Indo-Nepal Relation; Fishing in troubled waters!!!!!!

Real Nepal asserts itself
By Sandhya Jain
The result is that in hilly areas a constituency may have just 5,000 voters, while in the Terai region, a constituency could have over five lakh voters. This has naturally led to gross under-representation of the populous Terai in the public arena.

In January this year, Maoists joined the interim parliament. Though their promise to surrender arms is supposedly being monitored by the United Nations, media and other reports suggest that in the countryside, the armed goons are continuing to badger and intimidate other political parties.
In one of the most promising developments in Nepal in recent months, the Madheshi Janadhikar Forum, which represents the thirteen million people of the Terai region, has succeeded in getting Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to agree to future federal government and fresh delimitation of constituencies on the basis of population and geography. The Forum, which sacrificed eight lives in the course of a tumultuous two week protest for adequate representation in the forthcoming June elections for a new constituent assembly, had been agitating against the gross under-representation of the nation’s food basket in the country’s elected bodies.

Its struggle has forced the beleaguered Shri Koirala to announce that the eight parties in the interim government (seven party alliance plus Maoists) have agreed to restructure the state within a federal framework, and that the existing 205 constituencies will be freshly delimited on the basis of population and geography.

This will be no mean triumph for the Madhesis, who comprise as much as 35 per cent of the population of the Himalayan kingdom, but lack commensurate presence in Parliament as also the political structure of all parties. On the one hand, Nepal’s politics have been traditionally dominated by Brahmins and Kshatriyas (Bahuns and Chhetris), and on the other, the delimitation of constituencies has largely ignored the population layout. The result is that in hilly areas a constituency may have just 5,000 voters, while in the Terai region, a constituency could have over five lakh voters. This has naturally led to gross under-representation of the populous Terai in the public arena.

The announcement is a blow to the Maoists who despise the Maithili, Bhojpuri and Awadhi-speaking Madhesis on account of their affinity with Indian (read Hindu) culture, and a victory for the royalists who took the campaign for retention of the monarchy into the Terai region. But it is not yet a complete victory for the Madheshi Janadhikar Forum, as Shri Koirala has not so far invited the Madheshi leadership for negotiations on the issue. Instead, he has only made an appeal to resolve problems through peaceful negotiations and has directed Home Minister K.P. Sitaula to talk to the agitators. The latter detest Shri Sitaula and want him to resign. The Home Minister, however, enjoys the support of the Maoists, who do not want the interim government to recognise the pro-monarchy Forum.

The Forum is also angry that so far the regime has not expressed any regret for the loss of eight lives in the agitation by the Terai people for recognition of their political rights. The Madhesis intensified their agitation after the peace deal brought the Maoists right into parliament with as many as 83 seats, without prior surrender of weaponry, and without any assessment or testing of their ground strength.

But it was the 48-hour wild cat strike last December, when Maoists resorted to violence and highway blockades to protest against the SPA government’s appointment of envoys to fourteen countries, including India, that alerted other groups and communities in the country to their menacing potential. At that time, the cadres walked out of the camps with impunity, displaying their arms in public in a show of strength that rattled the regime and put the appointments on hold.

Seeing the writing on the wall and rightly assessing the weakness of the Koirala regime, the Limbuwan Liberation Front, a formation of the Limbu community in the Himalayan kingdom’s eastern and northern regions, has joined the clamour for autonomy raised by the Madhesis. The Front’s three day general strike (February 1-3) may trigger off similar claims by other groups feeling sidelined by the easy walkover afforded to the Maoists by the weak Koirala regime, and thus bring altogether unexpected results in the June polls.

Much will depend upon how developments unfold in the coming weeks, as the Maoists join the interim government this month, as part of the so-called peace process. In January this year, Maoists joined the interim parliament. Though their promise to surrender arms is supposedly being monitored by the United Nations, media and other reports suggest that in the countryside, the armed goons are continuing to badger and intimidate other political parties. Some foreign observers have also observed that the Maoists are purchasing cheap local weapons from the Indian border and submitting these for lock-up, while retaining the sophisticated weaponry, ostensibly for election time.

The growing power of the Maoists has caused alarm to other groups and communities residing in Nepal, especially after the peace deal gave them a significant parliamentary presence and access to huge resources. Last December, the interim government released Rs. 110 million for the management of the cantonments were the rebels are residing, with the UN ostensibly monitoring the arms and the armed cadres.

King Gyanendra has not been slow to fish in troubled waters, especially in view of India’s virtual betrayal of such a close ally and neighbour. The pro-monarchy Lok Janshakti Party of former prime minister Surya Bahadur Thapa; both factions of the Rashtriya Prajatantrik Party led respectively by Pashupati Shamshere Jang Bahadur Rana on one hand and Kamal Thapa and Rabindranath Sharma on the other; as also the Sadbhavna Party, are active in the Terai. For the Madhesis, the election of the new constituent assembly and the writing of a new constitution is a heaven-sent opportunity to assert their claims for political justice. Given Maoist hostility to their legitimate aspirations and the weakness of the Seven Party Alliance, a tacit alliance with the monarchy may yet be their best bet to gain fair political representation and retain cultural identity in Nepal’s emerging political system.

Nepal names team for talks with ethnic protesters

(Recasts with government naming negotiating team)

By Gopal Sharma

KATHMANDU, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Nepal's government formed a team on Friday to etch out an agreement with ethnic Madhesi groups who called for an end to police action as a condition for ending protests in which at least 13 people have died.

The naming of a three-member team came two days after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala vowed to turn Nepal into a federal state and increase representation of ethnic groups in a constituent assembly due to be elected later this year.

Koirala also invited protest leaders for talks with the government in a bid to end the unrest in the southern plains, known as the Terai.

"The team will listen to the grievances of the people in the Terai and discuss various alternatives (with protest leaders) to redress the problems," Tourism Minister Pradip Gyanwali told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

He said the team would be headed by Mahanta Thakur, agriculture minister, who is from the Madhesi community.

Earlier, Upendra Yadav, head of the Madhesi People's Rights Forum, demanded an end to police action against protests. He also said officials responsible for killing people he called peaceful protesters in the Terai should be punished before talks begin.

"The prime minister's offer (of a federal state) is unsatisfactory and does not address our demands completely. We will continue our protests until the genuine demands of the Madhesi people are met," he said.

Angry demonstrations in the Terai, a narrow strip of fertile plains bordering India and populated mainly by Madhesis, have also left scores wounded and cast a shadow over Nepal's fledgling peace process ending a decade-old conflict in which more than 13,000 people were killed.

Yadav's forum has led the protests, saying "ruling elites" dominated mainly by people from the hills had undermined them over jobs in the government, police, army and seats in parliament.

Separately, public transport, shops and businesses in many districts of Nepal's eastern hills were closed on Friday, the third day of a general strike sponsored by ethnic groups living in the mountains and also demanding more seats in the constituent assembly.

The latest turmoil is the worst since Nepal began a peace process with the Maoists following nearly 15 months of absolute rule by King Gyanendra in April last year.

The political changes and subsequent peace deal with Maoists put an end to the all-out crackdown on the independent media and opposition in the country, media group Reporters Without Borders said.

At least 245 journalists were arrested in Nepal in 2006, the Paris-based group said in a report.

Former guerrillas still recruiting child soldiers in Nepal: Human Rights Watch

The Associated Press
Friday, February 2, 2007
KATMANDU, Nepal
Nepal's former communist rebels continue to recruit child soldiers, Human Rights Watch said, despite signing a peace deal with the government that ended 10 years of fighting.

The Maoists also have not released thousands of children in their ranks used to fight the Nepalese government in the 1996-2006 civil war that killed more than 13,000 people, HRW said in a statement to The Associated Press received late Thursday.

"The Maoists should let the children go," HRW's Asia research director Sam Zarifi said. "The peace agreement explicitly forbids the use of child soldiers, and complying with this will be a key test of the Maoists' good faith to uphold the accord."

The former rebels "should immediately begin releasing the thousands of child soldiers in their ranks and cease recruiting more children," the statement said.

The rights group said its information was based on interviews with former child soldiers and Nepali and international monitors. Children as young as 14 received weapons training and carried out crucial military and logistical support duties, it said.

The Maoists, however, denied the allegations saying all of their fighters were over the age of 18.

"U.N. monitors have registered our armies in two camps in south Nepal, and none of them have been found to be under 18 years of age," Maoist leader Prachanda said at a press conference Thursday.

U.N. officials monitoring the disarmament of the former rebels were not immediately available for comment Friday.

Prachanda, whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, warned Thursday the former rebels may "return to the path of revolt." He stressed, however, that any protests would be peaceful.

