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Op-Ed Piece Sent To The New York Times

• This is not an ethnic riot. This a Madhesi Movement that has to be compared to the civil rights movement in the US in the 1960s. It has to be compared to Nepal's own April Revolution. This is chapter two.
  
• One police officer did get killed. And that should not have happened. But the police have killed at least 13 Madhesis so far. They have injured hundreds of Madhesis. They have gone inside hospitals to beat up the injured Madhesis.
  
• The Pahadi political leaders have been talking of mobilizing the army against the Madhesi.
  
• The Madhesis are not descendants of Indian migrants. Madhesis are the indigenous people in the Madhesh. The history of the Madhesh goes back thousands of years. Janakpur, which is going to be the capital of the Madhesh state, was the capital of King Janak of the ancient times.
  
• They do not make as much as 30% of Nepal. They make up somewhere between 40 and 50%.
  
• It is not thousands who have been denied citizenship papers. The number is more like six million. Practically half of all Madhesis have been denied citizenship papers.
  
• The reason is not because they could not prove Nepali nationality. The reason is Pahadi bias that sees Madhesi as not Nepali but Indian. This denial has been a structural violence on Madhesi aspirations going back decades.
  
• Koirala's talk of dialogue is as misleading as King Gyanendra's was during the April Revolution. (Gyane In April: 3 Speeches, Girija In Magh: How Many?) Koirala has to fulfill the basic demands of the Madhesi Movement, and that is the only option. Or the movement will continue.
  

I denounce Pahadi journalists like Tilak Pokharel who mislead the world through their access to the global media houses. And I denounce the global media houses for not making the effort in this day and age of easy communication to try to get down to the bottom of facts.

Tilak Pokharel's prejudices that have fed this New York Times article prove how deep seated the anti-Madhesi prejudices are among the Pahadis of Nepal.

You are looking at 13 million Madhesis in Nepal who have waged a nonviolent struggle for equality in the land that has been inhabited by them for centuries, millenia.

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Ethnic Unrest in Southern Plains Undermines Peace Pact in Nepal
SOMINI SENGUPTA, New York Times
Published: February 1, 2007

NEW DELHI, Jan. 31 — A fragile peace was fraying in Nepal on Wednesday, as ethnic violence went on unabated on its southern plains, a police officer was hacked to death and the prime minister was prompted to call for an end to the bloodletting.

The United Nations chief envoy to Nepal has already warned that the trouble in the plains, the Terai region along the Indian border, endangered the possibility of landmark elections this summer.

The violence broke out two weeks ago when the majority people of the Terai, the Madhesis, complained about the way the voting districts had been drawn for the elections. Madhesis have long been aggrieved by the domination of Nepal’s politics by ethnic communities from the hills.

The Madhesis, descendants of migrants from India several generations ago, make up as much as 30 percent of Nepal’s population. Until late last year, thousands were denied citizenship rights because they could not prove Nepali nationality.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said in a televised address on Wednesday evening that he would push for Nepal to have a federal system of government, one of the Madhesis’ chief demands.

“Given my age and my health, it could very well be my last message,” said Mr. Koirala, who is 84. “I make an appeal to all to stop all strikes and agitations that have been launched in some parts of the country, and resolve the crisis through dialogue, and maintain peace and harmony in the country.”

Ten people have been killed in the last two weeks in protests over the redistricting. Several towns in the Terai have been under curfew. Blockades called by some Madhesi groups have brought several southern towns to a standstill. The police arrested three former ministers of the royalist government on Tuesday, including the onetime home minister, Kamal Thapa, accusing them of inciting violence.

By putting the planned elections in jeopardy, the troubles threaten to unravel a delicate peace deal intended to end more than a decade of Maoist conflict that has claimed an estimated 13,000 lives. Under the accord, signed in November, the Maoists joined the government and agreed to sequester their weapons under United Nations supervision.

Elections are to be held in June to choose an assembly to draft a new constitution. The outcome could decide whether Nepal’s monarchy will survive. The Maoists have made its abolition the centerpiece of their platform.

No dates have been set for the polls, which would be the first in Nepal in eight years. Ian Martin, the United Nations secretary general’s representative in Nepal, said Friday that the election schedule “can only be jeopardized if the situation in the Terai continues or escalates.”

Tilak Pokharel contributed reporting from Katmandu.

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In The News

PM's statement hasn't addressed Madhesi people's demands: NSP-A Kantipur Online, Nepal
PM’s address not enough to fulfill Madhesi demands: Prachanda Nepalnews.com, Nepal
The Interim Constitution; the Madhesi Turmoil Kantipur Online, Nepal
Madhesi Activists Continue Demonstrations Himalayan Times, Nepal

Butchers, Stop The Killing, You Will Get Tried

If the Nepal Army and the Maoist Army are mobilized against the Madhesi people, nothing will stop the Madhesh from becoming a separate country after that. That will be a point of no return. And all the political leaders of the seven Pahadi parties are going to be declared state enemies of that new country, Madhesh. All atrocities committed during the Madhesi Movement will be tried by the future Madhesh government. They will be taken to international courts as necessary. The Madhesh would vow to never have any kind of diplomatic relations with Nepal ever after that.

