"People's War" in Nepal claims 38 more lives...

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pingtiao's picture
pingtiao
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Jun 7 2005 09:32
"People's War" in Nepal claims 38 more lives...

Everyone's favourite Maoist insurgents seem to have scored an own goal...

Quote:

At least 38 people have been killed after a packed passenger bus ran over a suspected rebel landmine in southern Nepal, the army says.

Another 70 were hurt, many seriously, in the blast in Chitwan district. State radio put the number killed at over 50.

The vehicle and many of those crammed inside and on top were blown to pieces.

The rebels have yet to comment on the blast, the single bloodiest incident involving civilians since they began their fight for a republic in 1996.

They have carried out landmine attacks in the past against security targets but do not usually target civilians in this way.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4612633.stm

Was this simply a mistake (IMO:likely), was it deliberate (unlikely), or was it a strategy-of-tension-style attack by the State (unlikely)?

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Jacques Roux's picture
Jacques Roux
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Jun 7 2005 17:29

Why's maoism popular in places like Nepal?

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kalabine
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Jun 10 2005 11:03

i think this is a shame, the people's army are the best hope for nepalese peasents at the moment

good luck to 'em

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cantdocartwheels's picture
cantdocartwheels
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Jun 10 2005 11:31
kalabine wrote:
i think this is a shame, the people's army are the best hope for nepalese peasents at the moment

na, the peasants movements are broader based and usually centred around localistic groups and land reformist type principles, the actual maoist cells and paramilitary wing are just fanatical lunatics who kidnap peoples kids for 're-education' among other things. In all honesty i'd have to admit their not much better than the monarchy, in terms of the level of foreign repression they would bring in were they to take power, the legitmisation of reprisal, and the possibility of another cambodia, which while it is a remote possibility should not be discounted, since the peoples war lot are well and truly mental.

The violence provoked by the monarchy, backed nicely by our government seeling them a load of helicopter gunships and advanced armour fairly recently, seems to be making the maoists job somewhat easier, since they can justify an authoritarian coup against a brutal monarchical dictatorship very easily.