The Maoists say Nepal's current coalition government has been slow in implementing aspects of the peace accord, such as releasing jailed fighters.

They are scheduled to join an interim government that will conduct upcoming elections, but this has been delayed by months, also angering the former guerrillas.

The Maoists began peace talks last year and signed the peace deal with the government in November.

____

Old wounds threaten new Nepal

By Rajesh Sundaram and Shaun Devitt

As Nepal's Maoists settle into their seats as members of the country's new 330-member interim parliament, Rajesh Sundaram and Shaun Devitt visit the country to carry out a series of exclusive interviews.

Amid the atmosphere of hope, they found the country's still fragile peace could be under threat from violent separatist splinter groups and that many questions from 10 years of civil conflict remain unanswered.

Asmita says she is not fond of carrying weapons and killing people but will "do it as history requires, bringing about a change in the society".

Although only 20-years-old she is already familiar with doing both through her role as a cadre with the second division of the Ram Briksh brigade of the Communist party of Nepal, better known as Maoists.

Asmita estimates she has killed between 20 and 25 people, but at her camp near the town of Janakpur several hundred kilometres from the capital, Kathmandu, in the country's southeastern Terai plains she tells Al Jazeera that she and her comrades are now "ready to lay down arms" for the Nepali people.

That moment may now be close as the Maoists come in from the cold both politically and physically and take up their positions in Nepal's new 330-member interim parliament.

Terai threat

The rebels struck a deal in November with the multi-party government that saw a cessation of hostilities in the Himalayan kingdom thus ending a conflict that has so far claimed 13,000 lives.

The peace accord saw the former rebels led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, commonly known as Prachanda, agree to lay down their weapons in return for a promise by Girija Prasad Koirala, the Nepali prime minister, to name them in an interim government.

Now 84 former rebels have taken their seats alongside those they once fought in an administration meant to oversee elections for an assembly that will prepare a new constitution and decide the future of the monarchy, which the Maoists want abolished.

But, as unarmed UN officials are deployed across the country to monitor the handover of weapons from both sides, not everyone is excited by the prospect of a "new" Nepal.

At a secret location in an Indian town just over the border from southeast Nepal, Jai Krishna Goit emerges from the shadows to give his first ever television interview.

Goit is a former Maoist and leader of Janatantrik Terai Mutik Morcha (JTMM), which translates as the People's Terai Liberation Front, a deadly splinter group that he established in 2004.

One of JTMM's main political aims is an independent state for the Madhesis, the people of the Terai, the vast southern plains that stretch across Nepal.
Clad head to toe so he cannot be identified, Goit has accused the Maoists of betraying the Madhesis people.

Political killing

His followers and members of another splinter of the JTMM have recently undertaken an increasing number of attacks in regions of the Terai, and Goit says he will fight all those who threaten his people.

"The people of Terai will drive them out," he says. "Every child in Terai will fight against the army and the PLA and is willing to become a martyr."

On September 23 Krishna Srestha, a Nepalese parliamentarian, was shot dead by Goit's men in the Siraha district of Terai.

A mainstream political assassination is something the Maoists have yet to commit in 12 years of armed resistance, but Goit openly admits to the murder.

"We do not wish to take military action against someone, but we are compelled," he says and cites recent violence in the Terai town of Nepalgunj as a reason why the Madhesis feel left behind by the "new Nepal" need to protect themselves.

In an attack that was ethnically rather than politically motivated, gangs from the hills to the north of the town ransacked and torched shops while police looked on.
"Nepalgunj is proof to my point," says Goit, "that unless the Terai is independent, Madhesis will be deprived of their economic, political, cultural, linguistic or any rights. When the Madhesis houses were burnt down they could not find justice ... how will they secure our rights? Elections will not bring solutions."

Kiran Dwyer of the UN says the situation in Terai:"Is a tinder box that could spiral out of control," but after an exhausting journey back to Kathmandu Al Jazeera found the Maoist leader unperturbed by the threat of the JTMM and other disaffected groups.

Maoist abuse

Prachanda, now more a mainstream politician than a guerrilla fighter, dismisses offhandedly the attempts to derail the new interim government.

"The splinter groups in Nepal are very small, they are only located in a few districts they have very small numbers, if we go with them in a clash we can cross them in one week," he says.

The Maoist leader says his movement will eventually fully disarm and integrate into a new Nepal army for the new Nepal but the legacy of the old Nepal and the old Maoists remains.

Indira Adhikari tells Al Jazeera her husband, Mukti Nath, was a good, loyal man and a well respected teacher in a remote village and for these reasons he was not liked by the Maoists.

Three years ago he was tied to a tree, beaten, stabbed and shot by Maoist guerrillas who accused him of spying and then put his body on public display as a warning to others.

Indira no longer fears reprisal from the Maoists but refuses to return to her village because of the public stigma attached to the perception that her husband was a police informant.

She now lives in hiding in Kathmandu and finds it hard to accept that her husband's killers are represented nearby in parliament as she and hundreds of other victims' families have yet to receive a thorough investigation.

The Maoists for their part say such atrocities are part of war and should be forgotten. They have said they are committed to bringing justice to families, but have yet to give details of how they will do so.

Krishna Bahadur Mahara, a communist party spokesman, says: "If a mother has lost her husband or sons in the revolution, it is possible that she can forgive the killers. She could consider the fact it happened during the revolution, that they sacrificed their lives."

Search for justice

While victims of Maoist violence are well documented by the officials, voices of those killed by the army and police have for long been silenced, hidden in the back alleys of Kathmandu.

Sharmila Tripathi's has been spearheading a fruitless campaign to allow families to discover the truth about their missing or deceased relatives.
Her husband Gyanendra, a student leader, was picked up by the army three years ago and she has not heard of him since.

In a tiny room plastered with the images of other people who disappeared after the Nepal army's crack down on Maoist sympathisers she tells us: "We haven't found a single person we have been looking for till date."

For years now the army has refused to give families access to detention centers or even acknowledge their petitions.

Activists estimate the number of missing is in the thousands and the UN, is investigating human rights violations committed by both sides during the conflict years, is receiving very little assistance.

"We have been frustrated with the lack of cooperation we are getting from both parties, under the agreement we have from the government we should have access to all documents and we don't," says Kiran Dwyer.

So, while Nepal embraces a new political era the grievances of the Madhesis and the relatives of those who lost their lives highlight that the wounds of 10 years of civil conflict will take some time yet to heal.

Nepal: Amnesty International urges investigation into killings

Amnesty International is gravely concerned about the outburst of violence in the Terai region in southern Nepal. At least eight people have been killed and scores of people injured in clashes between protestors and police. Many of the dead are believed to be victims of police shooting at the crowds.

The demonstrators are members of the Madhesi community in southern Nepal demanding proportional representation in the forthcoming elections to ensure better representation of the community in the constituent assembly. They consider themselves to have been left out of the political process, with no decision making powers.

Members of the Madhesi community have been carrying out a campaign of protest to publicize their political demands. According to reports, some of the demonstrators have attacked buses and lorries. Dozens of people have reportedly been injured during these attacks. There have been reports of the demonstrators attacking journalists and offices of newspapers or radio stations; some journalists have fled the area to avoid being targeted. There have also been threats to human rights defenders in the affected area, including delegations from the National Human Rights Commission and the NGO HimRights whose staff were attacked during monitoring visits to assess the unrest. One police officer has reportedly been killed and several others are among the injured.

Amnesty International acknowledges the responsibility of the authorities to maintain law and order but is concerned that some of the killings may be a result of the possible use of excessive force by police.
Amnesty International is urging the authorities in Nepal to ensure a prompt, independent, impartial and thorough investigation into the events and, wherever there is sufficient evidence, prosecute anyone suspected of human rights abuses in proceedings that fully respect international fair trial standards.

Nepal PM appeals for calm after Terai unrest

In a live televised address to the nation for the first time after last year April revolution Nepal's Prime Minister appealed for calm and promised to address the demands of Mahadhesis after two weeks of protests, which turned into violence in the south of the country.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said in his address to the nation Wednesday, "I request the protest organizers to stop their strikes and protests and create a conducive environment to make a new Nepal. “It is our domestic problem and we can solve it," said the Prime Minister, who is navigating the tiny Himalayan nation out of insurgency by signing a peace deal with the Maoist rebels.

The Mahadhesi community, which dominates the southern area of Nepal, has long complained of being discriminated against and under-represented in government and is demanding more powers. However, in response to the demand through his address the Prime Minister promised to allocate more seats for the Terai region.

