F OCHA Nepal Situation Overview Issue No. 33, covering the period 26 August-8 September 2008 Kathmandu, 9 September 2008 Highlights: • Koshi River flood relief efforts in Sunsari and Saptari districts continue • Relief operations led by the Government and supported by the humanitarian community through cluster approach • Newly formed Government starts out with initiatives on law and order, frees semi-bonded labourers • Tension between political groups on local level continues, including occasional clashes of youth groups • Food crisis persists in Mid and Far West, compounded by supply problems • Security in Terai remains of concern, due to armed groups and criminal gangs CONTEXT the cadres of the two groups in different locations, Minister of Home Affairs Gautam has called on both the YCL and the Political situation Youth Force to show camaraderie as both aim to establish peace. Clashes were also reported between Maoists and Following Prime Minister (PM) Pushpa Kamal Dahal‘s return supporters of the MPRF, the other large coalition partner in from his trip to China, the remaining open issues regarding Government. the formation of the government were sorted out and the Communist Party of Nepal œ UML joined the government with six Ministers, including with the second rank in protocol, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Bam Dev Gautam, who also serves as Minister of Home Affairs. The current legislative Parliament session of the Constituent Assembly (CA) began on 5 September, for the first time after the new coalition government was established. The Nepal Government will be presenting its policies and programmes to the CA. President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav is scheduled to address Parliament on 10 September to outline the government‘s policies and programmes. Finance Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai will also present the first budget of the new government during this session. Committees and sub-committees relating to the drafting of the new Flood-hit areas in Sunsari district. Photo: OCHA constitution will also be formed during the current session. Public statements and discussions between parties were also On 7 September, the Nepali Congress (NC) Central related to security sector reform and army integration, the Committee meeting decided to break its —working alliance restructuring of the State of Nepal according to federalist with the CPN-Maoist“, accusing the CPN/M of heading to the principles, as well as the relationship between the —path of a dictatorship“ and announced that it will not Government and the CA in that regard. support or oppose the Government as per its performance in the days ahead. However, the NC committed to supporting On 7 September, PM Dahal assured that his party would the Government to bring the overall peace process to a return captured land and property to their respective owners logical end and to actively extend support in the drafting of soon. —The policy and program on returning captured lands the new constitution. and properties will be implemented soon,“ the Prime Minister was quoted as saying. Despite the new alliance formed between the six parties represented in Government, occasional altercations between The date for the official visit of PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal to the Maoists and other party supporters in outlying areas India was fixed from 14 to 18 September. continued to be reported. Problems often involved the YCL and the newly established Youth Force of the UML, the Safety and security second partner in government. CPN-UML leaders have lauded the role of its militant wing, stating that the Youth The newly-appointed DPM and Home Minister Bam Dev Force was able to check Maoist YCL activities to some extent Gautam has expressed the commitment to strengthen law and decided to expand the Youth Force‘s organization, while and order in Nepal. He emphasized that the law enforcement stressing that the Youth Force will act as a peaceful agencies should step up their operations and vigilance with a organization and shun violence. The Youth Force is designed view to ensuring that those who break the system and to —counter all anti-social activities of the YCL, launch a procedures are brought to justice. He also hinted at the need campaign against corruption and mismanagement and to to revamp and reshuffle the law enforcement mechanism to assist in the peace process“. inject new energy and capacity in the law enforcement organization to enable it to carry out the tasks and Meanwhile, Maoist-affiliated YCL cadres clashed with the responsibilities in an efficient and effective manner, media UML‘s Youth Force in Dhankuta, which led to a 3-day curfew reported. there. Following this and other reports of clashes between OCHA Nepal Situation Overview, Issue No. 33/9 September 2008 1 Subsequently, the MoHA has issued 15 instructions to police concerns, according to local media reports. Local residents for the regulation of the sale of liquor, entry