来自尼泊尔人民战争的报导
第十二篇:罗尔泊的烈士们
作者：李 奥内斯托
《革命工人》1028期 1999年10月31日
今天早上，我决定到户外喝早茶。我走到离房子不远处一片清幽的地方，抓紧时间享受几分钟清晨柔和的阳光。我想我是多么热爱在农村的生活呀。天天早晨醒来，我都感到好象走进了一幅令人惊异的油画之中。这儿的景色非常奇异的漂亮。虽然旅途艰辛，但走在清新的空气中，四面高山环绕，你不由得浑身布满活力，心情也兴奋起来。漂亮的自然风景与我们四周极度贫困的面貌几乎不相适应。但尼泊尔坎坷不平的地形与引人入胜的一幕幕风景似乎又为前进中的人民军队提供了非常合适的隐蔽场所。
今天，我们在刚好中午之前开始了艰苦的跋涉，几乎所有的小路都即不是向上的直路，也不是下山的石径。当太阳开始落到地平线的时候，我们来到一座几乎没有任何道路的陡峭的大山跟前，我们沿着山坡一直向上——似乎永无止境。
我们现在位于海拔12000英尺的高度，我们的肺和肌肉很难获得足够的氧气。我很快就喘不过气来，不得不每50码就停下来喘口气。同志们看我碰到了困难，一位同志要把我背上山去。但我使劲移动着身体，努力向前。黄昏的时候，我们到达了山顶，月亮代替太阳升了起来，所以我们也能看得很清楚。小径仍非常难以行走，因为全是下坡，撒满了松散的难以猜测的石块，
今天我们在小径上走的时间比计划的要长，因为这一地区一直没有任何村庄。所以我们就一直往前走，直到我们发现一个地方，那儿至少还有一个水龙头。最后，夜里11点钟的时候，我们停下来，在一间破旧的废弃不用的牛舍里宿营，我扑通一下坐在一片破木头上。有的去取水，有的去搜集树枝和树叶做床，其它人开始打扫牛舍生火。
在这儿西部山区风真多夜里也很冷。所以当火一生好，所有人都挤在一起取暖。然后我们开始吃晚餐：饼干、快餐面、干货和其它一些包里的食品，所有人心情都很好，互相开开玩笑，这时已过午夜，我们开始躺下来睡觉。树叶做的床真是非常舒适。很快已是早上5点15分——这时同志们把我叫醒预备出发。早上5：40，我们重又走上小径。
现在我已与穿越鲁孔边境的地点非常近了。但在离开罗尔泊之前，我们安排在最后一个村子里停留一下，那儿的人民组织了一次群众大会以欢迎我们。
早晨我们来到了一个拐弯处，翻译Pravat向我们对面另一边的一坐大山指去。一片浓密的绿色怀抱着一点点的红色。开始我对这看去不太自然的点缀感到迷惑不解。接着我就意识到这是红旗，星星点点地散布在这一地区，迎接我们的到来。
当我们到达另一边的一片空地时，人们从山上预备召开群众大会的地方跑下来迎接我们。我抬头看着这些“红点子”——这些非常漂亮的红旗在晨风中懒洋洋地飘着——我看到村民已经开始聚集在一起。太阳高高地挂在天空，现在开始热起来了。于是我们就在几棵瘦削的树下坐下来休息，尽量共同分享这一点点阴凉。队员们走进四周的森林里换上他们的制服。我开始有点打瞌睡了，暖洋洋的阳光加上疲惫不堪的身体使我昏昏欲睡。但当一些同志拉着我们的午餐——一大罐食物从山下来时，我醒了过来。
下午1点钟，欢迎仪式开始了。我们开始向着装饰着各种各样草木鲜花的会场朝山上走去。欢迎我们进入的“门道”由树枝搭建而成。20多个游击战士列队排开，形成了我们上山的小路。当我们向着会场前进的时候，文艺宣传队站在山顶开始演奏音乐。
我在我们这一行列的最前面，第一个走进了入口。大约有700人聚集在这里，当我把头伸过“门道”时，人群中爆发出一片热烈的掌声和欢呼声。一位同志把一块传统的尼泊尔红头带系在我的额头上，把一个花环挂在我的脖子上表示欢迎。接着另一位同志走上前来把一根竹杆放在我的手中。竹杆拿上去很重，我能很快感觉到它的高度。我仔细地看着，它大约有40英尺那么高，顶上飘着镰刀斧头的红旗。那位同志把我当作“最主要的客人”引到群众的前面，我很荣幸地把红旗竖在地上以开始这场仪式。群众中开始爆发出更加响亮的掌声和欢呼声。