It is understood that the basic foundation for selecting electoral constituencies will be the size of population and the geographical structure which is not a new thing. But PM in his address said, new elections for CA that will write Nepal's constitution, would pave the way for a federal structure for the country. This is a historical announcement.

He repeated his commitment to conduct a free and fair Constituent Assembly election in June. "The new constitution developed by CA will have a federal system," PM said.

"I suspect that the growing incidents have given room for reactionary forces to raise their heads," Koirala said, in his only reference to the crackdown on royalists.

Koirala's address is a sign that the government has acknowledged the marginalized Mahadhesi complaints. However, mixed reactions were reported from the Terai. Even after his historical address a police man was brutally killed by the agitators in Biratnagar. In some places the strikes were called off but curfews at majority of the places continued because of bandha called by the protesters.

Can Terai movement of Nepal be identified with the Monarchists atrocities?

The on going Terai unrest in Nepal has been triggered by a protest movement called by the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, a socio-political group of Madhesis, people of Indian origin living in the southern part of Nepal.

According to Upendra Yadav, Forum chief the protest is to establish the rights for the Diaspora that comprise almost half of Nepal's population, but remain excluded from all government offices, from the judiciary to the army. Almost half the Diaspora also has no documents to prove they are citizens of Nepal and therefore, no voting rights.

The movement was supposed to be nonviolent however, turned into violence, which claimed nine lives in a few days. The lives in the Terai have been virtually stood unmoved since the unrest started.

The protests started on Jan 16 with the demand of an autonomous Madhes state and proportional representation in the upcoming constituent assembly election, which have begun snowballing, with other Madhesi organizations joining in.

On Monday, a powerful Minister, Hridayesh Tripathi from Madhesi community, resigned the cabinet to show solidarity with the demands of the community. He also threatened to quit the ruling alliance. Although his party is in the ruling alliance, has written note of decent on draft interim constitution. ( http://npd.blogtoolkit.com/?postid=2028# )

In connection with the present Terai unrest three influential ministers in King Gyanendra's cabinet were arrested. It seems that Nepal government began a crackdown to control spiraling violence in the Terai plains claimed one more life of a 33 year old protester from Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's home town Biratnagar on Tueseday. All most of all deaths were caused due to police firing.

Kamal Thapa, ex home minister in the royal rule who advocated force against both the Maoist guerrillas and unarmed civilian protesters, was arrested around Monday from his residence in Kathmandu.

Badri Prasad Mandal, former deputy prime minister, who held two different ministries during the Royal rule was also arrested from his residence in Biratnagar Monday night.

Salim Miya Ansari, who represented the Parliament from Bara district from the UML ticket deserted the party and formed his own to join the royal government, was arrested as well.

The commonalities of all these three arrested people are that they splinted their own parties and became the supporter of the King.

In the meantime, curfew was imposed in Biratnagar following the death while two more key towns, Janakpur in Dhanusha and Kalaiya in Bara, also remained under curfew Tuesday.

Previously the Maoists supreme was of the view that the violence flared up due to infiltration of the Monarchists and the Hindu fundamentalists some of them even must have crossed over the country's border.

Now the same kind of rhetoric has come from the Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula who said the continuing violence, arson and vandalism was the work of the followers of King Gyanendra, who were trying to prevent the June election that might abolish monarchy.

A private daily reported that police have been handed over a list over 80 royalists, including former ministers and top government officers.

In the mean time the Terai unrest has been successful to draw attentions of all national as well as the international actors. With the violence claiming eight lives and life across the Indian border crush to a halt, Indian ambassador to Nepal, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, met Koirala to discuss the situation.

What can we make out of the present situation in the Terai and Nepal government’s attitude of identifying it with the atrocities of the fading Monarchists? Will this attitude solve the problem?

Politics against human rights brings doomsday for Nepal

Nepal is a land of breathtaking diversity. It is a country that provides a memorable experience to those who have visited with the most diverse interests. Nepal possesses the diverse variety of attractions found nowhere in the world. She is a natural and cultural heritage, a living museum and abode of gods. Within a span of 100 miles, in Nepal one can find the majestic highest pick of the Himalayas the Mt. Everest to the tropical jungle in the Gangetic plains homelands of the Bengal tigers and one horned rhinoceros. The people of this mysterious country form a rich and intriguing ethnic tapestry. Nepal is full of superlatives, myths and legends. Even legendary Guarkha soldiers are from Nepal.

Yet, beyond its natural beauty, Nepal is also a vibrant living museum of ancient civilizations with wonderful traditions of art and architecture. Nepal is comprised of people from different ethnic groups. They are more than 50 in number. But surprisingly, each maintains age-old customs and language. This is an unfathomable land that revels in apparently mystifying diversity but still retains a harmonious national character.This character is the tradition of honesty, loyalty, simplicity, hospitality and bravery that touch the heart of every single person who come closure to a Nepali person.

However, when I read news articles on political developments in Nepal, I usually find myself in wilderness. Every part of my body starts trembling because I see the diverse harmonious character of my beautiful birth place is plummeting. I read and can see the petty politicians are dividing simple people along ethnicity, religion, region and language.

Nepalgunj violence was a spark not yet fire. And what is happening in the Terai should be taken seriously especially by the politicians of Nepal. The situation in the region is alarmingly spreading hate and crime that will soon be beyond the capacity of Nepal to retain the region.

Can we Nepalese people think of Nepal minus the Terai region? I am sure we cannot. However, the situation is moving forward quickly in the same direction, which we do not want.

I think, I don’t have to mention in detail the conflicts of Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Lebanon, Lanka, Kashmir and etc. I sometimes wonder how I can be wrong what I see our country is heading towards. I have been writing and trying to communicate with the political leaders about it. Knowingly or unknowingly are we not becoming the part of the "Tragedy"?

I am an optimist. So I believe, yet, the time has not gone. Still a lot of things can be done.

The only way to find a solution to the Terai problem is the initiation of a meaningful dialogue with all political forces in the region without any delay and reservation. No more blaming the Medheshi movement as the atrocities inflamed by the monarchists and regressive forces. Undermining the movement will further escalate the conflict.

More democratic rights and respect of human rights can only be the way to solve the problems. No doubt, every ethnic group should get freedom in practicing their culture without any bar. This is a democratic norm and it is according to the principle of human rights.

But in the name of democratic rights, indulging in division creation for sake of political gains will bring furious violent conflict. I still see many political leaders have not yet learned the lesson. As a matter of fact the situation of the southern plains is in front of every Nepali. No more politics on religion, region, ethnicity, and languages. These are basic human rights.

Politics against human rights will bring doomsday for Nepal.

Nepal lost leading female pro-democracy activist

Nona Koirala 78, a leading female pro-democracy activist in Nepal and the sister-in-law of the prime minister, died Sunday. Koirala died at the Gangalal National Heart Center in the capital, Katmandu. She had been admitted at the hospital on Jan. 20 with chest pains complain. However, it was found that she suffered from jaundice and high blood pressure.

Koirala was the widow of the elder brother of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. She had played a vital role in organizing pro-democracy activities since she entered politics in the 1960s after King Mahendra staged a coup d’état. She spent seven years in jail and eight years in exile in India along with the Prime Minister Girija Koirala.

The Nepali Congress party confirmed the death and her body would be kept at the party office so that the party cadres and the supporters can pay their last respects.

Although I will not be available physically to pay my last respect to her in Kathmandu I will be praying the almighty for the peace of the departing Soul.

The body will be cremated according to Hindu traditions.

Protesters storm police station in southern Nepal; police open fire killing 1

Saturday, January 27, 2007

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Police opened fire on protesters who tried to storm a police station in southern Nepal on Saturday, killing at least one person and wounding several others, officials said.

Hundreds of protesters tried to force their way into a police station at Kalaiya, a town about 160 kilometres south of the capital Kathmandu, prompting police to start shooting, said Bhola Siwakoti, the chief government administrator in the area.

Siwakoti said a curfew had been imposed in the town to stop violence from escalating.

The clashes in Kalaiya left at least 10 policemen injured as well as the same number of protesters, some with bullet wounds.

Violence has spread across southern Nepal since last week, triggered by activists who claim the region has long been left out of the government's development and policy-making decisions. They say such policies have focused more on people living in the Himalayan mountains to the north.

Six people have been killed in the week of violence.

Curfews have been imposed in at least six main towns in south and southeast Nepal to curb the violence, escalating demonstrations by residents who say the government has neglected their region's development and rights.

The trouble in southern Nepal began last week, when protests in the Lahan town ended with one person being killed. Four more died in violent demonstrations there earlier this week.

Protests have spread to other parts of the south, where daily life has been crippled by the curfews and a general strike called by protesters.

