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See through the conspiracy of the ruling classes to launch bigger offensives on the people using the 25 May attack as a pretext
Unite, Fight back and Defeat the ‘War on People’
The gangster community that made Indian Parliament its lair is in panic. Terrified. Aflutter. Seething. Fuming. Up in arms. Baying for blood. Baring its fangs. Spitting poison. After all the May 25 Jeeramghati attack struck down one of their best trusted lieutenants in field. Quite Understandable. Actually speaking, the scamster-gangster bunch does not care much for Mahendra Karma’s death because they knew that this was something waiting to happen even when they were carrying on mayhem and murder under Salwa Judum (SJ) which they all had contributed to create or let pester like senators watching gladiatorial contests in amphi-theaters, with Karma as SJ’s public face and with the support of fascist central and state mercenary armed forces.
They are frightened more because in this country where every kind of exploitation, oppression, suppression, corruption and scam is carried on almost unchallenged, as the order of the day and shamelessly under public gaze, the fact that somebody ‘out there’ can bring these fascist scamster-gangsters to book and deliver justice is not so easy to stomach. It is like finding oneself completely naked and vulnerable with all robes of Z plus securities and paraphernalia of security suddenly vanishing into thin air with the fury of the suppressed masses breathing down their necks. Highly explicable. A strong reason to be upset.
Who knows who will be next? More chillingly, what would be in store if people completely vexed with the increasingly unbearable treacherous, undemocratic, slavish and wicked anti-people deeds of the pet-dog politicians choose to consider this as an option to vent their ire to put an end to their habitual comprador performance? Even worse, what if they consider doing away with the whole bunch by overthrowing the parliamentary system as the Maoists vouch to and call upon the people to follow? Very worrying indeed. And for once it is better that they be. They better understand that not every politician can get away with the kind of neo-fascist suppression of the poorest of the poor of this country that was perpetrated in the name of a Salwa Judum, a Sendra, a Shanti Yatra, a Shanti Sena, a Harmad Bahini, a Bhairav Bahini, a TPC or an Operation Green Hunt, can get away with selling the riches of our country one by one as a daily routine at breakfast, lunch and dinner to fill the insatiable black-hole belly of the imperialist beast, can get away with turning every word that gives meaning to our existence as human beings like freedom, independence, sovereignty, self-reliance and democracy meaningless.
They better realize for the umpteenth time (counting all such instances since the days of a Spartacus) that a people crushed so cruelly can never take everything lying down forever. For once it is better that they be alarmed. Karma, a medieval type land lord, architect of SJ, looter, sadist, rapist and enemy of his own tribe; most of his security men, cannon fodder but undoubtedly deployed to aid in his mayhem and massacre; some SJ leaders; and some top Congress leaders were wiped out in the 25 May incident. Unfortunately a few others who got caught in the initial firing also died in spite of our sincere efforts to minimize the casualties once the main targets were caught and Comrade Gudsa Usendi, the Spokesperson of our Party’s DK unit had already tendered apology for it. The list of brutalities perpetrated by Karma and his ilk could fill many a volume.
Though not all, many of them have been documented in detail by the CPI (Maoist), revolutionary and democratic mass organizations, civil and human rights organizations, democrats, journalists and concerned citizens for all those who want to see. There is no purpose to the various conspiracy theories doing their rounds in the media about the reasons for this attack other than diverting the people’s attention from the truth. An unabashed conspiracy by the corporate media to hide the truth about the brutality of the SJ and the role of the Indian Army, big corporate houses, central and state governments, the Congress and BJP parties and slaughterers like Karma in its creation and developing it into a man-eating monster.
Such is its impatience to get rid of the Maoists that it did not even take into account that SJ was termed illegal by their own highest institution the Supreme Court. And all of them including Jairam Ramesh have once again repeated the most nonsensical and exhausted argument of ‘sandwich theory’ that Adivasis are being crushed between the armed forces on one side and the Maoists on the other. If they really believe in this then why don’t they demand first that the armed forces deployed in lakhs by the central and state governments be immediately withdrawn when they are agreeing that they suppress Adivasis?
Their lies fly in their face with the fact that the overwhelming majority of Maoists are Adivasis in the strong areas of the movement. Our Party reiterates that we never work against the interests of the people. It is solely the ruling classes and their forces that suppress the people and our Party fights it back. Let all the people’s enemies face the truth – the plain simple naked truth. Our Party and the PLGA defend the right of the people to defend themselves from oppressors and looters and on May 25 our brave PLGA guerillas led the people from the front to eliminate one of the arch enemies of the revolutionary people of India, particularly Dandakaranya people and more particularly Bastar people and some other people’s enemies as part of their broader resistance to big landlords and corporate exploitation and loot.
And we take this occasion to deafeningly declare one more time that our PLGA would continue defending the people and their right to defend themselves and would lead them from the front as long as government forces, state-sponsored vigilante gangs and class enemies continue their ‘War on People’. For, the oppressed have nothing without the People’s Army. This is as much as the 25 May incident is concerned. But what we really want to draw the attention of the people to is the perplexing way in which democracy comes up for discussion only when such attacks happen. Isn’t it too much of an oddity that it becomes the rarest of the rarest available commodity in the market square of the Parliament and is up for sale only when the toiling masses do a Bhagat Singh in some remote corners of our country?
In fact, we are also weary of the manner in which we Maoists also make headlines only during such incidents. So for a change, why don’t we look at what is happening as a routine in our daily lives to make democracy or Maoism a topic of everyday relevance? True to its social fascist character the CPI (M) politburo demanded “firm action” to put an end to “these Maoists depredations” and urged “all democratic forces to fight the politics of violence by the Maoists” and all the major political parties from Congress and BJP to SP and JD (U) went over the top in condemning this attack without speaking a single word about the actual reasons behind it. Corporate media was at its lying best and bayed for the blood of the Maoists more than any other so-called democratic institutions, bootlicking scoundrel that it is.
The meeting on internal security with the Chief Ministers and the later all-party meeting both held in the aftermath of the 25 May incident described it as a “direct attack on democracy and freedom”. The CMs unanimously declared – “We strongly disagree with the ideology of the Maoists. They want to overthrow parliamentary democracy and Constitution of India through violent means… this must be resisted with all our might.” They resolved “to use all legitimate means at their disposal” to counter the activities of the CPI (Maoist) and barked that they would not tolerate it or compromise about it. “We appeal to the youth of the affected states to give up violence and pursue their goals through legitimate and democratic means. We assure them that we are sensitive to their concerns and will make every effort to bring them into the mainstream of social and political life,” the resolution added.
The same feeling was expressed at the all-party meeting. Democracy? Freedom? Whose and what for? Better ask the women who were raped/gang raped and/or killed and the children who have been witnessing and are even victims of atrocities/massacres that are being committed by vigilante gangs like SJ and armed forces on their families and villages what these hollow words mean. The only democracy we see is democracy for the looters to hand over the riches of our country for peanuts to the imperialists and crave for their share in the remains. The only freedom we see is that of the armed forces to loot, destruct, rape, massacre and forcefully displace the oppressed masses for the interests of the imperialists, comprador bureaucratic bourgeoisie (CBB) and the big land lords.
The Indian Parliament is one of the most rotten institutions in the world that allows and facilitates all this in the name of ‘democracy and freedom’. So what’s wrong in wanting to or calling upon to overthrow an institution that led the people of our country since six decades into a dark tunnel with no egress leaving no option but to destroy it? Have you not taught in schools that democracy is by the people, for the people and of the people? Then do the people not have a right to reject it or even overthrow it when it exists and works exactly to harm their interests? Leave aside attacks like a Tadimetla or a Jeeramghati. They are tactics and an inevitable part of people’s resistance when lakhs of forces get deployed with huge gear of modern weapons to repress them as mentioned above. Don’t reduce our political line and praxis to such attacks. CPI (Maoist) is a political party with a clear cut scientific ideology – Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, political line and political programme that would lead to the establishment of genuine democracy for the people of our country. Whoever wants to talk or write anything about Maoists better go through it first before labeling us with various names like terrorists, left wing extremists etc.
Briefly, it states – India is a semi-colonial semi-feudal country; the targets of our revolution are imperialism, the comprador bureaucratic capitalism and feudalism exploiting and oppressing the people of our country and are to be overthrown through New Democratic Revolution (NDR) to establish a People’s Democratic Federal Republic. Contradiction between feudalism and broad masses is the principal contradiction at present. During the process of resolving this contradiction through the armed agrarian revolution, which is the axis of the new democratic revolution, that is, protracted people’s war, the resolution of other contradictions will be facilitated. The semi-colonial semi-feudal character of Indian society determines that the Indian revolution would have to pass through two stages. The task of first stage is to change the semi –colonial, semi -feudal society into an independent new democratic society through the resolution of the two fundamental contradictions of the present Indian society, i.e. the contradiction of the Indian people with imperialism and the contradiction of the broad masses with feudalism. Again, in its continuity, the task of second stage is to establish the socialist system and continuing the revolution advancing towards communism on the world scale.
This new democratic state will be the people’s democratic dictatorship exercised by the united front comprising the proletariat, peasantry, petty-bourgeoisie and the national bourgeoisie class under the leadership of the proletariat based upon the worker-peasant alliance. The state will guarantee real democracy for the vast majority of the people while exercising dictatorship over the tiny minority of the exploiters. This new democratic revolution will bring national independence uprooting the imperialist slavery, exploitation and control, and will establish the people’s democracy uprooting the feudal autocracy. Workers, peasants and urban poor who form the overwhelming majority of the population in our country are living in utter poverty as victims of hunger, disease, inhuman feudal-imperialist exploitation and oppression and they would be liberated from all these through NDR.
It uproots the Brahminical feudal hierarchical inhuman caste system that kept crores of Dalits and other oppressed castes in suppression since centuries and the feudal and imperialist patriarchal social system that had been exploiting and oppressing half of the population i.e., women. It destroys the Hindu chauvinist domination that had been oppressing the religious minorities in our country particularly on Muslims and Christians. Vast majority of the Adivasis have long been deprived of their land and other traditional means of livelihood without providing any alternative and have been the major victims of ‘development’ and ‘displacement’. They would live a life of dignity, freedom and self-reliance in a new democratic society. Present day India is a prison-house of nationalities. The New Democratic state would unequivocally recognize the right to self-determination of the nationalities including the right to secession and the New Democratic India would be formed only with those states that voluntarily stay within it.
The rotten, decaying, antidemocratic, anti-people, obnoxious semi-colonial and semi-feudal culture that is dominating all the spheres of our life would be destroyed. Hatred for labour, patriarchy, superstition, autocracy, imperialist slavery, national chauvinism, communalism, casteism, blind greed, self-centredness, consumerist culture, and perverted sex-centered ideology and culture would be ended. Feudal culture which is primarily the Brahminical caste-based culture of engrained superiority would be extinguished. This state will try its best to peacefully and fairly settle border, water and other disputes with neighbouring countries and will develop friendly relations with them. This state will never exert any expansionist behaviour with the neighbouring countries. This People’s Democratic State will establish unity with the international proletariat and the oppressed nations of the world; opposes imperialist war and aggression, bullying, subversion and interference etc. It will support and help by all means the revolutionary struggles and revolutionary war, especially the ongoing struggles under the leadership of various Maoist revolutionary forces against capitalism, imperialism and reaction the world over.