象所有的群众大会一样，大会开始前为牺牲的烈士们默哀了几分钟。接下来的五个小时更加鼓舞人心。大家发表了许多讲话和演说，从不同的群众组织到党的各个领导同志。有来自战地的消息。文艺小组至始至终都在表演娱乐节目，多才多艺地展示着她们的音乐和舞蹈。当“最重要的客人”向群众发表讲话时，她深深地被群众对人民战争的支持和无产阶级国际主义的表现所感动了。
生死皆为革命
当太阳开始落山的时候，欢迎仪式结束了。有人告诉我一些烈士的家属要来和我见面。他们中有些人走了很长的路程来向我讲述他们的经历。第一位坐下来谈话的村民是57岁的Jokhi Budha。她的丈夫，65岁的Singh Budha，女儿，22岁的Kumari Budha，儿子，29岁的Danta Budha都是被警察杀害的。她对我讲道：
“事情发生在1996年11月。村里的一个侦察偷偷地向警察告了密，夜里他们就来到了我们家。侦察和警察们逮捕了我的丈夫和女儿。我丈夫是人民战争支持者，女儿是妇女组织中的积极分子。他们两个被带到村里警察哨所受了两天的折磨。然后警察把他们带到一条干涸的河床击毙，同时遇害的还有其它3位同志：70岁的Bardan Roka，45岁的Bal Prasad Roka和49岁的Dil Man Roka。
“在杀害Kumari之前，警察抠掉了她的双眼，把煤油倒在她的头发上点着。那时被捕的有13人，5人被杀，其它的被放了出来。他们告诉我说，当时Kumari痛苦地喊道，‘妈妈，妈妈’，警察就骂道，‘你这个罪犯，你这个毛主义者，你这个恐怖分子’接着两个警察把她抓起来，活活地投进了火里。就在那时，我儿子，他是排里的一个战士，在最近一次对Dang地警察哨所的袭击中被杀害，在那次战斗中七名警察被打死。”
Jokhi讲完她失去亲人的伤心遭遇后，不由得失声痛哭起来。我极力忍住就要滚到面颊上的眼泪。Jokhi含着眼泪告诉我，“虽然我丈夫，儿子和女儿都不在了，但我有千千万万个儿女，他们在为我们报仇。”
象和我谈过话的其它烈士的亲属一样，Jokhi看上去有一个非常大的“家庭”意识，这就是为什么即使失去了丈夫和两个孩子，她还是感到乐观的原因。在传统的封建社会里，失去丈夫的妇女马上会碰到经济上的困难。失去孩子的父母经常会失去年老后没有抚养的安全感。
而现在人民战争发展势头正旺，情况完全不同了。党和人民军队保证烈士们的家属会有人照顾。党在人民群众中招蓦资金以抚慰烈士们的家属，把从地主手中夺来的土地分给他们。烈士们的子女也由较大的革命团体负责看护。
Dil Man Roka 在同一事件中与Singh Budha 和 Kumari Budha一起被杀害。他的妻子Man Maya Roka也走过来说话，很明显她同样也感到人民战争不仅会照顾她的家庭，而且也会给人民带来光明的未来。她说：
“人民现在把我们的VDC（Mirul）叫做烈士们的VDC。警察逮捕并杀害我丈夫因为他工作做得不错。他被敌人杀害了，现在全党都来帮助我和我的家庭。现在邻居们帮我种地，帮我照顾家人。
当他牺牲的时候，我怀着小儿子的身孕，其它三个女儿都知道他们的父亲。他们知道警察杀害了他们的父亲。我对党的观点是明确的。孩子的父亲开辟了道路，孩子们必将会完成它。我们一定会战胜我们的敌人。
挨着我坐下谈话的是罗尔泊地区31岁的秘书Chop Bahadur Dang（于1996年3月28日被杀害）的父母亲。Chop的父亲对我说：“我儿子具有非常优秀的品德。他热爱所有的家人，他对兄弟姐妹和其它家人都非常友好。他为党工作了四年。人民战争爆发前两年，他受到莫须有的指控，被迫转入地下。村子里的一个骗子（他骗农民们的土地和金钱）被杀害了，我儿子为此受到了莫须有的指控。人民战争好得很，它为受压迫人民谋利益。我儿子就是为了这一事业而献出了生命。我们要向反动政府发起进攻，我们决不放弃人民战争的道路，我们希望它会尽快成功。我儿子牺牲了，但我们并不是孤立无助，党在照顾我们。”