Action Plan: 5 + 5
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Inbox 5
Inbox 4
Inbox 3
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Girija Koirala: Address To The Nation: Madhesi Movement Partial Victory
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Inbox 2
सरिता गिरी: अशान्त मधेस, नया नेपाल
Hamro Nepal Press Release: Only A Political Outlet To The Madhesi Movement
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In The News

PM’s address not enough to fulfill Madhesi demands: Prachanda NepalNews Prachanda said his party was supportive of Madhesi people’s struggle for proportional representation, federal system and right to self-determination. ..... proportional electoral system, federalism and republican set up were inter-linked ...... his party had acknowledged the wrongdoing of local party cadres in Lahan incident, which sparked angry protests by Madhesi groups, Prachanda pledged to investigate into the case and make the probe report public. ...... reiterated the claim that royalists and foreign elements had infiltrated into the agitation of the Madhesis to create communal strife and derail the peace process. .... would have no objection if the government reaches out to these groups including the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) and two factions of the Terai Janatantrik Mukti Morcha (JTMM) ..... revealed that there was discussion among the eight parties about jointly mobilising the army and the Maoist People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Terai ...... such a option should be executed only after the eight-party consensus and the government decision
Three killed, 31 injured in Inaruwa; indefinite curfew in place at least three protesters were killed and 31 others injured when agitating activists of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) clashed with the police in Inaruwa, the district headquarters of Sunsari ..... two persons killed in the police firing have been identified as Hari Mehta and Shyam Mehta. Third person is yet to be identified.
OHCHR calls for urgent dialogue to end Terai unrest in order to prevent further violence and loss of life." ....... OHCHR-Nepal's teams deployed in the Terai are currently investigating 11 deaths, of which seven were allegedly as a result of police action. ...... "OHCHR-Nepal is also investigating allegations of excessive use of force in some places, with police reportedly aiming at the heads of demonstrators during lathi charges. It reiterates its call for thorough and independent investigations into all killings which have occurred as well as allegations of serious beatings by police" ...... On 30 January, OHCHR-Nepal teams visited several Madheshis in hospital in Biratnagar who had been severely mutilated by khukuri knives wielded by non-Madheshis during a clash. ...... the OHCHR-Nepal has also noted the arrest and preventive detention of four former government officials, Kamal Thapa and Salim Mia Ansari in Kathmandu, and Badri Prasad Mandal and Ballav Prasad Dahal in Morang District. ...... The OHCHR noted that the detention orders issued against the four under the Public Security Act (PSA) "fail to indicate specific actions allegedly taken by them which would constitute an immediate threat to the sovereignty, integrity or public peace and order of Nepal." It stated, "OHCHR-Nepal considers the detention of these four former government officials under the PSA based on such vaguely worded orders to be arbitrary and contrary to international human rights standards." ........ "Resorting to arbitrary detention is a backward step in the efforts to re-establish rule of law in Nepal after years of conflict and suppression of human rights" ....... "The continuing violence and loss of life in the Terai is very worrying. It is essential that a dialogue be established as soon as possible in order to prevent further violence"
Curfew in Birgunj; demonstrations continue in terai protestors started vandalizing government offices ..... Curfews are already in place in Biratnagar and Chandranighapur area of Rautahat district ..... Madhesi people have continued demonstrations in various districts of eastern terai on Thursday ..... a strike following the torching of the NC district office by an unidentified group Wednesday night. ..... In Siraha and Lahan, Madhesi activists carrying sticks took to the streets chanting slogans against the government. In Mahottari, the protestors padlocked all government offices. ..... demonstrations in Janakpur, Rajbiraj of Saptari, Malangawa of Sarlahi and various parts of Sunsari and Morang
PM's address incomplete says MJF; Indigenous community, too, dissatisfied Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP-Anandidevi), a partner in ruling coalition, too, has hinted that it is not happy with the address. ..... leaders of indigenous communities, too, have expressed dissatisfaction over the PM's address. "We indigenous communities have been demanding that election of Constituent Assembly be held on the basis of proportional representation system," said Pasang Sherpa, president of Nepal Indigenous/Janajati Federation. ..... Sherpa welcomed the PM's call for talks. "We accept the offer for talks but we will continue our peaceful struggle," he said.
AI urges investigation into killings in terai unrest
Curfew continues in Biratnagar; curfew in Rautahat
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The Politics of Representation

AI urges investigation into killings in terai unrest

Amnesty International (AI), the international rights watchdog, has expressed grave concern over the recent violence in the terai region and urged the authorities to ensure a prompt, independent, impartial and thorough investigation into the events.

A press release issued by the AI said it was gravely concerned about the outburst of violence in the terai region in southern Nepal and demanded prosecution of anyone suspected of human rights abuses in proceedings that fully respect international fair trial standards.

At least eight people have been killed and scores of people injured in clashes between protestors and police in the recent unrest there.

