| Nepal: Eight Die as Protests Continue | |
| Nepal sinks back into chaos and bloodshed | |
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Santosh Salik Shah (salikshah) 
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Today, a curfew was imposed in Biratnagar from 1:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. While other major towns in Bara, Parsa, Sarlahi and Dhanusha, among others, are in constant threat -- nobody knows what will happen next. Activists from the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) are staging demonstrations and seem to have major public support in Terai. But the eight political parties, and the Maoists, seem indifferent. Their leaders have been repeatedly heard dismissing the MPRF as "impotent." If so, one wonders who the thousands of protestors staging demonstrations under the leadership of the forum are.
Talking to the BBC last night, Maoist second-in-command Baburam Bhattarai called the MPRF the "waste" or "byproduct" of the Maoists' movement. When Rabindra Mishra from the BBC's Nepali Service asked him if they would talk with the MPRF, Bhattarai said that they don't have to talk with the MPRF since there was no power or people behind it. Meanwhile, the other eight parties are also using the ongoing movement in Terai to garner votes and win the people's confidence by claiming that the protestors' demands would be fulfilled. But the parties have yet to open a dialogue with the MPRF or any of the other agitating parties.
When I talked with MPRF president Upendra Yadav this morning, he said the Madhesi movement was not directed against any particular community but meant to ensure the rights of the numerous communities in the country. The Terai crisis took a violent turn only after Maoists killed a forum activist in Lahan in eastern Nepal.
"If some portray it as the communal problem, then they are at fault," Yadav said. "If we are not representing people then why is there hundreds and thousands of people out in the street in our protest campaigns?"
Yadav continued:
We have always denounced violence but Maoists and other elements have been acting as vigilantes to disrupt our peaceful protests. Just a few days ago, they attacked media persons, but we are being blamed for the attack.It is clear that Maoists don't want to look inferior to the MPRF as that would only damage their reputation as the people's leaders. However, the Nepali people are watching the activities of the political parties closely. The Terai crisis started only after communal violence engulfed Nepalgunj, during which -- as per a report prepared by a committee formed to investigate the incident -- one person was killed and 26 injured, and property worth 78 million Nepali rupees was destroyed. Altogether, 211 houses and shops were ravaged during the riot following the Terai strike organized by the Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandadevi).
They (the Maoists) had raised the issues of Madhesi community and various other communities at the beginning of the people's war but they betrayed us when they were invited to join the government. We are raising the same demands of regional autonomy and federal democracy now.
The party had called for a strike in protest of the interim constitution but the protest took the form of communal violence as Nepali-speaking people tried to oppose the strike, and "infiltrators" and vigilante manipulated the opportunity to fuel the Terai crisis. However, I watched one video in which security officials were mere onlookers to the vandalism -- and sometimes participants in it. The report maintains that the violence took place because local officials and security agencies failed to perform their duties effectively.
"Each and every individual irrespective of their communities -- whether Pahade or Madhesi -- should have the feeling of being a Nepali first before talking about their language, culture and tradition," the report said.
The report also suggested that the eight political parties address the demands of the Madhesi people without further delay. But progress has been slow, while the toll continues to rise. After the Nepalgunj violence, the MPRF took the initiative to raise the demands of the Madhesi people. It has been only two weeks since the promulgation of the interim constitution, after which the MPRF activists started staging protests to demand revision of the electoral constituencies set out in the constitution.
The main demand of the Madhesi people, including the Janatantrik Terai Liberation Front, which is leading an armed struggle, the Nepal Sadhbhava Party (Anandadevi) and the MPRF, is proportional representation of the community. The provision in the temporary statute on electoral constituencies makes the larger representation (as per its population) of the Madhesis impossible. The Nepali-speaking community dominates the ruling class, administration and bureaucracy with only a few Madhesis or people of other indigenous communities, and the existing electoral constituencies will only cater to the need of Nepali-speaking community. The Nepalese media and intellectuals have expressed support for the movement but have pledged all the agitating parties to using only peaceful means of protest.
Now that the long-suppressed Madhesi community has finally raised their voice to put an end to 238 years of suppression and injustice, how can one fail to agree with their demand?
The eight-party government has yet to find a concrete solution to heal the woes of the Madhesi and other communities. If those in power fail to address the people's problems now, it will only force the agitating parties to resort to more-violent means of protest to put pressure on the government. So far, "only" eight lives have been lost, but it could turn into 80, 800 or even more. The sooner they realize this, the better.
2007/01/30 오후 9:32
© 2007 Ohmynews