) west of Kathmandu, while on a drive to recruit young Gurkha soldiers to serve in the British army." Party chief Prachanda said "We are sorry for the incident that took place against the policy of the party".
- November 11 The government Defence Ministry accused the rebels of abducting twenty-nine 9th and 10th grade students from Riva Secondary School in Mugu district, western Nepal during the previous week.
- November 19 According to a Nepalese army official, four people were caught at the Chinese Khasa border point, 114 kilometres northeast of Kathmandu, smuggling weapons from Tibet in to Nepal. The official named Hirala Lal Shrestha and Gyaljen Sherpa and said they were taken for interrogation in the Tibetan town of Xigatse.
2004
- February 5 A government raid on a village in Bhimad, Makwanpur district occurred. Reports emerged that 14 suspected Maoist activists and two civilians were extrajudicially executed. Amnesty International later wrote a letter to Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and Colonel Nilendra Aryal, Head of the February 10 Two central committee members of Communist Party of Nepal Matrika Yadav and Suresh Alemagar were reported to have been handed over by India to Nepal. They were reportedly arrested in Lucknow after Nepal provided information.
- February 13 Ganesh Chilwal leads an anti-Maoist protest on this day, the ninth anniversary of the commencement of the revolution.
- February 15 Ganesh Chilwal, a Nepalese anti-Maoist leader was shot dead in his Kathmandu office by two men. The attack came two days he had led an anti-Maoist protest.
- February 15 Fighting erupted at a Maoist jungle base in Kalikot district, 360km west of Kathmandu. The base was said to hold 1000 Maoist troops. On February 17, a security official said a private helicopter flying troops to Kalikot was hit by Maoist fire but that it returned safely to Kathmandu. On February 18, 65 were reported killed, though this conflicted with other reported death tolls of 35 and 48.
- February 15 and 16 State radio reported 13 rebels were killed in seven separate small clashes across the kingdom.
- February 18 Lawmaker Khem Narayan Faujdar, a member of the parliament dissolved by King Gyanendra in 2002 was shot dead by two suspected Maoists riding a motorcycle in the Nawalparasi district, 200km southwest of the capital, according to police.
- April 2(?) The largest rallies since 1990 begin in Kathmandu. They are variously labelled "pro-democracy" and "anti-monarchy".
- April 3 More than 12 trucks were burnt while waiting at a western Nepal border post to pick up petrol from India. India condmened the attacks and vowed to fight terrorism.
- April 4 "Some 150 demonstrators were struck during a police baton charge" during demonstrations in Kathmandu.
- April 4 "Hundreds of Maoist rebels" attacked a police post in Yadukuwa, April 4 In the west of the country three Indian traders were shot and injured and had their vehicles burned.
- April 5 A three day national strike begins, called by CPN and opposed by an "alliance of five political parties" who are protesting in Kathmandu against the monarchy and say the strike will hamper the movement of demonstrators in Kathmandu. Prachanda said "The time has come to win a united struggle against the feudal forces as the king is trying to take the nation back to the 18th century".
- April 5 In the morning, 3 soldiers are killed and 7 injured by a CPN landmine activated by their vehicle at April 5 At least 140 people were injured in clashes in Kathmandu as "about 50,000" demonstrators confronted police. Demonstrators tried to break through a police barricade close to the royal palace. Police responded with tear gas and protesters were reportedly injured by police batons. Rocks and bricks were thrown by both sides. Demonstrations also occurred in Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. King Gyanendra has reportedly been away touring villages in western Nepal.
- April 5 The Indian government will no longer provide police escorts to Indian officials shopping in Nepal as a means to discourage such trips. Fears are based on CPN targeting of Indians - "We are worried about possible reprisals here if the Maoists continue to target Indians inside Nepal" said a senior police official.
- August 16 The Soaltee Hotel, a popular luxury hotel in Katmandu, was bombed for refusing a rebel demand that the hotel close.
- August 18 A bomb explodes in a marketpalce in southern Nepal. The blast kills a 12-year-old boy and wounds six others, including three policemen. Also, Maoist rebels demanding the release of captured guerrillas stop all road traffic near Katmandu by threatening to attack vehicles. Some Nepalese businesses are shut down because of threats.
External Links
News articles and press releases
- AFP via Australian Broadcasting Corporation, , September 28, 2003.
- via . . A World to Win. Interview took place 28 May, 2001.
- Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Central Committee Publications Department. , Review, June 1996.
- U.S. Kyodo. , Yahoo News Asia, November 11, 2003.
- Miglani, Sanjeev. , August 18, 2003.
- Pokharel, Tilak P. , World Press Review, August 27, 2003.
- Reuters. , Reuters Alertnet, October 13, 2003.
- Reuters. , Reuters Alertnet, October 27, 2003.
- , The Times of India, February 10, 2004.
- , The News, November 19, 2003.
- . BBC, February 15, 2004.
- . AFP via Amnesty International via . February 18, 2004.
- , The Statesman, April 5, 2004.
- NNN via Reuters via The Globe and Mail. , Reuters. April 5, 2004.
- Reuters via AFP via The Times of India. , AFP. April 5, 2004.
- AFP via The Independent. April 6, 2004.
- , RWOR. April 11, 2004.
- , RWOR. April 25, 2004.
- , RWOR. April 25, 2004.
- , by Li Onesto, RWOR. May 1, 2004.
- , RWOR. May 16, 2004.
- , RWOR. July 4, 2004.
- , RWOR. July 4, 2004.
- , RWOR. July 18, 2004.
- , RWOR. July 18, 2004.
- , RWOR. August 8, 2004.
- , RWOR. August 8, 2004.
Websites
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