自稱毛澤東主義者的叛軍正發動著一場所謂的“人民戰爭”，以對抗這個喜馬拉雅王國的國王。而在戰爭中，真正飽受痛苦的則是普通民眾。
comrade ranju is standing on a sunlit hilltop in western nepal, telling me how she"d come to kill more than a dozen paramilitary policemen in one night. dressed in fatigues, she"s tall and strong for a 19-year-old nepali woman, and her straight black hair is scraped back severely from her forehead. for the past three years she"s roamed these mountains as a soldier in the maoist army, whose brutal tactics have spread terror throughout the kingdom.
陽光下，冉淑同志站在西尼泊爾的一個山頂上。她正在告訴我，她是如何在一晚上殺死了超過一打準軍事武裝的警察。身穿勞動服的冉淑體格高大強壯，不像普通的尼泊爾婦女，她的黑發被齊齊地捋到了腦後。在過去的三年裏，作為毛派叛軍的一名士兵，她常年巡遊在這片群山之中。而毛派殘忍的戰爭手段，使整個尼泊爾王國沉浸在恐怖之中。
what"s happened to nepal, that young people like ranju are killing each other with such fervor? and what future does the nation have, now that its ruler, king gyanendra, has retaken absolute control, ending 12 years of government by political parties? this past february, supported by the royal nepalese army (rna), the king declared a state of emergency, briefly closing the international airport in kathmandu, cutting off telephones and e-mail, and placing politicians under house arrest—all in the name of fighting the maoists. in response, the rebels called a nationwide strike and continued their campaign of violence. the himalayan kingdom seems poised on the brink.
尼泊爾為何會這樣，為什麽像冉淑這樣的年輕人熱衷于屠殺自己的同胞?尼泊爾現在的統治者(國王賈南德拉)結束了12年的政黨政府統治，重新獲取了國家的絕對控製權，這個國家的未來又會是怎樣呢?2008年2月，在尼泊爾皇家軍隊的支持下，國王宣布解散原首相領導的聯合政府，並宣布國家進入緊急狀態，暫時關閉了加德滿都國際機場，切斷了電話和e-mail聯系，並將一些政治領袖進行軟禁——所有這些，都是以“打擊毛派武裝”的名義進行的。叛軍則號召全國性的罷工，並持續他們的暴力活動，以此來回應國王的行為。這個喜馬拉雅國度似乎正處在懸崖的邊緣。
enforcing their hold on nepal"s countryside, rifle-bearing maoist rebels patrol the western village of turmakhad. once known as a peaceful hindu kingdom blessed by the peaks of the himalaya, nepal has collapsed into violence. maoist troops and supporters control many of the country"s rural areas, gaining success through a mix of intimidation, guerilla-style attacks, and the promotion of a class-based revolution modeled on the principles of mao zedong, the former leader of communist china. government troops loyal to king gyanendra hold the cities. since the insurgency began in 1996, nearly 13,000 nepalis, most of them civilians, have died.
為了加強對尼泊爾農村的控製，攜帶著步槍的毛派叛軍在土馬卡德的西部村落巡邏。尼泊爾被視為受到喜馬拉雅群山庇佑的印度教王國。然而，這個曾一度平和寧靜的王國，如今則因暴力而分崩離析。毛派部隊及其支持者控製了這個國家的不少鄉村地區，通過恫嚇、遊擊隊式的攻擊，以及提倡根據前中國共產黨領導人毛澤東教條為基礎的階級革命，獲得了成功;效忠賈南德拉國王的政府軍隊則掌控各大城市。自1996年叛亂發生以來，已有將近1萬3000名尼泊爾人死亡，其中絕大多數是平民百姓。
an armed government soldier has become a common sight in durbar square, historic center of nepal"s capital city of kathmandu. in february king gyanendra clamped down on political rallies and protests in the city, further weakening what little democratic culture remained. with the united states and other countries advising against travel to nepal because of the security situation, tourism has plunged, denying one of the world"s poorest nations a vital source of revenue.
政府武裝士兵已成為尼泊爾首都加德滿都的歷史中心——王宮廣場的普遍景象。今年2月，賈南德拉國王強力禁止加德滿都的政治集會與抗議活動，進一步削弱了僅存的一點點民主文化。由于安全堪慮，美國與其它國家勸告旅客不要前往尼泊爾旅遊，導致其觀光業更加蕭條，減少了這個世界最貧窮國家之一的重要收益來源。
everything changed seven years ago for til bahadur gurung when maoists paid a visit to his shop in the rural gorkha district. the rebels shot him four times, paralyzing him for life. his crime: serving as a local government official in a rival party. gurung now spends his time mostly inside a two-room home in kathmandu (above) tended to and supported by his wife, manmaya. such attacks remind observers of the tactics deployed by the khmer rouge in cambodia and the shining path in peru, two other mao-inspired revolutionary groups that sought to exterminate members of the political and economic establishment.
自從七年前，毛派分子來到他位于高卡區鄉間的商店之後，提爾.巴哈度爾.古榮(til bahadur gurung)的一切都改變了。叛軍開槍射擊他四次，導致他終身癱瘓。他的罪名是：在對方政黨中擔任地方政府官員。古榮現在大部分時間都待在加德滿都的兩房家裏(上)，由太太曼瑪雅(manmaya)負責照料與扶持。這類攻擊讓觀察家想起高棉的“紅色高棉”與秘魯的“光輝道路派”所使用的戰術，這是另外兩個受毛澤東啓發的革命團體，極力想消滅政治、經濟團體的成員。
members of a rebel platoon strategize by candle and flashlight in a village where they stop for the night. in maoist-controlled areas, families are expected to feed and shelter soldiers, as well as to volunteer members for political indoctrination sessions. insurgent forces regularly kidnap, torture, and kill suspected spies and opponents. human rights organizations have documented similar violations by government troops that have created a culture of fear across the country.
一支叛軍排的成員在某村庄過夜，圍坐在蠟燭與手電筒邊討論策略。在毛派分子控製的區域中，平民家庭被要求提供軍人食宿，以及自願派出成員參加政治教化集會。暴動軍隊經常綁架、拷打及殺害可疑的間諜與反對者。人權組織也紀錄到政府軍隊也有類似的暴力行為，使全尼泊爾彌漫著一種恐懼的文化氛圍。
wearing the red star of the maoist movement, a group of female civilians huddle against the high-altitude cold as they head to a rebel-ordered women"s assembly. behind them rises the bombed-out ruins of a police station, a sign that government officials are not welcome in the area. that the women are wearing jewelry identifies them as less than hard-core cadres. the most committed rebel supporters disdain jewelry as a symbol of oppression.
一群平民婦女戴著毛派運動的紅星頭巾，擠成一團抵擋高地酷寒，正要前往參加毛派叛軍指定的婦女集會。其身後是一個被炸毀的警察局廢墟，代表政府官員在此區不受歡迎。婦女們戴著首飾表示她們並非中堅幹部，最忠貞的叛軍支持者將首飾視為壓迫的象征。