By Ben Peterson

[The following are a series first-hand reports from Nepal, by Australian socialist activist Ben Peterson, a member of the Democratic Socialist Perspective and the socialist youth organisation Resistance, both affiliated to the Socialist Alliance. They first appeared at Ben's blog, Lal Salam, and are posted at Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal with his permission.]

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First impressions and adventures in Nepal

March 6, 2009 -- And here I am. After too long speculating from the sidelines (and sidelines 10,000 kilometres away) I have finally arrived in the land of Mountains and Maoists. On Tuesday night at about 10 pm, I landed in Kathmandu to see with my own eyes the processes unfolding here.

This is less of an in-depth analysis and more of a account of my personal experiences so far, which have been really intense.

I was met at the airport by a political comrade of mine, Narendra Jung Peter. He has been an amazing help so far, and amongst many other things has helped arrange a room to stay, a sim card and introductions to already a mind-boggling amount of people.

So it wasn't until Wednesday that I got to look around Kathmandu a little bit. It's an amazing place, and so unbelievably different to the comforts of the West. To describe it best I think all that really needs to be said that it is loud, chaotic but amazingly open and friendly. I've been lost a few times already, but everywhere I go there are people more than happy to help me out, and have a chat which has been great.

There is a lot of political graffiti and posters on the walls in Kathmandu. Most of it, at least where I am staying, is just residual stuff left over from previous events. There is still a lot of stuff left over from the election, most of it Maoist [United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) -- UCPN (Maoist)]. I have some good photos. Their are also a lot of posters, where I am they are mostly related to the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) UML congress that was held two weeks ago. There was also some I saw in another part of the city advertising a program for the Newari (an ethnic group) National Liberation Front. I am pretty sure this is a Maoist group, but unfortunately it has already taken place, so I couldn't attend. There have also been posters around where I am staying for the local shopkeepers' union, but I have not yet found anyone to translate them for me. There is some more recent stuff, there was a big slogan on one wall from the Maoists women's group, which is organising something in regards to International Women's Day, which I saw around, but the areas near the schools and universities are saturated with material, due to the ongoing student elections. Hopefully I will be able to make contact with some of these students and get an insight to the student movements, as the struggle here has been fierce, often escalating into confrontations. The last few days have been amazingly intense. I haven't had time to think, it's been really crazy, but so amazingly rewarding. Again, Comrade Narendra Jung Peter has been an invaluable contact, and I already owe him more than I thought possible. Yesterday I got up early to go see the Dabur Square. It is an amazing place, it is the central square of Kathmandu and has temples and other architecture dating back literally over a thousand years. It is an amazing mix of Nepali culture and architecture which is so amazingly impressive, with smaller additions and influences taken from other cultures that passed through the valley, as Kathmandu is on what was the traditional trade route between India and Tibet/China. The exception to this rule of subtle influences is the domination of the beastly building that is sort of tacked onto the side of the old royal palace which is based on the Bank of England building in London. There is nothing subtle about the imposition of this palace extension, and if endemic of the fact that while as a independent nation Nepal was able to resist becoming a part of the British Empire, the cultural (and economic) imperialism wasn't able to be stopped at the border. After seeing the Darbur Square Narendra called me and invited me to a meeting at the Ministry of Communications and Information on the need to spread responsibility and accountability within the media of Nepal. Present at the meeting where ex-ministers, heads of journalist federations, veteran and respected journos, academics and editors... and me. Needless to say I felt a little out of my depth, especially as I don't speak a word of Nepali, but it was still a good experience that I am very grateful for. Their are many issues in the media at the moment. Firstly and foremost, there is the issue of the Army integration, which has recently flared up. The (ex-royal) Nepali Army recently went ahead and recruited several thousand new members, despite it being against the interim constitution, the peace agreement, the supreme court and the directions of the government and defence ministries. However only in the last couple of days, in response to this, has the People's Liberation Army also started a process of recruitment. The right-wing media is now starting a shit storm about how the PLA is putting the peace process in jeopardy and the UCPN (M) is at fault. It is a ridiculous argument, and the root cause of a the current issues is that the army is still loyal to the royals and the opposition, and not to the government. There is also the issue of the load shedding. Kathmandu is without power for up to 16 hours a day, which naturally is causing massive disruption to people's lives and to the economy. While Nepal is a Third World country and it definitely has issues with energy, there has recently (since the Maoists formed government) has been a noticeable increase in the problem. While there no doubt has been chronic underfunding from the government for energy for years, I think that the recent increase in the problem is suspicious to say the least. I will try and write articles on all the issues and also try and get some interviews done. I also need to go to the countryside and see things a bit better as well and meet the rural people. On a final note, the comrades I have spoken too here have really enjoyed Green Left Weekly. I highly recommend it, it's a great paper and that will be writing for it. The PLA recruits -- what is the future of the peace process? March 8, 2009 -- On March 3, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of Nepal, which fought a ten-year war against what was then the Hindu Kingdom of Nepal started recruiting new soldiers to fill vacancies within this force. This has been hailed by the media and political opposition (both inside and outside of the government) as a major hit to the integration of the armies and has been said to put the peace process in jeopardy.

