Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Janajati Angst







Hello _______,

We are watching how Girija Prasad Koirala plus other BAHUNBADIS are going to include persons of your stature in their over publicized so-called 'inclusive' democracy. We all members of the NIP Forum want proportionate representation to the government based on the population census report 2001.

In case, the Bahunbadis took peoples like you, it becomes our fundamental right to expect, you in your full capacity, will work for the cause of disadvantaged peoples in the first place.

And to those Janajati Bandhus who are issuing PRESS RELEASES one after another; it should be told that such press releases are important but do they indeed have that effect we are hoping for ? So, it is urgent to go to the street or forum[s] and ask our share of the national resources.

If nothing happens to this end; we will have no way other than raising voice upto international level which we virtually can at any time.


Dear ______, I am pleased to thank you for your endeavour in raising relevant issues concerning Janajati groups.
ONLY PRESS RELEASE WON'T WOTK OUT. JANAJATIS & DALILTS SHOULD TAKE TO THE STREET.

YOU MAY CHECK HOW WPOMEN'S ARE ASSERTING THEIR RIGHTS !!!

THANK YOU,

_________


Jyotiji,

Thank you for the message below. This is what angers us most. The BAHUNBADIS are all responsible for the current crisis in the country. These Bahunbadis must be defeated, as Pawan Chamling or Subash Ghising have done, at every front in the country for social justice, human rights, democracy and development.

I am sorry to hear that the Soaltee Receptionist gave a waiting white guy priority over you and on protesting, exchanged nasty comments with the manager about you in Nepali ?

Thank you,

___________


Good wishes and respects to all,

All this reminds of the Tibetan displacement into India since 1959. IN our case, since the 1800s till today, Nepalis largely, Magars, Gurungs and alongwith Dalits and other siano jaatis(Sorry for the usage ), too have been coming to India and finding a home here. Earlier mostly soldiers and now as cooks, or some domestic. All of them have one thing in common. Illiteracy and lack of opportunities back home. Most of them have not even seen any other Nepali district beyond their birthplace. And straight to the heat and dust of India. Communities have build up in many Indian towns. They are here to stay. An exodus which began nearly two hundred years ago. What is going on? Soon the biggest conglomerate of Magars and Gurungs (Perhaps it already is) will be in India.

PS. With many insurgents-freedom fighters recruited from Indian Nepali towns and some Nepalis sneaking in and making films on retreiving territories from India, has put our fragile community in India under suspicion. Putting a brake on our Gorkha heritage recognition and other community development work. Are they not bothered about our welfare? Madhesis, Parvasis, Lost Nepalis, British and now Indian stooges are the terms generally described of my people. Why did we come here in the first place?

In Kathmandu, the museum (with hardly any visitors) insisted I pay foreign entrance fees. At the Soaltee, the receptionist gave a waiting white guy priority over me and on protesting, exchanged nasty comments with the manager about me in Nepali!

Did not let us live there and do not allow us to live here.

Cheers,
_____________


Hello again,

As everyone of us know that there are more women's population then men. Women are excluded in the Interim constitute committee as well. How could party leaders make such a mistake?

I hope the committee will be formed representing women, IPs and dalit.

___________


The Nepal-US Indigenous Peoples' Forum [NIPF] rejects the formation of the committee on discussion here and also believes in that the Himalayan country of Nepal does belong to all people4s rather than the so-called 7 Party Alliance including Nepali Congress and the Maoists only.

Thank you,


Hello there,

The government has formed a committee to draft interim constitution in which no member[s] can be found from disadvantaged communities such as: Janajati [IPs] and Dalit.

Therefore, I feel the committee is incomplete and whatever it brings out may not be acceptable to all peoples of Nepal. You may click the link to read the news how the committee has been formed http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=76802

This also gives a hint that Janajati or Dalit voices have not been heard altogether. Either those voices are �not a united voice� or they are deliberately ignored. Nirmal Lama was there in the draft committee of 1990 constitution. But there is none from IP or Dalit communities in toady�s committee! Should we mean the government wants to ignore IP and Dalit issues and promote Bahunbad even today? Without having any representation from concerned communities, can we hope the interim constitution will address the aspirations and needs of all peoples in the country?

And why would Nepal require an interim constitution in a condition that the House of Representatives [ the government also] is all powerful and can legislate whatever it wants? Given that the Maoists did not accept the idea for prolonging the House of Representatives; is it meaningful to form such an incomplete committee to draft a constitution whether it is interim or otherwise to resolve the crisis the country is facing today ? Why can�t Nepal go into Constituent Assembly at once without having any interim constitution? Someone also opined that, there should be the Constituent Assembly based on the votes parties obtained in the last general election. Does it make a sense to claim that those rigged polls count today? Number counts in democracy. How about asking for a proportionate representation of all caste and ethnic peoples based on the national population census report of 2001?

