MISSING PERSONS IN NEPAL The right to know Updated list - 2011 International Committee of the Red Cross GPO Box: 21225, Meen Bhawan, Naya Baneshwor Kathmandu, Nepal National Headquarters, Red Cross Marga, T (00977) 1 4107285 / 4107279 PO Box 217, Kalimati, Kathmandu , Nepal F (00977) 1 4107137 Tel: (00977) 1 4270650 / 4272761 E-mail [email protected] www.icrc.org Fax: (00977) 1 4271915 ICRC © ICRC, August 2011 E-mail: [email protected] www.nrcs.org MISSING PERSONS IN NEPAL The right to knoW 1 MISSING PERSONS IN NEPAL The right to know Uncertainty about the fate of a relative is a harsh reality for countless families during and after armed conflict or other violence. All over the world, people are desperately searching for lost relatives. Not knowing whether relatives are alive or dead, families and communities are unable to put the violence of the past behind them. Their anguish continues years after peace has returned, and they are unable to move on to rehabilitation and reconciliation, either as individuals or as communities. These wounds harm the very fabric of society and undermine relationships between groups, sometimes decades after a conflict has ended. The 1996-2006 conflict in Nepal brought tragedy for many families: thousands of people were killed during the conflict, and over a thousand families still do not know what happened to a relative. International humanitarian law (IHL) requires authorities to take all feasible measures to account for people who go missing, and to give families all the information they have on their fate and whereabouts. In other words, IHL requires the authorities to do all they can to provide families with answers that will end the agony of uncertainty, so that they can begin mourning the loss of a beloved husband, caring father, or loving son or daughter. Since 1999, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), supported by the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), has maintained contact with the families of missing persons across Nepal and has been encouraging the former parties to the conflict to clarify the fate of those who remain unaccounted for. Over the years, the ICRC has received 38191 reports from families regarding the disappearance of a relative in relation to the conflict.W hile the fate and whereabouts of hundreds of people has been established, 13832 people are still missing, nearly five years after the end of the conflict. Their families are anxious to know what happened; they need a formal answer so they can get on with their lives. Until then, they are torn between despair and hope: despair at the loss of a relative and hope that he or she may reappear, against all odds. For three consecutive years (2007, 2008 and 2009) the ICRC and the NRCS published lists of missing persons in Nepal. These lists contained 812, 1227 and 1348 names respectively. In 2010, the ICRC published the updated list of 1369 names on its website, in English and Nepali (www.familylinks.icrc.org). Since 2007, 42 families have received an answer and have been able to move on with their lives; meanwhile many more have come forward and asked the Red Cross to help them obtain information. The present document contains an updated list of 1383 missing persons, taken from ICRC records. This is not a comprehensive list of everyone who went missing during the conflict; it only includes people whose families have approached the NRCS or the ICRC looking for information about a missing relative. Each name represents the missing person, his or her family, the suffering of that family, the statements the families provided to the ICRC, and the ICRC’s repeated representations to the authorities. In May 2009, the ICRC published a study on the needs of the families of missing persons, as expressed by the families themselves. The picture that emerges from this study is of a group of families striving simultaneously to cope with the multiple effects of a relative going missing – especially the economic impact – while enduring the emotional strain of not knowing whether the person is alive or dead. The study shows that there is an urgent need for the Nepalese authorities to honour their public commitments to resolve the issue of missing persons. The government must address both the families’ status and their right to know their missing relatives’ fate. Clarifying the fate and whereabouts of missing relatives and taking measures regarding the status of missing persons are both critical: they will allow the families to begin the process of mourning and reconciliation. 