The protests have been organized by the Tarai People's Rights Forum, a group that says it is working for the rights of the people in Nepal's southern plains.

© The Canadian Press 2007

Curfews in southern Nepal cities continue

KATHMANDU, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Curfews were clamped in four cities in southern Nepal and the situation across the south plains of the country is still tough on Friday, according to local media reports.

In Lahan, Siraha district, some 150 km southeast to capital kathmandu, the curfew was imposed from 11 a.m. local time (0515 GMT) to 4 p.m. local time (1015 GMT), the reports quoted District governor Shashi Shekhar Shrestha as saying.

In Janakpur, Dhahusa, some 130 km to Kathmandu, the district administration set the curfew time from 7 a.m. (0115 GMT) to 5 p.m.(1115 GMT), the reports said, adding that in Birgunj, Parsa district, some 95 km south to Kathmandu, the local government clamped a curfew from 9 a.m. (0215 GMT) to 9 p.m. (1515 GMT).

In Biratnagar, Morang district, some 240 km southest to Kathmandu, the district administration imposed curfew from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., it added.

Madhesi People's Rights Forum's (MPRF, also called Madhesi Janadhikar Forum) activists went on with protests and strikes, while some of them continued to vandalize public properties in the above mentioned districts and some other south Terai plains districts like Mahottari and Bara.

The violent demonstrations led by MPRF began last Friday. The Forum claimed that one of its members was shot dead by a cadre of the Communist Party of Nepal (formerly known as guerrilla). MPRF later collided with policemen, in which four people were killed.

Nepal national unity or disintegration

United we stand divided we fall. Every one knows the saying. However, in Nepal unity among political actors is very rare. Even at this very dire hour in the history of Nepal, we find political leaders happily repeating their own old rhetoric. One will never deny too much politics being blind partisan has brought this situation. The prime minister has called all political actors for "national unity and reconciliation" but the reality seems going too far away from unity and reconciliation.

However, it seems in Kathmandu things are going well. Arm management has started. The Maoists have joined the interim legislature. The United Nations has given its backing to efforts to turn the page on a decade of insurgency. The UN Security Council agreed to send a team to back up the Himalayan nation's peace process, under which the Maoists have agreed to end their decade-long "people's war" and enter mainstream politics.

And now they are waiting for joining the government which will conduct Constitution Assembly election. The CA will then write a new constitution that will complete happy transformation of Nepal into a new democratic nation with respect of human rights, liberty, freedom and equality.

But the optima are marred as we see a call from UN human rights Chief Louise Arbour for the prosecution of people who committed grave human rights abuses during the insurgency. What can we make out of her suggestion? Does not this tell us that Nepal is heading toward establishing the culture of impunity? The culture of impunity will lead to the further escalation of mistrust and conflict resulting a substantial breach in unity of people. People exempted of punishment for their crimes cannot be considered equals. They are more than equals. Can democracy thrive in such condition?

Change of rulers periodically is a must in democracy. But mere change in the person does not symbolize democratic practice. The important part how people identify themselves with the nation and democratic practice will determine the sustainability of a nation. The interim constitution, which has totally disassociated the King with the politics of Nepal, was promulgated.

People like Prachanda the supreme of the Maoists party perhaps has thought that everything is now under control because they are the successors of the rulers. But they have forgotten how much damage their decade long campaign has inflicted upon national unity. They are the one who tried to divide Nepal into regional and ethnic lines. Now the southern part of the country is burning under influence of the splinters who were once the Maoists themselves.

In the meantime we must not forget the violent protests in Nepal's poorer southern plains began Saturday and lasted for three days after a 16-year-old boy was shot dead by a Maoists cadre during a scuffle between the Maoists and activists opposed to the interim constitution. The protests are driven by the Mahadhesi Janadhikar Forum, which objects to the new interim constitution.

The Prime Minister is in favor of dialogue and wants to solve the problems. He said, "All domestic problems should be resolved through dialogue. I appeal to these Mahadhesi groups to come to the negotiating table”. But his most important partner the Maoists does not seem ready to have dialogue with the splinters. Maoist supremo Prachanda has ruled out talks with the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) and the armed factions of Terai Janatantrik Mukti Morcha (JTMM).

“Negotiation is done with political forces, not with criminals and gangsters. The Janadhikar Forum and the likes are being given undue importance. They are people who ran away from our party. We know who they are and who are dictating them,” an agitated Prachanda said talking to reporters at the Prime Minister’s tea reception.

He claimed the violence in Siraha was perpetrated by royalist ‘infiltrators’ and that he had informed the government two months earlier about the possible attempts of royalists to create unrest in Terai region.

However, once the thin thread of national unity is split a lot of energy and courage need to put for bringing it back. Only accusing the king's supporters and the Hindu extremists of trying to scupper the peace deal by orchestrating a wave of unrest in the southeast of the country will not heal the wound. This kind of condemnation will further inflame the situation.

All most all international actors are willing to support Nepal for a peaceful transition. However, the domestic situation in the country looks gloomy and not positive. Changes are happening in such a fast pace, it seems very hard for maintaining the dynamics of the nation. A lot of political reforms hurriedly introduced are solely responsible for today’s disorder.

We read everyday the reports from different parts of the country. Non Nepalese are in queue to obtain citizenship of the tiny Nepal. Majority Hindus are not satisfied with the declaration of Secular State. Moreover, the whole Tarai including Supreme Court and the Prime Minister was dissatisfied with the draft Interim Constitution. However, it was promulgated and endorsed. One may wonder how could this happen. But we say in Nepal, anything miraculous can happen.

For Prime Minister G P Koirala, are Citizenship Bill, declaration of Nepal as a non Hindu State and the Interim Constitution becoming too heavy to shoulder?

Nepal's King checkmate

The boston GLOBE EDITORIAL

April 22, 2006

THE ANNOUNCEMENT yesterday that Nepal's King Gyanendra will yield his monopoly on power -- as demanded by swelling throngs of protesters this month -- may signify a victory for people power in that Himalayan nation. It may also be a sign that the political tide in Asia is flowing in a democratic direction.

Gyanendra seized total power and declared a state of emergency in February 2005, justifying his dismissal of the serving prime minister and government as necessary to combat a violent Maoist rebellion. If the king's Friday declaration that executive power ''shall from this day forward be returned to the people" is to have real meaning, he will need to release his iron grip not only on the government but also on the press and other outlets for free speech.

The king's security forces arrested, attacked, or threatened more than 400 journalists last year.

According to the media-monitoring organization Reporters Without Borders, Nepal accounted for fully half of the world's censorship cases in 2005.

There will be a triumph for the 150,000 protesters who braved beatings and shootings this month in Katmandu only if the king's pledge to yield power leads to a genuine democratic transformation. The seven political parties that had formed an alliance to lead the recent demonstrations against Gyanendra's harsh rule must truly be allowed to govern. Political prisoners, who have too often been subjected to torture, will have to be released.

The king will have to keep what he described Friday as his ''unflinching commitment to constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy." This means he will have to refrain from intervening intermittently in Nepal's political life as he has done in the past, when declaring a state of emergency, dismissing governments, and postponing elections on the grounds of royal caprice.

The chances of confining the king permanently to a mostly symbolic role in Nepal's traditional monarchy will depend on the ability of the seven-party alliance to at least neutralize the Maoist rebels, who now field 10,000 to 15,000 fighters and control large areas in the countryside. They represent a vestigial spasm of the brand of revolutionary communism that produced Peru's Shining Path movement and Pol Pot's murderous Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Human Rights groups report that Nepal's Maoists mirror the king's security forces in committing extra-judicial assassinations and torturing political enemies.

It will not be easy for the democracy movement in Nepal to steer between the shoals of absolutist royal repression and Maoist rebellion. But if Asia's democratic tide can reach Nepal, the time may not be far off when the despotic regimes in Burma and North Korea may also be swept away by people power.

MPRF leader denies hand of monarchists in Lahan movement

A central leader of the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) has rejected accusations that pro-monarchists have any hand in the current movement in Lahan.
"We are fully a republican force. We have nothing to do with monarchy," said Amaresh Narayan Jha, central leader of MPRF and president of Maithil Society.
Jha's rejection comes after the Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara categorically accused the monarchists and reactionaries of instigating violence in Lahan.
"We concede that MPRF is not a big party and, therefore, we alone did not have the strength of leading such a big movement. But this has ceased to become only our movement. All the people of Madhes have risen up against oppression and even workers of eight parties have joined us in this movement," said Jha, talking to an FM program.
Jha said the MPRF's movement will not be withdrawn until and unless their demands are addressed by the government. The MPRF has demanded fresh delimitation of electoral constituencies based on population and provisions to ensure rights of Madhesi community in the interim constitution.
In the last few days, the incident in Lahan has continued to deteriorate. On Monday, two more persons were killed when police opened fire at rampaging demonstrators. Over four dozen persons were injured in the incident. Three police personnel and 11 people had been airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment by Nepali Army chopper on Monday evening. One of the police personnel is said to have been injured by a bullet fired by demonstrators.

