Nepal's PM pledges federal state

  Nepal's PM pledges federal state

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6317497.stm

Nepal's prime minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, has pledged that a future Nepal will be federal in nature.

This is one of the main demands of southern Nepalese who have been demonstrating for the last two weeks.

Eight people have died in the protests. However, there have already been protests saying the prime minister has not conceded enough.

Nepal recently formed an interim coalition after its King abdicated power ending a decade long civil war.

Mr Koirala did not mention by name the Madhesis, or southern Nepalese, whose ongoing protests have resulted in the deaths.

But he did say all problems must be solved through dialogue, and that he had instructed a minister to form a committee to initiate this.

Devolution required

Madhesis are very much under-represented in government structures. One of their demands is for devolved, federal-style government.

Mr Koirala has now promised that a new permanent constitution, due to be written by an assembly elected later this year, will make Nepal a federal state.

He has also said he accedes to another of their demands, which is to increase the number of electoral constituencies in densely populated areas.

These include the southern plains.

Demonstrators in one southern city, Janakpur, have already staged protests against Mr Koirala's speech saying it does not go far enough.

An indefinite curfew in another city, Biratnagar, has already lasted more than 24 hours.

A BBC correspondent there says Madhesi protestors armed with bows and arrows are defying it.

Others have set a police station on fire. Police responded with teargas and live rounds.

Many of the southern protests have been peaceful but a steady stream of northern hill people who were living in the south have started fleeing their homes after being threatened.

Thapa, Mandal arrested for 'instigating' violence in Terai; other royalists under watch

Two of the former high-profile royalist ministers were arrested in late night raid on Monday for working to instigate the violence in Terai.

Former Home Minister Kamal Thapa and former minister Badri Mandal were arrested on Monday night from Kathmandu and Biratnagar, respectively.

Police arrested Thapa from his residence in Bishal Nagar, Kathmandu, at around 9:45 pm. Thapa reportedly refused to receive the arrest warrant, but the police team insisted to take him with them saying they had order from above to arrest him.

Thapa is accused of fuelling violence in the ongoing protests of Madhesi groups in several Terai districts over the last few days.

On the other hand, Mandal was arrested from his residence in Biratnagar at around 11:00 pm. He is also accused of similar charges. Mandal, who is a former chief of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) is accused of turning the agitation violent in many places including Kalaiya and Rautahat.

Thapa has been detained at Nepal Police Battalion 2 facility in Maharajgunj whereas Mandal is kept at District Police Office of Morang.

Their arrest came hours after Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula claimed at a press briefing that royalists were infiltrating into the protests in Terai to instigate violence and vowed action against those trying to create unrest. Sitaula had claimed that the government would bring Terai situation under control within few days.

Thapa, one of the key figures in the past royal government, is also accused of ordering brutal clampdown on 19-day pro-democracy agitations last April.

Meanwhile, the government has ordered administration to keep strict vigil on certain royalist elements including those who assumed positions of mayors and deputy mayors after royal municipal elections held in February of 2006.

At least seven people have been killed and dozens others injured in the ensuing violence in Terai during protests organised by Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) and two factions of Terai Janatantrik Mukti Morcha (JTMM), demanding amendment in the recently-promulgated interim constitution to guarantee proportional representation in the upcoming constituent assembly polls and a federal system.

Minister Tripathi resigns,Terai unrest continues

Although the tensions in the eastern Terai have started to calm down, life has not returned to normalcy yet as the local administrations Monday issued fresh curfew orders in four towns.
The District Administration Offices issued curfew orders in Janakpur, Birgunj, Kalaiya and Gaur today to control the increasing unrest in the southeastern region.

Meanwhile, citing the government reluctance to resolve the Madhesi issues, Minister for Commerce, Industry and Supplies Hridayesh Tripathi today resigned from his post from the ruling coalition government.

He said that the ruling seven-party alliance was "not serious enough over the present turmoil in the Terai region."

Minister Tripathi tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala through the chief secretary today.

"The eight parties have failed to show the level of seriousness that merits the present situation. Madhesh is moving ahead with its genuine demands regarding the proportional electoral procedure and federal setup, among others." He said adding, "We had issued a note of dissent on the very day the interim constitution was promulgated on January 15, however, there has been no hearing over them."

