john mage
OPEN LETTER TO FOREIGN TOURISTS VISITING NEPAL
>
> Dear Foreign Tourists,
>
> Welcome to the country of the roof of the world, and
> warmest greetings from the materially poor but
> spiritually rich people of Nepal!
>
> As you very well know, a revolutionary People's War
> (PW) under the leadership of Communist Party of Nepal
> (Maoist) is raging in Nepal against a fascist
> monarchical state since February 1996. After getting
> severe drubbing from the heroic People's Liberation
> Army (PLA.) in every battle front and losing almost
> all of the countryside to the advancing revolutionary
> forces, the fast crumbling reactionary regime headed
> by hated Gyanendra Shah has imposed brutal military
> dictatorship under the guise of the so-called state of
> emergency in the country since November 2001. This
> last desperate act of the tottering regime to save its
> skin has already backfired on itself and the mass
> rebellion in the form of the PW has intensified
> further in recent weeks and will reach a crescendo in
> the coming days. It is now obvious that two states,
> two armies, two laws and two cultures, one
> representing a handful of moribund parasitic classes
> and the other representing the vast majority of the
> democratic and progressive working people, are engaged
> in life and death struggle in the country. The United
> Revolutionary People's Council (URPC) is an embryonic
> Central People's Government Organising Committee in
> the form of a revolutionary united front headed by the
> CPN (Maoist). We, therefore, deem it our duty to
> acquaint you with some of our basic positions and
> dispel some canards spread against us by the old
> reactionary state machinery.
>
> What are we basically fighting for? We are fighting
> for a genuine people's democracy in the country. As
> you know, in the current political dispensation in
> Nepal the real state power vests in the feudal
> monarchy that effectively controls the royal army, and
> the parliament is a mere showcase to embellish the
> hereditary autocracy. Besides, the self-proclaimed
> current "king" Gyanendra and his son Paras are known
> criminal gangsters who have usurped the throne in a
> bloody coup d'tat against King Birendra last June
> 2001. Anybody familiar with the Nepalese history will
> agree that the archaic institution of feudal monarchy
> is the root cause and bulwark of socio-economic
> backwardness, abysmal poverty, glaring inequality and
> all-round underdevelopment plaguing the country, and
> its abolition is a minimum precondition for ushering
> in genuine democracy, both political and economic, in
> the country. When the English could wage war against
> their monarchy in the 17th century, or the French in
> the 18th century, or other civilised peoples in the
> 19th and 20th century, why can't the Nepalese people
> do the same even in the 21st century?
>
> And are we against tourism industry in general and
> foreign tourists in particular? Nothing could be
> farther from the truth. We are all for making maximum
> utilisation of the natural and cultural resources for
> the rapid economic development and wellbeing of the
> country and the people. And given the exquisite
> natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of the
> country, promotion of tourism ovbiously comes high in
> the priority list of the future economic development
> policy. As regards the false accusations of our
> xenophobic inclinations and preference for a closed
> political system, this is another example of sinister
> disinformation campaigns deliberately launched by the
> counter-revolutionary forces. By ideological
> persuasion we are for the ultimate withering away of
> all national and state boundaries and creation of a
> classless and stateless global community of people.
> Rather the fake votaries of "globalisation" of capital
> are mortally against the globalisation of labour as
> well and hence, in essence, against genuine all-round
> globalisation. Foreign tourists are, therefore, most
> welcome in the country and will be so in future as
> well.
>
> However, we would like to draw your attention to the
> grossly lopsided nature of current tourism industry in
> the country and would advise you to take special
> precautionary measures while travelling during the
> period of war. Firstly, the tourism industry in Nepal
> is monopolised by the arch-reactionary Shah-Rana
> family and their close courtiers (for example, all the
> five-star hotels and most of the star hotels and
> travel business are either owned or controlled by
> them), and most of the earnings from tourism is said
> to flow back to foreign countries. Therefore it is
> quite imperative to smash this anti-people and
> anti-national monopolistic structure of the tourism
> industry and foreign tourists would be advised not to
> patronise such tourism services (e.g., hotels,
> airlines, buses etc.) particularly owned by the hated
> Shah-Rana families. Secondly, during wartime the
> unassuming traveler can be caught between the
> crossfire of the contending armies. The foreign
> tourists are, therefore, kindly advised not to venture
> into areas where active fighting is going on. They are
> most welcome into the revolutionary base areas, which
> are firmly under the control of the revolutionary
> forces.
>
> And a few words to our honoured guests from
> neighbouring India. Though the reactionary state media
> cries hoarse about our so-called anti-India posture,
> you need not be unduly perturbed. Despite the
> conspiracy of the ruling classes of both the countries
> to drive wedges between the people of Nepal and India,
> we are conscious of the common destiny of the two
> peoples and are for developing a close and cordial
> relations between the two. You are, therefore, most
> welcome to visit Nepal.
>
> And finally, in view of the 5-day long "Nepal bandh"
> (i.e. general shutdown) from April 2 to April 6, 2002,
> and the subsequent surcharged atmosphere in the
> aftermath, the foreign tourists are well advised to
> skip the tour itinerary, if any, for the said period.
> We deeply regret the inconveniences likely to cause to
> you all.
>
> Wishing you all the best for a future visit to a
> democratic, progressive and prosperous people's
> republic of Nepal,
>
>
> Yours sincerely,
>
>
>
> Dr. Baburam Bhattarai,
> Convenor,
> United Revolutionary People's Council, Nepal
>
> March15, 2002