And do we only require a person with law degrees or background in such a kind of superficial committee? How practical is it to say that only lawyers or law graduates can produce a better constitution to a country with extreme diversity? Don�t we believe that sociologists or anthropologists and others can better explain the contemporary societies of a given country?

Thank you,

_______________


One more time again. At least Women's activists staged sit-in at Singh Durbar Gate. I must salute those women's activists.

Where are the Janajati and Dalit activists in the country ?

________


Hello,

Where are the Janajati and Dalit leaders or organizations in the country ? What are you doing guys ? Are you sleeping ?

God bless you all,

Thank you,

__________


Why It Is Important To Me The Congress Takes Up A Federal Republic


NC not in favour of ceremonial King: Sitaula NepalNews ceremonial monarchy was not the NC's agenda for the proposed constituent assembly elections ..... the King would remain as a 'ceremonial King' until the election to a constituent assembly and the election will decide the fate of monarchy....... the party is yet to prepare its agendas, including the one on the issue of monarchy, for the constituent assembly elections. The party will make public its official agenda for the election of the constituent assembly before announcing the dates for it ...... “The PM did not say that ceremonial king is the NC’s agenda as NC is in favour of inclusive democracy and restructuring of the state.” ...... discussions are underway among the parties about the formation of an interim government and management of Maoists' arms...... the government will take action against any people as per the recommendation of the high level committee formed to probe the atrocities to suppress the popular movement ........ “If the committee recommends any action against the King, the government will follow it and take appropriate action” ....... "The government will consider keeping the Maoists in the barracks and feeding them"
The April Revolution was for a federal republic, and that is why all eight parties have to come out for it. That simple. Parties that have come back into the mainstream because of the April Revolution will simply have to follow its orders. Let there be no mistake. The April Revolution gave you all a mandate.

A multi-party framework is a new awakening for all the communist parties. That includes the UML and the Maoists. But the Congress has always been for it. And so this oldest democratic party has got to prove it is in tune with the people's sentiment. And that sentiment is clearly for a federal republic.

If all seven parties take the lead on the federal republic question, you take a lot of wind out of the Maoist outfit. You eat their lunch. Then the Maoists will be forced to compete on other issues.

Even after the Congress formally adopts federalism, there will still be a lot of debate as to what form that federalism will take. The Maoists have divided the state into about eight ethnic enclaves. My proposal on federalism is economic, not ethnic. I am for three states, Kosi, Gandaki, Karnali. But if you empower the 75 district governments, that is better than eight states. Ultimately a democratic state is about the individual, not groups and ethnicities.

The Congress is a party with its base in the Terai. If it does not adopt federalism, it will be betraying its base.

If all eight parties were to formally adopt the goal of a federal republic, that will make the elections to a constituent assembly much smoother. And we do want that. That will be as good as the king abdicating. The monarchy will no longer be a burning issue in the elections, and that is a good thing.

Mugabe Chor, Desh Chhor
The King Should Abdicate

The focus has to be on how best to design the constitution so as to shoot for double digit economic growth. Poverty is the number one political issue in Nepal. My passion for social justice issues is also economic. Unless you settle the social justice issues, you can not focus on the economy with the intensity of a laser beam.

My Proposed Republican Constitution 2006 has one goal: double digit economic growth.

Nationally Televised Roundtable Conference
International Sanctions On Nepal Army Have To Continue
Madhesis, Social Justice, And The DaMaJaMa Equation In Nepal
Jason Fults
Why Were The Women Beat Up?
Rameshwor Shah: Inclusive Constituent Assembly
June 17 Madhesi Gathering In New York City
Madhesi Gathering Photos 2
Madhesi Gathering Photos

Krishna Sitaula

Girija Koirala: Not In Tune With The April Revolution (June 14, 2006)
Phone Marathon II
Phone Marathon: Called Up Delhi (April 2, 2005)

Krishna Sitaula's reassurance on the issue of a federal republic is very reassuring. This was much needed. I have fond memories of my long conversation with him in April last year. He was in a hospital in Delhi.

Other Issues

Even if all eight parties formally adopt the slogan of a federal republic, there will be plenty of other issues to disagree on.

What form should that federalism take?

What to do with the army? Should it even exist? If yes, how big? How to restructure it?

What to do about language rights?

What should be the relationship between the state and the private sector of the economy?

Prachanda

He scared me with some of his recent utterances.

I admire him for his staunch stand on a federal republic and a constituent assembly. It is his party that has taken the lead on them, and they deserve credit.

But some of his other ideas are out of line, and maybe that is why a one party state is a very bad idea. We need a free competition of ideas between parties.

He has this weird idea that every Nepali citizen should go through five years of military training. That is hogwash.

And he suffers from economic illiteracy, I would say. You have to learn to put the right to property on par with the right to free speech. I think he still struggles with that. Give him some time.

On the other hand, I think he is more passionate about issues like education, health and micro credit than the other parties, only he has yet to prove himself on the ground.