Nepal in Transition: Atypical, Eerie Incidences Happen

In high political level it seems there is a grand alliance of eight parties of Nepal with full understanding of the road map for transition of the country. This alliance includes the Maoists who just joined the political mainstream becoming a considerable chunk of present parliament of Nepal without election.

Although a little off schedule in maintaining time frame as agreed by the eight party alliance, it seems things are moving in the right direction for sustainable peace and democracy. However, a lot of simple logistical complications have also contributed for delay in taking actions that were supposed to be completed as previously agreed.

In the mean time reports are coming from different parts of the country which are of the alarming in nature but also against the spirit and words of the great understandings of the eight parties. For instance, the Maoists party chairman Prachanda's directives to dissolve all Maoist people's court and government was not taken seriously by the Maoists cadres. A Maoist kangaroo court in Kailali slapped the Chairman by ordering Rs 115,000 fine to a local person.

According to the Kathmandu Post daily, four Maoists reached Chaudhari's house and forced him to be present at their kangaroo court where they kept Chaudhari under control for seven hours. The rebels later released Chaudhari on the condition that the latter would pay the sum.

The rebels also threatened to abduct and detain him if he failed to abide by the decision of the kangaroo court. Is this not this peculiar?

Meanwhile, a report from Kavre said activists of the Maoist-affiliated Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers’ Association (NHRWA) have padlocked nine hotels and resorts in Dhulikhel for an indefinite period.

The NHRWA padlocked Dhulikhel Lodge Resort, Mirabal Resort, Araniko Hotel, Himalayan Horizon, High View Resort, Mount View Resort, Rabin Sunrise, Snow View Hotel and Himalayan Shangri-la. Maoist-affiliated hotel workers warned they would break legs of those workers who refuse to come out of hotels and resorts, a hotel worker said.

It is note worthy to read the charges of the NHRC (National Human Rights Commission). It has charged the nation as a promoter for culture of impunity. Is not this an odd incident? This is a grave allegation. How can a government formed with the aspiration of the millions of agitating people for democracy and Human Rights can promote culture of impunity? If the charges of NHRC are correct, are we going back to the square one? Is not this weird? Can such a strange thing possible in Nepal?

At a press meet, organized Sunday, NHRC's Acting Secretary Dhruba Nepal said, "The state's reluctance to implement the commission's recommendations clearly shows that it is promoting impunity." He also said the Maoists too have ignored the commission's recommendations.

A statement, issued during the press meet, said the government has acted upon only 40 of the 147 recommendations, made by the commission since its establishment in 2000.

"The commission has probed 870 cases so far. But it hasn't been able to make recommendations on any of them due to the absence of members," Nepal said.

The commission also said the government hasn't yet made public the status of 646 personnel, disappeared by security personnel in the past. Similarly, it accused the Maoists of not making public the status of 181, abducted by them in the past.

"Although the government and the Maoists, in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, expressed commitment to provide information to the concerned families of the disappeared persons, both parties have not acted upon it," the statement said.

The eight party alliances are in the government of Nepal. Are the party cadres of the alliance allowed to carry guns? If they are not how can the district administration office (DAO) issued curfew orders as demonstrations led by Madheshi Peoples' Rights Forum (MPRF) continued in the town to protest the killing on Friday of a student, reportedly by the bullet fired by a Maoist cadre, during a rally called by the forum. It seems the administration is trying to save the culprits. Is this not a bizarre incident in Lahan?

The meeting of the eight party leaders in the morning had asked the government to form a high level commission to investigate the Lahan incident and provide compensation to victims. What about taking actions against their own cadres who are trigger happy? Is not this amazing?

The government has formed a three-member high level commission to probe the violent incidences that have wreaked Lahan for the past few days.

The Prime minister’s hometown is Biratnagar. From the city the news comes that majority of the people seeking citizenship of Nepal are strangers. Does not this news tell us an eerie situation?

The work of citizenship certificate distribution team has been hampered due to large crowds of new faces at all 22 wards of the Biratnagar sub-metropolis.

A majority percent of applicants, who suddenly appeared after the arrival of the government team, had earlier never been seen in the society, according to government officials deployed there. They are creating hurdles when asked for supporting birth registrations and permanent address, say the officials.

Many are Indian citizens holding index forms filled for citizenship. "Some Indian nationals are claiming Nepali citizenship on the basis of their marriage to Nepali women. They are demanding citizenship not only for themselves but also for their parents and siblings. The Indians are demanding citizenship also on the basis that they can speak Nepali.

Violence returns to Nepal, 11 injured ???????

Eleven people including six policemen were hurt in separate incidents in Nepal involving the Maoists just days after the former rebels joined the political mainstream by entering parliament, officials said on Sunday. The policemen were wounded when 200 Maoists, carrying batons and stones, attacked a police post on Saturday, at Patabhar, 350 km southwest of Kathmandu.

"Three of the wounded policemen have been rushed to a nearby hospital with head injuries," district official Shiva Nepal said. "The Maoists ransacked the post, threw out belongings and utensils of the policemen before leaving the area," he added. Maoist leaders were not immediately available for comment.

Nearly 2,000 police posts, closed during the 10-year anti-monarchy Maoist revolt, are being reopened across Nepal after rebels and the government signed a peace deal in November.

On Sunday, authorities imposed a curfew to prevent further clashes in the southeastern town of Lahan, where a 16-year-old boy, Ramesh Kumar Mahato, was killed when a former rebel shot at a crowd of protesters two days ago, another official said. The Maoists claim the dead boy belonged to their party and his family gave them permission to take his body away.

"We have imposed the curfew to avoid further clashes after a crowd of locals attacked a Maoist office in the town wounding five former rebels," Chiranjibi Adhikary, an official, said. The protesters say Nepal's interim constitution offers very little for the development of people living in the country's impoverished southern plains.

The injured Maoists are undergoing treatment in a local hospital, the official added. A second district also lay paralyzed by a strike call no one knew given by whom while Kathmandu valley and other major cities reeled under an indefinite transport strike enforced from Sunday.

Long-distance buses connecting Kathmandu with outer districts and trucks from India to Nepal ground to a halt as bus owners united under the National Federation of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs clamped down an indefinite chakka jam nationwide, demanding security and compensation from the government.

The violence comes after the Maoists formally abandoned their decade-old anti-monarchy revolt when their leaders joined an interim parliament last week.

Calls for end to impunity

Louise Arbour is the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR). She is in Nepal for her six days tour to meet political leaders, government officials and the human rights activities to study HR situation in Nepal.

During her stay in Kathmandu she met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Saturday morning at his official residence at Baluwatar.

According to different news sources the meeting focused on recent political changes and their implications on human rights situation.

It is significant to note that Arbour seems to be uncourageous at the improvement in human rights situation since the end of royal regime. However, it is equally note worthy to know that she is concerned about the culture of impunity which is prevailing in present Nepal. The HR activists in Nepal have been pleading for the need to end the culture of impunity by punishing rights violators according to law.

Without HR violators being brought to the justice none of the political developments will really be meaningful in democratic practice. Just swapping of actors cannot be a basis of sustainable peace and democracy.

The continuation of unjust in terms of human rights violation under any kind of reform or change should not be compromised. Democracy does not mean only social welfares and being part of the sovereign. The rights of an individual at all respects must be respected. Difference of opinion and specially practice as religion, sexual orientation, maintaining cultural must be respected by all political actors.

But how far her office can stand on HR issues which may come every day should be the prime concern at this point of time in Nepal. The news media have started reporting on discriminatory actions on gay community. Although the CPA does not have any agenda regarding gay community of Nepal such issues must also be addressed by her office in order to provide justice to all.

For HR community her remark at an interaction program is worth praising. She said, “We intend to fulfill this responsibility by working together with the incoming Interim Government of Nepal, political parties, National Human Rights Commission, civil society and all other relevant actors.”

The HR communities of Nepal are united on the premise ‘impunity is a main threat to human rights protection’. Supporting the theme Arbour said the main focus should be on resolving all outstanding cases of disappearances and holding accountable to those who committed grave human rights abuses during the conflict – both from the CPN (Maoist) and the state security forces.

The international experience on bringing culprit to justice tells us it is one of the most difficult tasks. But with culture of impunity peace can neither be durable nor sustainable. Political changes will indeed change the actors and the duty of the administration is to bring the HR violators to justice.