A succinct 25-point programme of the People’s Democratic Federal Republic or New Democratic State is clearly laid down in the Party Programme of CPI (Maoist) for anybody who cares to go through it. Let any debates on Maoists center on it. The ruling classes are appealing to the youth to give up violence and pursue their goals through legitimate and democratic means. Fair enough? Isn’t it common sense that even to use ‘legitimate and democratic means’ you need some semblance of democracy at least? The workers organizations/trade unions, the peasant and agricultural laborer organizations, the women’s organizations, cultural organizations, student and youth organizations and even children’s organizations are banned. Voices of writers, cultural artistes, democrats, intellectuals and their organizations are stifled.
Fundamental rights get curbed on a daily basis. Draconian laws are promulgated or updated in the footsteps of the colonialists with unfailing regularity in step with the intensifying repressive measures. Courts side with the big scamster-gangsters, treacherous politicians, smugglers and criminals, while political and social activists and innocent people are thrown into jails, maimed with tortures and put to death. This is what the youth of our beloved country with huge potential to develop our country into a genuine independent sovereign prosperous democratic state is going through. The lakhs of youth that have been murdered in cold-blood by the Indian security forces in Kashmir, North-East and in the vast rural tracts of Andhra Pradesh, Dandakaranya, Bihar-Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, UP, Karnataka, Assam, MP and other areas of revolutionary movement is the cream of present day India with independent creative thinking and productivity that is forming/joining democratic, national liberation and revolutionary organizations and parties to give a better shape to the future of our beloved country.
The glaring fact is that youth have taken up arms as a historic task of the oppressed masses to shape their future with their own hands relying on their own strength and their own people only after decades of recurring and frustrating failure of the Indian State to respond to their usage of ‘legitimate and democratic means’ to gain their genuine demands and rights. Appealing to them to give up arms for ‘legitimate and democratic means’ is not only putting things upside down but also a cruel joke. Youth have not taken up guns because they fancy them or in an atmosphere where there was no dearth of legitimate and democratic means or because they don’t value democracy. It is quite the opposite. They are taking up guns because they want genuine democracy. Our NDR promises exactly that, which is the exact opposite of the present pseudo one.
The government that did not even mention basic concerns of the people like land, education, health etc in the CMs meet and the all-party meet is now announcing training programmes to train thousands of youth and particularly the Adivasis and women and is promising employment to at least half the trainees. This comes under the ‘development’ package (the other being the ‘repression’ package, the package of death and destitution with which the youth are more familiar in reality). You pull away the land from under their feet, displace them from their centuries old abodes, isolate them from their traditional means of living in forests and lands and then give just a few thousands of them training that does not really make them self-reliant, with false promises of jobs for even lesser number of people.
What a convoluted concept of development! Low paid jobs for a tiny section even if provided would not be enough to fulfill the basic minimum needs of a family. With access to all traditional means of subsistence that were available while living in a forest cut off and the devaluation of the rupee, the situation turns even worse. The audacity with which the ruling classes declare that ‘they are sensitive to the concerns of the youth’ baffles. As all these are sham concerns the galloping rate of unemployment and underemployment becomes the ground reality. If they are really sensitive then why are PESA, 5th and 6th Schedules and FRA that the Indian Parliament had itself passed and are ‘serious concerns of the youth’ not being implemented? One must realize that all this is done as part of the psychological warfare against the Maoist Party to wean the youth away from it. While the PM said government was willing to talk to all ‘extremist groups’ within the ambit of Constitution at the CMs meet, Home secretary RK Singh said there was no space for talks with Maoists after May 25 incident! So much for who decides such policies. However, our party had already several times in the past categorically stated our stand on going to talks with the government.
We just want to draw the attention of the people and democrats who are advocating talks with the government or seize fire to the backdrop of such offers to judge for themselves the sincerity behind such offers – not a single day passes without some operation by armed forces being carried on in the Maoist movement areas to kill, destruct, torture and rape and several of our top leaders are languishing in jails in inhumane conditions since many years denied even basic amenities and bails. Coming to the present context, the Indian ruling classes have already been making unprecedented preparations for another big offensive to finish off the Maoists but are now trying to use the 25 May incident as the pretext for it. The upcoming elections are another strong reason behind this intensification and expansion of OGH.
And it is by now a well documented and well established fact that all this is being done to forcefully implement the various MoUs for mining and other ‘development’ projects in Adivasi areas. We appeal to one and all to see through the ploy and don’t fall into the trap of thinking that incidents like May 25 are leading to more repression. In fact, massacres like in Edesmeta on May 17 where eight Adivasis including three children were killed by armed forces, just preceding it are part of the already intensified ‘War on People’. Along with massacres, the new offensive would mainly include air attacks, i.e. direct involvement of multiple units of helicopters of Indian Air Force and Unmanned Air Vehicles-Drones too. The Defence Minister said that Army would not be deployed but the fact is that the covert role of the Army has already increased manifold before and also after the May 25 attack.
The preparations are on war footing like invading another country. The people of Edesmeta after the May 17 massacre put it poignantly – ‘they want to finish us Adivasis off’. On this occasion, we once again appeal to the people who are fleeing from their villages after fascist massacres like Sarkinguda, Edesmeta etc fearing complete extinction not to do so and to stand united under the leadership of Krantikari Janatana Sarkars to fight back the Indian state’s offensive. The Party and PLGA vouch to defend you and your rights with our lives. We appeal to the workers, peasants, students, youth, intelligentsia, democrats, women, Dalits, Adivasis and people of oppressed nationalities and religious minorities and all the organizations of these classes, communities and sections i.e., the vast masses of our country to see through the evil designs of the ruling classes, the arch lackeys of imperialists, particularly US imperialists that are once again uniting for another big offensive as part of the more cruel-inhumane-fascist War on People.
Unite together as a mighty struggling force in an unprecedented and broadest possible manner to fight against it and to defeat the unjust war of suppression. Only by doing so we can march towards ending the ever threatening danger of the menace of state terrorism and achieving genuine democracy and real freedom and also save our youth – the most valuable treasure for the future of our country.
(Abhay) Spokesperson, Central Committee, CPI (Maoist)
Belfast, Ireland 13-15 June 2013
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines wishes to thank the Republican Sinn Fein for this invitation to participate in the Irish Anti-Imperialist Forum of 2013, and to join activities countering the G-8 Summit now being held in Fermanagh, in British-Occupied Ireland. We are grateful for this opportunity to share with you the situation in the Philippines, specifically the social and environmental destruction being wrought by imperialism, and the revolutionary struggle of the Filipino people for genuine national independence and democracy.
We would also like to take this opportunity to express our condolences to the family, comrades and friends of Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, former Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army and President of the Republican Sinn Fein, who passed away on 5 June. He dedicated his life to the Irish Republican Movement, both as a soldier and political leader, setting the highest standards of commitment, duty, honor and loyalty to the cause of Irish freedom.Filipino revolutionaries salute the legacy that he has passed on to the next generations of Republicans who continue the fight for Irish national independence and genuine democracy.
US imperialism in the Philippines
It is highly appropriate to hold public activities simultaneous with the G-8 Summit here in Ireland. It gives peoples around the world an excellent opportunity to focus our collective indignation at the destruction and penury caused by the most powerful imperialist states in the world.
Member-countries of the G-8 comprise about 14% of the world’s population, but they represent up to 60% of the global gross domestic product. Monopoly corporations based in these countries operate around the world, plundering the natural environment, exploiting wage labor for their super profits and dispatching armed repression against protesting peoples. G-8 governments are the biggest military spenders, and they control almost all the nuclear weapons in the world. These governments have no qualms about using their military might against other countries asserting national independence, nor in supporting repressive puppet regimes in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
The Philippines has been suffering from US imperialist domination since the turn of the 20th century. Taking over from Spanish colonialism, the US launched an interventionist war in 1899 against the sovereign Filipino people. The brutality of the foreign aggressors resulted in the death of 20,000 Filipino combatants and an additional 1.5 million civilians. The US has since kept its grip on the Philippines, governing first as a colonial overlord until 1946, and thereafter through a series of local puppet governments. The country is kept as a backward agricultural and non-industrial economy – as a source of mineral and natural resources, plantation products, semi-manufactured commodities, and cheap labor force. The Philippines also serves, then as now, as a launching pad for military aggression in Asia-Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Middle East.
The Philippines is an archipelago in southeast Asia composed of more than 7,000 islands. It has a land area of 300,000 square kilometers, roughly the same size as Italy and New Zealand, and currently has a population of about 100 million. The country has rich mineral, forest, agricultural, water and marine resources. Despite these bountiful natural riches however, the vast majority of the population live in poverty. US imperialism and the local ruling classes of landlords and compradors big bourgeoisie have kept the country in a predominantly feudal state. Majority of the population are peasant-farmers, and more than 70% of them are landless share-croppers.
They pay feudal rent to the landlords, sometimes amounting up to 70% of the harvest. There is virtually no amount of mechanization in agriculture, most peasants still use water buffaloes and hand tools for cultivating and harvesting their crops. Peasants and agricultural workers also suffer from feudal slavery, usury, low farm wages, and low prices for their agricultural products. Less than 15% of the population work in the industrial sector as wage laborers. Among others, they are engaged in extraction of natural resources, agriculture, assembly and semi-manufacture of electronics, garments, transport equipment, and food products.
In the last decade, call center operations of foreign companies have expanded into the country, reportedly employing 700,000 workers, or about 2% of the country’s current labor force. Wage laborers in the Philippines earn an average of US$1.70 (€1,30) per hour or about US$13.60 (€10,50) per day. The average family needs US$23.60 (€18,20) per day in order to survive. This means that, on the average, a wage laborer earns only half of what they need to survive! In fact, more than 60% of the population live in poverty, not earning enough for the basic necessities. Foreign monopoly corporations continually plunder the country’s natural resources.
They reap super profits from these extractive operations while paying virtually nothing to the government. On the other hand, these result in irreparable destruction to the environment and the depletion of resources for the country’s own industrial needs. The local ruling classes of landlords and compradors big bourgeoisie are extremely rapacious and repressive. They monopolize the country’s economic resources, exploit the working people, extract political and economic power from government resources, and utilize the entire might of the reactionary state against the masses who are demanding social change. They are also extremely subservient to foreign monopoly corporations and US imperialism. They hand over the country’s patrimony and sovereignty to foreign profit, and legitimize US imperialist domination.
Revolution against imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism
The overwhelming majority of the Filipino people suffer from the chronic problems of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism. Under these conditions, the people have no other choice than to engage in a revolutionary struggle for national independence and genuine democracy. This involves the forcible overthrow of the US-controlled reactionary state, free distribution of agricultural lands to poor peasants and farmworkers, socialist development of agriculture, national industrialization, and establishment of the people’s democratic republic to be led by the working class. The national democratic revolution is currently being led by the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Since its re-establishment in 1968, the Party has formed and commands the New People’s Army as its main weapon in dismantling the armed strength of the reactionary state. Utilizing the strategy of protracted people’s war, the revolutionary forces build up strength in the vast countryside, defeat the reactionary armed forces piece by piece, and aim to seize national political power. The NPA is also the Party’s main machinery for arousing, organizing and mobilizing the rural population for the revolution. Sectoral organizations of the peasantry, women, youth, children and the rural petty bourgeoisie are established.