Federal Republic

Let all eight parties formally adopt the slogan of a federal republic. Spare the country the pain of having to discuss the monarchy.

In The News

King's man gets a thrashing in Nepal! Hindustan Times, India Bharat Keshar Singh, who is also the President of the World Hindu Federation, was returning from a party on Tuesday night when his car hit a parked motorbike, near the Royal Palace ..... Heated words were soon exchanged between Singh and the motorcyle owner following which students from nearby college and other persons arrived at the scene and beat Singh and his two sons...... The students and youths turned violent after learning that a King's aide was beating up an motorcycle rider....... They also torched Singh's car following which he took shelter in a nearby hotel. ...... Singh was taken to Army Hospital for treatment while his two sons were placed in custody in Kathmandu District police office.
Mob fury strikes Nepal king’s once powerful loyalist India eNews.com
UN gives emergency food aid to drought-hit Nepal Reuters AlertNet, UK
WFP starts emergency food deliveries in Nepal People's Daily Online
300 palace employees to lose jobs as Nepal king’s power shrinks Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates there were about 900 employees in the palace and most of them were employed without competition or qualifications ..... the palace employees would be brought under the country’s civil service rules and regulations and come under the control of the government....... there was no age limit for the palace employees or any rules as to how many years an employee could stay on a particular job position..... In the Nepalese civil service, the upper age limit is 58 years and no person could stay on in a special class job, the top echelon of the civil service, for more than five years..... the term of office of the top-most Nepalese Royal Palace employee Pashupati Bhakta Maharjan, one of the most powerful men in Nepal until King Gyanendra lost power in late April, would end on the day the palace service becomes part of the country’s civil service.
Nepal Maoists 'will not disarm' BBC News, UK
Nepal Politics update: Many loose ends in a Maoist-democracy joint ... Mounteverest Last Friday, out of the blue, Maoist leader Prachanda showed up in Kathmandu ...... a transition government which will include ‘democratic’ parties and Maoists alike. ..... The Maoists will lose their “terrorist” tag, and get an (easy) access to power - in return for accepting the rules of democracy. ..... Without wasting a day, Prachanda launched a huge campaign: Going from hiding to spotlight in breakneck speed, Prachanda gave speeches through the weekend promising a bright future for Nepal .........
Gyanendra and Prachanda removed from press freedom predators list
Chhattisgarh rebels have links with Nepal Maoists: minister Monsters and Critics.com, UK

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Nationally Televised Roundtable Conference


The cadres and leaders of the seven parties revolted. They were not all too happy about the eight point agreement.

The Maoists unilaterally declared the DDC chair of Parvat.

Surya Bahadur Thapa came out saying the eight point agreement was problematic in that the Maoists would become part of the government without their arms being taken care of.

Girija flew off to Bangkok for health reasons.

Krishna Sitaula got defensive and said the Maoists will not be allowed to join the government unless their arms were managed.

There was a power cut during Prachanda's press conference at the Prime Minister's residence. That is more than a coincidence. There might be disgruntled elements from the "old regime" in the higher echelons of the electricity authority.

Prachanda keeps talking of some other kind of a republic.

A lot of westerners feel the Maoists are trying to pull a Lenin in Nepal. One of those guys has the name Thomas Marx.
Explaining Maoist strategy: Gatsby comes to Nepal - By Dr. Thomas A. Marks NepalNews What is decidedly dangerous is that this political trait is accompanied by a second, also shared by all parties: a position is legitimate simply because it has been advanced. Simply observe Kathmandu traffic, and you understand. As traffic backs up, vehicles invariably move out into the opposing lane. They are clearly in the wrong, especially the motorcycles on the sidewalks.
The law and order situation is lax in several parts of the country. After a major political upheaval some of that is expected.

The Madhesi, the Janajati and the Mahila are very unhappy with the committee that is to draft the interim constitution. They are mostly Bahun men.

The Nepal Army has gone ahead to recruit some officers even when they have been asked by the Defense Ministry not to.

The Nepal Army is set to go on a shopping spree. That also goes against the spirit of the peace talks.

If the seven party alliance is suspicious of the Maoists, it should say so. If not, it should not let the army go on its own separate track. It could fire some top people in the police and the army. It could reorganize the army top brass. It could call on the foreign powers to continue their embargo upon the army. It could send some of the top dogs in the army to the International Criminal Court. There are many options on the table. The army is not more powerful than the people. The people will come out in the streets all over again at a moment's notice.

Krishan Sitaula said a few weeks back some senior police officers were not obeying him.

Girija Koirala is for a ceremonial monarchy. His party seems to be against it.

The peace process could still go very very wrong.

All this leads me to suggest we go for a conference.

Nationally Televised Roundtable Conference

Why held secret talks? Let the people in. Let all parties openly air their disagreements and their grievances. Let it all get televised. Let the willing FM stations air them live all across the country.

This will also be a dress rehearsal for the constituent assembly which will be sure to have bountiful debates and discussions.

