The preparations for the May Day rally are in full swing and thousands of Maoist cadre have already entered Kathmandu. Kantipur writes:
The Maoists have housed more than 20 thousands party workers in 38 different venues in the capital including schools, hotels, catering houses and YCL camps, the police said. Beside that, there are also thousands of party workers in Bhaktapur and Lalitpur.
The People’s Liberation Army is in red alert. The Kathmandu Post writes:
The UCPN (Maoist) on Tuesday directed all its combatants to remain on the high alert keeping in mind the latest political situation. In a press release, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) commander Nanda Kishor Pun Pasang directed its units to immediately call back all the combatants who are on home leave.
A PLA commander has been arrested with a hand grenade and a khukuri as he was on his way to Kathmandu, according to the police. Nepalnews writes:
UNMIN has condemned what it called “reckless” act of Maoist army platoon commander who was arrested in possession of a hand grenade while traveling on public transportation on Tuesday.
Early today morning, UNMIN chief Karen Landren met Maoist vice chairman Babu Ram Bhattarai at the latter’s residence in Shanti Nagar and expressed concern about the Maoist platoon commander and party’s preparations for the May Day protests.
In response, Bhattarai said, the commander in question was on a home leave and that the party has no information about the grenade in his possession.
In other parts of the country, Maoists have intensified their donation extortion campaign, writes Republica:
The UCPN-Maoist has stepped up extortion drive across the country.
The party has been extorting Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 from small businessmen, Rs 100,000 to Rs 1,000,000 with big entrepreneurs while private educational institutions have been forced to pay anything between Rs 50,000 to Rs 3, 00000.
Similarly, the Maoists have demanded a month´s salary with the teachers and government employees in the districts. The party is also collecting donations from every Village Development Committee (VDC) offices in Gorkha. They have also begun door to door campaign in Tanahun, Lamjung, Gorkha and Chitwan districts to collect donations.
The Maoists, however, have refuted such allegations. “People are donating voluntarily. We have not forced them to donate,” said Chudamani Khada (Prakash), secretary of Gorkha district, adding, “We have only requested government employees, teachers, businessmen and various institutions to provide financial, physical and moral support for to our movement,” he added.
Correction: As a reader points out, the Maoist platoon commander was caught with one hand grenade, not 36 as previously reported. We apologised for the error.
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It is interesting that UNMIN condemns the act because it is negligence (laparbahi). Presumably it would have been OK if the guy had taken the proper precautions while transporting the grenades?? If, as UNMIN claims, the cantonments are monitored 24/7 how did this guy manage to hoodwink UNMIN and manage to leave with 36 grenades? Did he escape? Did UNMIN sign off on his exit? Did UNMIN allow him to leave with the grenades? Were the grenades taken from the stor that was guarded by UNMIN or from somewhere else?
Actually it was one grenade. Specifically a type 36 grenade.
These are a well known type of grenade, still manufactured in India until about the 1980s.
And no, of course UNMIN is quite right, is not ok to carry even one grenade on a public bus.
UNMIN is a joke calling it a “reckless” act. How can a Maoist platoon leader leave the cantonment with 36 hand grenades while they are planning a huge rally in couple of days? What about the cache of bomb making ingredients found at hotel in Sundhara? Is that a coincidence as well? The bigger joke is the Maoist hierrachy stating the platoon commander was on home leave on his way to the Kathmandu Valley. If the platoon leader was on leave, why was he carrying 36 grenades? That does not add up. This is the biggest bs we have ever heard. We are not stupid. We can put 2 & 2 together.
Like the rest of the ruling coalition parties Maoists also should be included in the government to enjoy the loot of the coffers of the nation. As a matter of fact the members of the constitution assembly were not elected to run the government. They were basically eleccted to formulate a constitution. And the members of this assembly think they are the true representatives of the people sent to run the country. Basically it has become a culture for our politicians to amass wealth by hook or crook and enjoy power. This outlook and mindset needs to be changed among the leaders and they should be more accountable to the people and the facilities they enjoy.