February 15, 2006: The Maoists have been conducting a media offensive for the last week, having their leaders talk to major media outlets. The Maoist message was difference depending on the audience, with an emphasis on playing down past pronouncements that promised violence towards various parties (India, China, the king, Nepal in general). Very clever campaign, but many of the media outlets have caught on to the basic deceit of changing the message for each audience.
February 14, 2006: The Maoists continue kidnapping key civilians, and taking them to jungle camps for days of indoctrination. These sessions consist of terrorizing the captives, while also letting them know the correct things to say and do to avoid getting killed. If the Maoists can't make everyone a true believer, they will scare the "masses" into following orders.
February 11, 2006: The Supreme Court declared the kings anti-corruption commission illegal. However, legal anti-corruption efforts were run by the very people most guilty of corruption. Thus it appears that corrupt practices win. However, the Maoists promise an elimination of corruption, along with much else. This is an exchange most Nepalis are not enthusiastic about.
February 10, 2006: The elections were a failure, with only 21 percent of the voters participating. The political parties boycotted the elections, and the Maoists used terror to convince many voters to stay away.
February 9, 2006: There were some clashes in western Nepal, but for the most part, the Maoists are avoiding firefights with soldiers and police, and concentrating on terrorizing civilians. This has proved much more effective in gaining control over areas, or at least destroying government control.
