All language subtitles for Death to the king - 2026.txt

There was the first revolution where people
got the king to have less power than before.

In 1990 what happened was
a big peoples movement took place.

Its a thing that started way back then, and
it start by stopping the king, the feudal system.

When the king stepped down the
newly formed parliamentary system

was established.

And you have the cast system,
hinduism is ruled by high and low cast.

Everything has been ruled by king family and high cast
and people want to liberate themselves from that.

To put it simply.

I had to work from a young age.

I come from a poor family,
we had nothing at home.

If we didn’t work,
we would starve.

So I had to work.

My parents are also old,
so it was important to work.

An organisation helped us
once by giving us two goats.

They also told me I should study

but once I started studying the
organisation stopped helping us.

How can I study now?

These problems exist, first of all,
because of the form of government.

The government in Nepal
is based on a feudal system.

And that means that rather than
working for the good of all Nepalis

the government works
only for a handful of elites.

So people in the rural areas are still
oppressed by the feudal era political system.

That’s the main reason these problems exist.

Women make 80 rupees for a day’s work
and men make 100 rupees (1 euro).

This money is for food, clothing,
healthcare and our kids’ education.

How could this money be enough?
It doesn’t last us at all.

The money I make in a day
is only enough for that day.

And if I don’t work for a day,
we won’t have anything.

Our lives depend on daily wages.

The relationship between marginalised
groups and the Nepalese state

goes back several centuries.

Since the creation of the Nepalese
state lots of ethnic groups

and certain caste groups such as Dalits

they have always been
excluded from the economic

political and cultural life of the state.

And in fact those in power have defined
what it means to be Nepali.

If you look at statistics now you will see that

an overwhelming majority
of people wether in bureaucracy

executive, military, all state organs.

In fact even in non-
government organisations

belong to high caste groups.

So you can see how the
marginalisation have seeped into

every sphere of society.
And its not just political.

Its economic, social, cultural.

Linguistic.

On every front.

- Does your family
have enough to eat?

No, not at all.
The lands are barren.

We manage somehow, sometimes
we only eat rice gruel.

It's not enough to
even feed ourselves.

The government gave us
land, but it’s infertile.

It would be different
if anything grew here.

But nothing does.

The lands we have
only have sand and pebbles.

There’s nothing there. We can’t grow
anything, not rice, not wheat, nothing.

We have worked as forced labourers for
feudal lords with acres and acres of land.

Acres and acres of land.

When I try to understand the situation from
what I read, heard and witnessed.

As a student,
it brings tears to my eyes.

In the 21st century, when science and
technology have made great progress.

Capitalism has flourished,
people are getting richer and richer.

However, people’s living
standards are getting worse.

People work 18 hours a day, still their
situation is worse than an animal’s.

Despite their hard work they still
don’t have enough to make ends meet.

They don’t have enough to feed
themselves in spite of their hard work.

And that’s because a handful of people
take advantage of their hard work.

The situation is dreadful.

All I want to say is
that if we want peace

then everyone has
to have freedom.

For instance, there's
a high school here

but poor people can't
afford to send their kids.

Only rich families can.

Education should be free.

Food have to be
cheap and affordable.

Healthcare has
to be free too.

And there should be hospitals
and schools in all villages.

There has to be a free
hospital and a high school

in every village.
That's all we want.

90% of Nepalese people don’t
have access to anything.

The situation is extremely
difficult for that 90%.

The remaining 10%
controls everything.

The state agencies, the economy,
healthcare, education.

They´re in charge of everything.

As a result, majority of the population has
to struggle to get basic resources.

What people want here is change,
practical change.

You can not fool people like in the west, giving
them some internet and some nice bullshit on TV.

And fill them up with that, or a nice car
cause here we don't have roads you know.

So you better really deliver
something to the people.

Talking about water, health,
sanitation, school education.

This was never delivered and still not.

You cannot just pay in tax and never see
any public implementations in your place.

And only the people on top
eating up your money.

This is what has been
happening all the time here.

So there is definitely a big cense

of people to struggle in order to
get what they think they should have.

What belong to them, which is the land,
the money they give, i mean...

The government exists from the people, but it
has never given back to the people what it should.

It's the government's responsibility
to handle everything within a nation.

But Nepal has been ruled by
the monarchy for 238 years.

Nepal was ruled by the
Rana Regime for 104 years.

By the autocratic Panchyat
system for 30 years.

Followed by the restoration of multiparty
democracy, which lasted for 15 years.

During all this time, authoritarian governments
have forced their feudal rule on Nepal.

That is the biggest reason
for the situation in rural areas.

There were two fundamental
factors in the Maoist view.

And this is more broadly
in the communist view

within the Nepali
communist movement.

First what the Maoist said was, there is
structural domination within nepalese society

were certain groups, both in terms of
class and ethnicity or cast

have been oppressed for a
very long period of time.

And their interpretation of the newfound
parliamentary system was classically Marxist

in the cense that they said that;
this is formal democracy.

It only allows upper cast
elites to come to power.

And without social change, it wont be able
to bring about any radical, social reform.

And so even if the form
of the regime has changed.

It is still going to be a
regressive, exploitative regime.

That was their primary criticism.

Their second criticism was that.