To create a just society every one should be given equal opportunity to enjoy freedom and liberty in Nepal. Longstanding discrimination and social exclusion such as Dalits, indigenous peoples, Madhesis, ex-Kamaiyas and Gays need to be addressed.

Democracy comes from the consent of the people, not the barrel of a gun: Moriarty

Speaking to journalists at the US Embassy on Friday, US ambassador to Nepal, James F Moriarty, has repeated the US government’s stand that the Maoists should not be introduced in the cabinet before arms management is completed in a transparent manner.
Moriarty said the US was firm on its position that the arms management process must be completed in an effective and transparent manner before the Maoists’ induction in the interim government.
The ambassador pointed out his views saying that no partner in a coalition government should expect to retain a private army. Destabilization, mistrust, and insecurity invariably would result if political forces keep their private army.
He further forcefully said, “Democracy comes from the consent of the people, not the barrel of a gun.” However he has advised the Maoists to completely renounce violence, intimidation, and extortion as they are now represented in a democratic Interim Legislature. He has continued that it is time they finally need to abide by the wish of the Nepali people who deserve nothing less.
Although Moriarty welcomed the announcement of the Maoists to dissolve their government structures and participate in the joint local governments he seems skeptical as well. He asked the Maoists to strictly implement their decisions as promises had proven hollow in the past.
On Wednesday, Moriarty met with Prime Minister GP Koirala and conveyed the US government’s position over the arms management and participation of the Maoists in the interim cabinet.
The US ambassador’s reaction comes at a time when the Maoists prepare to join an interim cabinet following the promulgation of the interim constitution and formation of interim legislature.
However, PM Koirala was in favor of the Maoists to join the government within 20 days after their arms are fully locked up under UN supervision.

US support Maoist inclusion in Interim Legislature

US ambassador to Nepal, James F Moriarty Wednesday morning visited Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s residence in Baluwatar this morning and had consultation on Political development in Nepal.

“The United States welcomes the Maoist's inclusion into the new Interim Legislature”, Moriarty today made the comment during a meeting with According to sources. Moriarty also informed the PM that Washington was positive about the recently promulgated interim constitution and their participation in the interim legislature.

Moriarty was the first foreign envoy to visit the Prime Minister first time in the days following Monday's historic promulgation of Interim Constitution of Nepal-2063, which brought the Maoist into interim legislature.

Likewise, the meeting between the US envoy -- whose country is yet to drop the terrorist tag on the Maoists -- and PM Koirala that came amidst the flurry of new political developments here has been seen in a meaningful light.

However, according to Suresh Chalise an advisor to the PM, Moriarty wanted the Prime Minister to give full attention on noticeable same behavior and the activities of the Maoist cadres.

In the meantime it is observed today's meeting that came a day after the US embassy in Kathmandu welcomed the promulgation of interim constitution and formation of interim legislative parliament has significant meaning and importance in course of Peace Process. The US embassy press release has urged the Maoists to use the opportunity to finally abandon their violent activities.

The US has welcomed the formation of interim legislature and promulgation of interim constitution while urging for a ‘credible and complete’ arms management before the formation of an interim government. The US has been positioning that it will not remove Maoists from its terror list until they completely renounce violence. The US has also said it will not provide assistance to the ministries led by Maoists in the interim government.

Nepal; Holiday Observed: Copies of Interim Constitution Burnt

Nepal declared a national holiday on Tuesday to celebrate the historic entry of Maoist guerrillas into the political mainstream following a decade of bloody war. Indeed, the news is very uncourageous and positive.

The move came after Maoists formally joined a new parliament late on Monday after a new temporary constitution was approved that strips the king of his status as head of state, including control of the army. The holiday was intended to celebrate the announcement “of the interim constitution and the formation of the interim legislature,” Industry Minister Hridayesh Tripathi told AFP.

Another news from Nepal is equally important as well as sensitive that at least two dozen activists of the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) were arrested today from their sit-in organized in the capital to protest the 'flaws' in the interim constitution promulgated on Monday.
The MPRF activists including MP Amresh Kumar Singh and MPRF chairman Upendra Yadav were apprehended after they started burning the copies of interim constitution at Maitighar Mandala, Kathmandu. The protesters said the interim constitution failed to address the demands of Madhesi people.

The MPRF also called a daylong general strike today in Terai districts, closing down marketplaces, industries and transport services.

The promulgation of the interim constitution has reminded me the decade back events in Nepal when the recent past Constitution was promulgated. Many of the actors were same however the role was different.

Then the Maoists marked the historical day as the black day and called for black out in Kathmandu. Lighting the candles and burning fire crackers, Nepali congress observed the day.
Then the Maoists party was so tiny, nobody ever thought just to bring them to a national mainstream existing constitution had to be scraped. In course of their pursuit to replace Nepal to a communist republic unnecessarily so much blood shed. After all they compromised for Parliamentary Democracy leaving their claim to establish one party Communist rule.

Although, MPRF and JTMM (Jantrantric Terai Mukti Morcha) do not seem to be large enough to draw their dissatisfaction in the nation and the international arena at this moment, they can sustain their movement with the support of the people in the terai and can be a cause for uncertainty and instability.

JTMM is the product of the Maoists party and believes in the violent way to overthrow the government. Are we again prepared to throw out the constitution after a decade to accommodate the unhappy forces? Who knows the history might repeat in Nepal. Should not the government of Nepal give special care and interest to bring MPRF and JTMM in dialogue?

Perhaps, everyone in Nepal must have learned a lot from the Maoists insurgency. I am sure; the most important lessons must be learned by the Maoists leaders themselves. In division it is easy to raise ambitions of the people. However, once people are divided it takes many years to heal the wound. Are not today’s MPRF and JTMM similar to the Maoists in size during 1991-92?

Nepal Interim Parliament: One Third Nominated MPs

The first session of the newly formed 330-member interim parliament convened at the parliament building in Singha Durbar Monday evening. Among them 121 are nominated; 73 by the Maoists as agreed during negotiation with SPA and further 48 members that includes 10 each from NC, UML and the Maoists. 18 remaining members were filled by NC (D) which nominated 6 and remaining by smaller parties that are alliance in SPA.

It is true, more than one third of the members of the interim house are nominated by the parties and people have not elected them. What can people make out of this structure of the interim house? Although, the house is considered as an interim it has full power in the state affairs.

In democratic practice has any one come across this kind of arrangement made in any counties? At least I do not know. My lack of knowledge cannot lead to the judgment that Nepal’s present interim house is not democratic.

A democracy is the rule of the law. Rules are made by the representatives of the people. The representatives cannot be self proclaimed or nominated by some political organizations. They must be elected by the sovereign people.

Judging through the above core value of democracy one can easily make out the present house of Nepal is not up to the standard of a democracy. However, one can argue since it is an interim house and the country itself in transition: heading towards a full-fledged democracy, at least, the house is the product of a consensus which ended a bloody brutal insurgency, an armed outfit has come to the parliament and the house has both elected as well as nominated representatives. Is not this a huge achievement in obtaining democracy and maintaining its decorum?

Democracy is not a fixed set of rules and regulations. If you do such and such as mentioned in such and such books it is democracy and democratic and if you deviate you missed it. Democracy is basically the government of the people by the people and for the people. The simple Lincoln’s definition of democracy incorporates a lot of flexibility while maintaining basic principles.

Although Nepal’s arrangement for creation of the interim house seems odd to the democratic practice, it can give a final out put which will be the safe landing of Nepal to democracy respecting human rights, freedom and liberty for all.

Thanks to all people who have worked really hard to make the political conversion possible. It was a landmark moment when the Maoist MPs (all nominated) entered the parliament building along with the sitting MPs, who were members of the dissolved House of Representatives and National Assembly, (HoR) and some other nominated new faces.

The MPs of different parties could be seen greeting each other as the meeting started at around 9:00 pm. Most of the Maoist MPs were seen in grey coats while those from Terai region were clad in their traditional Dhoti and Kurta.

Nepali Congress MP Bal Bahadur Rai, the most senior parliamentarian, chaired the opening session of the interim parliament. Rai took the oath of the chair of the session and administered collective oath of office and secrecy to the MPs.
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Nepal a Republic or a Ceremonial Monarchy?

After April 2006, far-reaching political developments have happened in a very short period of time in Nepal. Most powerful King was converted into a person without any political importance. The most aggressive and brutal Maoists Communists party has discarded violence means to achieve political goals. The Parliamentary parties that always used to fight for power politics have been cemented for the total transformation of the country. Nepali Congress Party as it has always led now too is leading the country in the transition. However, the key question ‘Nepal republic or ceremonial Monarchy’ is still undecided.

