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Heading#226 17 - 23 December 2004 24 southpages Rs 30 again The most intriguing thing about King Gyanendras visit to India is the timing and the itinerary NAVIN SINGH KHADKA he palace is keeping the discussed the Maoist insurgency T itinerary and purpose of and got Indian officials to admit King Gyanendras on- for the first time that the Maoists again-off-again trip to New were a common threat to both Delhi a closely guarded secret. Nepal and India. Foreign But enough of it has leaked Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat, out for analysts to wonder about who had accompanied Deuba in the timing, agenda and that visit, told us: We are still schedule of the 10-day royal discussing the agenda with the visit. This will be the kings palace. A constitutional third visit to India in as many monarch will certainly talk years, a period during which along the same lines as the neither the Indian president nor government. the prime minister has However, sources close to reciprocated bilaterally. King Gyanendra believe he will The visit comes amidst go beyond Deubas talking growing angst in India about points. The Maoists have made MIN BAJRACHARYA Nepals Maoist insurgency it clear they will only talk to the spiralling out of control and king and we all know rebels use indications here that the Indian soil, so that changes monarch may be contemplating things and the talks may an authoritarian adventure. The advance on these issues, visit has been penciled in and ex-army chief and Raj Parishad postponed several times since member Satchit SJB Rana, told September and although us. officials explained it was Unlike previous trips, there because compatible dates could are no pilgrimage detours this not be found there are time and King Gyanendra will indications that New Delhi had visit New Delhi and travel on to misgivings. capitals of states bordering Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Nepal: Dehradun, Lucknow, Deuba beat the king to it in Patna and Calcutta. Says Rana: September and it would have The king may be briefed there looked odd for King Gyanendra about Maoist activities along the to go so soon after. Also, since border and move to counter New Delhis line is support for them. The request reportedly constitutional monarchy and came from the king himself and parliamentary democracy in involves states where Nepali Nepal it cant be seen to be and Indian Maoists are active. discussing nitty-gritties with The composition of the royal the king. entourage has not been made Preparations for the 23 public but it appears to be heavy December-2 January visit have on royals and ex-army brass. been carried out in secret by the One India-watcher here palace with very little predicts that King Gyanendras participation of the foreign conversation with his Indian ministry. There is no specific interlocutors will centre on just agenda set for the visit, a three issues: his own role, the palace official told us, but His counter-insurgency war and Majesty will take up whatever hydropower. He adds: issues are raised. The three are actually In September, Deuba had interlinked. l Weekly Internet Poll # 166 Q. Was it appropriate to hold the Raj Parishad Central Conference? Total votes:669 Weekly Internet Poll # 167. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com Q. Should the UML stay on in government? 2 EDITORIAL 17 - 23 DECEMBER 2004 #226 Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Chief Editor: Kunda Dixit Desk Editor: Abha Eli Phoboo Design: Kiran Maharjan Web: Bhushan Shilpakar Advertising: Sunaina Shah [email protected] Subscription: Anil Karki, [email protected] Sanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, Lalitpur Help them go home GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: 01-5543333-6, Fax: 01-5521013 [email protected], www.nepalitimes.com Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 01-5547018 What the Nepali diaspora can, and should, do for Bhutani refugees CARROT AND STICK uring the heydays of the trauma of a never ending Panchayat, when the state refugee life. Dwas trumpeting songs of Considering the position here used to be a time six years ago when we complained about T how the rest of the planet didn’t really care about the brewing Nepali patriotism, the most taken by Bhutan and India vis- crisis in Nepal. As far as the outside world was concerned, Nepal prominent Bhutani human à-vis the refugee issue, Bhutani was a cute little kingdom out in shangrila somewhere. People refused rights leader Tek Nath Rizal was Nepalis will never get to go to believe that nasty things were starting to happen here. abducted from eastern Nepal at home unless the international Now, the pendulum seems to have swung in the opposite direction. night and handed over to community takes a strong and