This constitution is
establishing a democracy.

But left the monarch as a
constitutional head of state.

This was in theory, but in practice the king still
enjoyed a great deal of power over the army.

And so one of the Maoist arguments
was that this is a sham democracy.

It is not even a real liberal democracy because
the king still has ultimate power in this country.

The king is the ultimate symbol of feudalism,
he is the head of the feudal system.

And without him gone,
there can be no real democracy.

So, that was why, when the king stepped
down and the new order was established,

they in principle rejected the new order.

But they tactically decided to stay
in parliament for six years.

People protested peacefully
on numerous occasions

but the government refused
to give people their rights.

People fighting for their rights have
continuously been killed since 1940.

Like the killing of
Bhim Dutta Panta in 1951.

The killing of revolutionary
fighters in Jugedi, Jutpani.

And similarly the Sukhani Murders.

The feudal government continued to kill
people who raised their voices for justice.

Because it had the power.

Between 1992 and 1996

there were an increasing
number of violent incidents.

Among Maoists and the administration
in some of the Maoist core areas.

Like Rolpa and Roccum.

And that violence gradually intensified,
and the Maoists secretly still continued

to expand their organisation.

And finally, in 1996, they decided to go
underground and start an armed movement.

We believe in the saying: iron cuts iron.

Only guns can ensure victory over guns.

The People’s War began
based on the Marxist idea

that we can't get freedom until we
defeat a government that relies on arms.

It's also true that we can't win this fight
through an unarmed struggle.

Essentially, we picked up arms to eventually
get freedom from the weapons of the state.

Because we didn't
have another option.

We tried taking the
electoral path as well.

We went in the elections,
we also went to the

Parliament building and
spoke to the politicians.

But we realised that they
weren’t going to be able

to solve the problems.
We also presented our

40-point demand to
the government.

But they failed to
respond to it.

After that, we had no
choice but to take up arms.

When your opponent
engages in violence.

When the government engages
in acts of violence against you.

You are forced to
counter it with violence.

So it was because of this
that we picked up arms.

It was the only way for us to
establish a People's Government.

There were 40 demands that the Maoists
submitted to the government

before going underground in 1996.

Broadly they were related to three things.

One against feudalism.

For nationality, which means
a kind of autonomy against India.

And third is livelihood, meaning
demands for social services to the people.

These fall into the main
aspects of Maoist ideology.

But these demands encompassed
a wide range of issues.

Including major land reform.

Which was supposed to end structural
inequality in Nepalese society.

Or the abrogation of certain treaties
that Nepal had signed with India.

Which had led to unequal relations
and allowed India to dominate over Nepal.

So these were some examples.

But these forty demands
were submitted as

demands to the government.
The Maoists said

if you don't fulfil these demands, we will
go underground and start a movement.

But actually, it was more like
a manifesto because

these were not demands that
the government could really fulfil.

It was more like a manifesto that they
put forward before going underground.

Yea, they never expected that the
government would do anything like that.

There was a lot of oppression in my village,
especially oppression of women.

Men married two or three women,
who had to do whatever the men asked.

Because of gender and class-based
oppression, people in my village

had to endure a great deal
of unfair treatment.

There was no development,
no healthcare and no education.

Witnessing such oppression,
inspired me to join the Maoist party.

Political leaders visited the village and told us
about the party’s mission to free people from

oppression, poverty, and ensuring gender
equality and development together.

That influenced me a lot
and I joined the party.

After six years of this new government,
after the first revolution started the

revolution of the farmers that maybe
unfortunately called themselves Maoists.

Once again its only a name,
you can say whatever you want.

People then decided to
take things by themselves

and not only change the political top,
or changing names of people on top.

They started to change their own village,
and they started very Do It Yourself.

They started to change their own place.
The rich feudal lords in the area

who come to suck them out, and who
own the land, they don't let them

come back. They took over the land
themselves by force and cultivated it.

To use it for them instead of giving
the harvest to the rich people that

live in Kathmandu or in India. This
started simply, practically, and it worked

so well that it spread all over the country.
And you can call them Maoists, but we

call them farmers in arms.

The initial reaction was
disbelief and mockery.

It had only been five or six years since the
democratic system had been institutionalised.

Conventional wisdom was that the
communists ideology was completely obsolete.

That these Maoists would go nowhere.

They had no external support, and most parties
thought that they had no internal support.

And the prime minister at that time didn't even
see it fit to actually properly respond to this.

It was thought that these people would
disappear within a few months.

It was treated as a law and order problem.

They thought that the police
would bring them under control

in a very short period of time.

This thinking it went on for
about two or three years.

Where the government thought
that this was a very minor issue

and could be very easily resolved.

Workers of the world unite!

The reason I joined the party?

I am from a village. When I was a student,
the Maoists were involved in the People's War.

They were fighting for the entire nation
and the freedom of the people.

For the oppressed, and for justice.
To put an end to feudalism.

The party’s slogan about fighting for truth,
justice and the people resonated with me.

If that could truly lead to the freedom of
the people and help oppressed Nepalis

being involved in the war
was the least I could do.

So I gave up my education
and got involved.

The problems faced by Nepalis, like poverty,
weren’t solved by the multiparty system.

The Maoist Party
introduced new programs

and I joined hoping to
achieve radical transformation.