Central Committee members of the Nepal Sadhbhawana Party (Anandidevi) had recently urged the party to leave the coalition government accusing the government to have suppressing the Madhesi movement in the Terai region.

Meanwhile, shops and transportation services remained closed for the 11th day running as protests resumed in some parts of the eastern Terai since Monday morning.

In Lahaan where the Madhesi People's Right Forum (MPRF) first carried out the protests, life seemed to returning to normalcy but markets and shops remained closed.

Although Lahan has been comparatively calmer in the past two days, transportation services have not begun operations and marketplaces remained closed.

Krishna Bahadur Yadav, central member of the MPRF, said that the indefinite banda programme would continue until their demands like proportional electoral system, federal state and declaration of constituencies based upon the population, among others, are addressed by the government.

In Birgunj, local administration imposed a nine-hour curfew (10am to 7pm) today again.

Likewise, DAO Rautahat also imposed a curfew in Gaur from 9 am to 7 pm.

Janakpur remained peaceful today. However, a 10-hour curfew has been imposed by the local administration from 8am to 6pm.

Meanwhile, just before the curfew order came into effect, a group of Nepali-speaking people traversed the city area and expressed their solidarity with the Madhesi movement and appealed all to maintain peace and harmony in the region.

Similarly, in Kalaiya of Bara a curfew has been imposed from 8am to 9pm today.

Modraj Dotel, chief district officer of Morang blamed those who called the protests to have failed to maintain the peace during the demonstrations despite their continuous pledge to organize peaceful demonstrations.

Likewise, life was badly affected in Jaleshwor, Mahottari, as the residents were deprived of essential daily goods as the shops remained closed.

Due to the closure of transportation, newspapers have not been delivered for the past 10 days. In addition, even the local newspapers have not been published.

According to our correspondent, due to the lack of newspapers people have been deprived of factual information.

In Mirchai, Siraha, agitators forced around 300 Maoist cadres out of Shobha Shahi's house. The Maoists had captured Shahi's house six months ago.

Protesters vandalized the Village Development Committee Office, Post Office and the Drug Administration Office in Mirchaiya.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress leaders who are here in Janakpur to hold talks with the Madhesi leaders today expressed their solidarity with the ongoing movement.

They stressed that that the protests should be peaceful and urged all concerned to maintain peace and harmony in the region.

The team of NC leaders comprises of Ram Baran Yadav, joint general secretary of the party, Smriti Narayan Chaudhary and chief whip Anand Prasad Dhungana.

Speaking at a press conference today, the leaders said that Madhesi people's rights have not been addressed adequately and this movement should only end with a plausible solution.

They added that the Madhesi people's demands are justifiable and should be addressed.

U.N. says alarmed at violence in Nepal's plains

The United Nations said on Sunday it was "deeply concerned" by rising violence in Nepal's food producing southern plains which has left seven people dead.

Ethnic Madhesis in the country's Terai lowlands have been protesting for 10 days over what they say is the political and commercial dominance of people who live in the hills and mountains of Nepal's north.

In the latest unrest, one man was shot and killed by police on Sunday while dozens were injured. Three towns were placed under curfew.

"We are seeing a very worrying escalation of tension and violence in communities in the Terai," said Lena Sundh, representative in Nepal of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Madhesis say they face widespread discrimination, resulting in their under-representation in parliament, political parties, the army and police, despite being the majority in an area that is home to almost half the country's population of 26 million.

The Madhesis, who live in the fertile strip of land by the Indian border, are ethnically and culturally closer to people from neighbouring Indian states than to Nepalis from the hills.

The violence has tarnished a peace deal between the government and Maoist rebels sealed in November ending a conflict which killed 13,000 people.

Sundh warned that unless there was action, including dialogue, the violence could grow.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has said he wants talks, but community leaders say they are yet to receive an invite.

In a statement, the United Nations urged leaders to reach out to the Madhesis and signal they are working to address their concerns. It called on the police to exercise greater restraint.

Six of the seven people to die have been shot by police, while one Madhesi was gunned down during a clash with Maoists.

In Sunday's violence in Kalaiya, 75 km (50 miles) southeast of Kathmandu, protesters defied a curfew to confront police.