Programs and campaigns for agrarian revolution are launched, including those for lowering the land rent, wiping out usury, improving agricultural production, increasing farm wages, increasing prices for agricultural products, and improving cooperative activities. Local organs of political power are set up starting from the village level and later up to the municipal and provincial levels. These implement programs for agrarian reform, economic production, health, education, self-defense, local arbitration, and cultural activities. The revolutionary struggles in the towns and cities are also important.
Organizations of the industrial workers, urban poor, women, youth and students, and urban professionals are formed. They launch legal and unarmed mass actions to propagate the demands of the masses for national and social liberation. They also spread the news about the armed struggle being waged primarily in the countryside, inspiring the urban population to support and actively join it. At the moment, the revolutionary forces led by the CPP are active in 70 out of the total 81 provinces in the Philippines. The NPA is operating in more than 110 guerilla fronts, each front equivalent to a platoon up to a company of Red fighters.
The number of full-time Red fighters with high-powered rifles is moving towards the level of 10,000. They are also augmented by tens of thousands of volunteers in the people’s militia and in the hundreds of thousands of self-defense units of the mass organizations in the countryside. The mass base of the revolution runs into millions of people. It has been realized by building the village-based mass organizations, the organs of political power, and the local Party branches. The CPP membership is now beyond 100,000 and is expanding towards the goal of 250,000 in both urban and rural areas.
The NPA seeks to increase its Red fighters to 25,000 and its guerilla fronts to 180. The organs of political power and the mass organizations are strengthening themselves and seek to cover more people by the millions through direct organizing and by united front work. Under the leadership of the CPP, the NPA and other allied organizations of the NDFP are determined and prepared to advance the revolutionary struggle towards total victory against US imperialism and its local reactionary allies. The victory of the Filipino people shall contribute in weakening US imperialist domination and heighten the contradiction among the imperialist states.
We extend our revolutionary solidarity with the people of Ireland in their continuing struggle against UK imperialism and for socialist revolution. We look forward to greater unity between our peoples and mutual support in our common struggle for national liberation, social justice, genuine democracy and socialist development.
Victory to the national democratic revolution in the Philippines!
Victory to the Irish Republican Movement!
Long live the Republican Sinn Fein!
Long live international anti-imperialist solidarity!
June 14, 2013 Luis Jalandoni Chief International Representative NDFP National Executive Committee
Injured Naxal commander arrested from hospital in Patna
Patna: A wanted Naxal commander has been nabbed by security agencies from a hospital in Patna where he was secretly getting treated for bullet injuries suffered during a CRPF encounter. The Maoist leader, identified as Inderjeet, was injured in a gunbattle with the CoBRA commandos of the paramilitary on June 12 along the Jharkhand-Bihar axis near the Kumudi railway station. “He is a big catch. He was injured in a gunbattle with our commandos sometime back and since then we were on his trail,” Central Reserve Police Force chief Pranay Sahay said.
Bihar DGP Abhayanand confirmed the arrest and said the state police would inform Jharkhand government about the development as Inderjeet was wanted by them. Senior officials said Inderjeet, a platoon commander and member of the regional ‘dalam’ operating in Bihar and Jharkhand area, was apprehended by security agencies in a secret operation on the intervening night of June 17 and 18 from Eshwar Dayal hospital in Patna.
They said he was getting himself treated undercover for bullet wounds in the hospital and the agencies moved in on him after getting vital tip-offs. The Maoist commander was instrumental and wanted in the infamous incident of planting an IED in the abdomen of CRPF trooper Babulal Patel who was killed and left behind during an encounter in Jharkhand’s Latehar early this year. He was also wanted for many other attacks on security forces, they said. Some of his accomplices were earlier apprehended by Jharkhand police last month. PTI
http://zeenews.india.com/news/bihar/injured-naxal-commander-arrested-from-hospital-in-patna_855814.html
UP ATS team in Haryana to probe Naxal link
A team of Uttar Pradesh (UP) Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officers are in Haryana to probe an alleged Naxal link to an illegal arms racket spread across several states. Allwyn D’sa (80), who was arrested on April 30 from his Dadar residence, was allegedly among those who would assemble guns using imported parts that would then be sold. “The gang has been dealing with Naxalities since 2007. Assembled guns would be supplied through gun stores in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
The Naxal link was revealed when we examined the sale records of a gun shop in UP. Several of the customers mentioned turned out to be history-sheeters who have acted as middlemen for Naxals. They would buy guns and deliver them to Naxals,” said sub-inspector Ravindra Singh, UP ATS. UP ATS will interrogate a man who has been lodged in a central jail in Haryana for four-five months after being arrested for alleged Naxalist links.
“The two main sources of arms and ammunition for Naxals have been illegal arms suppliers and raiding government armories. Recently, police in several states increased security at their armories and also cracked down on those found to be hiding raided arms and ammunition in their houses. Naxals have started depending more on illegal arms suppliers, such as this gang. A probe is on,” said Singh.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/up-ats-team-in-haryana-to-probe-naxal-link/1130252/
Naxals recruiting afresh in Karnataka?
Bengaluru: Contrary to police and Intelligence information that there has been no fresh recruitment in the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist) in Karnataka, last week’s incident in which a group of four Naxalites led by a young woman leader, said to belong to the Vikram Gowda-Mundagar Latha group, gives the picture of possible fresh recruitment in the banned outfit in the State. The four armed Naxalites, who barged into a local tribal leader’s house in Sheeralu village in Chikmagalur district on June 9, included a woman Naxal said to be in her mid20s “Not one has been identified so far,” said an official source, even as it was announced on Tuesday that state Home Minister K.J. George will tour the Malnad region to assess development work carried out in the eight Naxal affected taluks.
Naxals continue to recruit, new members attack man
Contrary to police and Intelligence information that there has been no fresh recruitment in the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist) in Karnataka, last week’s incident in which a group of four Naxalites led by a young woman leader said to belong to Vikram Gowda and Mundagar Latha group reveal that there could be fresh recruitments in the banned outfit in the State. The four armed Naxalites barged into one Kempanna’s house in Sheeralu village in Chikmagalur district on June 9 and asked him to withdraw his support to the government’s rehabilitation policy. They threatened him and set his two-wheeler on fire.
“None of the four Maoists, including the woman said to be in her mid-twenties, have been identified so far. They could be new faces. Their sketches have been circulated widely, but nobody could identify them,” said an official source. Kempanna is a local tribal leader and member of the village land society, which is involved in collecting and marketing minor forest produce. The Naxalites alleged that he was a police informer and is keeping the lion’s share in the forest produce for himself.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday Home Minister K.J. George will tour the Malnad region to assess the development works carried out in the eight Naxal-affected taluks. The previous BJP government had disbursed Rs 5 crore each to the eight taluks to build roads, bridges, schools and hospitals as part of development activity. George will discuss with the local deputy commissioners and superintendents of police on the work done so far and the utilisation of funds. “The government is planning to post teachers in schools in the Naxal-affected areas. Development of these areas is top on the agenda,” said the officer.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130618/news-current-affairs/article/naxals-recruiting-afresh-karnataka
Police arrest four Naxals in Chhattisgarh after gun battle
Raipur: Four ultras were arrested following a gun battle with policemen in Chhattisgarh’s Maoist-hit Sukma district. The Naxals were arrested in the forest area of Kistaram police station of the district on Sunday, said Sukma superintendent of police Abhishek Shandiya. On Sunday evening, the jawans mobilised on the basis of a tip-off that Naxals were planning to launch an attack on security forces in Kistaram area, over 400 km from capital Raipur.
On seeing the forces near a rivulet, around 10 km away from the Kistaram police station, rebels opened indiscriminate firing on them following which jawans also launched a retaliatory attack. According to the police official, the exchange of fire continued for an hour after which Naxal fled to the forests. Later, combing operation was launched in the region during which four ultras were nabbed from the field of a villager.
“Those arrested were identified as Madkam Rama, section commander of 8th platoon, Madvi Aayta of Elmaguda LOS (local operating squad), Madkam Mukka and Kawasi Kosa,” Shandiya said, adding that two country made rifles, two 12 bore guns and live cartridges were recovered from their possession. On interrogation, the Naxals admitted involvement in encounters at Minpa camp, Golapalli, Bheji and Kistaram villages, besides a murder case in Timilwada region, he said. They were produced in a local court today which remanded them in judicial custody, he added.
http://www.firstpost.com/india/police-arrest-four-naxals-in-chhattisgarh-after-encounter-884331.html
Bengal taking steps following Maoist regrouping alert
Alerted by intelligence agencies on regrouping of Maoist ultras in Jangalmahal and neighbouring Saranda forest in Odisha, the West Bengal government has initiated stringent steps to forestall any threat. “About 40 to 45 Maoist ultras under the leadership of Tara, wife of Maoist leader Bikash, are regrouping at an undisclosed location in Saranda forest in Odisha to renew attack in West Bengal,” state police sources said quoting the intelligence input. The sources said that several political figures like Srikanta Mahato and Mrigen Maiti, both Trinamool Congress MLAs in Jangalmahal, had been chosen as targets by the Maoists.
“Security to these leaders have been tightened and measures initiated to strengthen the security net at the Jangalmahal area,” the sources said. The state government has received six companies (around 600 personnel) of central para-military forces in addition to the existing 39 companies (around 3,900 personnel) of such central forces to intensify vigil at Jangalmahal following the intelligence alert, state Home Department sources said. Following an MHA caution on possible Maoist threat against Mamata Banerjee, the security of the chief minister has also been beefed up. Several other VVIPs have also been brought under the special security net, while special vigil around vital installations in the state had been arranged, the sources said.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/bengal-taking-steps-following-maoist-regrouping-alert-113061801116_1.html
Maoists axe constable to death
An assistant constable was axed to death allegedly by a group of naxals in Maoist-hit Kondagaon district of Chhattishgarh, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place on Monday night in Iragaon village where 32-year-old Lokesh Kumar was hacked to death when he was returning to work place after having meals at home, Kondagaon Superintendent of Police D Shravan said. Around 4-5 naxals stopped Kumar on his way from Patelpara area and attacked him with an axe, the SP said.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Chhattisgarh/Maoists-axe-constable-to-death/Article1-1078257.aspx
Ex-Maoist leader held in Garhwa
GARHWA: A former area commander of the CPI (Maoist) was arrested in Bhandaria area of the district in a joint raid conducted by police and CRPF. Garhwa subdivisional police officer Heera Lal Ravi said on Monday Harendraji alias Lathuji was arrested from his house located at Tehri village in the district. He said acting on a tip-off a joint police and CRPF team led by Bhandaria police station officer in-charge Manoj Kumar and CRPF deputy commandant Uttam Kumar had raided Harendraji’s house.
Ravi said the arrested area commander was accused in a number of cases in various police stations of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. A total of 22 cases were lodged against him that included nine cases in Chando, six cases in Balrampur police station of Chhattisgarh and four cases in Bhandaria and one case in Ranka police station of Jharkhand’s Garhwa district. The SDPO also said Harendraji who was associated with the CPI (Maoist) outfit in 2002 was promoted to the area commander in 2005.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Ex-Maoist-leader-held-in-Garhwa/articleshow/20638349.cms
Task Force recommends security, development in Assam
There is need for looking into both security and development fronts to deal with the growth of Maoist militancy in Assam and the commando battalion of the Assam Police should be converted into a well-knit offensive unit called the Assam Police Commando Organization. These were some of the recommendations of the Task Force formed by the Government to study the problem of Maoism in Assam and suggest measures to deal with the same.