My name is Uday Gharti Magar.

And I'm from this village.

Thabang.

Which is also known as

the epicentre of the people's war

that lasted for ten years.

When the people's war
started i think i was

8 or 9 years old.

We were organised under
children's organisation at that time.

Not only me but every child of my age.

At that time it was very
good feeling, you know.

Going out of the village at night,
being a part of the big movement.

It was bullets and some money
that we used to range.

And whenever police came, they
used to fire, aiming at us.

That was not a big problem because it was
rifle at that time, so we could easily run away.

Like, climb up the ridge you know.
Though we were not very big.

We were small children.

But at that time everyone
was perfectly organised.

And they were very
disciplined in a way.

Because i think, as i was,
other people also were

proud of what they were doing.

It´s hard to even think about it now.
It was extremely difficult.

In the beginning, we didn't know
what the insurgency would entail.

We thought it would be like regular politics,
so we started with the student union and

the women's union. But there was
a lot of suppression from the state.

Especially for people
involved in the Maoist party.

They were arrested and captured.
Their property was seized by the state.

That drove us underground, so we
could only go out during the night.

We could only go among the public at night
and forgot what days were like.

For almost two years, we did
all our work during the night.

If we had to do public work during
the day, we had to be very vigilant.

And most of our work,
such as training the villagers

and organising them, we did during
the night, which was difficult.

Police and the army were always looking
for us, and we had to be very vigilant.

But after two years, many villages started
supporting us. So we could go to the villages

during the day and start working
closely with the villagers.

As we grow up, we could
also be senior student cadres.

If we leave school and go to
farming, we could also become

farmers organisation members.

Later the students were going to YCL

that is Young Communist League member

and they were perfect to be PLA
(Peoples Liberation Army).

So these stages were
one after another

to refine, or in a way to prepare,
or perfect the PLA.

These were the stages
one had to undergo.

Like this everyone was organised.

We learnt many things. And
exchange of experience and feelings

with people from far away.
It also continued our

raising of our consciousness.

That's what I'm happy for.

How long do we have to bear
this 16th-century government?

How long do we have to bear
this 16th-century government?

All castes and classes
that have been oppressed.

We have to ignite
a fire of rebellion.

We have to ignite
a fire of rebellion.

We urge villages
we urge cities.

We urge villages
we urge cities.

Let's start a
wave of rebellion.

Let's put an end to
the tyrannical rule.

Let's establish
a democratic republic.

Let's establish
a democratic republic.

Initially, when we talked about women's rights,
women didn't want to hear about it.

Men didn’t like it either.
So we devised methods to reach out to them

through songs, educational
work and social activities.

That’s how we convinced
women in the villages.

In my village, Rolpa, women
didn’t even step out of their houses.

We organised cultural programs, a fair on
the festival of Teej. Where initially no women

participated, now hundreds of
women gathered on such occasions.

Some years later, women from the
villages were inspired and joined.

Men too encouraged women to
participate in the programs.

In the beginning, we convinced women by
singing songs, dancing and working with them.

If a husband beat his wife,
we told him that it was wrong

and that they could solve
problems by talking.

If they did worse things, we used to bring
the man among the villagers to solve the issue.

Two years ago, some men tried
to rape a woman in our village.

It was someone from the Pahadi
community or a Rana (higher caste).

Was it a landowner?

He wasn’t poor like us, so a landlord
or a Rana. But people stopped it.

Earlier, there were even bigger
landlords, and these men

kidnapped women in public and
even from the women’s own homes.

Injustice was pervasive. Since the Maoists
started working actively here, I've been very happy.

First, women hesitated when
hearing about the army.

But then some of them joined and
felt freed from oppression.

Then many women joined the PLA.

We raised awareness in the villages
about gender oppression and

had discussions and
trainings for the women.

Violence against women,
polygamy and discrimination

of women was problems in the villages.

We raised these issues and incidents
and they decided how to solve the problem.

Our work against oppression of women
made more and more women join us.

Their numbers increased and they amounted
to 40% of the People's Liberation Army.

At first they were just members in the party.
But by the end, they had become

commanders and leaders.
They showed tremendous progress.

It was only the Maoist party that had
a program especially prioritising

women's freedom. Secondly,
it was only the Maoist Party that was able

to raise women's political awareness.
If you look at our political history,

though women were involved in political
movements, it was only the Maoist party

that introduced a clear program
meant for women. That's why we

and many other women became
a part of the Maoist revolution.

Not all problems were solved
when the Maoist Revolution started.

We want qualitative
solutions to the problems.

The society 10 or 12 years ago was
shaped by conservative, traditional

beliefs that suppressed women.
But since the start of the People's War

revolutionary positive changes
have been brought about for women.

The Maoist government introduced
and successfully implemented

laws in favour of women’s rights.
The laws that the Maoist government

made in different areas, be it anti-alcohol
or against polygamy and child marriage

have truly empowered women today.
Women who were oppressed in the past

have now become actively involved
in politics and many of them are

working as commanders in the PLA.
So the situation for women

compared to the way it was 11 years
ago, has largely improved.

Like I said, not all problems
have been solved. But it has

improved greatly from how it
used to be. Women today have

become a lot more aware of their
rights than they were in the past.