We do want furious and relentless debates. That is the price we pay for peace.

Interim Government

The idea is not a bad one. And I myself like the eight point agreement. It is okay to bring the Maoists into the government and then together manage the two armies into sending them off to their barracks.

We do want Prachanda and other Maoists to get a lot of media exposure. We do want to see how Prachanda manages a ministry. Maybe he is not such a great manager after all. Who knows? Let the people find out for themselves. Give Prachanda a ministry.

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Tuesday, June 20, 2006

International Sanctions On Nepal Army Have To Continue


Nepal army plans arms shopping during truce DailyIndia.com Nepal's Army is ready for a massive arms shopping spree, just a month after Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat condemned the hike in army expenditure under King Gyanendra and pledged to slash security allotments in the budget as well as cancel loss-making military deals...... The Nepal Army headquarters in Kathmandu Tuesday asked for bids from 'reputed' manufacturers from abroad and distributors for a formidable arsenal for 2006-07...... The shopping list contains arms, ammunition, explosives, accessories and spare parts. Armoured personnel carriers, tanks, helicopters and aircraft, too, are included. There is also a sizeable list of non-lethal equipment like bomb disposal suits, bullet-proof vests, parachutes and communication equipment....... The army announcement comes at a time when Nepal's seven-party alliance government is holding peace talks with Maoist insurgents. Both sides have called a ceasefire and expressed a desire to reduce the strength of the army....... Four years ago, the strength of security forces was over 121,000. But it rose to over 165,000. By April this year, the royal regime had spent nearly Rs.16.5 billion in the name of security....... The army also paid millions to brokers, many of whom were close to the palace...... For instance, the son of Bharat Keshar Simha, a retired general and royal aide who supported the royal coup, made $1.5 million from a single deal involving the purchase of two second-hand helicopters from the Russian company Kazan Airways....... India, which provided Nepal arms at a 70 percent subsidy, is yet to resume lethal supplies.
The feudals in the upper strata of the Nepal Army are as strong as mush: they are nothing, not after the April Revolution they are not. They have lost their power but not their attitude.

When it looked like the revived House might cut the king to size, Pyar Jung paraded a few military vehicles in Kathmandu (Pyar Jung's Toys).

When Girija Koirala asked him to come meet him, he showed up with another general in tow. These days he has learned to go alone. Girija is boss. Pyar Jung is slowly learning.

The army sent truckloads of armed men when Prachanda surfaced, near where he surfaced. That was not exactly conducive to Prachanda's surfacing, something essential to the peace process.

The finance minister has spoken against the lavish expenditures of the army. The army has responded by declaring it wants to go on a major shopping spree.

These people are providing a strong case as to why the villains of the April Revolution can not be granted amnesty.

The seven party alliance has to know it derives its power only from the people, only from the April Revolution. The people are unafraid, and will come out into the streets again in large numbers if they have to.

The king is irrelevant to the whole idea of a republic. The army generals are even less relevant.

If the Nepali people might make a political decision to abolish the army, there is no general in the land who has the option to get in the way.

The seven party cabinet already has the powers to fire all the generals en masse, if it might so choose to. Fire a select few.

People in the police and the army not obeying the orders of the democratic government is not an option. Orders have to be given, and if they do not get obeyed, those not obeying have to be summarily fired, on the spot, no questions asked. "You are fired!"

And if there are gangs inside the police and the army that are behind that disobeying, they have to be exposed and fired.

For now the finance minister has to get the Prime Minister to order the army to not purchase anything. The seven party alliance has the power to have India, US, Europe keep up its sanctions upon the army.

The Maoists have to help the country move towards an eight party alliance. And you do that by not giving the army reasons to blackmail this government. As in, let us a free rein, or the Maoists are ghosts, they will come.

These army generals behind the curtain are playing with fire.

I wish the eight party alliance had opted for an expanded House rather than a dissolved House. Eight party governments at the center and eight party governments at the local levels. (40 Seats For Maoists, 25 For Others)

The Maoists should not give any reason for the seven party alliance to get blackmailed by the feudals inside the army. The seven party alliance should get level with the people. If the army is a problem, come tell the people. The people will rise all over again.

On the other hand, if the seven party alliance is suspicious of the Maoists, it should level with the people on that one too.

The idea is not to trust or distrust the Maoists. The idea is to create a roadmap that can be trusted.

Dissolving the House in return for a dissolution of the Maoist local governments is not a bad baragain at all. I wish they had gone in the other direction instead, into forming eight party governments.