反革命浪潮
人民战争开始后不久，反动政府发起了疯狂的反扑,中心政府的最高指挥官布署了议会的军队和大量非凡练习的突击队并直接向他们发布命令。
2月26日，人民战争发动不到两星期，在Gorkha地区的Jarang Pandrung VDC，50名武装警察向着1000名手无寸铁的学生和当地农民开枪。警察还企图以破坏“美国儿童救济金”办公室的莫须有罪名逮捕一位受群众欢迎的当地校长，群众努力营救他。一位11岁的男同学当场被打死，他成了人民战争中牺牲的第一名烈士。
第二天，2月27日，警察打死了睡在鲁孔地区 Pipal VDC， Melgairi农舍里的6名农民和学生。这之后，又进行了一系列的屠杀和“假冲突”——警察屠杀人民然后虚伪地称这是“武装冲突”。人民战争发动后的头三个月里，有30多人被警察杀害，大多是在鲁孔，罗尔泊和贾贾科特地区。
除了屠杀人民，警察还逮捕了上千人，拷打被关押的人，强暴并逮捕妇女，掠夺人民财产，烧毁房屋。因为这个，成千上万人被迫有好多月都藏在森林里、洞穴里。许多人多年转入地下。在有些地方，政府把当地暴徒释放出来镇压人民，一些村庄成月实行宵禁。
在人民战争发动的头11个月里，有70多人被杀——然后也有40多名反动派，包括当地恶霸、警察、警官被消灭。在革命烈士当中，将近40%是党员，60%以上属于被压迫的少数民族（大多数是来自西部山区的玛嘉人。）10%左右是妇女，他们几乎都出身于贫穷的中下层农民。
人民战争的第三年政府的镇压确实在逐步增强，在8个月期间，有500多人被警察杀害，更多的人被逮捕、拷问、强暴。警察采取的最大行动之一是 Kilo Sera 2行动——1998年7月中旬到8月间的一次两个月的战争。一位同志解释说：“政府进攻人民战争的每个部分——逮捕积极分子、村民和同情者。这不是随意的，而是精心策划的，他们还派遣了许多间谍侦察人民。
尼泊尔议会和RPP（Rashtriya Prajatantra 党）公开地参加了这次镇压，而联合马列[尼泊尔共产党（联合马列主义）]通过更隐蔽的手段参与镇压。许多负责同志、群众领袖、党的领导成员，地方和地区委员会的成员、人民军队的领导和人民战争的同情者被杀掉。 Kilo Sera 2行动期间，他们还进行了多次屠杀——西部地区有大约200人遇难——罗尔泊15人，鲁孔20人，贾贾科特50多人，其它人都是这一地域周边地区的。
在烈火中燃烧
Khala K.C，一位23岁的年轻姑娘，在1998年的 Kilo Sera 2行动中被杀害，她31岁的哥哥告诉我：“我妹妹从1991年起就参加了革命学生组织的工作。1995年她入了党，参加了人民战争。同时她又负责妇女组织的工作。1997年，她成了班里的一名战士。她被害了已怀有5个月的身孕。她来到家里来看望生病的老父亲，不久她就到另一个房子里躲了起来，那个房子里还有两位同志，其中一个是她丈夫，也是班里的一名战士。
“警察来到我们家逮捕了我们的哥哥，狠狠地打他。来到许多警察，他们包围了房子。家里人谁也不能向躲避起来的同志通知警察来了。我哥哥挨打时大声叫喊，隐蔽所里的人们听到叫声都逃离了。我妹妹逃离后藏在了玉米地里但还是被警察发现了，他们逮捕了她。23天后，人们发现了她的尸体，看上去她也许被强暴过。”
Sharpe B.K.于1998年被杀害时43岁。他留下了妻子 Rupsari B.K.，四个儿子和一个女儿。 Rupsari对我说：
