Posted on 12/21/2004 5:26:01 PM PST by bruinbirdman
December 2:
The Maoist insurgency in Nepal is causing fear that the country’s instability could spill across its borders, which could lead to conflict between India and China, reports the Economist. Like Afghanistan, Nepal is a country that is “unable to offer its citizens anything other than poverty and fear.” The Nepalese government has abandoned much of its territory to brutal Maoist rebels, who heavily impound children, which they train to be the next-generation combatants. Nepal’s own soldiers are accused of horrific human rights abuses. The vibrant hope of democracy just a decade ago has spiraled into a despotic monarch who emanates contempt toward elected politicians – whose bickering and mismanagement of government contributed to the de-evolution of a fledgling democratic process.
Nepalese Maoists have formed links with Indian Maoists, called Naxalites, and other secessionist groups in a half-dozen of India’s northeastern states. The insurgency also threatens impoverished Bangladesh. If India is tempted to intervene in Nepal, it could trigger a counter-response by China. The Economist recommends that the Nepalese government's biggest supporters, India and the U.S., "urgently need to tell it that its brutal methods, far from defeating the Maoists, are increasing support for them… the king needs to return the country to constitutional monarchy."
December 7:
More than 170 million children are malnourished worldwide and 120 million children- mostly female - never attend school, stated UNICEF director Carol Bellamy at an international conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, reports the Associated Press. Underscoring the inability of governments to address the worldwide crisis in primary health care for children, Ms. Bellamy called for increased volunteerism through governmental and non-governmental agencies. "Children under the age of 5 are still dying at a rate of nearly 10 million a year from preventable causes like diarrhea, measles and acute respiratory infections," she stated.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz of Pakistan - which has among the highest rates of illiteracy and sub-par education - said voluntary agencies were needed to overcome social challenges. "We recognize that government alone cannot fight against illiteracy, disease, hunger, poverty and many other challenges."
December 11:
British security officials warn that al-Qaeda will attempt an attack on a key maritime target within the next 12 months, reports Reuters. The al-Qaeda attack will likely disrupt world trade and could potentially have devastating economic consequence. [Editor: A particularly vulnerable sea lane is Southeast Asia’s Malacca Straits, near the lawless dictatorship in Cambodia which has been a staging ground for al-Qaeda's Jemaah Islamiah allies.]
December 13:
Cambodia is among the few countries in the world where all three of the most important human indicators - poverty, infant mortality, and illiteracy rates - are worsening, reports Khmer Intelligence.com. According to World Bank and the United Nations Development Program [UNDP] statistics, 45 percent of Cambodia’s population lives on less than 75 cents a day, a rate that since 1992 has increased by 5 percent. The infant mortality rate is currently 140 deaths out of 1000 children, compared to 97 out of 1000 in 1990. The UNDP found that the total adult illiteracy rate is currently 63 percent, while ten years ago it was less than 60 percent. UNICEF reports that 45 percent of Cambodian children are malnourished, with more than half of all children suffering from stunted growth and lack access to safe water.
I remember Nepal as this warm. wondwerful exotic land- friendly people, great dishes and yes, the awesome, awesome Himalaya.
Its a tragedy that such a beautiful country must suffer such agony.
May G_d expedite sanity to these parts!
The Chi-Coms are behind this trouble.
I remember Nepal as this warm. wondwerful exotic land- friendly people, great dishes and yes, the awesome, awesome Himalaya.
Its a tragedy that such a beautiful country must suffer such agony.
May G_d expedite sanity to these parts!
Classic case of a very small country with two very large neighbors, one of which is hostile, and the other of which has its own insurgents in the area on the border. Nepal would be in better shape if the PRC were not undermining them and if India kicked butt on Commie insurgents. I'd personally be in strong favor of India deploying troops there and meanwhile going after Assam insurgents with extreme prejudice.
Bump. Indeed they are.
I agree that Nepal is in a dangerous position with respect to the Maoist guerillas, but I'm not sure an Indian military response is the best option.
No matter how much people fight internally, the entry of an outside force tends to unite a lot of people internally.
Also, more importantly, it'll be a very hard mission to pull off. The Indian Army is still smarting from the debacle of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka in the 1980s. Not only was it a monumental cock-up as a military operation since it didn't succeed in eliminating the Tamil guerilla threat, it caused the whole country of Sri Lanka to hate it, and the Tamil guerillas rode that wave directly to assasination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. I think it's going to be a while before the Indian Army tries that kind of adventurism again.
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