In The News

Lack of breast-feeding caused Nepal royal family's downfall? DailyIndia.com
Major UN role in Nepal peace building on cards
Hindustan Times, India
Nepal begins to frame temporary constitution “Once an interim constitution is approved, the constitution of 1990 will be annulled..... “We are engaged in discussions with the interim constitution-drafting committee,” said Krishna Bahadur Mahara, the rebel spokesman. “Our leader Prachanda is on a nationwide campaign of political training for party cadres. He will come back to Kathmandu within a week after completing the program”
Explaining Maoist strategy: Gatsby comes to Nepal Nepalnews.com, Nepal If you understand "democracy" in Iran, you have a good idea of what the Maoists mean by the term. Only the correct people get to run, so the correct people win, so the correct outcome is assured, thus the will of the people has triumphed...... At heart, the bedrock for Maoist thought is dividing the world into groups. This is clearly visible in the interviews which Maoist luminaries have been giving fast and furious...... What the Maoists mean is that the "structure of oppression" must end. Thus their conception of "democracy" or even "equality" are not ours..... a position is legitimate simply because it has been advanced. Simply observe Kathmandu traffic, and you understand...... As traffic backs up, vehicles invariably move out into the opposing lane. They are clearly in the wrong, especially the motorcycles on the sidewalks..... Koirala, for instance, is in such poor health it's problematic he will be able to see this business through. Opposite him, the top two Maoists are arguably, clinically paranoid types....... all major figures of all parties are surrounded by what amount to male groupies. Even when they disagree, they say nothing, because to do so would be to lose their place in the queue...... The fourth element in the equation is that Nepal has always been a society shaped by the hardball nature of the struggle for existence. The zero-sum existence is much like that in the colonial Massachusetts in America that produced the Salem witch trials of Daniel Day-Lewis and “The Crucible.” ....... So are the Maoists irrational? Not at all. Bin Laden, to cite an analogy, is perfectly rational within his framework of logic. It is his framework that is cracked..... It is not a clash of ideas which is taking place -- it is a clash of rival mobilization efforts...... And in this, the Maoists are much ahead of the game.

