Ethnic Unrest in Nepal

Ethnic Unrest in Nepal-What does it indicate?

The political sky of Nepal seems to be clouded again. This time not the Maoists,the issue is somewhat different. Nepali Mahadhesi community who account for around a third of Nepal’s 27 million people has raised the issue of their deprivation from the state owned enterprises and government. They already dominate in the Terai region bordering India. They have long complained of discrimination by highland communities. Officials in the area said at least 35 protesters were injured. On January 25 in Janakpur and at least 20 hurt in Birgunj, another of the four towns under curfew along with Birganjnj and Lahan. The leaders organizing the protests warned that unless Nepal’s government addressed their complaints, the unrest would continue. The government has already imposed daylong curfew on Novemeber 26 on four southeastern towns. Nepal after several deaths and dozens of injuries during violent protests in the impoverished region “ The situation remains serious today as dozens of protesters have already attempted to defy the curfew. The violent protest began last week after a 16-year old boy was shot dead during a scuffle between Maoists and Mahadeshi activities demanding increased political representation in the Himalayan nation.

Industry and Commerce Minister Hirdayesh Tripathi has already tendered his resignation saying “I have submitted my resignation letter to the Prime Minister through the government chief secretary. The government has failed to address the genuine issues of the Mahadhesis.” The resignation of the minister really says the demands of this hilly community remained unaddressed for long. The previous government’s negligence towards their rights and privileges has led them to take to the streets. The leaders of the community have chosen the proper time to press home their demands from the interim government.


. The violence over demand by Mahadhesis community for greater political representation. “ the situation in the Tearai is getting serious but the goveremnt has not paid any attention to it.” On January 27 the UN Human Rights office in Nepal called for restrains and dialogue from both sides to end the violent protests. Nepal would be falling from the frying pan to fire if it failed to tackle the issue. The root of the crisis is deep, long standing bitterness among the Mahadhesi population. Discrimination against by the governments in they saw in the past that they would be denied political representation in the parliament in proportion to the number in the interim government too.

The country has recently seen an end of ten years of civil war with Maoist insurgencies after the rebels and coalition government signed a peace deal brining the Maoists into the parliament and government. If they try to ignore the issue, the protests will have dire consequences., Upendra Yadev, the chairman of the recently formed Mahadhesi-Janadhikar Forum commented.

“This movement is taking place because the people of Terai region have always been discriminated against by the state. Even the interim government is not addressing our problems, so we are fighting for equality. He also complained about the new composition of that 330-seat parliament, where the Maoists now have 83 seats, there are only 73 Mahadhesis from various political parties in the current parliament. This percentage is very low we want more representation, said Yadev. As a neighbouring country we always want to see Nepal a peaceful state. The long peace-starved people need peaceful situation to go forward. The country saw nightmare experience because of Maoist insurgency. The government virtually failed to register its control in rural areas for long. The economy of the country saw serious setback. Most of the money was spent on facing the Maoists. Maoists also extracted money and wealth from the businessmen and common people making them hostages.

Nepal’s former rebel Maoists called on January 26 on the United States to remove them from its list of foreign terrorists groups accusing Washington of ignoring the country’s peace deal. After signing the landmark deal last November, renouncing violence after a decade of war , the Maosits say they are now an integral part of new political landscape.
The US ambassador to Nepal James Moriarty , told journalists last week that the Maoists were likely to cheat the registration process and urged them to disarm completely before being allowed into government. “ I think everybody will here believe that the Maoist will try to cheat. They are trying to buy primitive and local made weapons from Bhar so that they can put crummy weapons into the containers instead of the modern weapons, he said. He also said that the Maoist would retain their private army until later this year when the country is supposed to vote for a body that will redraw Nepal’s constitution. They will use that to create the condition for an election that is not free and fair,” Moriarty said.

On one hand they have welcomed the interim constitution and formation of interim legislature but on the other hand they have hinted they would not cooperate with the minister led by our party. This is contradictory. Said Suresh Ale Magar, a new Maosist member of the recently sworn in parliament. As part of the peace deal signed last November , a new interim constitution has been passed and the former rebels have been given 83 of the 303 seats in a temporary parliament. Their transition from jungle guerillas to lawmakers came after a decade of bloody civil war that killed at least 13000 people during which the United States provide millions of dollars worth of military aid to the government in Katmandu.
The contentious issue that had appeared to defy an understanding was the status of the arms that are in possession of the Maoists cadres. The government wants them to disarm but Prachanda is not ready to give up the arms so easily. Political parties and some human rights organizations have accused the radials of extortions, kidnapping and intimidation despite the truce. The rebels say that now only accept voluntary contributions. The rebels were believed to develop a more than 30000 strong force in ten years and are unwilling to deposit arms to the government. And it stands as a big challenge to materialize the peace deal. The issue is taking tougher shape as the elections are drawing near.

The prime minister and some parties in the seven party alliance coalition favour continuation of monarchy without any executive power but the ultras are against it and wanted to turn the country as Republic.
They demonstrated remarkable unity in the anti-king pro-democracy agitation despite their differences on some matters. The king surrendered to pro-democracy mass agitation earlier but the sensitive relationship between the government and the Maoists remained a matter of concern for many.

Nepal, the impoverished Himalayan state actually woke on November 22, 2006 to the promise of peace and an end to a decade of civil war which gave rise to kidnappings, murders, coercion, forced recruitment, standstill of normal lives and works and above all serious political turmoil in the country. The sign was accorded on November 28, 2006..“We have signed a 12-page agreement on disarmament. There are many issues covered in the agreement including verification of the Maoists army and weapons and the role we would like the UNO to take in monitoring” Pradip Gyawali, a government negotiator told the journalists. The former rebels have also welcomed this accord. “We have shown our strong commitment and sincerity to end the armed conflict” Maoists spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara told journalists.” This agreement has opened the door for political transformation, but we are aware of the challenges as well that lie ahead .”
The landmark peace deal will see the Maoists join the government after placing their army and weapons in camps under UN monitoring. “What until recently was an improbable peace has become a reality---the Katmandu Post commented in an editorial.”:

The spontaneous response of Nepalese people reminds us their unconditional and long awaited peace deal. The residents lit candles, danced and cheered in the streets of towns and cities after the peace deal between the government and Maoists was signed. It has unfolded the opportunity of being optimistic but the challenges that lie ahead of promises and deals must be dealt with compromising and patriotic point of view. Leaders from both sides should play commendable roles in this regard otherwise it will remain only a paper based material. Observers and political analysts have already commented “The signing on piece of paper will have no meaning in itself if the stakeholders concerned fail to abide by the accord in its true spirit.”
The present unrest hovering in the Nepali political sky retains ill omen for the peace process in Nepal. The third party may derive benefit from this ethnic unrest which both sides must understand and consider the whole situation from pragmatic point of view. Nepal’s Maoists have already said that the pro-Royalist and militant Hindus are merely trying to undermine a peace process which has left king Gyanendra and the monarchy as a whole facing the boot. But Yadev said this group was also opposed to the monarchy.
Where there is unrest there can be room for someone to use the situation to their benefit. The palace may try to take advantage of this situation but we won’t let it happen because we are also against monarchy. We are not monarchists we also want a republic. We, the people of Bangladesh, also expect the materialization of this vow and determination. Let Nepal reach its peaceful goal promising prosperity and peace for its people.

Md. Masum Billah
The writer works for PACE Prgramme, BRAC Head Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh.)
Phone: 9355253 (home), 01714-091431 (cell)
Email:mmbillah2000@yahoo.com