So many villagers that don't feel like
they are in the country that is called Nepal.

Nepal, in papers you know

they say that is proud of having

so many ethnic groups,
so many languages, diverse culture.

But in practice people are not
allowed to practice their culture.

And promote their language,
their literature.

That's why people wanted their
history to be compensated, be repaired.

They wanted their autonomous states.

It didn't mean that they
wanted it to be a separate state.

But they want their history to
be preserved in their own state.

And their language to be promoted,
their literature to be promoted.

Because Nepal has a history
that during the Rana regime

people were not allowed to
speak their own mother tongue.

And whoever spoke
their tongues would be cut.

Their hands would be cut if they tried
to write in their own mother tongue.

So was the situation at that time,
the history tells us.

And the goal of the movement,
the people's war

was to decentralise the state,
that mechanism

so that people would be treated equally.

And that they would
have the equal opportunity

to participate in the government
or state or in mechanisms of state.

So that was the goal.

One of the Maoist innovations
was that, very early on

even before the war started

their view of caste and ethnicity in Nepal
was very different from the other Marxists.

Like all Marxists they thought that caste
and ethnicity were secondary issues.

That class was the primary issue.

But they said that because
oppression in Nepal

has largely occurred along
lines of caste and ethnicity

there is a very strong correlation
between a person's class

and his or her caste and ethnic group.

So one big reason why the
Maoists spread so far so quickly

was because marginalised groups felt
that here was a communist movement

that actually paid attention
to their lived reality.

It was able to express, in words

what these people felt
their problems were in real life.

What the Maoists also did
was create a narrative

in which the oppression of all
ethnic groups, or various ethnic groups

could be related to each other and
brought together in a national way.

So I think that this was one
reason why they were attractive

to many marginalised groups as well.

- What do you think about
the Maoist movement?

What can I say about the movement?

I hope that if a Maoist government
were formed, they would

bring us out of this land and
give us better land elsewhere.

We could earn some from our labour
and grow some crops on our own land.

Until now, neither the Maoist party nor
king Gyanendra have done anything good.

If we support the government,
the Maoist party will torture us.

And if we support the Maoist party,
the government will shoot us.

Either side will kill us.
We have many problems.

But what can we
bonded labourers do?

- What do you think
about the Maoists?

Ever since the Maoist
party's revolution started

the situation has
been good for us.

I like the message they are
spreading among the people.

They've said that
they are trying to lead

the government because it's
our freedom and our country.

They are fighting for people and
not for their own interests.

If we do indeed get freedom

it will be easier for everyone.

No one will suffer financially,
no one will have to starve to death.

Even if someone doesn't own land.

The Maoists have said they
will manage the lands too.

I hope people won't have to suffer.

I hope they will manage
everything accordingly.

The thing is that the country is at war
and when you are in a village here

normally it's very peaceful.

And each valley here since the
beginning when Nepal existed.

Each little valley has its own little system,
working very well at a small scale.

And very, I would say, anarcho-
communist type of system.

Without them giving it the name.

It's the way it has been happening.

So Nepal is very peaceful and very
anarchic in the good sense of the word.

And very socialist,
without knowing it themselves.

Now people have been trying to
voice that and to make it clear.

And it led to a war.

So now when you go into a village it's
not as peaceful as ten fifteen years ago.

And people are a bit tense because police
are coming there, shooting there, raping there.

Your neighbour can give you to the authority,
or to the other authority, both sides, anytime.

Lot of spying nobody trust nobody.

So the situation is pretty tense.

And the farmers,
the revolutionaries

are trying to implement
a lot of reform.

Mainly for the agriculture, irrigation.

Trying to have formation
at the local level of teachers.

And of health workers, medical doctors
because it's a thing that has never been done.

Everything has always
been centralised here.

So the main idea of the revolution
is to decentralize all these things.

But you understand that in
times of war it's very difficult

to start to train
50 health workers, 50 nurses.

Because you have the helicopter
coming and bombing the place.

Even if you have a red cross on
the building it will be bombed.

So the reality is not
as nice as it should be.

And Maoists often say that
they are very sorry to the people.

That now it's wartime and they can't
implement whatever they want.

But things changed
over a period of time.

Within five years,
by 2000 or 2001

it had become clear that the Maoists
had actually spread very far.

They had taken control of a very
large section of the countryside.

There were actually districts where

the Maoists were treated
as the legitimate government.

Rather than the real government.

In 2001 the police had evacuated
from almost all of the countryside.

Because of Maoist attacks.

And there was a great degree of chock.

Well, the economic condition
hasn’t improved drastically.

That’s because we're still in war,
and we can’t expect for things

to change all at once.
Farmers, although have been

freed from oppression, still
have to face economic problems.

These problems can only
be solved when a stable,

competent government will
be formed in the country and

when that government will
focus on solving problems

faced by the farmers. That
didn’t happen at all in the past

and we demand that
it happen now.

Well, when it comes to farmers, there are
women farmers too in the villages, right?

So, like I said, the changes that have
been made in the situation of the women

the entire rural Nepal has also gone
through the same kind of transformation.

The village society has been entirely
rid of the flaws of the past.

The rule of dishonest people and
elites oppressing and exploiting

people in the villages has stopped.