INTERVIEW WITH PRACHANDA Kantipur Publications My situation after the 1990 popular movement was almost like it is today. I was open to the media and was not completely underground. A totally new process began after the start of the People's War (in 1996). Now the situation is somewhat similar to 1990....... Their situation was totally different after February 1, 2005. Then the seven parties came and we signed the 12-point understanding........ India helped the 12-point understanding in a positive way........ our talks team was in Kathmandu during the first round of talks. .. After we realised that the peace talks were going nowhere, we planned to attack Dang. After the attacks in Dang, the UML leaders became happy. May be they thought that it would be a great loss to the UML if we entered peaceful politics....... There isn't that much brainwork done by the seven parties behind the 12-point understanding. It would have been great had this understanding been built on their (seven parties') own vision........Even among the seven parties, six were not in favour of House restoration. But the Nepali Congress could not give up this slogan. Girijababu could not abandon it........ If the talks fail, there will definitely be an October Revolution of its own kind in Nepal. We are ready to lead that revolution.......... if the seven parties do not understand by October, then the situation will move towards an October Revolution..... Koirala.. He is still where he was three years back. He mentioned ceremonial king only yesterday. But this ceremonial thing doesn't work in Nepal. This proves how much rigid he is........ The talks will be successful if the pressure can be increased....... There shouldn't be the parliamentary republicanism, which is in practice in other countries, in Nepal... We need a republicanism of our own kind......... What happened without competition? In the USSR, Stalin gave no place to competition and went ahead in a monolithic way. What was the result?....... Words like libralisation and globalisation are being much touted these days. But if you look at it closely, the very supporters of these theories have not implemented it in their own countries. The most powerful countries and America themselves have not implemented it. They have referred it to the poorest countries......... One hundred years back, we were very much self-dependent. We were not economically weaker than others........ if the state has the right programmes and vision, then there are only 20 million mouths but 40 million hands. If the 40 million hands are put to work in the right way, imagine where this could take the country in 10 years........ we do not need this 90 thousand-strong army. We can cut it down by 80 thousand. 10 thousand is enough. ...... We can earn millions from our herbs. We have so much Yarchagumba. Let's open processing factories where it is found. Thousands will get jobs and we can earn hundreds of millions of rupees. Money will start growing there....... If all citizens are made to undergo a five-year military training, there will be 25 million soldiers ready. Once that army is ready, even if India or China attacks, we can save the country. But even if we make a 500 thousand-strong army and keep it in barracks, it cannot fight anyone. What's the use of it? ....... Let's cut down the armies of both sides. Let's train the people into a militia. The militia will maintain law and order. Let's keep the army only to train the people....... We encourage those who want to develop industries in the country, create jobs, make profits and invest the profits in the country. We are organising a national meet of the capitalists. There, we will invite even those who disagree with us. We want that Nepal's capital does not go outside. We are clear that there will be no development in Nepal unless the capitalists can make some profit. But let that profit not be through exploitation and let it also not go abroad. We are also going to propose to the capitalists to invest where the most profit can be made. We should introduce a strict law to stop those who earn here and deposit the money in America or India.
Two killed in stray bomb explosion in Surkhet
Immediate suspension of Army Chief Thapa sought A writ petition was filed at the Supreme Court on Tuesday demanding immediate suspension of Chief of the Army Staff Pyar Jung Thapa, then Additional Inspector General of Police and current Acting IGP Basudev Oli and Valley DIG Dilip Kumar Shrestha in order to pave the way to impartial investigation into their alleged role in the brutal suppression of the democratic movement. ..... The petition was filed by Baburam Giri, Borna Bahadur Karki, Hariram Labaju and Ashikram Karki on behalf of the Human Rights Organization of Nepal and its Legal Aid Committee.
PM Koirala to undergo prostate surgery on Wednesday prostate laser surgery ....
Interim govt only after arms management: Home Minister both the government and the Maoists were engaged in arms management homework..... Stating that the committee formed to draft an interim constitution was just a "technical committee," the minister said that the government would address the demands put by women during their recent street protests. "Restructuring of the committee can be done." ........ The minister termed the "seizure" of Parvat District Development Committee by the Maoists a serious violation of the parties-Maoist agreement. "It is a serious violation of the seven-parties-Maoist agreement. It can create doubts about the Maoists' honesty"
Dy PM Oli meets UN Secretary General Annan
RPP in favour of constitutional monarchy: Bohora
Case filed against army chief Ram Maya Nakarmi, wife of Padam Narayan Nakarmi who is among 49 people allegedly disappeared by the state from the Nepali Army's Bhairabnath Battalion at Maharajgung, filed a case of murder against army chief General Pyar Jung Thapa and four other army officers, at Kathmandu District Police Office, Monday....... In the case (registration number 18815 3-5), Nakarmi has accused the army chief, then commander of the battalion Lieutenant Colonel Raju Basnet, Major Bibek Bista, Captain Indibar Rana and chief of the Directorate of Military Intelligence Dilip Rayamajhi, of murdering Padam Narayan.... army personnel in civvies took Padam Narayan from his house at Lalitpur sub-metropolis Ward No. 3 on September 22, 2003, stating that they had a few questions to ask him....... "When I asked them who they were and why they were taking my husband away, they replied that they were army personnel and even produced their identity cards" ...... Despite inquiring about her husband later at all army barracks in the Valley, she was unable to gather any information....... "I was told by Krishna KC and Himal Sharma, who were transferred from barracks to Nakkhu jail, that Basnet, Bista, Rana and Rayamajhi were the main individuals involved in torturing and killing detainees in the barracks," she has said. "Other people, who were later released from the barracks, told me that Thapa, Basnet, Bista, Rana and Rayamajhi, after consultations among themselves, meted out torture on detainees and even killed them off." ....... On May 26, the OHCHR- Nepal released a report that concluded that 49 people were disappeared from army barracks.
Maoists capture Parbat DDC
CIAA takes over excise waiver case
Parliamentary committee begins probe into Belbari killings
Commission names 150 people for suppressing April uprising
एमाले कार्यकर्ता अपहरित
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माओवादीले मोटरसाइकल लुटे
'राजा कुनै पनि नाममा राख्नु हुँदैन'
प्रधानसेनापतिविरुद्ध ज्यान मुद्दा
महिला थप आन्दोलित
प्रचण्ड प्रशिक्षणमा
माओवादीद्वारा चरम यातना
सेनाको कुटाइले विद्यार्थी गम्भीर घाइते
आधा आकाशको आवाज
प्रतिनिधिसभा विघटनको औचित्य
छलफलबिना सहमति
दलहरूमा असन्तुष्टि तीव्र कांग्रेस स्रोतका अनुसार 'सेरेमोनियल राजतन्त्र'बारे पार्टीमा तीव्र बहस भएको थियो । पार्टीमा उत्पन्न अन्योल निराकरणका लागि महासमिति बैठक बोलाउनुपर्ने प्रस्ताव महामन्त्री रामचन्द्र पौडेल र सदस्य नरहरि आचार्यले राखेका थिए । 'पार्टी सभापति र उपसभापतिबाट सेरेमोनियल किङका सम्बन्धमा आएको धारणा पार्टीको विधानविपरीत हो,' आचार्यले भने- 'संवैधानिक राजतन्त्रको अवधारणा पार्टीको एघारौं महाधिवेशनबाट हटिसकेको छ, सभापति र उपसभापतिले यसबारेमा भ्रम उत्पन्न गरेकाले त्यसको निवारण हुनुपर्छ ।' आचार्यले त्यसको निवारणका लागि तत्काल महासमितिको बैठक बोलाइनुपर्ने माग गर्नुभयो । 'व्यक्तिगत विचार भन्न पाइन्छ । तर सभापति र उपसभापतिको भनाइ पार्टीको एजेन्डा र नीति भने हो महासमितिबाट पारित गराउनुपर्छ,' उनले भने । परम्परागत रूपमा संवैधानिक राजतन्त्रको पक्ष्ापाती कांग्रेसले गतवर्षको महाधिवेशनमा 'राजतन्त्र' सम्बन्धी प्रावधान झिकेको थियो । विधानमा राजतन्त्रबारे कांग्रेसको नीति मौन छ । तर कांग्रेस सभापति कोइरालाले विराटनगरमा र उपसभापति कोइरालाले पोखरामा 'संक्रमणकालीन अवस्थामा सेरेमोनियल किङलाई पनि ठाउँ दिनुपर्ने' तर्क अघि सारेका थिए । कांग्रेसको झापा जिल्ला कार्यसमितिले 'जनादेशका पूर्ण सम्मान नेपाली जनताको पूरा गर्न संविधानसभामार्फत नेपाललाई लोकतान्त्रिक गणराज्यका रूपमा स्थापित गर्न संविधानसभामा जानुभन्दा अगावै नेपाली कांग्रेसले लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्रलाई आफ्नो प्रमुख एजेन्डा बनाउनुपर्ने निर्णय गरेर केन्द्रमा पठाइसकेको छ