“我们家是一个非常贫穷的农民家庭，我丈夫在一个贫苦的农村组织里干活。根据印度教（ Hindu religion），我们是下层人，是‘贱民’。村子里的一名侦察把我丈夫的行动告诉了警察。12名警察来到我家逮捕了他。接着又来了14名警察，他们一起把他带到了森林里，我跟着他们，哭喊着请求他们把他放了。但他们很凶狠地打我。我回到家里，我听到了枪声，我想他们一定是把他杀了。我挨了打伤势很重，不能到那个地方去。
“两个小时后，我的儿子们和一些党员同志来到丛林中发现了我丈夫的尸体。因为镇压很历害，他们也不敢把尸体带回村子，就这样，他们把它放在那儿整整11天，用石头和枯叶盖着。后来，后来人们为我丈夫举行了葬礼，把他的尸体焚化了。警察继续威胁我们家。而现在，人民政权发展起来了，警察被迫停止了对我们家的骚扰。”
我听到的故事证实了毛主席在红宝书的《为人民服务》部分所指出的：“要奋斗就要有牺牲，死人的事是经常发生的。但是只要我们想到人民的利益，想到为大多数人而死，为人民而死，就是死得其所。”在这种革命献身精神的鼓舞下，人民战争中的许多烈士在敌人折磨他们，企图从他们身上获得情报时，依然表现得非常英勇。
Nil Bahadur Oli 21 岁。他弟弟 Purna Bahadur Oli才19岁。他们都在1998年遇难。他们的父亲 Man Bahadur Oli告诉我他的两个儿子面对死亡，依然保持从容。
“Nil在共青团[ YCL (Young Communist League)]和农民协会工作。 Purna 也在共青团工作。 Nil也就要成为一名党员了。我的牛舍在 Solyan，我的两个儿子也在哪儿。进攻 Jhimpe通讯塔之后，人民军就在那个牛舍里藏了起来。通讯塔共有18名士兵守卫。当游击队进攻那座塔的时候，警察们投降了，一名被打死，死名受重伤。总共获取8支步枪，一枝手枪和780发子弹。第二天直升飞机和汽车运来了大批警察。很多人来到了那座塔。警察从 Solyan逮捕了一个知道那次行动的人。当警察拷打他的时候，他告了密，还讲了战士们在牛舍里躲藏的事情。接着警察就来到了牛舍，逮捕了我的两个儿子，把他们带上了直升飞机，很快就运到了一个警所。
“警察审问我的儿子，但他们什么都不说，虽然他们知道那次行动的全过程。他们在村子里还藏有党的文件和武器，但他们什么也不告诉警察。警察折磨了他们两天。警察从他们嘴里什么也得不到，就用直升飞机把他们带到森林里杀害了。警察埋伏在尸体旁边整整五天，想逮住取尸体的人。后来他们就回到了警所。第六天，党为他们举行了大约有100人参加的葬礼。”
Man Bahadur Oli给我讲这些事情的时候，声音里布满了深深的悲哀。但很明显，他为两个儿子为人民而死感到非常骄傲。同和我谈话的所有烈士家属一样， Man Bahadur Oli给我印象最深的不是他的悲哀，而是他的革命勇气和坚定信念。政府也许以为野蛮地屠杀党员、游击队员和人民战争的支持者就能剿灭这场革命。但据我所看到和所听到的，凶恶的镇压只能加深群众对政府的憎恨，只能使人民更强烈地感受到只有推翻当前的政权才是他们获得解放的唯一出路。 Man Bahadur告诉我，“我现在向往着人民战争光明的未来。”
Dispatches: Report from the People's War in Nepal
Part 12: Martyrs of Rolpa
by Li Onesto
Revolutionary Worker #1028, October 31, 1999
This is the twelfth article of a new series of dispatches from this exciting trip. (See RW #1014 through #1020, #1022-1024 and #1027 for Parts 1 through 11.)
