(!) > Saturday > 4 November 2000 > > Senior Maoist leader set free in Nepal, renounces violence > KATHMANDU: The Nepalese government Friday freed a Maoist leader after more > than 18 months in detention, who promptly appealed to the rebels to lay down > their arms and end a four-year insurgency. > The secretary general of the underground Nepal Communist Party-Maoist party, > Puspa Kamal Dahal, had demanded the release of Dinesh Sharma by Friday > afternoon as a pre-condition for talks with the government on resolving the > insurgency. > The Maoists have been waging a people's war since February 1996 against the > constitutional monarchy and multiparty democratic system which has claimed > more than 1,454 lives. > But Sharma told a press conference in Kathmandu, soon after his release > along with Didna Nath Gautam his party colleagues, that he was renouncing > the armed struggle and disassociating himself from the party. > "I, along with other party colleagues have been struggling to attain the > goals of Marxism, Leninism and Maoism for the last five years. > "But looking back at the activities of our party during those five years, I > found that our activities resulted in murder, terrorism, loot, rape and > other heinous crimes," the Maoist leader said. > "These crimes went on increasing, depriving people of their rights to live > peacefully in the country," he said. > "Our activities in the name of people's war also created a fearful > atmosphere of terror. Worse yet, the Maoist movement also adversely affected > the territorial integrity of the nation," he said. > "Perceiving such grim facts, I have decided to abandon the path of violence > and terrorism and instead to place all problems transparently before the > people," Sharma said. > He appealed to others to follow his example. > There was no immediate reaction from the government headed by Prime Minister > Girija Prasad Koirala, and political observers said Sharma's renunciation of > violence could enrage the Maoist high command and other followers. > But political analyst Hari C. Shrestha said the development was regarded by > many as a "significant" achievement for the Koirala government. (AFP) > For reprint rights:Times Syndication Service > >