The Task Force, headed by Additional Director General of Police, BJ Mahanta, said that the Assam Police Commando Organization should have a strength of two battalions and the battalion should include the Black Panthers for jungle warfare, Assam Police rangers for operations by small teams and Beerangana, the woman outfit. All these three units will require specialized training which will have to be conducted in the Commando organization location itself. The Black Panthers will have to be groomed strictly in the line of the Greyhounds, the report said.
The report pointed out that the Maoists in Assam are not banned under any Act of the Government and most of the Maoist-infested states of the country have overcome this problem with independent state legislations. The Assam Government should consider bringing out a legislation in the line of the Act brought by the Government of Chhattisgarh. The strength of the Arunachal Pradesh Police should also be increased in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs to check inter-state movement of the Maoist rebels. An institutionalised mechanism should be set up for information sharing and joint operations in each other’s territory by the Governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The Task Force suggested that the structure of the police stations, outposts and border outposts (BOPS) should be constructed as per Andhra Pradesh model with eight feet high wall, double-story building and sentry posts at the top and in front of the buildings.
http://www.nagalandpost.com/ChannelNews/Regional/RegionalNews.aspx?news=TkVXUzEwMDAzOTY0NQ%3D%3D-gDUD7pte9Hg%3D
CPN-Maoist CC meet called off
KATHMANDU, June 18: The CPN-Maoist Central Committee meeting that was scheduled begin Wednesday in Pokhara has been called off for ´technical´ reasons. The meeting was to come up with its official position after the announcement by the government of the date of Constituent Assembly elections. “We have called off our central committee meeting due to technical reasons,” a politburo member of the party, Dharmendra Bastola said. He added that the party is preparing to hold the meeting, being outside of the valley for the first time, during June last week.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=56408
CPN-M settles on all-party council
KATHMANDU, JUN 18 – In an attempt to harmonise their demands, a group of 42 parties protesting against the government’s decision to hold the Constituent Assembly elections in November has agreed to an “all-party political assembly” as their common agenda. A joint meeting of the key forces on Monday assigned a taskforce to devise new protest programmes by Tuesday afternoon, which they said will be announced at the CPN-Maoist headquarters the same day.
“Fresh protest programmes will be drawn up after adequate consultations with all the parties,” said Pampha Bhusal, the CPN-Maoist spokesperson. The boarder alliance has decided not to hold a dialogue with the government as well as the “big parties” unless the High-level Political Committee is replaced by a multi-party political assembly. Under pressure from alliance members, the CPN-Maoist shifted its earlier demand of a round-table conference to an all-party political assembly in an effort to bring uniformity in their demands. “Since the purpose of both the meets is the same, our party agreed to the name suggested by other members of the alliance,” said Bhusal.
Despite launching a joint anti-election campaign, the 33-party alliance led by the CPN-Maoist, the Federal Socialist Party Nepal and the Upendra Yadav-led Federal Democratic Front were considered weak in the lack of unified agenda. The parties were divided over several issues including the legitimacy of the Khil Raj Regmi-led government. “The political syndicate exercised by the four parties is the main impediment to an agreement. We want it replaced by an all-party political assembly to break the current deadlock,” said Rajendra Shrestha, the FSPN general secretary.
The meeting organised in the aftermath of the first round of protests decided to sit for talks only with the President, a source said. “Its must be clear who holds true power. If it’s the President, we will negotiate with him,” said Shrestha. Leaders who attended the meeting emphasised that everything except monsoon was in their favour in launching further programmes of protest. The parties have assessed the “silent support of the Civil Society and the rising dissatisfaction over the unilateral announcement of the election date among the middle-rung leaders of the major parties” as being supportive of their protest. Citing examples of how major changes such as secularism, federalism and proportional representation were achieved through protests, the alliance hopes agitation could lead them to achieve their demands.
http://www.ekantipur.com/2013/06/18/top-story/cpn-m-settles-on-all-party-council/373429.html
Chinese envoy throws weight behind CA poll efforts
KATHMANDU: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Wu Chuntai called on former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal at the latter’s residence, Dallu on Tuesday morning. During the meeting, the Chinese Ambassador told Khanal that China’s is happy over the announcement of Constituent Assembly election date and has welcomed the new election. Wu expressed his hope that the election will help bring stability in Nepal, according to CPN-UML’s International Department member Milan Raj Tuladhar. In response, Khanal thanked the Chinese government for supporting the electoral process in Nepal, expressing his hope that the support would continue in future also.
With the announcement of election, country has advanced to a new positive phase, Khanal told the Chinese envoy. Khanal also informed Wu that he is in touch with CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidhya and other leaders of the dissident parties. “It is in the best interest of CPN-Maoist and others to participate in this election. By boycotting the election, they cannot deliver their message to the people,” Khanal has been quoted in a statement issued by Tuladhar after the meeting. Also, Khanal also informed envoy Wu that his party is working hard to bring harmony between various ethnic groups of the country while opting for the new federal system, according to the statement.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Chinese+envoy+throws+weight+behind+CA+poll+efforts&NewsID=380484
Plan afoot to use army for election: Gurung
HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE KATHMANDU: CPN-Maoist Secretary Dev Prasad Gurung today alleged that the four major forces were preparing to deploy the army to hold election. “An election conducted by deploying the army will have no significance,” he commented. Election cannot be held by terrorising people, he said. He said the UCPN-M doesn’t want CPN-Maoist to join the election as it fears it will lose.
Meanwhile a meeting of the agitating parties today could not finalise their struggle plan because of absence of the Upendra Yadav-led front. According to Gurung, Upendra Yadav could not attend today’s meeting because his party’s meeting was delayed. “We will discuss and finalise the struggle plan against the government and the election process tomorrow,” Gurung said. He, however, said the struggle might not be as strong as they wished because of the monsoon rain and disturbances. “We will continue the struggle despite the rainy season and keep on protesting against the government,” he said.
Asked about the training of former combatants, Gurung said that was nothing but propaganda of parties that opposed the CPN-M. Gurung said the 33-party alliance had become 50 parties. Upendra Yadav-led FDF has eight parties and with the Ashok Rai-led FSP, the total number of agitating parties had reached 59. He said the CC meeting scheduled for Wednesday had been postponed after the declaration of the poll date and will be held after around two weeks.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Plan+afoot+to+use+army+for+election%3A+Gurung+&NewsID=380449
The International Committee to support the People’s War in India has launched for the 1st of July a Day of Support, that will be held in many countries. The PCm Italy contributed in a decisive way to the formation of the Committee and the International Conference of Support in Hamburg, on 24 November 2012, and calls all the Communists, revolutionaries, anti-imperialists, the proletarian struggle organizations to take part in this Day. In India an epochal battle is fought, not only for the proletarians and people of India, but also for the global balance of power between bourgeoisie and proletariat, imperialism and revolution.
The People’s war in India, as for number of fighters, wideness of the guerrilla zones and population involved in the struggle between State power and people’s counter-power, is the greatest liberation and anti-imperialist struggle in the world today. The CPI(M), as for number of members and fighters, is the strongest Communist Party in the world. One can be Maoist or not, ma nobody can disregard the reality. Those who do not stand on the side of the People’s war, stand on the side of imperialism, revisionism and opportunism.
For proletarian internationalism,For the victory of the proletarians, Let’s get all in action on 1 July!
PCm – Italy 17th June
Four naxals held in Chhattisgarh: Police
Raipur: Four suspected naxals were arrested during a joint search operation in Maoist-hit Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Monday. “The cadres were nabbed from the forests of Basaguda police station area by the joint contingent of district force and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force),” a senior police official told PTI. Those arrested were identified as -? Nupu Bojja (20), Kunjam Dewa (30), Madvi Budhlal (25) and Dhodi Lakhmu (35), members of Jan militia group, the official said, adding that two knives and naxal literature were recovered from their possession. During a combing operation in Pisewada, Polampalli and Pusbaka villages, the patrol party rounded up the four on suspicion, the official said.
During interrogation, they allegedly admitted to their involvement in the naxal movement. They were wanted in several criminal cases including attempt to murder and stocking explosives in the region, the official added. PTI
http://zeenews.india.com/news/chhattisgarh/four-naxals-held-in-chhattisgarh-police_855657.html
Bihar gets 1,000 SSB personnel for anti-naxal operation
The Centre has sent a fresh battalion, comprising about 1,000 personnel, for undertaking anti-Naxal operations in Bihar as part of a strategy to combat Maoist violence in the state. The squad has been drawn from the paramilitary Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and will be deployed alongside the CRPF which is already present in the state. The unit has been trained in jungle warfare and counter-Naxal operations and after initial induction process in the state capital is over, it will be deployed in the interiors, a senior official said. Earlier this year, around 2,000 SSB personnel were deployed for the same task in Jharkhand.
The SSB, which is designated to guard the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders, used to be a part of anti-Maoist operations till October 2011 when they were withdrawn from Chhattisgarh. The force will be the fourth central paramilitary one after CRPF, BSF and Indo-Tibetan Border Police to be a part of this task in a full-fledged manner. The newly deployed battalion in the state will be under the operational command of the SSB frontier headquarter based in Patna.
With this induction, the total number of personnel committed by the central government for anti-Maoist operations has risen to more than one lakh. Each battalion comprises around 1,000 personnel. The CRPF has deployed about 82 battalions, BSF 11 battalions (five in Chhattisgarh and six in Odisha) and ITBP has deputed six battalions for such operations in various Naxal violence-hit states of the country.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bihar-gets-1000-ssb-personnel-for-antinaxal-operation/article4823267.ece
Pro-naxalite bodies add fuel to Barasat rape agitation
Nine days after a 20-year-old college girl was brutally raped and killed bringing Barasat out on the streets, several bodies, all known to have strong Maoist leanings, reached the spot on Sunday, held demonstrations and pledged support to villagers in their future agitations. Around 30 representatives of various pro-Maoist organisations met the victim’s family, interacted with villagers, learnt about their problems, distributed leaflets and contact numbers for future correspondence and took out a rally in Kamduni that was attended by several women of the village.
Though leaders of all major political parties, different human rights and women’s groups and civil society representatives have visited Kamduni over the past few days, this was the first time Maoist sympathisers visited the area. Representatives of Matongini Mahila Samity (MMS) , Mazdoor Kranti Parishad (MKP), Krantikari Naujawan Sabha (KNS), United Students’ Democratic Front (USDF) and Progressive Democratic Students’ Front (PDSF) went to Kamduni, an indication that ultra-left organisations are willing to gain mileage out of the situation. “We discussed joint agitations in Kolkata and Barasat. We discussed ways to spread the agitation throughout the state. We distributed leaflets among the villagers and gave them our contact numbers for future correspondence,” said Himadri Bhattacharya, central committee treasurer of KNS.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Kolkata/Pro-naxalite-bodies-add-fuel-to-Barasat-rape-agitation/Article1-1077551.aspx
Forces helpless in improving intelligence
NEW DELHI: Apart from apparent security lapses on the ground, it was glaring intelligence failure that led to the May 25 Darbha massacre in Chhattisgarh. Security forces, however, express helplessness in correcting this deficiency blaming it on tardy pace and misplaced focus of development in Naxalism-affected areas.Sources say that due to slow pace of development forces have not been able to move to new areas to make ground for state’s administrative influence and the development plan has focused largely on roads even as tribals value healthcare far more.