This morning, I decide to sip my morning milk-tea outside. I walk a ways from the house to grab a few minutes of solitude [清幽(的地方),]to enjoy the softness of the early morning light. And I think about how much I like living in the countryside. Every day when I wake up, I feel like I've stepped into an amazing painting. The scenery here is absolutely[完全地, 绝对地] breathtaking[非凡的]. And while the trekking is difficult, it is hard not to feel energized [给与...以活力[精力]]and exhilarated[使兴奋, 使愉快] by the clean air and the towering （高耸的）mountains which encircle us. The natural beauty of the landscape almost seems inappropriate[不适当的，不相当的] for the ugly poverty which surrounds us. But the drama of Nepal's rugged and spectacular landscape seems fitting as a haven and cover [隐蔽物；遮蔽物 ]for a people's army on the move.
Today, our trek starts just before noon, and for hours, almost all of the trail is either straight up or rocky downhill. Then just as the sun starts to near the horizon, we come to a very steep mountain where there really isn't any path. We just climb directly up the mountainside--which seems to go on forever.
We are now at an elevation of about 12,000 feet and it's difficult to get enough oxygen to my lungs and muscles. I get out of breath very quickly and have to stop every 50 yards or so to catch my breath. The comrades see I'm having trouble and one of them offers to literally carry me up the mountain on his back. But I struggle and push on. We reach the top of the mountain after nightfall but the moon has taken the sun's place, so we can see pretty well. Still, the path is difficult because it is all downhill, strewn with loose rocks that seem to have an unpredictable life of their own.
Today our time on the trail is lasting longer than planned because there aren't any villages in this area. So we have to walk until we find a place where there is at least a water tap. Finally at 11 p.m. we stop and make camp at an old, abandoned cow shed. I immediately plop down on an old plank of wood. But the squad quickly sets to work. Some leave to fetch water, others go to gather tree branches and leaves for our bedding and the rest start clearing out the shed and making a fire.
Here in the western mountains it gets really windy and cold at night. So as soon as the fire gets going everyone quickly huddles around to get warm. Then we eat our dinner--crackers and instant noodles, eaten dry, right out of the package. Everyone is in a good mood, joking around, and it's past midnight by the time we lie down to sleep. The bed of leaves is actually very comfortable. But 5:15 a.m. comes quickly--when comrades wake me to get ready to go. And we are back on the trail again by 5:40 a.m.
We are now getting very close to where we will cross the border into Rukum. But before leaving Rolpa, we are scheduled to stop at one last village where people have organized a large mass meeting to greet us.
Mid-morning we come around a bend in the trail and my translator, Pravat, points way across to the other side at the mountain facing us. Nestled in the dense green are tiny spots of red. At first I'm puzzled by this decoration which doesn't look at all natural. And then I realize it is red flags, dotting the area, anticipating our arrival.