Yet a new thought of republicanism has emerged strongly in the tradition of the Nepali Congress Party better known as NC that has always stood upright in favor of the Constitution Monarchy since it was founded more than five decades ago. It is an only vibrant democratic party in the nation since it was initiated. In all the elections except once, NC has always won the majority.

The democratic movement of the country was also started with the establishment of NC. When it was founded, the monarchy was there in Nepal but without any power and was under the autocratic Rana family rule. By then even when late King Tribhuvan had to go to exile in support of the democratic revolution initiated by NC the leaders were supporting Constitutional Monarchy in Nepal. Thus they brought back the exiled King to Nepal and established his reign.

However, in 1961 the King staged blood less coup d’état and imprisoned the leaders who brought back Monarch in the political stage of Nepal defeating the Rana autocrats. During long struggle for more than 30 years against active Monarchy for democracy the leaders of NC never pleaded against abolishing the Monarchy from Nepal. They have always stood for the process of democratization including the King. In other words NC has been the firm believer on the Constitutional Monarchy.

In 1990 the mass movement brought back parliamentary democracy that was taken away by the King in 1961. In the process of drafting a new constitution after 1990 movement NC took a bold stand in favor of Constitutional Monarchy. Since NC is the largest, oldest and only Democratic Party in Nepal the majority of the people’s opinion is represented by the party. The present constitution which was challenged by the Maoists in their decade long brutal insurgency was adopted with the principle that the king is constitutional head and cannot do wrong as he does not do anything.

However, in 2005 February the present King took control of the state power, sacked the Prime Minister and banned all political activities. In his one year’s direct rule the people of Nepal did not leave their quest for democracy and continued to demonstrate against the direct rule. Last year, in April the King gave up his direct rule and reestablished the dissolved parliament which opened the cease fire with the Maoists rebels resulting Peace Process that includes the establishment of Constitution Assembly through free and fair election, replacement of the present constitution with an interim one and formation of interim legislation with the Maoists nomination numbering exactly same as the second largest parliamentary party UML has its elected members in the present house.

The interim legislation of Nepal will have all party members excluding supporters of active monarchy. The largest party NC has not yet decided its policy on the Monarchy of Nepal. There are mainly two schools of thoughts inside NC. The traditional Constitutional Monarchists are in favor of Nepal as a country with a ceremonial King without any role in the government and the state affairs. But there are growing trends of republicans in NC who support basically the idea as of the left parties of Nepal to abolish Monarchy and establish Democratic Republic.

Although there are a few living first generation leaders in Nepali Congress Party who are stanch supporter of Constitutional Monarchy their voices cannot be neglected. They can still lead the majority of the party. This includes Nepal’s present powerful Prime Minister G P Koirala who is the President of the party and K P Bhattrai founder member of NC and Ex. Prime Minister of Nepal as well as Ex. Party President.

Although, NC is the party that accepts the supremacy of the people and has been struggling in favor of democracy has never against the monarchy since 2007 BS. No one yet can guess what policy of the NC would be regarding Monarchy itself. After the parliament has snapped the role of the King in the constitution he is now no more than a ceremonial King. Can it be the policy of NC for CA election or otherwise?

It is true the King of Nepal has lost his political importance. However, there are still many people who see the king's importance in maintaining tradition and culture. The majority of the people of Nepal still want to preserve their traditional religious values and systems.

Some political observers argue since the majority of the people of Nepal lie in this traditional category NC must take a political line that can be suited to all types of people. If traditional values and cultural importance is neglected by NC the chances are that fundamentalists can get support of the traditionalists. To check the growth of the fundamentalist support base air for all people should be given in a centrist party like NC. NC power base growth means stability and pro reform.

At the same time Nepali Congress is facing criticism from various walks of life for trying to protect King. However, it is also true NC has been leading all kinds of movements since 2007 BS. None of the movements were directed toward abolishing the Monarchy.

Now in the change context, the party has categorically said that it will accept the verdict of the people reflected through the elections to a constituent assembly (CA). But the Party has yet to come out with its official policy on Monarchy. Once NC adopts the policy on Monarchy it will pave a way for the future Nepal a republic or ceremonial Monarchy with no political role at all.

China for shorter term for UN's Nepal mission

Kathmandu, Jan 13 (IANS) Nepal's northern neighbor China has crossed swords with the UN chief over Nepal, asking for a shorter term for a UN political mission in the Himalayan kingdom, a newspaper reported Saturday.

This week, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon tabled a report before the Security Council asking for the establishment of a 12-month political mission in Nepal.

At the closed-door consultations between the 15-member Security Council members in New York Thursday, China was the lone member asking for a six-month mission, the Kathmandu Post reported, citing unnamed sources in New York.

Most UN peacekeeping missions have a six-month mandate. The UN chief, however, has asked for UN presence in Nepal beyond the June election.

So far, the Nepal government and Maoists have asked the UN to help monitor the arms and armies of both sides and to observe the constituent assembly election, when the 238-year-old institution of monarchy will be put to vote, to ensure that it is free and fair.

There was no official comment on the media report by Nepal's government.

Ban Ki-Moon has asked the Security Council to authorize for 12 months a UN mission in Nepal comprising 186 military inspectors, poll advisers and police and civil administration teams.
If the council approves the proposal, the UN chief will appoint a special representative to head it.

The proposal is likely to be discussed next week, probably Tuesday, when a new parliament comes into effect in Nepal with the formerly banned Maoists joining it.

Human Rights Situation in Nepal Encouraging!

Obviously after April 2006, the human rights situation in Nepal improved, when 19 days of the people movement ended King Gyanendra’s all authority and created conducive atmosphere to a ceasefire in the brutal war between the government forces and the Maoists of Nepal.

After declaration of ceasefire, civilian casualties mainly caused by the conflict dramatically declined. The human rights abuses such as extrajudicial execution, arbitrary detention, and torture were also markedly reduced.

On November 8, 2006, the government and the Maoists signed a comprehensive accord to establish a constituent assembly to draft the country’s new constitution which will decide the fate of the monarchy, to establish an interim government, and to establish an interim parliament.

This agreement, in the preamble, has openly mentioned respect for human rights and democratic values and principles. The accord showed concern over “disappearances” and need to accelerate the process of returning displaced people to their villages.

Many Nepali people continue to speak aloud showing concerns about the country’s human rights and political situation. However it is true, the hope and jubilation followed the declaration of the dissolved parliament reinstated, which resulted peace process. Many people including Human rights activists complained that the peace agreement could not create any monitoring mechanisms to tackle violations. Both warring parties, and particularly the Maoists, regularly violated the letter and spirit of the ceasefire code of conduct.

Till to day the human rights violators from both sides seem enjoying impunity. There were many incidents that drew the attention of many Nepalese as well as international observers regarding gross violation of the human rights. For instance the Human Rights Watch in its recent reports writes, “Both sides failed to institute accountability for past violations by their troops. The Maoists freed some of those responsible for a 2005 bombing attack in Chitwan, which killed 35 civilians and injured dozens of others, after sentences of two to three months of “corrective punishment.” The UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) monitoring mission complained of ongoing failure by the renamed Nepali Army (formerly the Royal Nepali Army) to honor its commitment to provide access to documents related to disciplinary procedures and courts martial”.

Maoist forces have not released any of the thousands of children under age 18 believed to be serving in their ranks, and Nepali rights groups reported ongoing recruitment campaigns throughout the country. Farmers and businesses increasingly complain about being forced to “donate” to the Maoists. However, the Maoist leadership issued a directive to its cadres to halt beatings, abductions, killings, and extortion but without any effect. Nepali human rights groups continue to register ongoing violations by Maoist cadres.

Nepali human rights groups as well as monitors from the OHCHR in Nepal documented dozens of abductions of individuals by the Maoists, including at least 16 members of other political parties.

From Monday onwards the Maoists will be the part and partial of Nepal Government. They will be joining the interim legislature as well. However, still many issues concerning human rights are yet to be addressed. The new government will have ample of challenges.

Nepal ranks near the bottom of nearly all indexes of human well-being and development. The decade of brutal conflict seriously hampered development initiatives in health care and education. Economic was shattered because of the frequent strikes and bandhas. Continuous fights made people difficult to travel from one place to another resulting lack of business and commerce. The tens of thousands of displaced people are still living under very bad conditions with tremendous economic pressure. Although, after the peace agreement some displaced Nepalese returned to their homes, but thousands of others remained displaced. They have not returned because of a fear of ongoing suppression by Maoists.