This strategic gap and mismatch in aspirations of the local people and government’s deliverance has led to lack of trust between anti-Naxalite forces and tribals leading to failure of human intelligence- the most important resource in fight against Maoists. “Maoists have better intelligence than us. Had the forces had a good network among locals in Bastar, the Darbha massacre would never have happened,” said a senior CRPF official.
Government has already accepted that most Naxalism affected states have failed to spend allocated funds for development. In Chhattisgarh, till 2012, only two of 30 road projects sanctioned in the affected areas had been completed. Close to half were pending while rest have not even been started, said sources. In Chhattisgarh the state has spent 35% of allocated central funds on roads but only 16% on healthcare. In several affected districts in the state spending has been nil due to various factors that includes reluctance of government doctors to work there.
“In Chhattisgarh’s interiors you don’t develop network by spending money. Tribals don’t take money. They see who is working for them. You give them medicines they will be yours. In most districts either NGOs or Maoists themselves provide healthcare through regular camps. So why should villagers give us information,” asks an officer posted in Chhattisgarh.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/Forces-helpless-in-improving-intelligence/articleshow/20624881.cms
UAVs to log more hours to counter Maoist challenge
New bases being set up in worst Naxal-hit States Amid growing concerns over increasing casualties in the Naxal heartland, the Union Home Ministry has drawn ambitious plans to unleash the power of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to assist security forces fighting Maoists deep inside jungles and remote locations. To begin with, the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), which has been undertaking UAV operations from Begumpet airfield in Hyderabad to support State police and Central armed police forces fighting on the ground, will start executing UAV missions of duration of about 20 hours of flying by this month-end.
Another important tactical improvement to the anti-Naxal operations would be introduction of at least two more UAVs by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to the current strength of around 10 UAVs being operated by the NTRO. “Presently, UAV operations are limited to missions of 8-10 hours duration and restricted to areas up to a range of 450-500 km. But with the increase in flying time, they will be able to cover a larger area with more precision. These missions will cover much larger areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and Maharashtra … the plan is to focus on 26 worst Maoist-affected districts in these States,” a senior Ministry official said.
These UAVs would directly send real-time inputs to operation rooms in these States, from where security forces would be immediately alerted about the ground situation and movement of Maoists for swift action against them. Earlier, the UAVs were not being utilised properly as they had limited flying time and there was also delay in the relay of information, but now the UAVs would give extra edge to anti-Naxal operations, the official added. Noting that the increase in the operational hours of UAVs would invariably extend beyond ATC watch hours at Begumpet airfield, the official said:
“The NTRO has already taken up the issue with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India for requisite clearance for extending areas of operations and the need for extended watch hours for ATC Begumpet provided to Central armed police forces.” The NTRO recently set up its first base in Chhattisgarh which is linked to satellites to monitor UAVs’ operations. It has trained CRPF’s communication wing officials and deployed them at the Centre for smooth coordination with ground forces. “The five V-SAT terminals that have been activated by the NTRO would provide extra edge to our operations,” the official added.
Similarly, the CRPF has also decided to acquire 16 ‘Nishant’ UAVs from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), being developed in association with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which will operate in tandem with Israeli ‘Heron’ UAVs. While India’s biggest paramilitary force will get two UAVs soon, the DRDO has assured supply of remaining 14 ‘Nishants’ within a year. Efforts are also being made to set up another UAV base at Bhilai in Chhattisgarh.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uavs-to-log-more-hours-to-counter-maoist-challenge/article4820659.ece
Chinese role, ties with ULFA may boost Maoists in State
GUWAHATI, June 16 – The Chinese interest in causing problems in India will play an important role in the growth of Maoist rebels and the equations between the Maoists and the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) within the next 10 years. This was the observation made by the Task Force constituted by the Assam Government to study the growth of Maoists in the State and to recommend measures to deal with the same. Highly placed official sources told The Assam Tribune that the Task Force, headed by Additional Director General of Police, BJ Mahanta has already submitted its report with recommendations to the Government.
The Task Force observed that the Chinese agencies, by themselves, or through their agents like Norinko, TLC, Blackhouse and Wa United National Army would peruse an agenda of simultaneous secessionist struggle along with Maoist upsurge. The report admitted that Assam stands to face a stiff challenge of yet another armed movement, that is with the Maoists in the days to come and a comprehensive action plan needs to be implemented quickly to deal with the growth of the Maoist rebels in Assam and other parts of North East. Giving an account of the growth of Maoist rebels in Assam, the Task Force pointed out that the eastern regional bureau of the Maoists had been treating the North East region with curious discomfort for some time because of the presence of a number of major rebel outfits.
On the other hand, the Maoists are finding allies in the region in the form of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of Manipur. However, the Central leaders of the Maoists have been trying to mobilize Maoist upsurge in the region in the lines of mainland India. The second trend of Maoists’ growth is represented by strong advocacy against issues of governance, forest and land rights, construction of mega dams etc on the basis of which the Maoists are trying to organize people as per their scheme of things.
Though the KMSS has distanced itself from the Maoist ideology, another organization- Chah Janagusthi Sangharsh Samiti appears to share ideological thought process with the mainland Maoist leaders. However, lately, there have been inputs that the same organization has also developed differences with Aditya Bora’s method of hurrying through the armed movement without attending to the scientific progression to armed movement after successful mass movement. Aditya Bora, who was arrested in Jharkhand and later released on bail, is the main man of the Maoists in the State at present.
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=jun1713/at05
Arms parts seized in Dadar were meant to be supplied to Maoists
The weapons parts that were seized from the Dadar home of Alwyn D’Sa, the 80-year-old man who was arrested on May 1, were meant to be supplied to Maoists in seven different states, sources in the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad told this newspaper. Ravindra Singh, inspector, UP ATS, who was part of the raid on D’Sa’s house in May, said the Maoists were dealing with D’Sa through a Uttar Pradesh-based gang. Sources said the Maoists were impressed with the quality of the parts D’Sa was supplying them that they increased their order this year. They, however, doubted if D’Sa had any direct links with the Maoists.
The UP police had discovered a cache of gun parts, arms literature and diagrams at D’Sa’s Salvation Apartment home in Dadar. They had tracked D’Sa, a former maintenance engineer with Air India, based on information from two arms dealers from Unao and Kanpur. “Our investigation has now revealed that his goods were being supplied to the Maoists,” said Singh. “The gang for which D’Sa was working supplied arms to Maoists in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh. There was a great demand for spare parts for the Maoists, which is why the UP-based gang roped in D’Sa.” The UP police are also investigating two Mumbai-based ammunition suppliers who deal in cartridges and spare parts.
When contacted, Dhananjay Kulkarni, DCP, of Zone V, said, “We are in touch with the UP ATS and are also working on the Mumbai links of this gang.” Starting from April, Maoists launch what they call a Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign, where they launch attacks against security forces in the regions where they have a stronghold. This year, the UP ATS has zeroed in on as many as two dozen addresses in seven states from where the arms and spares were delivered allegedly to Maoist middlemen. “We have got addresses of this gang’s members in different states used exclusively for supplying arms to Maoists. We also have evidence to prove this gang’s links to the Maoists,” said Singh.
The UP police said they have call records to show that Mintu Sharma, a Maoist commander in Jharkhand, was in touch with the gang members. It was also revealed that D’Sa travelled to countries like Canada and Singapore and source most of his supplies from there. He also had some parts manufactured locally. Bail orders on D’Sa and five other accused in the case is kept reserved by an UP court.
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/cover-story/Arms-parts-seized-in-Dadar-were-meant-to-be-supplied-to-Maoists/articleshow/20625978.cms
Odisha: ‘Normalcy’ In Narayanpatna – Analysis
Kanhu Charan Madhi (25), a Special Police Officer (SPO) posted in the District headquarters town of Malkangiri, was shot dead by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres at his home in Kattakonda village under the Kalimela Police Station area of the District on May 24, 2013. He was on the Maoist hit list for disobeying their diktat to quit his job and leave the village. While his visits home had become infrequent after the threat, he had gone to his village to meet his family and his wife, who had delivered a baby a few of days earlier, when he was killed.
The incident was the first Security Force (SF) fatality inflicted by the Maoists in 2013 in Odisha. Significantly, the CPI-Maoist has not suffered any casualty, thus far, in this year. The lone Left Wing Extremist (LWE) killed in the State in 2013 belonged to the Sabyasachi Panda-led Odisha Maobadi Party (OMP), which split from the CPI-Maoist in August 2012. The low fatalities in the SF and LWE categories indicate that both sides have been careful to avoid direct confrontations. Where an escalation was noticeable in 2008-09, moreover, the much higher SF fatalities suggest that an overwhelming proportion of attacks were initiated by the Maoists, and the SFs were on the receiving end of attacks. In 2013, eight of the 10 fatalities have been recorded in Malkangiri District (seven of the eight civilian fatalities and the only SF fatality).
Significantly, Koraput District has not witnessed a single fatality in LWE related violence this year. In 2012, by May, Koraput had seen at least nine fatalities – five civilians, two SF personnel and two Maoists. In 2012, the bulk of killings of civilians and SFs (30 out of 46), took place in Koraput and Malkangiri Districts. In fact, the Maoists were principally active in two clusters – Malkangiri, Koraput and Nabarangpur Districts in the Southern-Western part of the State; and Bargarh, Bolangir and Nuapada Districts in the Western part.
While Maoist violence appears to be following the regular pattern in Malkangiri, the silence in Koraput is unusual. Koraput has long been one of the Maoists’ strongholds, and was also the theatre in which they operated through their front, the Narayanpatna-based Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangha (CMAS). CMAS used to provide logistic and militia support, and served as an excellent cover for Maoist subversion. Some 150 CMAS supporter have been charged in different cases, including LWE violence, and its president, Nachika Linga, has been declared ‘most wanted’ by the State. It is an open secret that Nachika Linga is now under the direct protection of the Maoists.
Off late, however, many CMAS-Narayanpatna supporters have given their pledge to the Police that they would no longer support the Maoists. This promises only limited relief, since activities of CMAS-Narayanpatna were already on a decline, following the broader waning of Maoist violence in 2011 and 2012. On January 4, 2013, an armed Maoist cadre, Nachika Chamara alias Samara surrendered before Koraput Superintendent of Police, Avinash Kumar. He was part of the Srikakulam-Koraput division of the CPI-Maoist. Besides being a close associate of leaders of Srikakulam-Koraput division of Maoists like Daya, Aruna and Sarita, he was also moving around with Nachika Linga.
Samara belongs to the Bhaliaput area under Narayanpatna Police Station, the native place of Nachika Linga. Samara’s surrender was followed by the surrender of 15 supporters of CMAS from Bhaliaput village at the Narayanpatna Police Station. The surrendering cadres promised the Police that they would no longer be involved in the violent activities of CMAS or the Maoists. This story was then repeated with more and more supporters reaching the Police Station and making similar promises. According to partial data collected by SATP, at least 1,692 CMAS supporters have surrendered and pledged to abjure violence.