The situation was
grim previously.

Farmers with little education was
tricked by feudal lords to take their lands.

They also made the farmers pay
unfair amounts of interest.

Now many farmers have been
freed from such injustice and oppression.

That's the reason farmers got involved
in the Maoist party and in the People's War.

The name speaks for itself

it’s a People's War.
For the people, along with the people.

People are fighting in this People's War.
Because it was people themselves

that were involved in the war, they have
played a crucial role in getting freedom.

And many farmers have been freed
from the oppression of the past.

I think that’s the reason, and
the world has also accepted this

that the Maoist party has
captured 80 % of Nepal’s territory.

If the Maoist government had failed to
address the problems faced by farmers

by women and other genders, ethnicities,
and various regions, they would not have

been able to solely govern
over 80 % of the territory.

The party addressed these things
properly and that’s the reason people

have also approved of them.
The farmers have been making progress.

During our movement to establish
a federal republic, we felt that the

impact of the Maoist revolution has
been growing in the urban areas too.

We are alerting you!
Don´t try and force us to leave.

It is our duty to stop you
because there is a curfew.

And it is our duty
to go ahead and break the curfew.

You have crossed the ring road and
broken the curfew, but we have let you.

If you police move to the other side
we stay on this side and will not cross you.

Thousands of people are being injured,
innocent people are being shot and

lots of people have become sick
after being exposed to teargas.

But in this country the person who calls
himself king doesn't feel anything or it

doesn't have any impact on him.
If the person called king does not feel

the problems of the people he does not
have the right to call himself king.

This time the people are coming
into the streets to get freedom forever

without thinking about
negotiating with the king.

This time we are fighting not only with
the king but also with his regime and

the whole monarchy system.

Within a short period of time there
will be some sort of change.

There must be! Because the
king alone can not keep

this type of huge mass alone.
He can not control...

This is beyond the control of the king
as well as the political leaders.

Everywhere there is democratic speech.

The rule of king 'Gyaane' is now gone.

There were two ways in which the Maoist

received their early education.

One was through propaganda material
sent by the Chinese state to Nepal.

Secondly it was through
translations of communist literature.

Which came through India, these were books
and magazines translated into Hindi.

And because of Nepals proximity to India
the relationship with the Indian communists

was much deeper than the relationship
with the Chinese communists.

In the 80s most of Nepals communists
decided to adopt a more

a line which they thought was more
in consistence with a modern world.

They thought that they needed to
participate in democracy

that the soviet system was falling apart

that the old style communist
system would not work.

They came to the cities to organise,
they were trying to build

their organisation to increase its size.

But in the 80s the Maoists
they rejected all these ideas.

They rejected all the new
ideas about political reform

Their strategy was still Maoist

meaning they wanted to
launch an armed struggle.

Right now there is a curfew even
though people are on the road.

Despite of the curfew
announced by the government.

And they have no fear.
They are not scared of the curfew.

Only their demand is restoration of democracy.

And people should be in power.

They focused, rather than
expanding their organisation

and going out to the masses

they focused in a very Leninist kind of a way

on creating a small nucleus,
of devoted revolutionaries.

And getting arms and preparing
themselves for a long armed struggle.

Of course in 1990 what happened was
a big peoples movement took place.

And they were taken unawares,
to a certain extent.

So they said that even if we do not
support a parliamentary order

we need to participate in
this fight against the king.

And they participated in the first peoples
movement against the king in 1990.

And they distinguished themselves
from the other political parties

in a number of ways, one was
their members was much more militant.

Than those of other parties.

And their political demands were more
radical than that of the other parties

Not only in Kathmandu, in the capital,
but all over Nepal people are united.

More and more they are
gathering against the monarchy.

If it doesn't give democracy
we will go through Maoists.

Then we carry here
public democracy, ok?

In the beginning when the Maoist
started their peoples war, 1996.

They made a 20 point
demand to the government.

Unless its fulfilled they will
continue the armed struggle.

And in this point there was
lot of hard core communist things.

It can come to taxing the rich people,
not taxing the poor.

There were many things.

And through all their struggle
they have understood that now

They are not going to be able to get
rid of the king, like the french did in 1789.

Because now you have missiles,
you have rocket launcher.

And people just don't
walk up on the capital.

They can kill the whole population
here with a single bomb.

Which was not here 200 years ago.

And this the Maoist
have been saying.

That they have to adapt
the revolution to the time.

And i think within the Maoist party,
contrary to what a lot of people say

there is enough open discussion, that they
are ready also to change their opinion.

Or to polish a little bit their angle.

And thats what has happened.
I think a few years ago

they have said openly that they are
ok to settle their armed struggle.

To stop the arm, even all their demand
are not fulfilled, but at least

there should be republic.

And they believe that people want a republic.
And everybody knows because

nobody wants a king.

So of course anyways, the country
is going to a republic.

But even the Maoist have said,
we will lay down the arms

even before there is a republic,
when there will be a vote

to the people to ask
if they want a republic.

We are ok just even if
we go for election

of a constituent assembly which
will make a new constitution.

Meaning whether there is republic or not
we are ok to lay down the arms.

But we want the real voice o the people.

And thats why they could manage to
compromise and to talk to the main political parties.