When we get to the clearing on the other side, people greet us down the hill from where the mass meeting is being prepared. I look up at the "red dots"--which are now clearly beautiful red flags waving lazily in the breeze--and I see that villagers are already starting to gather. The sun is high in the sky now and it's getting hot. So we rest under some skinny trees, maneuvering（处理事情） to share the meager shade. And the squad disappears into the nearby forest to change into their uniforms. I start to doze off a little, lulled by the combination of warm sun and tired muscles. But I wake up when some comrades come walking down the hill, lugging huge pots of food for our mid-day meal.
At 1:00 it is time for the program. We start walking up the hill toward the gathering place which has been decorated with all kinds of greenery and flowers. A "doorway" for our grand entrance has been constructed of tree branches. And about 20 guerrillas are lined up in formation forming a path for us up the hill. A cultural team is standing at the top, playing music as we march towards the gathering.
I am at the front of our procession and go through the entrance first. About 700 people have gathered, and as my head pokes through the doorway, they erupt into loud applause and cheers. A comrade greets me by putting the traditional Nepali red tikka on my forehead and places a garland of flowers around my neck. Then another comrade steps forward and puts a bamboo pole in my hand. The pole feels weighty and I can immediately feel its tallness. I look up and see that it's about 40 feet high--with a red hammer-and-sickle flag at the top. The comrade guides me over to the front of the crowd and, as the "chief guest," I get the honor of planting the flag in the ground to start the program. This sets off an even louder round of applause and cheers.
Like every revolutionary gathering here, this one starts off with a minute of silence for all the martyrs. And the next five hours are very inspiring. There are many statements and speeches--from different mass organizations and leading party comrades. There are reports from the battlefield. And the cultural squad entertains throughout--with their versatile repertoire of songs and dances. By the time the "chief guest" addresses the crowd, she's very moved by this mass display of support for the People's War and proletarian internationalism.
Living and Dying for the Revolution
The program ends just as the sun is setting. And I am told that several families of martyrs have come to meet with me. Some of them have traveled quite a ways to tell me their story. The first villager who sits down to talk is 57-year-old Jokhi Budha. Her husband, 65-year-old Singh Budha, her daughter, 22-year-old daughter Kumari Budha, and her son, 29-year-old Danta Budha, have all been killed by the police. She tells me:
"It happened in November of 1996. A spy in the village snitched to the police and they came to our home at night. The spies and police arrested my husband and my daughter. My husband was a sympathizer and my daughter was active in the women's organization. Both of them were taken to the police post of the village and tortured for two days. The police then took them to a stream bed and shot them with three other people--70-year-old Bardan Roka, 45-year-old Bal Prasad Roka, and 49-year-old Dil Man Roka.
"Before killing Kumari the police picked out her two eyes and then put kerosene in her hair and set it on fire. Thirteen people were arrested at this time--five were killed, the rest were released. People told me that when Kumari cried out in pain, saying, `Mommy, mommy,' the police said, `You criminal, you Maoist, you terrorist.' And then two police picked her up and threw her into the fire alive. And now my son, who was a platoon member, was killed in the recent raid on the police post in Dang, in which seven police were killed."
Jokhi is crying by the time she finishes recounting her terrible loss. And I have a hard time holding back the tears that threaten to roll down my own cheeks. Through her tears, Jokhi tells me, "Though my husband, son and daughter have died I have many thousands of sons and daughters who will take revenge."
Like other relatives of martyrs I have talked with, Jokhi seems to have a larger sense of "family"--which is why she can feel optimistic, even though she has lost her husband and two children. In traditional feudal society, a woman who has lost her husband would, in most cases, immediately face economic hardship. And older parents who lose their children usually forfeit the security of knowing someone will take care of them in their old age.
But now where the People's War is strong, this is no longer the case. The party and the people's army make sure the relatives of martyrs are taken care of. Funds are collected among the masses to give to families of martyrs. They are given a share of seized land. And the children of martyrs are also taken care of by the larger revolutionary community.