Nepal has more than 100,000 refugees from Bhutan. Thousands of Tibetans continue to cross over glaciers and mountain passes to escape the Chinese government’s atrocities. Some of them also want to visit the exiled Dalai Lama. The Tibetan Welfare Office in Nepal which had been serving fled Tibetans even during Maoist’s reign in China and Mahendra in Nepal was closed in 2005 shortly before the King took power. The office is still closed. However, the number of Tibetans crossing the high mountain glaciers has not reduced. Even dictatorial Panchyat system the absolute rule of present King’s father had allowed the office to function in Nepal on humanitarian ground.

UN officials seek authorization for new Nepal mission

Reuter reports UN officials seek Security Council authorization on Thursday for a new mission in Nepal that includes 186 military monitors to help enforce a peace pact between the government and Maoist rebels.

The council last month approved an advance group of 35 monitors in response to formal requests from both sides that the United Nations intervene immediately to monitor disarmament of the rebels and make sure the army stays in their barracks.

The Nepalese clamored for United Nations intervention, according to Ian Martin, the special UN representative for Nepal. “Seventy percent of the population wanted a UN role in the peace process and it gives us real leverage with both sides,” he said.

The new UN operation, which the Security Council is being asked to approve, is called the UN Mission in Nepal and is to be established for a year at the outset. One task of the human rights monitors is to promote a criminal justice system that is accessible to all, including the Dalits, women, survivors of sexual violence and the rural poor, according to a report from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon prepared for the council.

Nepali Maoists avenge Belgian minister

The Belgian government about five years ago sold sophisticated firearms to the Royal Nepalese Army. By then Nepal's Maoist guerrillas were fighting with the Nepali Army. Now a Belgian minister was taxed by the insurgents while visiting Nepal on a trekking holiday.

Nepal's official media said Vincent Quikenborne, Belgium's general administration minister, was forced to pay an unspecified amount as tourist tax to the communist rebels on his trip to western Nepal in Myagdi district.

The minister told the state-run Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) news agency such Maoist action, after a peace pact with the government and agreeing to stop extortion, was not good for Nepal's image.

According to the local media, NRS 100 is being imposed as "tourist tax" daily by a regional rebel organization, the self-styled Tamuwan Autonomous People's Republic, in western Kaski district.

Tourists heading for treks and climbs in the well-known Annapurna mountain range area have no option but to pay up.

A German trekker, D. Bradler, said he had paid NRS 800 for an eight-day trip and had been issued a "receipt" by the rebels.

A group of five Koreans paid NRS 45,000, the state media said. Asked about the "tax", a Maoist leader said the party had decided to levy it as long as the Maoists were not included in the government. However, from Monday the rebels will be in the government and hopefully such tax will not exist.

Hindu Nationalist Team meets Maoists Guerrillas

India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which is considered as a nationalist Hindu Party is sending a delegation to Nepal to meet Maoist guerrillas and others political actors while Nepal is awaiting a historic change in the government.

A five-member team, headed by the party's foreign cell chairman Surendra Arora, is arriving Kathmandu Wednesday on a four-day tour.The BJP, which still supports King in Nepal, will be meeting the Maoist guerrillas for the first time. The Maoists are sure to join the interim parliament on Monday.The BJP team is expected to meet various Maoist leaders including Chairman Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai, who also heads the party’s foreign relations department.

In addition, the visitors will meet Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, and other leaders from the rulling alliance. The visitors are also expected to hold consultations with Pashupati Shamsher Rana, chief of the Rastriya Prajatantra party, a once pro-king party that has now seemed to distance itself from the king.

Ashok Singhal of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad which is a close ally of the BJP visited Nepal soon after King Gyanendra's power grab in 2005 and supported the move. However, the BJP has decided not to visit the king or raise the issue of religion at this juncture.

After last April, Nepal's parliament declared the Hindu kingdom a secular country as well as curbed the powers of the king. The move, till recently, was opposed by the BJP, who want Nepal to remain a Hindu state with the king as head of state.

However, the Indian party held an internal meeting in Lucknow last month to assess the situation in and around India and rethink its strategy, where it was decided to drop the cry for a Hindu kingdom.

Yet, there are many people within the BJP who support Nepal’s King as the only Hindu Monarch in the world.

The visit will try to strengthen relations between Nepal’s political parties and the BJP. The BJP is concerned about Indian Left parties’ growing popularity in Nepal. They supported the pro-democracy movement and are regarded as allies both by the seven-party ruling alliance and the Maoist guerrillas.

President Bush’s Nomination to UN and Election 2008

President Bush nominated an Afghani Muslim Zalmay Khalilzad who recommended Bill Clinton to attack Iraq in1998, as an ambassador to UN succeeding John Bolton. Zalmay Khalilzad will be the first Muslim to hold cabinet rank in the US if his appointment is approved by the new Democrat-controlled Congress.

Meanwhile in the UN Tanzanian Foreign Minister Asha-Rose Migiro who last year expressed support for Iran's nuclear ambitions, has been selected as the new deputy to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Since a lot of things were not completed during 2006 in the UN, vigorous initiatives have to come forward especially dealings with Iran’s nuclear ambitions and political development in the Middle East. Last year’s Israeli attack against Hezbollah and the Security Council resolution to that effect are the major unfinished UN business.

With the beginning of 2007, the UN leadership has changed. However, the deputy to the chief in the UN seems expressive in support for Iran's nuclear ambitions, a position at odds with Security Council resolutions.

In US also the beginning of 2007 brings new ambassador to UN a US Muslim diplomat who was expressively supportive of Iraq war. In 1998 Mr. Bolton and Mr. Khalilzad both told Mr. Clinton, to ignore the UN and attack Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

It seems Bolton and Khalizad have no difference of opinion particularly on WMD. What differences the democrats can find between Bolton and Khalilzad will be very interesting. No doubt Bolton is not a Muslim where as Khalilzad is. It will be interesting to watch if his appointment is approved by new congress.

In the international arena, Khalilzad’s nomination to the UN can change the dynamics of the present US relation with many Muslim nations. However, President Bush’s subtle move letting democrats to approve or disapprove Muslim as an ambassador to the UN will draw a great lively debate polarizing US opinion not only now but also in the coming 2008 election.

Democrats have recently shown themselves progressive and courageous by letting the Muslim representative take the oath of the office in the house touching “The Koran”. They may find themselves in moral dilemma to approve the nomination. It may have political as well as social consequences.

If they approve nothing is substantial different but just replacement of a Christian. If they reject the nomination, the Muslim minority of USA will not like it. What will critics make out of the disapproval of a Muslim nominee by the US Congress? Is this right time to ask this question?

Nepal on road to peace

AP and AFP report from Kathmandu Nepal's Maoist rebels will begin disarming and join an interim parliament on Monday as part of a peace process to end years of bloody conflict.

The agreement was reached last night during a meeting between Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Maoist rebel Prachanda and leaders of the seven ruling parties in Kathmandu.

"The top leaders of the seven parties and the Maoists on Monday reached an understanding to pass the interim constitution on January 15," said Pradeep Gyawali, Minister for Tourism and a peace negotiator.

Rebel spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara said the existing parliament would be dissolved on Monday and immediately be superseded by an interim legislature, which would include 73 seats for Maoist rebels.

On the same day, the rebels would begin handing over their weapons at seven main camps set up to lock up their arms and confine thousands of their fighters under UN supervision.

"The process of locking up our weapons under UN monitoring will begin on the same day we join the interim parliament," Mr Mahara said.

Nepal's Maoists last week said the Government had endangered a power-sharing pact and elections by not sending an interim constitution agreed almost a month ago for parliamentary approval.

The power-sharing pact followed mass protests in April last year that led King Gyanendra to return power to parliament after 14 months of direct rule. The rebels and the new parliament subsequently agreed to a ceasefire, a political process leading to elections by June this year and a constituent assembly that will rewrite the constitution and decide the monarchy's fate.

Under the peace deal, agreed last November, the Government has agreed to let the Maoists have 73 seats in a new 330-seat parliament in return for placing their arms and armies in camps under UN supervision.

Thirteen UN arms monitors have arrived in Nepal and will operate in two teams, one from Kathmandu and the other from Nepalgunj, 510km west of the capital.

The UN said on Sunday it was ready to start registration of Maoist and government weapons from next week as part of the deal to end Nepal's decade-long civil war, which claimed at least 12,500 lives.

The monitors are expected to eventually spread to the seven guerilla camps across the country.
There are 21 rebel camps in total, but the weapons are to be kept at the seven main camps where they can be monitored by the UN.

The UN's chief official in Nepal, Ian Martin, was to fly to New York overnight to brief the UN Security Council, which is expected to approve a full mission to Nepal to assist in the peace process.