Maoists trade charges on red sandalwood smuggling

SINDHUPALCHOWK, July 11: The formation of a high-level panel by the UCPN (Maoist) to probe allegations of the red sandalwood smuggling that the party rival factions have leveled against one another has created ripples in the party district committee in Sindhupalchowk.



A senior party leader in the district claimed that such accusations were a direct result of growing factionalism in the party.[break]



“But whatever the reason, the illegal and anarchic activities in the party have come into the open. This will expose other illegal activities being carried out in the party,” said the leader requesting anonymity.



According to leaders, there is a triangular conflict among three different factions led by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya and Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai.



Minister for Information and Communications Sapkota is close to Dahal, lawmaker Dawa Sherpa to Baidya and another lawmaker Raj Kumar Shrestha to Bhattarai.

Shrestha and Baidya have forged an alliance against Sapkota who also the in-charge of the party´s Tamsaling State Affairs.



The party formed a panel, led by leader Amik Serchan, to investigate into the trade in red sandalwood after Shrestha´s his wife Devi Khadka, who is the State Minister for Physical Planning and Works, accused Sapkota of “conspiring” to incriminate her husband in an attempt to “cover up his own involvement” in the trade.



“The conspiracy was hatched in a cowardly manner after facing defeat in the ideological front. We filed an application in the party to probe the issue and find the guilty,” he said.



But leaders close to Sapkota have accused Shrestha of operating the illegal trade by mobilizing his brother-in-law Bhim Prasad Parajuli in the trade. When asked to comment, Shrestha said, “He is my brother-in-law and also a party cadre. I don´t know if he is involved,” he said.



Acting on a tip-off, the police had seized 1453kg of red sandalwood from Tatopani VDC of Sindhupalchowk on July 2.



The precious wood is smuggled from South India to Tibet via Nepali territory. Various groups get involved in the smuggling of sandalwood.



According to the police, the first group transports the wood from South India to Nepal-India border, the second group transports it to Kathmandu, the third group from Kathmandu to Tatopani on the Nepal-China border and the fourth group sells it in Tibet. It is said that each kg of red sandalwood costs Rs 9,000 in Tibet.



The red sandalwood has religious and medicinal values and is also used in making perfumes.

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