Between Two Stones
In February 1996, the first shots of Nepal's civil war rang out across the Himalayas. Ten years on more than 13,000 people have lost their lives to a conflict that pits Nepal's ruling monarchy against Maoists rebels seeking to establish a communist republic. The people of Nepal meanwhile are trapped in
the middle.
What started as a low-level insurgency largely confined to remote rural areas has since become one of Asia's deadliest civil conflicts. When newly crowned King Gyanendra - who assumed the throne after the royal massacre - let loose the Royal Nepalese Army against the insurgents in 2001 the death
toll rose dramatically and human rights abuses spiralled out of control. Since the Maoists suspended their unilateral cease-fire in January this year violence has escalated once more and it is the civilian population, torn between the two protagonists, who continue to shoulder the brunt of the
conflict.
FULL SYNOPSIS
toll rose dramatically and human rights abuses spiralled out of control. Since the Maoists suspended their unilateral cease-fire in January this year violence has escalated once more and it is the civilian population, torn between the two protagonists, who continue to shoulder the brunt of the
conflict.