Madhesis, Social Justice, And The DaMaJaMa Equation In Nepal


Madhesis, Social Justice, And The DaMaJaMa Equation In Nepal
(sent off to Anu Anand at BBC and to The Kathmandu Post)

The April Revolution in Nepal was a major milestone, but all the problems in social justice and poverty and even democracy itself still remain. The revolution has merely earned the people the tools with which to address those problems.

The Madhesis are part of the DaMaJaMa equation, namely Dalit, Madhesi, Janajati, Mahila. Dalits are the traditionally untouchables in the Hindu caste system. The Janajati are neither Bahun, nor Chhetri, the two ruling castes in Nepal. They have last names like Sherpa, Tamang, Magar, Gurung, Rai, Limbu, Tharu, among others. The Madhesis are the people in the southern plains who often bear the brunt of the strong anti-India sentiments among the ruling class in Nepal. They speak languages like Maithili, Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Tharu, Urdu, and their link language is Hindi. Mahila is the Nepali word for women. Together these groups are close to 90% of the country. Bahun Chhetri men are an utter minority but hold most of the power.

Some say the Madhesis are half the country. Others say maybe 40%. Still others put the figure closer to 35%. But then there is some overlap. There are some people who are both Dalit and Madhesi, some who are both Janajati and Madhesi, like the Tharu.

The political plight of the Madhesi in Nepal is curious and can be compared to that of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Muslims in India, and the ethnic Nepalis in southern Bhutan. Madhesis are close to half the country, and contribute to 70% of the state revenue, but are less than 5% of the political power in terms of their share in the police, the army, the bureaucracy, and political offices, and get only 20% of the state expenditures, most of it going to pay for the salaries of the Pahadi bureaucrats who happen to be stationed in the Terai, the sounthern plains. Pahadi is the term for the hill people.

On June 17, 2006, many of the Madhesis in New York City got together to discuss and organize around the theme of Madhesi empowerment.

There is a major issue with the Hindi language that is at the core of the Madhesi identity. Although few Madhesis speak Hindi as their first language, it is Hindi that links them all. A lot of Pahadis also understand Hindi, or they would not be watching Amitabh Bachchan on the big screen. Hindi is destined to become the sixth UN language down the line, on par with English. And as India's economic power grows, Hindi might as well become a major language of higher education and commerce.

Hindi has to be put on par with Nepali in Nepal. Like Nepali is the link language in the hills, Hindi is the link language in the southern plains.

Federalism is another issue. The country has to be divided into so many states with their own regional parliaments. Some want three states, some want five, some want eight. Some want the demarcation to be haphazard and geograhical, others want it drawn along ethnic lines.

Abolishing the monarchy is tied to the question. The monarchy represents the ruling elites, the Bahun Chhetri. That has also been true of the army. If Costa Rica can do without an army, perhaps Nepal should as well. Why not instead have more teachers and health care workers?

There is bound to be some major contention in the run up to the constituent assembly elections that will draw up a new constitution for the country. One proposal is to have one constituency for every 100,000 Nepali, and then reserve some of those seats for the DaMaJaMa. Elections would still be direct in those seats, but only individuals from particular backgrounds may contest. It is such a reserved seat that gave India Ram Vilas Paswan, a Dalit who is a major national figure today.

Having seats of roughly equal population has been another issue of contention for the Madhesis. In the 1990s, the Terai had only 80 of the 205 seats, although it deserved 103, going by population.

But the biggest issue of all is that of citizenship certificates. Of the 13 million Madheis in Nepal, close to half have been denied citizenship certificates. The government's official figure says four million, but it might be closer to six million. Without that certicicate, you can not buy or sell land, you can not apply for government jobs, you can not apply to colleges and universities. You can not even get birth or death certificates.

So you have a situation in Nepal where half the Madhesis get treated as non citizens, the other half as second class citizens.