.Odisha Police sources claim that more than 2,400 CMAS supporters have, in fact, surrendered. It is, however, not clear how many of them were active Maoist cadres or how many of them have non-bailable offences registered against them. Among those who have surrendered, at least 150 are believed to be from Dumsil village, an important Maoist and CMAS stronghold in Narayanpatna block. According to Police sources, nearly a dozen of the top 20 CMAS leaders were from Dumsil village. The surrenders have boosted Police morale, with the administration arguing that this is a sure sign of the loss of Maoists influence over the area. Police sources claim that the unraveling of the CMAS network has enabled SFs to penetrate extremely ‘remote’ Maoist infected pockets of the area.
Further, it has resulted in the manifold increase of information about Maoist activities in the Narayanpatna. Some recent seizures made by SFs in the Narayanpatna area have been ascribed to information flows from villagers. This included the seizure of a Maoist welding unit from the Narikhilua Forest in Narayanpatna block, which was being used by the Maoists to manufacture claymore mines. The interrogation of Gameli China Mohan Rao (25) alias Santu, an area committee member of the Koraput-Srikakulam division of the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC), who was arrested in Rayagada District on May 7, 2013, reportedly suggests that the Maoist leadership are deeply concerned by the large number of CMAS supporters who have snapped links with CMAS and the Maoists.
It remains unclear how the villagers have found courage to challenge the Maoist writ in what has long been their stronghold. There are indications that the frequency of Maoist visits to the villages has declined drastically, and this has encouraged the villagers to open up. In fact, the activities of the Jhanjabati dalam (squad), which functions under Koraput-Srikakulam division of AOBSZC, have declined dramatically since the killing of Chitrakam Reddy alias Sitru (30), the dalam commander, on January 26, 2012, followed by the subsequent killing of his successor, Teli Kadraka alias Rajendra, on August 19, 2012. On April 9, 2013, moreover, four members of the Jhanjabati dalam surrendered before Deputy-Inspector-General of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Koraput town, indicating a collapse of morale.
Unconfirmed reports, however, suggest that the AOBSZC is in a transition phase and is not active to its full potential. Many of its senior leaders are suffering from various ailments, severely restricting their movement and efficacy, while new recruits are far from ready to step into leadership roles. The present AOBSZC chief, Gajarla Ravi alias Uday alias Ganesh alias Charcharla Ganesh, reportedly suffers from diabetes.
He was given the charge after his predecessor and Central Committee member Ramakrishna alias RK alias Saketh, was afflicted by severe spondylitis. Marpu Venkataramana alias Lenju alias Jagadeesh, another top leader of the AOBSZC, who was arrested on May 9, 2013, from Anakapalle in Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh, and carried a reward of INR 2 millions on his head, had developed a permanent limp due to a bullet injury he suffered in an encounter with SFs. Meanwhile, on May 18, 2013, another two companies of BSF were deployed in the Narayanpatna block, and one more was reportedly on its way. These three companies would be stationed at Tentulipadar, Bijaghart and Mankidi, three new BSF camps. Koraput and Malkangiri Districts already had five battalions of BSF, in addition to some troops of the State Police Force.
Clearly, things have not gone according to plan for the Maoists. Nevertheless, the potential for revival remains strong, and the residual capacities for violence are significant. On April 29, 2013, for instance, 63 Panchayati Raj (village self-government) institution (PRI) representatives [three Zilla Parishad (District Committee) members; 15 Sarpanches (village committee heads), 14 Samiti (village committee) members and 31 ward members] tendered their resignation in neighbouring Malkangiri District under pressure from the Maoists. The resignations were, however, rejected by the District administration on May 14, 2013, on technical grounds.
The Maoists are also in a process of reorganization as a result of the defection and subsequent decimation of the Sabsachi Panda faction in the neighbouring Ganjam, Kandhamal, Rayagada and Gajapati Districts. According to Police estimates, most CPI-Maoist cadres remained with the original outfit even after Panda’s expulsion. Panda was believed to have taken away no more than 25 to 30 cadres. However, the Maoists did suffer a reverse as a result of Panda’s expulsion on other issues, such as raising funds, sourcing explosives, maintaining secret communication lines, intelligence gathering, logistics, hide outs and training camps.
On May 12, 2013, for instance, Maoist leader Nikhil, who is now heading the CPI-Maoist Vansadhara Divisional Committee, accused his former boss and Odisha Maobadi Party chief Sabyasachi Panda of embezzling INR 10 million (INR 6 million in cash and other materials worth INR 4 million) from CPI-Maoist assets. Nikhil warned Panda to return the money or face ‘dire consequences’. Despite Panda’s continuing losses, the CPI-Maoist does not appear to have recovered lost ground in Panda’s area of domination. It remains to be seen whether the Maoists are able to engineer a recovery in Narayanpatna, to reverse the damage of the desertion of CMAS-Narayanpatna supporters. For the moment, however, an opportunity has opened up for the State Forces to interdict any efforts of revival in this troubled region.
http://www.eurasiareview.com/17062013-odisha-normalcy-in-narayanpatna-analysis/
Bandh cripples life‚ entrepreneurs oppose it
HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
DANG: Life was hit hard across the country today due to the general strike called by fringe parties including the Mohan Baidhya-led CPN-Maoist. These parties had enforced a nationwide bandh to protest the interim election government’s announcement that the second Constituent Assembly polls would be held on November 19. Vehicles were vandalised in various districts for defying the bandh. A bus and two trucks were vandalised in Dang headquarters Ghorahi. A private car was vandalised at Gorkha’s Haramtari. Bandh enforcers vandalised a car belonging to Yubaraj Shrestha at Kalimatitole, Gorkha. Both long and short route vehicles stayed off the road on the Tribhuvan and Prithvi highways. From early morning, cadres of the agitating fringe parties descended on the street at Dhading to enforce the bandh.
The general shutdown threw life out of gear at Udayapur, Morang, Sarlahi, Bara, Morang, Sunsari, Bhojpur, Janakpur, Mahottari, Makawanpur, Chitwan, among other districts. Ambulances and vehicles belonging to diplomatic missions and the press, however, plied the roads without obstruction. Educational institutes, major market places, and factories remained closed due to the bandh. Businessmen and entrepreneurs defied the bandh in Diktel in response to vandalism and force used by the bandh organisers. They opened hotels and shops and drew the attention of the District Administration Office to the vandalism and sought security.
Educational institutions, however, remained closed and vehicles stayed off the road. Meanwhile, police arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in vandalising hotels and shops in Diktel. Federal Socialist Party Khotang Joint Secretary Jiten Rai and CPN-Maoist-aligned All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union(Revolutionary) district member Babi Rai have been detained, police said. Meanwhile, the agitators vandalised five industries in Biratnagar causing loss of thousands of rupees.
Armed agitators vandalised MM Plastic, Leminal Ind Pvt Ltd, Rathi Adhesive, Shreya Print and Pack, Udaya Shree Udhyog. Suyash Pyakurel, Director at MM Plastic said that a mob of 60 to 70 persons broke into the locked gate and damaged the industry. Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Morang chapter, condemned the attacks on the industry, assault and mistreatment of workers and entrepreneurs in a statement today. FNCCI Morang chapter has also urged the government, agitating groups, and political parties not to target industries, education and health sectors, and other essential areas just for getting their demands met, but to look for other options. The agitators smashed a bus belonging to People’s Multiple Health Institute, Biratnagar and assaulted the bus driver for defying the strike.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Bandh+cripples+life%26sbquo%3B+entrepreneurs+oppose+it+&NewsID=380320
Dahal betrayed revolution, concur CPN-Maoist cadres
KATHMANDU, June 16: Sudha Regmi, who spent her prime years in police and army detention in Dang during the insurgency, was at the mass meet held by CPN-Maoist at Baneshwar held after the conclusion of the Nepal banda called by the 42-party alliance led by the party on Sunday. Reviewing the one-year period following the split with UCPN (Maoist), Sudha, who is a CPN-Maoist cadre now, said Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had betrayed the people´s revolution. Meanwhile, CPN-Maoist Secretary Netra Bikram Chand was addressing the gathering. He said the Khil Raj Regmi-led government and the four major parties had invited confrontation by announcing date for fresh Constituent Assembly election and that his party was prepared to retaliate. However, Sudha was not happy with the achievement of the party in the one year after split.
“We could have done a lot within a year. Nevertheless, the way ahead for us is clear now,” Regmi told Republica. She claimed that her party had been successful in informing the people about Dahal´s betrayal to the people´s revolution launched about one-and-a-half decades ago. Similarly, CPN-Maoist cadre Dambar Rawal, who was present at the mass meet, claimed that while the UCPN (Maoist) stooped low before foreign forces, CPN-Maoist safeguarded national interests and sovereignty.
Justification of split
The seed of the party split was sown during the Balaju meeting just after the peace process began. The cadres had raised questions over the “dual character” of the party leadership. Leader Netra Bikram Chand had voiced the dissatisfactions of the cadres and countered the leadership by registering the new political line at the Kharipati plenum, which was led by Mohan Baidya. Baidya´s political line was crystallized during the Palungtar plenum leading to the party split last year.
After their general conventions, the two parties are heading in opposite directions. After the Hetauda general convention, the UCPN (Maoist) formally converted into a parliamentary party, while CPN-Maoist adopted the line of people´s revolt. “Firstly, we have proven that our party has become successful in safeguarding the revolutionary spirit after the mother party´s main leadership adopted a revisionist path and surrendered before the foreign forces,” Jhak Bahadur Malla, CPN-Maoist central committee member, told Republica. He also claimed that his party played a key role in thwarting projects like Upper Trishuli 3´A´ and the BIPPA agreement with India and handover of the Tribhuvan International Airport management to India, which were against the interests of the country.
UCPN (Maoist) leaders, however, have been blaming Baidya for the party split. They also accused the CPN-Maoist of not having concrete political programs. “All people and party cadres will hail CPN-Maoist if they succeed in justifying the party split. It is not justifiable now to wage another people´s war,” Suk Bahadur Roka Magar, UCPN (Maoist) central committee member told Republica. Cadres switching parties A year after the party split, leaders and cadres have been switching parties. “I think, the process will continue. There are honest leaders and cadres in the UCPN (Maoist) and not all our cadres are honest,” said Regmi.
After the party split, leaders including Krishna Dhwaj Khadka and Rekha Sharma returned to the UCPN (Maoist) from the CPN-Maoist. Party unity UPCN (Maoist) leaders have been claiming that there is a possibility of unity between the two parties saying the talks in this regard are on. However, cadres of the CPN-Maoist do not see any possibility of the party unity. “Party unity is possible only if Dahal abandons his revisionist stance and accepts our revolutionary party line,” said Parbati Rawal, a CPN-Maoist cadre.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=56331
42 poll-opposed parties bring nation to a halt
KATHMANDU, JUN 17 – A general strike called by the 42 political parties including the CPN-Maoist and the Sanghiya Samajwadi Party-Nepal threw normal life out of gear across the country including the Capital. The agitating parties enforced the nationwide strike against the announcement of the date for the Constituent Assembly election. The government on Thursday announced November 19 as the date for the CA polls. Public vehicles stayed off the roads while educational institutions and market places remained shut.
However, ambulances and vehicles of diplomatic missions, media and human rights organisations were allowed to ply. Cadres of the agitating political parties converged at major thoroughfares in the Capital and chanted anti-government slogans since early morning to enforce the banda . The parties have called for the annulment of the 11-point pact signed between the major four parties and the 25-point proposal on removing the constitutional hurdles that led to the formation of the Khil Raj Regmi-led election government.Although instances of violence were reported in Kavre district, the Kathmandu valley did not witness any untoward incident during the strike.
