TANSEN: No more deadly gunfights between Maoist rebels and soldiers, no late-night knocks on the door with orders to feed insurgents and fewer demands for travellers to pay ‘tax’—the villagers of western Palpa say life has improved since the Maoists called a unilateral ceasefire on September 3. But it would be even better if the government reciprocated, they add quickly. This mid-hill district of west Nepal is breathtaking in late summer, even with the Annapurna mountains to the north obscured by late monsoon clouds. Fields of emerald green paddy shine luminously in the small valleys and when it breaks through the clouds, the sun burns fiercely.

On the path to Buddhikot village, many locals shield themselves with umbrellas as they hurry goats or cows along rocky, rutted roads and trails. At the local school, headmaster Jagarnath Sharma sits on a straw mat in the shade of a sprawling pipul (Indian fig) tree. He explains that the area has been little disturbed by the decade-long conflict because it is not on a main rebel route. But some months ago, five or six soldiers, disguised as Maoists, entered one end of the village, while two rebels on a motorcycle rode in at the other. After the shooting stopped, one Maoist was dead while the other was wounded and escaped.

“After the ceasefire, things like that haven’t happened. Otherwise, there could be a big battle,” says the headmaster. “People are hoping that both sides drop their weapons and there will be peace.” The ceasefire was not unexpected since others have been called in previous years just before Nepal’s annual holiday season. What makes this one stand out though, say observers, is the rebels announced it just days prior to King Gyanendra’s planned trip to the United Nations. Before the world’s leaders, the monarch, who seized power in a bloodless coup Feb. 1, was expected to plead for continued assistance to battle Nepal’s “terrorists”. Instead, the Maoists made a peace offering that the government has rejected as insincere.

Since then a coalition of political parties has led street protests daily in the capital Kathmandu, provoking a heavy-handed response from riot police. Tear gas has drifted into primary schools, women activists say they have been abused during arrests and student leaders claim they have been tortured. — Dawn/The Inter-Press News Service