There are dire predictions every other day that Nepal is Bhutan to be humiliated and unambiguous position. But failing…failing…failed. The international media can’t get enough tortured in prison for a decade. faced with a shortage of about paradise lost and prophesying doomsday. The world rarely reacts international allies and with required urgency, or in direct proportion to the magnitude of a financial resources, Tek Nath crisis. for its part, the international media when it decides to take an GUEST COLUMN interest seems incapable of seeing things in anything other than black Rizal has a daunting task ahead. or white. For years, it ignored Darfur, now we get hour-by-hour updates. Jugal Bhurtel Thimpu has already won the The United Nations could do nothing to stop the Rwandan genocide, diplomatic war against and now the world has moved on. The Panchayat regime has Kathmandu on several fronts. Let’s hope that in our case the change from international indiffer- long gone, but its political The puppet regime in Thimpu ence to obsession is driven by a desire to catch Nepal before it falls off hangover lingers on. Rizal had has New Delhis blessings. the edge. In recent weeks we have been buried in an avalanche of to struggle to get travel Bhutan portrays ethnic Nepalis foreign delegations here on fact-finding missions. After the Human documents from the Nepali as a threat to its unique culture Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists, we’ve had government even when many and tradition. Many western KIRAN PANDAY the International Crisis Group’s president Gareth Evans, the EU’s high- other Bhutanis have got theirs countries and donor agencies powered Troika, the UNHRC’s Working Group on Enforced or Tamils, Sikhs, Palestinians, etc frequently from the foreign seem unaware of their own Involuntary Disappearances. The National Democratic Institute would not have been possible brought the former Northern Ireland Assembly Speaker Lord John ministry. Apart from putting a double-standards when they buy without a strong moral and Alderice for consultations on mediation, and British special envoy Sir few sentences about the refugee into this racially-prejudiced financial support from their Jeffrey James has just passed through on his bi-annual migratory route question in UN addresses, the argument. respective diasporas. We should between London, New Delhi, Kathmandu and New York. Nepal government has done Overseas Nepalis could be do the same and extend a All have sat and talked to the government, which has reiterated its precious little to make the Tek Nath Rizals most natural helping hand to our Bhutani commitment to restore the political process through elections. international community aware allies. But the 1.2 million strong brethren. They have talked to politicians who have given widely-divergent of a country that has evicted Nepali diaspora is a largely If what happened to Bhutani prescriptions from constitutional reform to House restoration to one-sixth of its population. untapped resource because most constituent assembly elections. Most visitors have gone back more Nepalis is ignored or excused, As a result, this profound are unaware of the magnitude of there is no guarantee that confused than when they came. humanitarian tragedy has been the crisis and therefore arent When you can’t see the forest for the trees, it is important to boil ethnic Nepalis who have almost forgotten by the world. concerned. Some regard it as things down to their essence: who are the main players, what do they remained in Bhutan or those want, can they be persuaded to meet half way? Who or what unnerves our dirty politics and are hesitant living in India will not be There is a political stalemate in Kathmandu between the king and government and bureaucracy is about getting involved. Rizal subjected to a similar fate. Tek the parties and there is a military stalemate in the field between the anybodys guess. But Rizal now has the task of educating and Nath Rizal needs not only army and the Maoists. So, the rebels and the palace have a choice: we has a travel permit to go around convincing Nepalis abroad that financial support but also active can let this drag on for another 15 years and talk, or talk now. Since the world to drum up it is not about politics: Bhutani lobbying by overseas Nepalis in both sides seem to be hell bent on a fight to the finish, since outside international support for his refugees are not struggling to their host countries for mediation doesn’t seem feasible, the only thing that may work is a peoples struggle. He must be a overthrow their authoritarian repatriation of Bhutani refugees carrot. After all, the reason the Sri Lankan ceasefire is holding even deeply worried man. As monarchy or pushing for though talks have failed is because the Tigers and Colombo have with dignity and honour.