“No big case of violence was reported throughout the day,” said DSP Chakra Bahadur Singh, spokesman for the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range Hanumandhoka. In Kavre district, banda enforcers vandalised two motorcycles on the charge of defying the strike. One was vandalised at Banepa and the other at Godam Chowk. The strike also affected major towns of the country including Pokhara, Chitwan, Nepalgungj and Dhangadi. Market areas in Pokhara and Chitwan remained closed and no vehicles were seen plying the roads. Life in eastern districts including Panchthar, Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Taplejung and Dhankuta was also crippled due to the general strike.
In Makawanpur, the banda enforcers vandalised four factories at the Hetauda Industrial Area. They hurled stones and smashed window panes and electricity bulbs. “All the industries were shut but the protesters threw stones from the outside,” said Rishiram Ghimire, an industrialist. The activists also vandalised a truck for defying the call. In Sindhuli, Balaram Timilsina, a local leader of the UCPN (Maoist), was thrashed. Police detained an activist in connection with the incident.
http://ekantipur.com/2013/06/17/capital/42-poll-opposed-parties-bring-nation-to-a-halt/373382.html
CPN-Maoist forms anti-poll squad
DANG June 16: The CPN-Maoist has started training the youth cadres to disrupt the Constituent Assembly (CA) polls scheduled for November 19. “We are training the youths in Dang to disrupt the CA election,” said Subhash Pun, district in-charge of the party. He also accused the government of not paying heed to their demands. “We will not allow the government to hold CA polls without first addressing our demands,” Pun said, adding that the party has formed an anti-poll squad by gathering youths from 39 Village Development Committees in the district. He said the squad has been named people´s volunteer bureau and 3,000 youths have so far taken membership of the bureau in Dang alone.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=56310
Clashes erupt at Indonesia demos against fuel hike
Masked protesters hurling Molotov cocktails clashed with police firing water cannons and tear gas in the Indonesian capital Monday, as thousands demonstrated nationwide against a plan to hike fuel prices. Clashes erupted outside the gates of the national parliament in Jakarta as lawmakers inside debated passing a revised budget that would pave the way for a 33 percent average increase in the fuel price, the first hike since 2008. Fuel prices have long been a flashpoint issue in Indonesia, with economists arguing that government subsidies which gobble up a huge chunk of the budget are damaging Southeast Asia’s top economy.
However, millions are opposed to lowering the payouts, which keep down the cost of living, and huge protests have in the past forced the government to abandon attempts to raise the fuel price. About 3,000 protesters earlier gathered outside the gates of parliament in Jakarta, and as night fell some began hurling Molotov cocktails, fireworks, rocks and bottles at security forces around the legislature. Police fired back numerous volleys of tear gas at the protesters, many of whom had their faces covered and were waving banners reading
“Reject the fuel price rise” and “Hang SBY” (President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono). Two heavily armoured police vehicles rolled out of the grounds of the parliament and fired water cannon in a bid to disperse the demonstrators. Earlier, demonstrators set tyres alight outside the parliament, sending a pall of black smoke into the air. “All Indonesians must take to the streets so that the government won’t hike the fuel price,” one of the protesters, 24-year-old Slamet Riyadi, told AFP.
“The life of poor people will be much more difficult if there is an increase.” About 19,000 police and military personnel were deployed across Jakarta, police said. Protests also flared in other parts of the country. In the city of Ternate, in the eastern Maluku islands, five protesters, a journalist and seven policemen were injured at a demonstration, police said. A 2,000-strong crowd hurled sticks and rocks at police, who responded by firing rubber bullets at the demonstrators, said a national police spokesman. In Jambi, a city on Sumatra island, hundreds of protesters tried to push through the gate in front of the local legislature but police dispersed them by firing tear gas, police said.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130617/clashes-erupt-at-indonesia-demos-against-fuel-hike-0
RMG protest spread to Gazipur
Workers of a ready-made garment factory smashed vehicles and blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway on Monday morning in Gazipur demanding introduction of lunch allowance and a hike in attendance bonus. Workers of ‘Uni Gears’, located in Sadr Upazila’s Boardbazar Barabari area took to the streets around 8am, Industrial Police Inspector Mohammad Selim Khan said. “They demanded raising attendance bonus to Tk 600 from the existing Tk 400 and payment of Tk 400 as lunch fees,” he said. The workers pelted stones at vehicles.
Police intervened after a brief stand-off and pitched battles erupted sporadically, the Inspector said. Police resorted to baton-charge and lobbed teargas shells to bring the situation under control, he said. “The workers dispersed around 9am after which traffic on the highway resumed.” “Huge number of police has been deployed in the area.” Earlier on Saturday, ‘UNi Gears’ workers agitated to uphold the same demands, but called off their protests after they were assured negotiations by the management. But as the management did not start negotiations, they hit the streets on Monday again.
http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/06/17/rmg-protest-spread-to-gazipur
Riots in Lusaka Break Out After Mini Bus Drivers Protest
Spontaneous riots have broken out in some parts of Lusaka after bus and taxi drivers packed their cars in protest for what they term as maltreatment by police. The taxi drivers are complaining that the police impound their cars unnescessarily making them fail to meet their targets as fuel prices have shot up making it impossible to operate. In Chainda the cops have had to fire teargas provoking the situation to spill out of control. In Matero the situation has also degenerated into chaos after the police reportedly fired warning shots with people from neaibouring Eemmasdale joining in the fracas. Bus drivers and taxi drivers had announced that they will hold a protest over the behaviour of the Road Traffic and Safety Agency.
http://zambiareports.com/2013/06/17/riots-in-lusaka-break-out-after-mini-bus-drivers-protest/
3 RMG workers receive bullet injury in capital
At least three readymade garment workers received bullet-injury while seven other got hurt in a clash between workers and law-enforcers at city’s Gulshan Link Road on Monday. The bullet injured victims – Sharmin, 22, Tania, 19, and Bidyut, 28 — were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, reports banglanews24.com.
The clash erupted shortly after hundreds of workers of Eouta Garments took to the streets around 8am protesting the shutdown of their factory without any notice. Later, other factory workers joined the protest and blocked Gulshan Link Road when Eouta Graments workers threw bricks and pebbles at the other nearby factories. Meanwhile, vehicular communications on Gulshan, Badda and Tejgaon roads were halted for two hours. Later, police baton-charged, fired dozens of tear shells and rubber bullets to bring the situation under control leaving some 10 to 12 people injured, reports our correspondent. Sources said workers of the factory had been demanding an increase in their salary and allowances.
Tejgaon Industrial Zone officer-in-charge Moniruzzaman Mia and the officer-in-charge of Gulshan police station confirmed the matter. Police rushed in and brought the situation under control and extra police have been deployed in the area to avoid further incident, Deputy Police Commissioner Bipob Kumar Sarkar said. Tejgaon Zone Deputy Police Commissioner Biplob Sarker said: “Workers started hurling brick-chips aiming police. At one stage, police charged baton, fire tear shells, and rubber bullets to bring the situation under control.”
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/jun/17/10-injured-garment-workers-block-road-city
Tunisian college grads and police clash over unemployment
Unemployment is such a major problem for youth in the Tunisian city of Metlaoui that it led to clashes with police last week. In the mineral-rich region of Gafsa, the young and educated can no longer bear the disappointments of endemic unemployment. Last week, unemployed graduates organized a sit-in in front of the headquarters of the Gafsa Phosphate Company, one of Tunisia’s largest companies, to demand jobs.
Thursday, they organised a protest march that led to clashes with police when some of the protesters tried to block a train carrying phosphate. Despite being home to one of the world’s largest phosphate deposits, the region’s unemployment rate is more than 40%, according to a study by the Centre for Economic Studies of the Arab Institute of Business Managers. More than 62% of Gafsa college graduates are unemployed.
http://observers.france24.com/content/20130617-unemployed-college-grads-tunisian-revolution
MP claims Centre ignoring Naxal problem in many districts
MORENA: Claiming that Madhya Pradesh has not got adequate support for fighting the Naxal menace, state Home Minister UmaShankar Gupta today said despite having evidence of such activities in nine districts of the state, the Centre considers only Balaghat as hit by Left Wing Extremism (LWE). “We have evidence of Naxal-movement in nine districts of the state, but the Centre considers only Balaghat as naxalite affected district and is not ready to consider remaining eight others,” the Home Minister told reporters.
He said the other state districts where Naxal movement was noticed are Sidhi, Singrauli, Rewa, Shahdol, Umaria, Anuppur, Mandla and Dindori. The state submitted evidence of Naxal movement in these eight districts to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a meeting with the chief ministers on the Naxal issue, but the Centre is not providing resources to fight the LWE as per the prescribed guidelines, Gupta said. The state government is controlling Naxal activities in these districts on its own, he said.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mp-claims-centre-ignoring-naxal-problem-in-many-districts/articleshow/20616969.cms
Man, woman suspected to be Maoists arrested
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu police on Friday arrested two suspected Maoists from Dharmapuri, the western border district of the state, on Friday night. The two suspected naxals, S Bharathi alias Ragini, 42, and S Durai Singavel, 52, had escaped the police dragnet during a 2002 anti-naxal operation in Uthangarai in Dharmapuri district, officials said. The duo, who were produced before the Dharmapuri judicial magistrate court, were remanded in custody and lodged in the Salem central prison. A joint action team led by Dharmapuri superintendent of police Asra Garg and state ‘Q’ branch sleuths, nabbed the suspects, natives of Kundrathur in Chennai, from a hide-out in Kadakathur village near Palacode on the outskirts of Dharmapuri. Successive governments have insisted that the district, once a notorious base for naxal movement, has been thoroughly cleansed and claim to roll out development programmes to ensure the youth in the district are not lured into naxal movements.
Acting on a tip-off, the Dharmapuri police swooped down on the two in a house near Papparapatti on Friday evening. Police seized incriminating documents and pamphlets related to Maoist propaganda from them. Durai Singavel and Bharathi were said to have been part of the Uthangarai module that was busted in an anti-naxal operation in 2002. The two had provided training for a group of naxal recruits, said police. Durai Singavel, who was charged in the case, has been attending trial in Dharmapuri court. Bharathi, who was also listed as an accused in the case, has been absconding.
Police said Bharathi is a member of the core group, recruited and trained by naxals in Andhra Pradesh. The Dharmapuri town police charged them under IPC sections 124 (A) (Sedition) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty). Police said a few days ago the two had gone on a recruitment spree, visiting several villages in the region to mobilise support for their naxal movements, the People Democratic Party and People Democratic Women’s Front. While Durai Singavel was the state president of the MJK, Bharathi was the state secretary of MJPM. The anti-naxal wing police said the two activists met the villagers to regain support for naxal activities in the district. Police said that a few days ago the duo, S Bharathi and S Durai Singavel, had gone on a recruitment spree, visiting several villages in the region to mobilise support for their naxal movements.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Man-woman-suspected-to-be-Maoists-arrested/articleshow/20610717.cms
Bid to acquire more UAVs, ramp up night surveillance
NEW DELHI: In the new-found urgency to boost security in the Naxal-affected zones, particularly through strengthening of intelligence, government is working on a plan to not only acquire more Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), but also increase the window of the currently operational Heron UAVs from five-six hours to 10-12 hours and increase their nocturnal surveillance. Managed by the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), the UAVs are functioning below par because of lack of manpower. “There aren’t enough trained personnel who can remotely fly UAVs. To get its surveillance for 10-12 hours a day people need to work in shifts as it requires high concentration. We have been losing crucial intelligence because of that,” said a senior CRPF officer.
