This is a good article all the confused souls should read - http://www.bangladesh-web.com/news/view.php?hidDate=2006-04-03&hidType=EDT&hidRecord=0000000000000000098739 on Nepal : Terror trail: the Maoist insurgency- "OP-ED" Monday April 03 2006 13:38:31 PM BDT By Rahul Thapa, Nepal Maoists’ main aim is to grab power through violence and by using terror tactics Nepal is facing the worst time in the form of terrorism. Terrorism has reached its peak in recent times. On an average two people are killed everyday in the violence perpetrated by the Maoists. And, sadly some political parties have become puppets and joined hands with Maoists leaders. Last week, an Indian news and current affairs channel AAJ TAK showed a news story regarding preparation and training of Maoists cadres. Many young people including young boys and girls—were showed by the channel receiving armed training. They were equipped with sophisticated arms including self-loading, AK 47 and 56 rifles. Now the question arises, how these arms reached and are reaching the Maoist outfit in Nepal. Nepal doesn’t manufacture arms. Naturally, these arms are being smuggled into Nepal through the porous borders of our neighboring country. Recently a truck loaded with explosives worth crores of rupees was seized. According to the authorities, the explosives were meant for use by the Maoists. Recently, Home Minister Kamal Thapa categorically said that the Maoists are receiving their arms and explosives from a friendly neighboring country. The authorities also claimed that it looked that the explosive seized from the truck directly came out of a factory. The minister also claimed that the explosives used in the attack on Army post in Ilam recently had also come in from that friendly nation. Here the question arises what is the cost of running such a huge movement of terrorism and from whom the Maoists are getting money to run their terrorist activity or how Maoists are collecting money? Nepali Maoists are proudly claiming that they are a 40,000-strong outfit. They also claim that they are equipped with sophisticated arms, including SLRs, AK-47 and AK-56 rifles, automatic machine guns and anti-aircraft guns. To run a militant organisation of such a strong outfit lakhs of rupees are required everyday for their cadres’ food and lodging. They also need crores of rupees for procuring arms. Naturally, such underground outfits procure arms and ammunition from the greymarket, which costs more than the actually price of such arms and ammunition. Suppose Maoists rebels are spending fifty rupees on each cadre on their food and lodge alone every day. That means they need at least Rs. 20 lakh alone per day for that purpose. It comes to Rs. 6 crores a month and Rs. 72 crores a year. Apart from that they are procuring a huge quantity of arms and ammunition to fight against the trained personnel of Royal Nepalese Army. According to a rough estimate, it would cost not less than Rs. 60-75 crores a year. We should not forgot that the Maoists are concentrated mainly in the far-flung areas with tough terrain. It means the Maoists need a minimum of Rs. 125 to Rs. 150 crores every year to sustain and run their movement, which they claim they are fighting for the people of Nepal. They say they are fighting to bring democracy in the country. Is that true? What the Maoists are doing? They are looting banks, collecting taxes from hapless people, forcing poor farmers to donate food grains. If innocent people are not heeding their dictates, Maoists are gunning them down. Hundreds of people have lost their lives at the hands of those who claimed that they are fighting for protecting their rights. People are aware of the fact that the Maoists are collecting “taxes” from businessmen, factory-owners, and even small shopkeepers. They are also collecting money even from small farmers, milk vendors and vegetable growers. The Maoists are kidnapping young boys and girls from villages and forcing them to join their cadres. People are so afraid of Maoists that parents are asking their young children to leave villages. In some of the areas with large Maoist presence and influence, one can find villages without young people. Parents send their children over the age of 14 to safer places. In some villages one can found only older people being looked after by very young kids. Apart from using terror tactics to collect money, the Maoists have their other hidden agenda also. They are using people as human shields in most of their attacks on police or Army posts to minimize casualty. If some innocent persons are killed in the cross fire, the Maoists put the entire blame on the Army or police personnel. Media and human rights activists in such cases severely criticize the government and especially the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) for the killing of innocent persons, ignoring the design of the Maoists for using people as human shield. They should know the actual aim and design of the Maoists— it is to minimize their loss and create hatred in the minds of the citizens against the security force and the government. Earlier, the Maoists were using terror tactics against the relations of Army personnel. Maoists were asking them either force their wards to leave the Armed force or leave their villages. Some villagers, whose children or relations are serving with the RNA or police force, had abandoned their villages and houses. However, nowadays Maoists have adopted a new tactic. Instead of threatening people and trying to brainwash them in the hope that they will ask their ward to leave the RNA or the police force. However, the Maoists are finding little success in this as people are so afraid to return to their villages. Thousands of innocent people have already lost their lives from the bullets of Maoists which they had procured from the money collected forcibly. The Maoists’ main aim is to grab power only through violence and by using terror tactics. What will happen if such violent people are able to grab power? They will kill more and more innocent people who will raise voice against them as they are doing now. We should be vigilant against such elements in our society as terror has no place in the world or in a democracy. ***************************************************************** Source:nepal news. A freelance journalist, Thapa writes on strategic issues. ******************************************************************