Who have been until recently
put in jail and beaten up by the king.

Who has taken full power.

So they have common enemy of the king.

Where actually the Maoists
started against these parties.

With the king only on the side.

So now they found a common
enemy which is the king.

People's power!

Long live!

People's power!

Long live!

People's power!

Long live!

People's power!

Long live!

I want to say that
the protest should go on.

And the constitutional assembly
should be conducted.

And peace will come in Nepal,
unless it is not possible.

From the last 50 years experience

when the king gets the opportunity
he always attack democracy.

That is why people have
come to the conclusion that

king is not necessary for democracy.

Thats why if democracy is to be
developed in Nepal

the king should be removed.

Now you can see people are united everywhere,
people are gathering everywhere.

Almost in every part of the
country, not only here.

Almost everywhere the
people are fighting against

autocratic monarchy.

First it was organised by
seven party alliance and Maoist.

But right now it is handled
by almost all the people of Nepal.

It is not in the hands of political parties,
it is not only in the hands of Maoist.

It is being handled by
almost all the Nepalese people.

We are actively
participating in the movement.

Because the power of people

is greater than the power of monarchy.

Its not optimum that they want to get rid
of the king because its a common enemy.

But as we see for a lot of population
it is always important moving ahead

they need an enemy to do so.

Thats not very anarchic
but thats the way it is.

Because of this understanding they
are ok to merge into the mainstream.

Become a political party.

If it is sure that there is a coming
election for a constituent assembly.

Meaning making a new constitution.

And they are convinced
it will lead to a republic.

And now recently when we saw
all the peoples movement

and the king ordering with the chief
of army to shoot at the people

there is actually no chance
that people if they vote

will not vote for republic.
Everybody now wants a republic.

The king he is already in the past.

I think the Maoist rebellion

it uncovered many issues

about Nepali society which
had laid dormant in the past.

Specially issues relating to
inequality and structural violence.

Which were papered over
in earlier narratives

that were dominant politically.

The Maoist brought them to light.

So i think that the ten years
of the Maoist rebellion

was a very major churning,
both social and political churning

in nepalese society.

The police are beating the people.
But the king doesn't care.

The king just want to spray
perfume on his fancy clothes.

The king only wants to hear about
peace spreading in the country.

But we just want hear about him leaving this regime
waiting for the days to his funeral procession.

God Phasmpatis death should
come soon to the king.

All the royal family members
has to go to the cemetery.

And the crown has to come
into the hands of the people.

Your eyes are like an owl and we are waiting
for the king's funeral procession.

This is plastic, rubber bullet.

Before i went to my friend,
they shoot, directly shoot.

Police yes.

Of course I was here and I was running.

I was running away from here because the
policeman was running behind us

they were chasing us, thats why we
were running away from here.

And I didn't see the scene here.

The bloodshed scene I couldn't see that
because I was running this way.

According to the people who were here
three people were dead here on this spot.

And some of the people who were
killed here they were not identified

and their bodies were taken by police.

Hundreds of people were injured here badly

and they were taken to hospital
by the volunteers walking here.

Helicopter were flying in the sky.
As soon as the helicopter came

towards the direction,
police started firing

to the protesters,
without giving them warning.

So it was all of a sudden.

The police fired first.

The demonstrators, they had nothing.
Just flags and something else in their hands.

They ran away and som of them who
was standing in front was shot dead.

So you can see clearly police is beating people,
specially innocent people.

More than a dozen people have been killed here,
innocent people have been killed here.

I got to know that some people are taken by police,
dead bodies are not given to family members.

So it seems that it is quite tyrannical.

It is going towards a tyrannical state because
the police is not responding well to other people.

There is a police man living here.

Up till now in the movement more
than 12 people have been killed

by the security forces.

Yesterday while people are in peaceful
demonstration the government, the police

use excessive force, used indiscriminately
firing, baton charge, teargas

and 3 people have been killed.

The movement have declared them to be
martyrs of this movement.

More than 200, near 300 people
have been injured.

They are seriously inured,
they are in hospital now.

Who will feed me, who cares about my stomach?
Who will care for my child, do you people do?

Government has given you the duty
but who cares for our children?

We cant bear this empty stomach,
for how long time do we have to bear it?

Do you know why people
are throwing stones at you?

Because you have violently
beaten children and women.

You have taught the people to throw stones
at you, they haven't taught themselves.

If you want a real democracy,
and if you see your family being shot

or your daughter being raped in front
of you, it becomes self defence.

That's exactly how the Maoists started.

This is what makes us angry about
the middle class and the upper middle class

living in Kathmandu, a lot of the
intellectuals, the ones that

run magazines and news papers and
are very political intellectuals

and are very against the king.
But at the same time

they are against the violent Maoists.

Now you know, the Maoists
didn't just spring from nowhere

they didn't come down from
the sky with masks on with guns.

They took up the arms because they saw
their own children being massacred.

And the middle classes here they live
in huge walled compounds.

They have a name for themselves, so
when they go to jail they go to jail

for seven days. They will never disappear
or be lost because they have a name

for themselves and international media
will be watching them.

Because they have a name for themselves.

Foo Maya Gurung in a village up there is
gonna get raped by 12 soldiers

by a platoon.