However to come to these conclusions one has to disregard the facts and the real issues surrounding this recent controversy. This recruitment has been in response to a recruitment by the (ex-Royal) Nepal Army. The recruitment by the army took place against the instructions and orders of the defence ministry, the government, the Supreme Court, yet did not receive the same condemnation from the various political parties in opposition. The political opposition, lea by the Nepali Congress, has called for this recruitment to be stopped, and has demanded that the United Communist Party (Maoist) halt the recruitment. However the UCPN (M) is not in a position to do so, as the PLA no longer the military wing of that party. It has repeatedly been stressed by both the UCPN (M) and the PLA that the PLA now takes its directions from and is loyal to the civilian government. The PLA and the UCPN (M) both continue to reconfirm their commitment to the ongoing peace process and the process of creating the new Nepal. It is the Nepal Army, with the political support of the opposition, which is putting the peace process in jeopardy and continues to move against the spirit of the people's movement of 2006 and the mandate given to the Maoist-led government in the constituent assembly elections last year. When placed in a position where despite its commitment to the peace process and the government, its opponent in the Nepali Army continues to grow and build its strength, the PLA is left with no option but to follow suit. The peace process only can be brought to a logical conclusion when the two forces are integrated into a new, democratised national army, loyal only to the new Nepal. Contrary to the opinion of the political opposition, the most pressing need in this matter is not to rehabilitate the PLA into the community, but (as this whole episode shows) to bring the rogue army back under the control of the civilian government, and dissolve both of these forces and then reintegrate them into a new national army for the new Nepal. This however will be a struggle for the Maoist-led government as those inside and outside the army will fight tooth and nail to preserve it in its current state as insurance for the status quo. It is clear to most observers that while the king may be gone and the constitution is still being written, the shape and form of the new Nepal is anything but certain, and is still to be played out in the future. Some pictures and thoughts from the Peoples Liberation Army. March 28, 2009 -- For the last week I have been with the JanaMukti Sena, the Peoples Liberation Army. Mostly with the 3rd Division, Kalyan/Anish Memorial Brigade.

This is the Peoples/Military Hospital. Set up by the Peoples Liberation Army, it now serves both it and the public. It has many facilities, including a pharmacy, an operating room for minor surgeries, a pre- and post-natal care facility and a female ward. It was built by the PLA, and runs at next to no cost for the people of the area. (I also fell ill at the camp, and it cost me 10 rupees, about 20 Australian cents, which included my medication.)





These were two married comrades (please forgive, I only briefly met them and didn't record their names). He was tending to their child while she was studying for her school-leaving certificate. They are representative of many in the camp. Many of the people I spoke to were studying. As many members left school to join the PLA, many of them are now not qualified. Many others just simply didn't have access to any real sort of schooling.The PLA is now like a university -- everywhere people are studying something.

This is also a common scene, men often spend a lot of time tending to the children. In fact in my time there I saw no division of labour based on sex -- women often could be seen with axes and saws in hand going off to cut wood while the men stayed to cook, clean and care for the children.

From left to right, Comrade Rakess, Comrade Sasila, myself and Comrade Agragg. All aged in their early 20s, from the 6th Battalion. Rakess left his wife and family in the village in order to fight. Agragg has recently had his first child with his wife, who is an activist with the All Nepal Women's Organisation (Revolutionary). Sasila came from a relatively wealthy background, but rebelled against it to join the fight against the caste system and injustice in her country.

Their interview of me went for at least as long as my interview with them. Once they found out I was a progressive journalist they were full of questions about Australia, the struggle here, how strong the socialists are, our government, our government's relations with Nepal and with the United States, the nature of imperialism, and what were the conditions for people in Australia. Many journalists come to these camps and hear political talk from people, who were previously peasants, and write it off as ``brainwashing'' by some evil party. These people are often uneducated, but they are not stupid. They know exactly what they are doing and why. They are thinking things through, and they crave information. People who want to write off the "simple" people of Nepal -- do so at your own peril.

Women with guns. Enough said.

This brigade was made up of a little over 20% women, which is below the average for the PLA. But while women were a minority, and are still under represented in the higher ranks, they are in my experience much more serious as a general rule. Some of the male comrades were sometimes a little hazy, but the women were often the most political and well read. Men on guard duty would often talk to me if I asked, while on duty the women would direct me on to someone else.

Left to right are Comrade Sedanta, (comrade's name unknown) and Comrade Krishna. Sedanta was a medic in the rebel army, but was wounded himself. All three are currently studying, the books in the foreground are test papers for the coming exams. The middle comrade is a Bhutanese refugee. Almost 20 years ago Bhutan violently expelled a sixth of its population who were ethnic Nepalis. His dream is that after helping the struggle here in Nepal, he will be able to return to his homeland and help the struggle against the violent and racist monarchy there.