Nepal.

This is coolbert:

Interesting item on the BBC World News television program tonight.

Maoist guerillas in Nepal are getting married. Young man and woman guerilla get married with communist revolutionary ritual. Ancient Hindu rites punctuated by communist sloganeering and fist pumping in the air.

The groom, very young, is carrying a Sterling submachine gun. The successor to the Sten gun mentioned in the previous blog entry. Speak of the devil. It is almost as if someone ready my previous blog entry first and was thinking of me when they edited the video for the TV program. This is wishful thinking of course. To me, the Sterling gun greatly resembles the Sten. To what extent it is merely an improved Sten or is a totally independent design is unclear.



Maoist style guerilla warfare and insurrection I thought was a thing of the past. NOT so in Nepal. The Nepalese guerillas have been very successful in their rebellion. Large portions of that poverty stricken nation are under the control of the Maoists. This in keeping with the precepts of Mao. Small guerilla bands roaming freely throughout the countryside, attacking at will, living among the people from which they obtain [from hook or by crook] sustenance and recruits and support.

"'Maoist' refers to any armed revolutionary communist movement that is specifically based in the peasant class. They are not necessarily followers or idolators of Mao and his Red Book although I'm sure they draw inspiration from the peasant-based guerilla warfare methods he employed during the Chinese Revolution of the 1930s and 40s."

A recent issue [November 2005] of the National Geographic has an entire section devoted to this rebellion.

This article shows the guerillas, of which a goodly portion are women, doing weapons drill. The guerillas are armed with a melange' of weaponry. The British Enfield .303 bolt action rifle, and the FN FAL assault rifle predominate.

"Women have been prominent in the recruiting profile. Available reports indicate that one-fifth to one-third of the cadre and combatants may be women. Reportedly, every village has a revolutionary women’s organisation. According to a Jane’s Intelligence Review report of October 2001, there are usually two women in each unit of 35-40 men, and they are used to gather intelligence and act as couriers . . . fifty percent of cadres at the lower level, thirty percent of soldiers and ten percent of members of central committee of the outfit were women."

Also have a standard BDU uniform [appears to be U.S. camouflage uniform!!] and a canvas low cut type of sneaker. Something similar to what the Chinese communist troops wear as their battle dress.

A cease fire has been in effect for four months now in Nepal. Negotiations are being held? Since the guerillas have been so successful, to me, this is surprising. Usually, when the insurgents have the upper hand, and they appear to in this case, they are hesitant and even loathe to negotiate anything. Maybe this war is more of a stalemate.

Only time will tell.

coolbert.