No one knows her, nobody gives a shit,
she gets shot in the head.

Whats her family going to do?
Do a peaceful march?

This issue of peaceful protests.

This is so educated
middle class bullshit.

This is Gungabo Chowk is changed into...

Gungabo Chowk is changed
into Republic Chowk.

Republic Intersection.

You changed the name?

Yes, we changed, not me changed,
all nepalese people changed the name.

First Republic Chowk.

Republic Nepal.

So after 2003 the official Maoist ideology
was that, we need to get rid of the king first.

And we need to have elections
to an elected constituent assembly.

And we need to allow a greater
democracy than existed in the past.

At the same time, many Maoists
thought that the first step

would be get rid of the king and
hold elections to a constituent assembly.

And then after that, as a second step,
they would have to get rid of

the parliamentary system and
then establish a one party state.

But they were never able to go that far.

After 2006 the king was removed,
they entered parliamentary politics

and the dominant faction adopted
itself to the parliamentary system.

the faction that was always more in
favour of democracy adopted itself

to the parliamentary system.

And the faction that was
more Stalinist in nature

it quit the party and
formed a splinter group.

And they continue to this day to say
that another revolution is necessary

in Nepal.

And in the 2008 election they
won a plurality of votes

and they emerged
as the largest party.

And they formed a coalition
government and the Maoist chairman

became prime minister.

So this was completely unexpected
for the other parliamentary parties

and the whole organ of the state.
Because they felt that once

the Maoist would entered the
parliamentary system it would be

very easy to co-opt them into
the system, to weaken them.

And turn them into a
regular parliamentary party.

But because they were so
aggressive and they expanded so fast

there was a very deep fear that
emerged among the status quo parties

and the status quo segments of society.

And soon after they all banded
together against the Maoists.

So all the powerful bodies, the main
parliamentary parties, the Nepali congress

the CPN-UML, the army, the elite business
interests in Nepal and the Indian government

They all decided that they need to
counter the Maoists and bring them down.

And because it was a coalition government,
and the Maoists didn't have a majority

their government was brought down in 2009.

What happened was,
to put it simply

the other political parties
and India and the army

decided that they needed
to tire the Maoist out.

Refuse to give them anything.

Refuse to let them
return to government.

And destroy their party basically.

And on the other hand
what happened was

because they were already
coming to the mainstream.

They developed a taste
for the good life lets say.

Prachanda, the Maoist chairman,
started to become very corrupt.

They took over many businesses.

Senior Maoist leaders were known
to be dealing in property.

And they lost touch with their
grass rots rank and file.

And as a result in their last
elections they did very poorly.

And they emerged as a very small
force in the current parliament.

So due to these tendencies

in recent years the Maoists
have been significantly weakened.

The party changed in
a way we did not expect.

Personal interests grew
and took hold of the party.

We always spoke of how the party
was for the public, for everyone.

But people’s personal agendas
took hold of the party.

And all the work we had
done during the People’s War

it became difficult to
make them institutional.

The party split into several factions, and it
couldn’t achieve all that it had set out to.

Any political party,
be it Maoist or any other

is a powerful body
in the state mechanism.

So a party needs to free itself from
personal needs and interests.

When party members are selfish about
fulfilling their own goals and not the party’s,

not much can be achieved.
A party might have its own interests

or party members can have
their own interests to fulfil.

But the most important
interests to bear in mind

are those of the people’s, nation’s,
and of different communities.

In lack of that, no society,
nation can prosper and grow.

That was the reason the People’s
Revolution started in the first place.

People in powerful positions taking
advantage of it at the expense of other people.

And it’s the ordinary Nepali
citizens that have to struggle.

But everyone, including me, has to
rise above their own interests.

Well…what can I say?

If I had too thought of my own good,
things would’ve been much different for me.

I would probably be
much richer now.

I would probably have
my very own mansion.

But I live in a small flat, which
I share with my two brothers.

If we look at the situation
from the public’s perspective.

From the whole nation’s point of view.

I think the situation has declined a little.

But whatever changes
has been brought about

it is the result of the
Maoist party’s efforts.

And I think everyone
has acknowledged it too.

But the sense of accountability in fulfilling
the responsibilities, has surely declined

and that has led to problems.

Some of their demands were fulfilled.

For example,
the monarchy was abolished.

I think that is probably the greatest
contribution that the Maoist made

to Nepali history.

Elections to a constitutional
assembly were held.

From 1990 onwards the Maoist had
always said that we need a constitution

drafted by elected representatives.

And because of that demand and
because of their movement

Nepal eventually elected leaders
to a constituent assembly.

To a large extent because of
the Maoist movement

the agenda of marginalised groups,
of Dalits, of Janjatis, Madhesis.

It became mainstream, it became
part of the mainstream political debate.

And to a large extent because
of the Maoist movement

the state was forced to
adopt the agenda of federalism.

It was not only because of
the Maoists, but because of

the Maoist movement and the
Madhesi movement combined.

The state was forced to accept that
the centralised state had to end

and we need to create federal provinces
where power would be devolved.

So these are the accomplishments
by the Maoist movement i think.

What they could not accomplish was...

Soon after 2006, they
lost their focus on class.

Because the existing system was
such that it could not countenance

any significant reform
of the state structure.