Dil Man Roka was killed in the same incident with Singh Budha and Kumari Budha. When his wife, Man Maya Roka, comes to talk, it is clear that she too feels like the People's War will not only take care of her family, but provide a brighter future for the people. She says:
"The people now call our VDC (Mirul) the martyrs' VDC. The police arrested and killed my husband because of his good work. He was killed by the enemy and now the whole party is here to help me and my family. Now I am farming with the help of the neighbors and taking care of my family.
At the time of his death I was four months pregnant with my last son and my other three daughters knew their father. They know the police killed their father. My point of view on the party is clear. The children's father started to dig the road and the children will finish it. And we will get victory over our enemies."
The next to sit down and talk are the parents of Chop Bahadur Dang, a 31-year-old secretary of an area in Rolpa, who was killed March 28, 1996. Chop's father tells me: "Our son had the best character. He loved all the family members and was very good to his brothers, sisters and other family members. He was a full-timer of the party for four years. Two years before the initiation he was charged with a false case and went underground. A liar in the village [who cheated peasants out of land and money by lying] was murdered and my son was falsely charged for this. The People's War is very good. It is done for the oppressed people. Our son became a martyr for this cause. We are aggressively fighting the reactionary government, we will never leave the path of People's War and we hope it will succeed as soon as possible. Though our son was martyred we are not completely helpless. Our party looks after us."
Waves of Counter-Revolution
Soon after the People's War started, the government struck back with savage cruelty. Paramilitary forces and specially trained commando forces were deployed in large numbers with direct orders from the highest offices of the central government.
On February 26--less than two weeks after the initiation--in Jarang Pandrung VDC of Gorkha district, 50 armed police fired at more than a thousand unarmed school children and local peasants. The police had been trying to arrest a popular local headmaster on a fake charge of destroying the office of "Save the Children Fund, USA" and the crowd was trying to rescue him. An 11-year-old schoolboy, Dil Bahadur Ramtel, was shot dead on the spot and became the first martyr of the People's War.
The next day, on February 27, the police shot dead six peasants and students who were sleeping in a farmhouse at Melgairi, Pipal VDC in Rukum district. And after this there were a series of killings and fake encounters--incidents where the police kill people and then falsely claim it was an "armed encounter." In the first three months after the initiation, more than 30 people were killed by police--most of them in Rukum, Rolpa and Jarjakot.
In addition to shooting people, the police have carried out arrests in the thousands, tortured people in custody, gang raped women in the villages and in custody, and looted and set fire to people's homes. Because of this, thousands of people have been forced to hide in the forests and caves for months. And many people have been underground for years. In some places the government has unleashed armed local goons against the people and some villages have faced months of being under curfew.
In the first 11 months of the People's War more than 70 people were killed--while about 40 reactionaries, including local tyrants, police informers and police were eliminated. Of the revolutionary martyrs, nearly 40 percent were party members, more than 60 percent belonged to the oppressed nationalities (most of them Magars from the Western Hills), about 10 percent were women, and almost all of them were of poor or lower middle peasant class origin.
Government repression really escalated in the third year of the People's War. In one eight-month period, 500 people were killed by the police and many more were jailed, tortured, and raped.One of the biggest operations launched by the police was Kilo Sera 2--a two-month campaign carried out from mid-June to August 1998. One comrade explained: "The government attacked every sector of the movement--arresting activists, villagers, and sympathizers. This was not random but very well-planned and used many spies to target people.
Nepali Congress and RPP (Rashtriya Prajatantra Party) participated openly in this repression while the UML [Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist)] did so in a more disguised way. Many responsible comrades, mass leaders, party leaders, regional and district committee members, people's army leaders, and sympathizers were killed. There were many massacres during Kilo Sera 2--about 200 people were killed in the western region--15 in Rolpa, 20 in Rukum, over 50 in Jarjarkot and the rest were in areas encircling this zone."
Courage under Fire
Khala K.C., a young, 23-year-old woman, was killed in 1998 during Kilo Sera 2. Her 31-year-old brother, Chitra Bahadur K.C., tells me: "My sister had been working in the revolutionary student organization since 1991. In 1995 she joined the party and became a full-timer. At the same time she took the responsibility of working in the women's organization. In 1997 she became a squad member. She was five months pregnant when she was killed. She came to the house to visit our sick father and afterwards she took shelter at another house. There were two other comrades at the house--one was her husband, also a squad member.
