Nepal Maoists tell of world plans

[Guest guest]

"MY QUESTION IS WHO IS FUNDING THESE GUYS? YOU'LL NEVER FIND THAT

STORY IN THE NEWS."

 

 

 

Nepal Maoists tell of world plans

 

 

 

Rebels use cultural shows to gather villagers in remote areas

 

BBC South Asia correspondent Adam Mynott is one of the first Western

journalists to travel to the mountainous Rolpa district of west

Nepal, a stronghold of the Maoist rebels, who told him of their

ambitions for Nepal and the rest of the world.

 

The village of Holeri is high in the foothills of the Himalayas. It

is where the Maoist insurgents in Nepal carried out their most

successful attack against Nepali Government forces just over two

weeks ago.

 

 

 

It was clear that the sort of Maoist rhetoric that has died out over

the last 15 years is alive and well and apparently growing in

strength here in Nepal

 

Seventy-two police officers were captured and one was killed. More

than 50 policemen are still in Maoist custody.

 

We were staying in the home of the police inspector in this village

who was captured by the rebels about two weeks ago.

 

The Maoist leaders, who agreed that the BBC could visit one of their

strongholds, were initially cautious but the local committee

secretary, who calls himself Comrade Sizal, told me that he wanted

people to know about the Maoist rebellion and what they are fighting

for.

 

Extremely hospitable

 

The rebels fed us and looked after us extremely well.

 

Speaking in a simple hut in Holeri, surrounded by other party

members, Comrade Sizal said the Maoists were not terrorists but

freedom fighters.

 

 

 

The rebels have stepped up attacks following the massacre by King

Dipendra

 

He said the current ceasefire between Nepali Government forces and

the rebels was not an obstacle to the Maoists' intention to take over

the entire country.

 

Indeed he said this would just be a precursor to spreading the Maoist

movement throughout the world.

 

When I accused Comrade Sizal of being slightly over-ambitious, he

countered that this was a movement on the move.

 

Maoists currently control eight of more than 70 districts in Nepal.

They are in effect running these areas, collecting taxes and

organising education and health care.

 

Mass gathering

 

Earlier, Comrade Sizal addressed a mass meeting of more than 5,000

villagers who had come from all over the countryside to listen to

speeches about the Maoist rebellion and watch musical entertainment

with a Maoist theme.

 

It was an extraordinary sight as long lines of young and old, many

clad in brightly coloured local peasant costume, snaked their way up

narrow mountain tracks towards the meeting point.

 

As they walked they chanted "Long live the revolution", "Long live

Marxism", and "Down with King Gyanendra's regime."

 

It was clear that the sort of Maoist rhetoric that has died out

around the world over the last 15 years is alive and well and

apparently growing in strength here in Nepal.