The Madhesis have the numbers, but not yet the political consciousness that would earn them their equality in Nepal. The Dalits, the Janajati and the women have umbrella organizations, the Madhesis do not have one yet. There is no well articulated common minimum program. There are Madhesis in all the major political parties, but there is no Madhesi Caucus in the parliament. Like the blacks in America more than half a century ago, the Madhesis in Nepal will simply have to march, and do so in large numbers.

And the best way to cover much ground might be to strive to forge a strong coalition with the other three marginalized groups, to form a DaMaJaMa coalition. There is a need for a second revolution in Nepal, a social justice revolution.

In The News

Madhesi community in NY to work for Madhesis of Nepal NepalNews
Finland assures necessary help to Nepal; DPM Oli holds bi-lateral meetings
Bhutanese refugee stalemate: No end in sight
World Refugee Day being observed; UNHCR unhappy with Nepal
WFP starts emergency food deliveries in western Nepal

Annan extends full suport towards democratic forces in Nepal

Maoists abduct former DDC member
Maoists abducted former member of Nawalaparasi District Development Committee from Parasi bazaar on Monday evening. .... Balawanta Yadav of the Ramgram Municipality was taken away from the programme venue of the first district conference of the Maoist aligned Madhesi National Liberation Front...... According to Maoists, they took Yadav under control for investigation in the charge of embezzling DDC fund.... He was appointed as DDC member by the erstwhile royal government.....
Maoist capture Parbat DDC: Report the Maoists have 'appointed' the vice-chairman of their people's government as acting DDC president and seated him in the DDC office of Parbat ..... The Maoists have claimed they did so due to their exclusion from DDC meetings and from budgetary decisions, as well as the lack of recognition of the Maoists as a political party ..... The Maoists have claimed the new president was appointed on the basis of "people's power". The rebels have ordered DDC officials to accept the decision......
`Forest mafia’ having a field day in Banke the lax law and order situation in the aftermath of the restoration of democracy ...... the District Forest Office of Banke had granted permission to fell trees worth Rs 284.22 million over the last three months. But the trees that were felled down during this period were worth more than three times....... the local Maoist leaders allowed felling off of trees after collecting 40 percent ‘tax’ that would go into their party coffers...... smuggling of timber was rampant in the past since security personnel did not venture into jungles due to Maoist threats..... Officials at the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation in Kathmandu told Nepalnews that they suspended two Rangers posted at the District Forest Office, Banke-- Sushil Mandal and Ram Ganesh Shah—on charges of assisting ‘forest mafia’ to smuggle trees in connivance with the Maoists. The decision was taken after a joint secretary level team from the Ministry conducted on-the-spot study to find out the truth. ....... Nepal has the history of forest resources turning first target during the time of political transition as seen in 1979-80, 1989-90 and 2005-06.
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Legal news from nepal

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Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Nepalese lawyer louds UN role

Advocate Dinesh Tripathi on the Convention "Nepal Today." organised in United Nations Association said that King force to step-down under the historic, courageous movement of Nepali people. Nepali people have shown tremendous courage and brevity against ruthless, authoritarian and military regime of the king. April revolution of Nepal is set an example in the contemporary world. April evolution of Nepal established the example that people are ultimate master of their own fate and bold and courageous step of people could transform the society and topple down even well organized military regime. Historic changes are taking place in Nepal currently. But Nepal's journey toward full and complete democracy is not the free of risk and challenges. There is whole lot of risk and challenges are ahead.

He told futher that Nepal's democratization process is full of risk and obstacle. King is down but he is not out. Military is still not under civilian control. No credible peace process is started yet. Nation has long way to go to establish full and genuine democracy and ensure a socio economic justice for vast majority of people. Nepal has to chart a new course of the history to implement the mandate and aspiration of April Revolution. People are aspiring a polity based on human rights, rule of law and democratic republication. People want be full sovereign and want to make new Constitution by themselves and for themselves.

World community must give its active support to democratization process of Nepal. UN System has bigger role to play in this context. UN should actively and creatively engage in the Nepal 's democracy building and peace process. UN should facilitate credible peace process and provide its expertise and resources to build sustainable peace and democratic institution in Nepal. UN 's role could be important in this context. UN has resources and credibility. Under the UN charter member states are agreed to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. At this point Nepal needs huge humanitarian operation too.
Nepal must immediately ratified Rome statute of International Criminal court. ICC could be the most effective tool to end impunity and conduct free and impartial trial. Perpetrator must be held accountable and must be punished for their misdeeds. Un should also exert pressure to the Nepali government to ratify to ICC convention otherwise it should consider creating a special tribunal for Nepal to conduct fair trial. Now both the party should abide by the norms of international human rights and Geneva Convention. UN should closely monitor the behavior of both parties. No one should allow violating the code of conduct and disrupting the peace process. This is the defining moment in our history but our democratization process is still very weak and fragile. Failure of successful management of peace and democratic transition in Nepal will lead toward the total disaster. It will also create a huge problem of regional peace and security. It will have a big regional implication. So stakes are very high and world community should creatively and actively engage in the Nepal 's democratic peace building process and extend helping hand.