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WITH THE COUNTRY SLIPPING
toward chaos, Maoist leaders met secretly in Katmandu to plan their
strategy. “They are gathering in the capital,” reported a local
businessman, one of many paying protection money to the insurgents. “They
believe they could have a chance to take the country if they play their
cards right.” In fact, an immediate Maoist takeover of the world’s only
Hindu nation seemed to be a very long shot. Only about one-third of the
country, mostly rural, is controlled by guerrilla sympathizers, who want a
one-party communist state opposed to “imperialism, feudalism and
bureaucratic capitalism.” The U.S. Embassy’s security office says Katmandu
and other prime attractions for Western tourists are relatively
unaffected.
Still, the bloodbath at the
palace was a boon to the Maoists and a severe threat to Nepal’s fledgling
democracy. Most Nepalese didn’t believe the survivors’ explanation of the
tragedy, especially because, at first, the killing of nine people was
officially described as an “accident.” When demonstrators took to the
streets demanding the truth, four of them died in clashes with police.
“The truth doesn’t count now,” said a friend of one of the slain
princesses. “It’s what the public would like to believe.” |
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