Ethnic unrest cripples life in Nepal

NEPAL: A strike and blockades by ethnic groups demanding greater representation threw life out of gear and left thousands of people stranded on Monday in Nepal, officials said.

The Mahadhesi Janadhikar (People’s Right) Forum, whose pro-autonomy protests left 29 dead in recent weeks, resumed a blockade of the capital Monday.

A previous 20-day blockade by the Mahadhesis left the capital short of fuel and other essential supplies.

The forum also plans to launch a general strike on March 6.

“The markets and shops are open but long-route transportation services connecting different cities have been completely stopped ... the protesters have also closed the customs office along the border with India,” said Narendra Raj Poudel, chief district officer of Birgunj, 275 kilometres (170 miles) south of Kathmandu.

Traffic also came to a standstill in parts of the southern plains after activists from the ethnic Mahadhesi community protested against the government. The Mahadhesis, from the impoverished Terai plains bordering India, represent around one-third of Nepal’s population of 27 million people.

The group suspended three weeks of protests on February 8 in a move it said was aimed at paving the way for talks with the government. But it has now first demanded the resignation of Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula, citing the “excessive behaviour” of police during the protests, which left hundreds injured.

Their campaign has produced pledges from Nepal’s prime minister to turn the country into a federal state and increase electoral seats for Mahadhesis, and has also sparked activism by other ethnic minorities.

In eastern Nepal, a general strike called by the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities — representing 50 communities — has also crippled the region.

“At least eight districts have been affected by the strike ... all the shops, markets and schools have remained shut and transportation is blocked in most areas,” said top district official Modraj Dottel, from Biratnagar town in the far east of the country.

The protests and violence have cast a cloud over a peace deal signed last December which ended a decade-long civil war and brought Nepal’s Maoists into parliament.

Kathmandu, Tuesday, AFP