So there was no reform of the army,
the army remained as it was.

The Maoist wanted a major
restructuring of the army

to make it more inclusive and
representative of diverse groups.

There was no land reform or
any other redistributive policy.

Because that was completely
blocked by the other parties

and the Maoists also lost interest
in that over a period of time.

And more recently i think that

even though federalism was
adopted by the new constitution.

The Maoist were in to weak
a position to actually fight hard

for the many marginalised groups.

So as a result Madhesi
groups and Janjati groups

are still not happy with the
form that federalism has given.

Though the new form of federalism

while it represents a progress
on what existed in the past.

It still will continue the domination
of historically dominant groups.

And won't fully allow marginalised
groups to exercise their rights.

From the beginning of the insurgency
and finally up to the Peace Process

what we had done
during that time was

we had raised awareness
about freedom from oppression

and people getting equal rights.

I am sure everyone felt it then.

Firstly, there was awareness
about various issues.

From gender equality
and women’s rights.

Proportional representation of
indigenous peoples in the government

and right to basic needs and
life of those living in poverty.

The Maoist movement and the
people’s war helped raise awareness

about these things, and i believe
this to be the biggest change.

Nepali society has changed
a lot, both politically

and in terms of consciousness.
There’s no denying that.

There’ve been positive political
changes, in the state mechanism

and in consciousness too.
Huge changes in these areas.

The state has to treat
all its citizens equally.

But there are bigger conflicts.
In many countries including Nepal

people have to struggle
for access to basic needs.

There’s a disparity between
haves and have-nots.

The upper class are really
rich, billionaires even.

And the lower class doesn’t even
have enough to make ends meet.

See i mean, insurgency has of
course created lots of challenges.

We lived our lives dying every day.

Sometime without dignity,
without equality, without justice.

Sometimes it was
absence of rule of law.

But it has also created
a lot of opportunity.

Specially after the
peace process started.

Because insurgency not only
challenged the political system

but it also challenged the
discrimination, inequality

poverty, exclusion.

And they also attracted lots of
marginalised and minorities voices.

And for women i would
also like to mention

they also challenged the
notion that women are weak.

They are biologically weak. They can
not fit in the army as a combatant.

Because 40% of women
were militia at that time.

So it has also challenged the stereotype
and traditional role of women.

And also created opportunity
during the peace negotiating process.

Because they had created an
environment to make a constitution

through the new constitution.

And the benchmark they made
is even in the interim constitution.

Maoist give 40% of seats to
women in the interim parliament.

As a indicator of their
contribution as an insurgent.

And i think this opportunity
has been created

for renegotiating our right.

But that doesn't mean, yes i mean
insurgency was one component.

But the way democratisation
was started in this country.

The way people become
educated and aware.

When you are exposed
with the world.

With the knowledge,
with the skills.

Then it also creates
another opportunity.

So many things has come
together and its not again

like people say, oh you people
you just talk about western values.

Its not that.

Its our own realisation.

Our own internalisation of
issue because we understand

what implication the
present patriarchal system

has affected on women.

Why there is a huge disparity
between men and women even now.

Wether in politics,
wether in decision making.

Wether in education,
wether in employment.

In health.
Why huge disparity?

Why is women still
dying in this country?

Why hundreds of women
have maternal deaths?

Why hundreds of women are
sexually abused or trafficked?

And is still confronting
with the justice system.

We have a problem.

We have a problem with
the discriminatory law.

We have a problem
with the weak law.

We have also problem with the laws
based on a protectionist approach.

Which is limiting our rights
in the name of protection.

Because no place is safe for women.
Neither home, nor workplace.

Nor street, not only in
the foreign country.

So we need to create an enabling
environment where women

are able to say no.

Where women feel safe
inside the house.

At workplace,
in the street.

So we have a opportunity
to renegotiate our claim.

Our entitlement through the new
constitution making process.

Through the political changes.

The people here, they still are
hoping that something will happen.

They can make it happen.

Because they know
what the dream was

at the beginning
of the peoples war.

It didn't happen.

People didn't get anything.

Just a few people,
a handful of the leaders.

Who turned out to be
the most corrupt in the nation.

They got something.

In return of so many warriors.

So many peoples liberation army,
so many cadres of the party.

Who died during the wartime.

But people who were called
to participate in the movement

they didn't get anything.
And there was

physically not so much change.

Though their level of consciousness,
their level of understanding

was quite good.

But still we remember the
glorious days of our movement.

So every year we gather here,
the people from neighbouring villages

also gather here and we tell each other

the dreams we dreamt every
time will happen one day.

And still people are not giving up.

And i think they will just come together.

to fight against the corruption

and the state that is
always oppressive to them.

Are you from Sweden
or Switzerland?

Please let the people
in Sweden know that

Nepali citizens
are not terrorists

that they're fighting
for their rights.

And they are fighting
with Marxism-Leninism-

Maoism-Prachandapath
as their weapon.

And you too, rather
than bearing the

expenses of your monarchy,
we encourage you

to follow the right
ideology and fight.

It will be a difficult fight
but it won't be impossible.

Nepali people believe
that you will win.

And we hope that,
like Nepali people

the citizens of Sweden will
support our movement too.

Thats all.