It was because of lack of specific intelligence that led to the May 25 massacre of Congress cavalcade at Darbha in Chhattisgarh. While there was information of presence of Maoists in the area, their exact movements on the day could not be established. “There is no alternative to good human intelligence. But that is hard to come by because of a host of reasons including the tribal mistrust of the state and lack of development. UAVs come in handy in such situations,” said the officer. He added that NTRO is already training more men for this and they would be operational within a month. “That will give us distinct advantage with a 12-hour surveillance including at night time,” said the officer.
In addition to this, CRPF is also in talks with DRDO to develop about a dozen indigenous UAVs. Contrary to perception, Heron UAVs being used by CRPF have surveillance capability and not only capture movement of Maoists in the jungle with great clarity but also pick up their conversations. They also have nocturnal surveillance capacity and can capture small troop movements as well. “When the collector of Sukma, Alex Paul Menon, was kidnapped by Maoists in April, 2012, the UAVs had given us clear pictures of his movements. We even had pictures of the hut where Maoists had kept him,” said another senior officer.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bid-to-acquire-more-UAVs-ramp-up-night-surveillance/articleshow/20612283.cms
Two IEDs recovered in Chhattisgarh
Two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) weighing 10 kgs were today unearthed by security personnel in the naxal-infested Kondagaon district of Chhattisgarh today, averting a major tragedy, a senior police official said. “The joint party of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) and district force found two IEDs – each weighing 5 kgs, stealthily placed beneath a road between Temrugaron and Chalka villages under Bayanar police station limits, during a search operation,” Additional Superintendent of Police Kondagaon Surjit Atri told PTI over phone. The explosives were defused by the bomb disposal squad, he added.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/two-ieds-recovered-in-chhattisgarh-113061600596_1.html
Splinters overshadow Maoists
RANCHI: Jharkhand has witnessed a sudden rise in incidents of violence perpetrated by activists of splinter groups. This at a time when there has been an overall decline in the number of Maoist incidents in the state. The DGP’s admission of the looming threat from splinter groups supports the Maoist claim that such groups enjoy the covert support of security forces. This has catapulted them to their present status in the state.
Between January and May this year, about 181 incidents of left-wing extremism have been reported in different police stations as against 197 in the corresponding period of 2012 and 201 in 2011. A close analysis of the prevalent scenario reveals that Maoists were involved in 93 incidents, which make up 52% of the total cases whereas the PLFI and TPC together accounted for 80 cases corresponding to 43% of the total incidents reported. Among Maoists, around 294 people of different ranks were arrested between January and May this year, as against the arrest of 30 PLFI activists in the first five months.
During the same period, about 40 cadres of different splinter groups like Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), Sangharsh Jan Mukti Morcha (SJMM) and Pahadi Cheeta were arrested. Police have also claimed that of the 185 special operations conducted till May 31, thirty were exchange of fire and 31 encounters. “Police could recover 10 bodies of Maoists whereas we have information of about 12 more Maoists being neutralized in exchange of fire but the bodies were taken away by their troop members,” said DGP Rajiv Kumar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Splinters-overshadow-Maoists/articleshow/20609829.cms
Disqualified ex-PLA men warn of disrupting polls
KATHMANDU, June 15: Expressing dissatisfaction with the government over announcement of the election date without fulfilling their demands, the disqualified former Maoist combatants have warned of disrupting the polls scheduled for November 19. The disqualified combatants have also warned of forming an 8th division of the People´s Liberation Army (PLA) as the seven former PLA divisions have already been dissolved. They claimed that the government and major four parties have invited a “disaster” by announcing the election date without forging consensus with the agitating parties.
“We will form an 8th PLA division if our demands are not addressed,” Sagar Limbu, chief the discharged PLA told Republica on Saturday. At a press meet held in the capital, Limbu also said that the 4,008 discharged combatants would form two PLA divisions. These combatants were discharged from cantonments in 2010 for being minors and late recruits. The discharged combatants have been staging protests saying their demands were not addressed by their party or the government. They have forwarded a four-point demand to the government. Among other things, they have also demanded removal of the “disqualified” tag. The erstwhile Baburam Bhattarai-led government had announced to remove the disqualified tag of the discharged combatants.
They have also demanded Rs 600,000 in rehabilitation package to each of the discharged combatants. In addition, they have also demanded release of arrested combatants. According to Limbu, around 70 discharged combatants are still in police custody. “We will stage all forms of protest, including enforcement of a general strike. We will change the form of the protests after forming a PLA division,” added Limbu. According him, the national convention of the discharge PLA to be held on August 5- August 7 in Butwal will announce formation of the new PLA division and protest programs.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=56274
Amend constitutional process first: Bhusal
KATHMANDU: Pampha Bhusal, Spokesperson for the CPN-Maoist, today said political parties should first amend the constitutional process to bring agitating parties on board. “We are not against the election if it fulfills all the due constitutional procedures,” said Bhusal at a workshop on ‘Constitutionalism and Democracy Building in Nepal’ in the Capital today. The programme was jointly organised by Association of Editors and Writers Kathmandu and People’s Review weekly in cooperation with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Nepal.
Stating that Nepali parties were incapable of taking decisions, she doubted if they could deliver a new constitution even through a new Constituent Assembly. Bhusal said no party can acquire majority of votes in this existing election system and that parties have already announced that they would not hold the election until they were sure about securing majoring votes. She added that top leaders of High Level Political Committee had accepted Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi as the government head because of compulsion.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Amend+constitutional+process+first%3A+Bhusal&NewsID=380169
Gurung dares Govt to hold polls on Nov 19
KATHMANDU: CPN-Maoist secretary Dev Gurung today challenged the government and the four major political forces to hold the second Constituent Assembly election on November 19 bypassing his party and other dissenting groups, including the Upendra Yadav-led Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Nepal and Ashok Rai-led Federal Socialist Party (FSP). Addressing a function here, Gurung said, “I challenge the government and the four major forces to hold the election bypassing us. We will not remain mute spectators. There will be serious consequences if they ignore our concerns.” The CPN-M, MJF-Nepal and FSP have teamed up against the election announced on Thursday as per the recommendation of the High Level Political Committee (HLPC).
The three parties have also announced Nepal bandh tomorrow, protesting the government decision to hold CA election on November 19. Accusing the government of resorting to fascism, Gurung warned that the country would plunge into yet another cycle of conflict after the election and also warned that they would take whatever step it might require against the election. He also alleged that the “drama of election” was being staged at the behest of foreign powers.
“We will not let the election take place on that day and we will resort to people’s revolt,” he said, adding: “Election is being held by destroying the Interim Constitution”. Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi, in an address to the nation yesterday, had appealed to all political parties to take part in the election to “restore the principle of separation of powers and to write a new constitution through the CA.” Gurung reiterated his party’s long-held stand that a roundtable conference involving all the parties should be held and the election should be held on the basis of a fully proportional representation system, that, too, only for 150 seats.
Nepali Congress leader Minendra Rijal, however, said election was the only option for drafting the new constitution and he hoped it would be held on the declared date even if the CPN-M and others chose to boycott it. Rijal said HLPC was ready to hold talks with the dissenting parties on all issues except their demand for the government’s removal. He said boycotting election or disrupting it would benefit the former king, who was looking for an opportune time to stage a comeback.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Gurung+dares+Govt+to+hold+polls+on+Nov+19&NewsID=380195
Bandh affects life in Valley‚ outside
KATHMANDU: The general strike jointly imposed by 44 different parties, including Mohan Baidhya’s CPN-Maoist, Upendra Yadav’s Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Nepal and Ashok Rai’s Sanghiya Samajwadi Party, has affected the life of general public in the Kathmandu Valley and other major cities in the country on Sunday. Private and public vehicles have remained off the roads, and the market areas are closed. Schools, colleges and other businesses also have been affected due to the Nepal bandh. The bandh enforcers are seen sporadically assembling at the major junctions in the Capital. Several incidents of vandalism have been reported from outside the Valley, while the enforcers obstructed press vehicles in some places of the Capital. A passenger bus and a couple of trucks were vandalised in Dang this morning. Likewise, a private car was attacked in Abukhairini of Gorkha.
Protesting the “unilateral” announcement of Constituent Assembly elections for November 19 by the interim government, the dissenting parties imposed the bandh. Two separate fronts– one of them with 33 parties and led by CPN-Maoist — have dubbed the poll announcement “undemocratic” and “regressive act”, and demanded a “progressive political outlet” through a new agreement among the parties. Bandh called off in Rukum Meanwhile, according to our Rukum correspondent Adarsh KC, life in Rukum district has returned to normalcy after the nationwide bandh was withdrawn in the district.
Schools, colleges and markets have opened and transport has come into regular operation after agitating parties put off bandh due to the festival ‘Bal Puja’ of Magar community which falls on Sunday. An agreement was reached to this effect during talks with the leaders of the CPN-Maoist and members of the community. According to our Pokhara correspondent Rishi Baral, normal life has come to a grinding halt in the district since early morning. Shops have pulled their shutter down in the tourist hub. Apart from some emergency vehicles, vehicles have remained off the roads.
Due to the bandh, locals and tourists are facing difficulties in commuting. However, no incident of vandalism has been reported till this afternoon in the lake city. According to our Butwal correspondent Mahendra Thapa, all the factories in Rupandehi district, including those at Butwal Industrial Estate, are closed due to the bandh. No vehicles are plying the roads since early morning and academic institutions are closed. However, only few bandh enforcers are seen on the roads.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Updated%3A+Bandh+affects+life+in+Valley%E2%80%9A+outside+%28Ph.+feature%29&NewsID=380201
China hails poll date announcement
KATHMANDU, June 15: China has welcomed the government´s announcement of the date of fresh Constituent Assembly (CA) election. “As a friendly neighbor, China supports the constitution-making process in Nepal and hopes that the election to the Constitutional Assembly will be held in a smooth way,” said Spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday. The government on Thursday had announced to hold the CA polls on November 19.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=56270
Strike cripples Sankhuwasabha
SANKHUWASABHA June 16: Normal life in Sankhuwasabha have been hit hard by the indefinite shutdown enforced since last Thursday. The five fringe political parties including CPN-Maoist, Matrika-led CPN (Maoist), Federal Limbuwan, Federal Socialist Party and Peoples´ Liberation Party warned that they would continue the shutdown till their demands were met. They have alleged that the State was not responsive to their demands that include stoppage of transfer of employees from the District Hospital, Khandbari. The indefinite shutdown is to press their demand — fulfilling required quotas of doctors and formation of a committee to probe embezzlement at the District Hospital.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=56327
FNCCI condemns banda
KATHMANDU June 16: The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has condemned the strike that was enforced by 33 different political parties, including CPN-Maoist, on Sunday. “We have been deeply disturbed by the attack on businesses and vehicles on Sunday by the organizers of the strike,” FNCCI said in a press release issued on Sunday evening. “The attack on shops in different districts, including Khotang, is unfortunate.” The FNCCI has said that the strike and attack on business and private property is against the spirit of political parties that claim to work for people´s welfare. “Activities like these have weakened our economy,” said the release.
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=56319
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