to casinos, limit have to walk for days to receive services, including, birth ”dance restaurants‘, curb smuggling and increase revenues, registration, marriage and death certificates from the VDC check the activities of Tibetan refugees and take effective Secretaries. Some people have to walk for five to seven days measures to reduce traffic accidents. Large numbers of police and spend NPR 2,000 to reach DHQ. were deployed evenings in Kathmandu and the authorities issued notices demanding disco and bar owners to close after The VDC Secretary of Kailpalmandu VDC in Dadeldhura 2300hrs. District was reported missing for the past five months. The family members of the missing VDC Secretary have urged the DPM and Home Minster Gautam also stated that the District Administration, Human Rights workers and Government would soon hold talks with all the armed groups journalists to help to trace the missing VDC Secretary. that are active in the Terai, and noted that force will be used against groups not ready to engage in political talks. On 6 September, the VDC Secretary of Bhediya in Siraha, who had been abducted by an unidentified group on 23 Police have arrested five people allegedly involved in last August, was released at Raghupur in Siraha. month‘s bomb blast at Vice-President Paramananda Jha's house. They are members of the so-called Rastriya Mukti On 1 September, the VDC Secretary Rights Preservation Morcha. Centre in Sunsari began a movement closing all the 49 VDC offices of Sunsari for an indefinite period. Stating that the Security incidents continued to be reported from across the government was silent over the abduction and disappearance country, with a concentration in the areas of the Terai which of a VDC secretary in Siraha district by an unidentified were affected by the activities of armed groups and criminal armed group earlier this summer, the centre has informed activities over the past months. Incidents included that all the VDC offices will be closed unless the victim is abductions, killings, threats and explosions. On 1 September, released without harm. an unidentified gang abducted a person in Ramnagar of Mahottari. On 2 September, a bomb was exploded targeting a A number of ethnic-based organizations have also continued textile factory in Birgunj, Parsa, for which the Janatantrik their attacks against State representatives and institutions, in Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM)-Prithvi has claimed particular in the Eastern region, which represents a challenge responsibility. On 3 September, a local businessman was to the state in those areas. On 1 September, the Limbuwan abducted by an unidentified group in Saptari. Also on 3 Volunteers, affiliated with Sanghiya Limbuwan Rajya September in Mahottari, an unidentified group abducted a Parishad (SLRP) imposed a prohibitory order in Phidim man of Gannarpura, and an unidentified group killed a Bazar of Pancthar district and other adjoining areas, Maoist worker. On 4 September, an NC activist was shot by imposing a nighttime curfew in order to curb criminal two unknown people, and later died due to injuries. On 5 activities. Affiliates of the Federal Limbuwan State Council September, a woman from Udaypur Gharmi of Parsa district (FLSC), an ethnic-based armed group, have reportedly died after being shot by unidentified armed criminals in an demanded large sums in ”donations‘ from banks and attempt to kidnap her husband. Five others were also injured businessmen in Jhapa. On 2 September, FLSC members in the incident, two of them critically. On 6 September, an disrupted the Dhude-Mai stretch of the East West Highway unidentified group abducted one person from his house at for some hours demanding the release of two of their Tribhuvan Nagar of Sarlahi district. On 7 September, cross members arrested by police for forcefully collecting firing between police and cadres of JTMM-Jwala Singh ”donations‘ from vehicles along the route. reportedly occurred at Shreepur Katuar of Mahottari. Also on 7 September, an unidentified group abducted the principal of On 2 September, cadres of the Kirant Janwadi Workers‘ a boarding school in Rajbiraj of Saptari. On the same day, an Party (KJWP) burned the documents and furniture of the unidentified gang gunned down a local resident in Chanai of office of Kot VDC in Bhojpur district for not providing Kapilvastu district. ”donations‘. The group has also threatened the VDC Secretary to not perform official duties. Reportedly, the KJWP agreed Strikes and bandhs also continued to affect some parts of the not to attack the VDC offices and police posts in a written country. Road blocks and strikes had a negative effect on the agreement made with the CPN/M at Chisapani of Khotang relief effort in response to the Koshi flood in Saptari and district in August. Sunsari districts. The strikes and blockades were most often triggered by local issues and disputes, as well as following Operational space traffic accidents, rather than country wide political agitation.