With its human rights record ("Army vs Amnesty", #126) one can only hope that the military's abuses will not worsen after the arrival of more sophisticated weapons. This climate of crisis and uncertainty has been further aggravated by the rise of the ultra-right, short-sighted military strategists who have added fuel to the fire by their unmitigated loud clamour for more weapons. Instead of helping the government to address the root causes of the uprising (poverty and economic disparity) by implementing programs such as the ISDP, the military is keen to reap handsome dividends from arms deals, and is leading the nation to the brink. Money that could have been better utilised for improving health, transportation, communication and education facilities is instead being wasted on buying weapons.

The fake "revolution" of the Maoist terrorists cannot be put down at gun point. The optimism and bravado of those who think so are misplaced. It has been over a year since the deployment of the Royal Nepalese Army, and we haven't seen any decrease in Maoist activity or extrajudicial killings, and there has been no independent verification of skirmishes in Maoist-controlled districts. The army is not a personal force of any individual or institution. It is funded by taxpayers and it must be more accountable to the people and an elected parliament.

Saurav Jung Thapa,
Budhanilkantha School