1 Total number of reports from families who approached the Red Cross up to 15 July 2011 2 Total number of unresolved missing persons cases on Red Cross files as of 15 July 2011 2 MISSING PERSONS IN NEPAL The right to knoW The aims of this publication are to bring public recognition to the 1383 families of missing persons in Nepal and to highlight their suffering and their needs. It also constitutes an appeal to the WHO IS A “MISSING government of Nepal, to clarify the fate of those who went missing PERSON”? during the conflict and to ensure that all families of missing persons are included in government programmes supporting the victims of In Nepal, the ICRC defines a “missing person” as: conflict. An individual who is unaccounted for as a result of the armed conflict that took place in the country between 13 February 1996 and 21 November 2006 and, whose family is still seeking clarification from the authorities about the person's fate and/or the location of the human remains. WHAT ARE THE FAMILIES' "NEEDS"? • A satisfactory answer from the authorities, clarifying the fate of the missing person • If the person is deceased, information on the location of the mortal remains and possibilities to recover them • Government acknowledgement in the form of a declaration of death, a death certificate or the granting of a special status • Government assistance to receive reparations MISSING PERSONS IN NEPAL The right to knoW 3 MISSING PERSONS IN NEPAL IS ONE OF YOUR RELATIVES MISSING? If one of your relatives went missing during the conflict, their name is not on this list and you are expecting a response from the authorities, please contact your district branch of the Nepal Red Cross Society to report their disappearance. CAN YOU PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT ANYONE ON THIS LIST? Please contact your district branch of the Nepal Red Cross Society if you have information on the fate or whereabouts of anyone whose name appears on the list. The names in the list are presented according to the district of residence of the closest relative of the missing person. FULL NAME SEX DATE OF DISTRICT OF FATHER’S NAME DATE OF DISTRICT OF BIRTH BIRTH DISAPPEARANCE DISAPPEARANCE ACHHAM BHIM BAHADUR SHAHI M --.--.1973 ACHHAM KATAK BAHADUR SHAHI 23.09.2003 ACHHAM BHOJ BAHADUR MIJAR M --.--.1972 ACHHAM BHAIRE MIJAR 20.11.2002 DOTI CHAKRA BAHADUR PARIYAR M 32454 ACHHAM JHANKARE PARIYAR 04.03.2003 ACHHAM CHANDRA RAJ PANDEY M 14.04.1974 ACHHAM LAL MANI PANDEY 12.04.2005 DOTI CHATTRA BAHADUR SHAHI M 15.04.1979 ACHHAM LOK BAHADUR SHAHI 23.09.2003 ACHHAM DABAL BAHADUR SAUD M --.11.1959 ACHHAM DAL BAHADUR SAUD 03.09.2004 ACHHAM DHANGRE DAMAI M 01.12.1988 ACHHAM NAULE DAMAI 23.01.2005 ACHHAM GAGI KAMI M 27.11.1975 ACHHAM BHANE BK 21.01.2003 ACHHAM KAL SAUD M 30779 ACHHAM AMBARE SAUD 19.02.2003 KAILALI KAMMANE SAUD M 30275 ACHHAM LALE SAUD 02.03.2005 BARDIYA MADAN BAHADUR SHAH M 20.10.1967 ACHHAM DIP BAHADUR SHAH 30.03.2002 ACHHAM MANGAL B K M 27.04.1979 ACHHAM PRASADE KAMI 28.04.2003 ACHHAM PADAM RAJ NEUPANE M --.--.1985 ACHHAM UMAKANTA UPADHAYA 05.03.2005 ACHHAM PINKI BAJGAIN F --.--.1965 KAILALI PADAM RAJ RIMAL 09.07.2003 ACHHAM SHAILENDRA SHAH M 29.12.1985 ACHHAM RANA BAHADUR SHAH 26.06.2003 ACHHAM ARGHAKHANCHI BISHNU PRASAD BHUSAL M 28.03.1969 ARGHAKHANCHI TOYA NARAYAN BHUSAL 16.03.2001 KATHMANDU ISHWARI PRASAD PANTHI M --.--.1961 ARGHAKHANCHI THAKUR PRASAD PANTHI 24.11.2005 KATHMANDU KASHI NATH THAPA MAGAR M 23.03.1981 ARGHAKHANCHI OM BAHADUR THAPA --.02.2002 RUPANDEHI MINA KHADKA F 11.03.1987 ARGHAKHANCHI RISHIRAM KHADKA 28.12.2004 ARGHAKHANCHI SARJANA PARIYAR F --.--.1992 ARGHAKHANCHI TEK CHAND PARIYAR --.01.2005 KAPILBASTU BAGLUNG ANITA B K F --.--.1991 BAGLUNG HARI LAL B K 25.12.2002 BAGLUNG BAK BAHADUR GHARTI MAGAR M 29.06.1977 BAGLUNG BAL BIR GHARTI MAGAR 11.03.2002 BAGLUNG BHAWANI PRASAD SHARMA PAUDEL M 26510 BAGLUNG YAGYAPATI PADHYA 24.07.2002 NAWALPARASI BHIM KUMARI GAUCHAN F 24.06.1961 BAGLUNG DAL BAHADUR SHERCHAN 11.03.2002 BAGLUNG BIJULA DEVI KANDEL F 11.12.1983 BAGLUNG TIKARAM SAPKOTA --.--.2003 BAGLUNG DAL BHAKTA LOPCHAN M --.--.1962 BAGLUNG RUP LAL LOPCHAN --.07.2002 BAGLUNG DHAG BAHADUR BASNET M --.03.1969 BAGLUNG SHIVA LAL BASNET 15.03.2002 BAGLUNG DIL MAYA B K F --.--.1980 BAGLUNG BHIM BAHADUR B K 06.06.2002 BAGLUNG DURGA BAHADUR SAHANI M --.01.1964 BAGLUNG PAHALSING SAHANI --.12.2001 RUPANDEHI GANESH K C M 30.05.1987 BAGLUNG BIMAL K C --.--.2001 BAGLUNG GANGA BAHADUR PUN M 01.11.1974 BAGLUNG BIRKHA MAN PUN 06.06.2002 BAGLUNG GORI B K F 19.05.1963 BAGLUNG GOPI LAL B K 06.06.2002 BAGLUNG GORKHA BAHADUR BHANDARI M 19.12.1975 BAGLUNG MAN BAHADUR BHANDARI --.01.2002 BAGLUNG HEM LAL KHATRI M 06.11.1974 BAGLUNG KHETI LAL KHATRI 06.06.2002 BAGLUNG KUL BAHADUR KHATRI M 01.10.1971 BAGLUNG KHETI LAL KHATRI 06.06.2002 BAGLUNG 4 MISSING PERSONS IN NEPAL The right to knoW FULL NAME SEX DATE OF DISTRICT OF FATHER’S NAME DATE OF DISTRICT OF BIRTH BIRTH DISAPPEARANCE DISAPPEARANCE NARESH CHANTYAL M --.06.1975 BAGLUNG GYAN BAHADUR CHANTYAL 20.03.2004 BAGLUNG PRAMILA B K F 22.01.1958 BAGLUNG