"The police came to the family's house and arrested our eldest brother and beat him. There were many police and they surrounded the house. None of the family could inform the people in the shelter about the police. Our eldest brother made loud noises when he was beaten and the people in the shelter heard his cries and ran away. My sister fled to hide in the cornfields but the police found her there and arrested her. They took her to the forest and beat her on the way. Then they killed her. After 23 days her dead body was found and it looked like she might have been raped."
Sharpe B.K. was 43 years old when he was killed in 1998. He left behind his wife, Rupsari B.K., four sons and one daughter. Rupsari tells me:
"Our family is a poor peasant family and my husband worked in the poor peasant organization. We are of lower caste, according to Hindu religion, `untouchable.' A spy in the village told about my husband's activities. Twelve police came to our house and arrested Sharpe. Then another 14 police came too and they all took him to the forest. I followed them, crying and begging the police to let him go. But they beat me viciously. I went back home and I heard the sound of gunshots and I thought they must have killed him. I couldn't go to the spot because I was so hurt from the beating.
"After two hours my sons and some party comrades went to the jungle and found my husband's dead body. They didn't take the body back to the village because of the heavy repression, so they left it there for 11 days, covered with stones and dried leaves. Later the people gave my husband a funeral procession and ceremony to burn his body. The police continued to threaten our family. But now the people's power has grown so the police have been forced to stop harassing our family."
I hear stories that really illustrate the point Mao makes in the "Serving the People" section of the Red Book where he says: "Wherever there is struggle there is sacrifice, and death is a common occurrence. But we have the interests of the people and the sufferings of the great majority at heart, and when we die for the people it is a worthy death." Armed with this kind of revolutionary spirit of sacrifice, many martyrs in the People's War have stood brave when the enemy tortured them to try and get information.
Nil Bahadur Oli was 21 years old. His younger brother, Purna Bahadur Oli, was only 19 years old. They were both killed in 1998. Their father, Man Bahadur Oli, tells me how his two sons remained firm in the face of death.
"Nil worked in the YCL (Young Communist League) and peasant organization. Purna also worked in the YCL. Nil was also in the process of becoming a party member. My cow shed is in Solyan and my two sons were there. After the action against the Jhimpe Communications Tower, the people's army took shelter in that cow shed. The tower was guarded by the police, 18 in all. When the guerrillas attacked the tower the police surrendered and one was killed and two were seriously injured. Eight rifles, one revolver and 780 bullets were captured. The next day police came into the area by helicopter and bus. A large number came to the tower. The police arrested one person from Solyan who knew about the action. When the police tortured him, he told them information, including how the squad had taken shelter in the cow shed. Then the police came to the cow shed and arrested my two sons and took them by helicopter, to the police post, very far away.
"The police interrogated my sons but they didn't say anything--even though they knew all about the action. They had some party documents and weapons hidden in the village but did not tell the police about these. The police tortured them for two days. When they couldn't get any information from them the police took my sons to the forest by helicopter and killed them. For five days the police stayed by the bodies, trying to ambush anyone who might come to get the bodies. Then they returned to the police post. On the sixth day the party led a funeral procession of about 100 people."
Man Bahadur Oli tells me all this with deep sadness in his voice. But it is clear he is very proud that his two sons gave their lives serving the people. As with all the families of martyrs I have talked with, what strikes me most about Man Bahadur Oli, is not so much his grief but his revolutionary strength and determination. The government may think that by brutalizing and murdering party members, guerrillas and supporters of the People's War they will be able to crush this revolution. But from what I see and hear, vicious repression has only deepened the masses' hatred for the government and made the people feel even more strongly that the only way they can be free is to overthrow the present regime. Man Bahadur tells me, "I'm looking forward now to the bright future of the People's War."
| To be continued. |