The AI statement quoted some reports which said that demonstrators attacked buses and lorries. Dozens of people have reportedly been injured during these attacks.

The AI also expressed concern over the reports of the demonstrators attacking journalists and offices of newspapers or radio stations and 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.

“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,” the statement added.

The demonstrators are members of the Madhesi community demanding proportional representation in the forthcoming elections to ensure better representation of the community in the constituent assembly. nepalnews.com pb Feb 01 07

Indian fundamentalists abetting Nepal riots: Prachanda DailyIndia.com, FL For the first time since the 18-year-old student was killed in Maoist firing during a clash in Lahan town last month, the Maoist chief expressed regret, saying it was a 'mistake and weakness' and action was being taken against those involved. However, he said people should not try to take advantage of the error and malign his party. .... The Maoists Thursday joined the Madhes movement - of the Madhesis who are of Indian origin and live in the Terai plains - staging a peace march in Janakpur town. ..... 'Our party has always supported the Madhes cause,' Prachada said. 'Our three key demands are for a federal government, proportional electoral representation and a democratic republic.'
The Interim Constitution; the Madhesi Turmoil Kantipur Online, Nepal Dr Bal Gopal Shrestha ..... Right from the time the seven-party alliance (SPA) and the Maoists agreed to proclaim this constitution we felt something was wrong with it, as the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, one of the constituents of the seven-party alliance had to write a note of dissent. However, the SPA and the Maoists leaders failed to realize the gravity of the matter. Especially, the four big constituents, namely the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), Nepali Congress (Democratic) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) appeared unprepared to understand the genuine demands of the Madhesi community and the indigenous nationalities. ...... shows the leaders of these parties are not ready to change their mindset to give up the privileges that they had been enjoying. This is the root cause that sparked the fire in the Terai ..... the genuine demands put forward by the Madhesi community for equal rights. We must admit the fact that for centuries, people of Madhesi origin and all other nationalities remained exploited under the hands of the Shah ruler and their cliques- the hill people, the Khasa or the Brahmin and Chetris. After the April 2006 revolution, there were lots of discussions on restructuring of the state, but the ruling Brahmin and Chetris managed to secure a safe haven for themselves by denying any clear commitments to oppressed nationalities, Madhesi and low caste people. ...... article 5 of the interim constitution terms only Khasa as Nepali and made it a single official language, which is a clear sign of the continuation of the Panchayat era mentality that the leaders of these parties inherited. Although it says there is no prohibition in using other languages in local bodies, it is unclear if they can also be used in higher administrative bodies. Similarly, article 17 of the constitution says, each community is entitled to receive education in one’s own mother tongue, but it is not clear how it will be implemented, as it says it will be done according to the law, which does not exist. ....... Article 33 (gha) of the constitution states to end discriminations based on class, ethnicity, lingual, gender, cultural, religion and region and to deconstruct the present centralized and unitary structure of the state to reconstruct it into an inclusive, democratic and forward looking one by addressing women, low caste (dalit), indigenous nationalities, Madhesi, oppressed, neglected, minority communities and backward regions. However, it is totally uncertain how the discriminations based on class, ethnicity, lingual, gender, cultural, religion and region will be ended. ...... article 63 of the constitution has proposed a gigantic unicameral constituent assembly with 425 members but failed to address the heart of the matter, how women, low caste (dalit), indigenous nationalities, Madhesi, oppressed, neglected and minority communities will be represented in it. ........ even 204 seats proposed through the proportional electoral system cleverly avoided clarity to bring in representation from these neglected sections of the society ...... ethnic nationalities (janajati), Madheshi, women, and Dalit are to depend on the mercy of the political parties. This makes it clear that the leaders of all the parties, including the revolutionary Maoists are not sincere about their earlier promises regarding rights to ethnic nationalities (janajati), Madheshi, women, and Dalit. ....... their slogans in favour of oppressed nationalities appeared only to gain cheap popularity and to deceive the people. ..... the Madhesis as well as all other indigenous oppressed nationalities lamented this constitution and rightly the Madhesi population in the Terai began their protests, since the leaders of these parties preferred to ignore their grievances. Similarly, the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), an umbrella organization of more than fifty nationalities has also announced protest programmes .... the leaders of the CPN (UML) and Congress are trying their best to justify their failure. ...... (The author is assistant professor at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Leiden, the Netherlands)
'Three killed' in Nepal violence BBC News, UK At least 13 people have now been killed in clashes which have swept the south, where members of the Madheshi community say they are discriminated against. ... "The prime minister failed to completely address the problems of Madheshi people," said Upendra Yadav, chief of the Madheshi People's Rights Forum....... "We will continue our protests." ...... The group has been leading protests in the plains of Nepal - known as the Terai - since 19 January. .... Maoist leader Prachanda said that while he did not support violence that had flared in the south, the Madheshis had "genuine demands" which must be addressed. ...... He said that his party would launch a "peace agitation campaign" unless the government stuck to its timetable for holding elections in June.