Page 1 of 2 Nepal rioting threatens political transition
By Dhruba Adhikary
KATHMANDU - The disturbances that mountainous Nepal is currently facing in the
southern plains, called Terai, threaten to blossom into a separatist movement
as in Sri Lanka. And they could derail the peace process, in effect preventing
Maoist rebels from joining the interim government in a few weeks' time.
The agitation in Terai, also known as Madhesh, started immediately after
the interim legislature, which includes Maoist representatives, approved an
interim constitution that was
promulgated on January 15. A small group of native Madheshis instantly
expressed their discontent by burning a copy of the interim charter. Another
group took the issue to Terai, where it spread like a wildfire. Two other
groups, edged out by the mainstream Maoist party, also became a part of the
agitation.
Spontaneous demonstrations across several Terai towns, separated by a porous
border from the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, took an
ugly turn when mobs began to attack the lives, homes and properties of people
with hill origins. In some district centers, government offices were burned,
others stormed and ransacked. In some cases, mobs with spears, knives and
sticks attacked police stations unprovoked, killing police officers trying to
defend themselves.
On Wednesday, demonstrators in the eastern district of Morang took a sword to
the head of a police officer and threw him into a nearby pond with his limbs
tied. Demonstrators were among a dozen people who have lost their lives. The
violent activities subsequently assumed communal overtones, prompting
authorities to impose a curfew in half a dozen towns in the eastern region. But
the measures have not been effective.
Initial restlessness among the Madheshis was visible in the western town of
Nepalgunj.
"The continuing violence and loss of life in the Terai is very worrying," said
the United Nations office for human rights. UN representative Ian Martin
separately expressed his concerns, saying the trend could affect the schedule
for polls to elect Nepal's first constituent assembly by mid-June.
The main reason for the disgruntlement, according to those who think they can
speak for the Madheshi community, is the failure of the interim constitution to
include a provision whereby the Terai region could become an autonomous
province in a federal Nepal, which thus far remains a unitary system, though
with provisions for devolution of powers to regions, zones and districts.
Another point of contention is based on a perception that Madheshi natives have
always been under-represented in Parliament, and that the number of seats
allocated to them should be increased in proportion to their population.
These demands appear innocuous, but those currently in authority argue that a
proposition for restructuring the state apparatus is not something an interim
government is empowered to do. It is the new constitution, to be written by a
constituent assembly, that will deal with demands for autonomy and regional
identities.
Terai is not the only perceived victim of discrimination; there are several
dozen ethnic groups in the hill districts, some of whom live in the remotest
parts of the country. The claim that the Terai region is under-represented in
Parliament in not exactly correct, either. An analytical report published by
the Kathmandu Post disproves the Madheshi claim. And, since most of Nepal's
road networks and industrial activities are based in the Terai, it is
unrealistic to say that the region is neglected from the national perspective.
Members of the Madheshi community, including the members of the interim
legislature representing various political parties, contend that agitation in
Terai is spontaneous and an expression of pent-up anger against exploitation
and discrimination, and is not directed to Terai people with hill origins
(often alluded to as Pahaades).
This contention is not credible to the authorities, nor to most of the leaders
whose political parties are constituents of the governing alliance headed by
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. In a televised address to the nation on
Wednesday to deal with the "Madheshi grievance", Koirala minced no words about
who the suspects could be: "After analyzing the recent incidents, I want to
caution you all that regressive forces are attempting to take advantage of the
situation."
The authorities have, in the meantime, detained three politicians who served in
King Gyanendra's regime, which was toppled last April. A section of the Nepali
media has been constantly writing
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