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Sabrang Team
|
April 21, 2006
Appeal from Nepal
Dear
colleagues, sisters, brothers,friends andcomrades in struggle
I am writing this from
Kathmandu.
It is about 8.00
a.m.
Nepal
time. The entire valley was under curfew
for
25 hours yesterday, April 20, 2006, the 15th day
of
the ongoing civic protest against the autoctraric
king and his army. The curfew which was first clamped
for
18 hours from 2.00 a.m. in tge morining of April
20,
till 8.00 p.m. was extended till 3.00 a.m. to
April 21. Now the king has announced reimposition of
curfew from
9.00
a.m. to 8.00 p.m. Within another one
hour the entire valley will be under curfew again.
Yestrerday,(April 20) as you have learnt from the news
channles and news papers that hundreds of thousands of
commom people of Nepal, young, old, men, women and
children had come out on the streets, not just in
Kathmandu, but in almost every urban centre of Nepal
to
participate in the protest rally called by the
Seven-Party Alliance. The CPN Maoists have also joined
in
the peaceful protests under the 12-point agreement
signed between them and the Seven Party
Alliance in
November 2005.
The army and the security forces of the king used all
forms of violence, beating up, kicking, firing tear
gasing and shooting live bullets at the protesters. As
per
reports four persons were killed in Kathmandu.
According to eyewitness account, one person was shot
on
the roof of a house in Kalanki as he was watching
the
rally in front of his house. Another young boy of
about 17 years was kicked to death on the street. The
security forces opened fire in several places in
Kathmandu. Reports from media persons and other
eyewitness from Kalanki, Sadtobato, Balkhu, Chabail,
Chapa gaum, Khumaltar, Maitidevi Gwarko (Lalitpur) and
Gangabu confirm that the injured were not allowed
acces to medical help. Ambulences and other vechiles
which could have helped ferrying the injured to
hospitals were not allowed to move as curfew passes
were denied to them. Nepal Redcorss, ICRC and other
Human Rights monitoring agencies were not allowed to
do
their work. Most of the injured were looked after
by
medical doctors participating in the protest
rallies at roadside medicine shops who opened up
defying the curfew orders.
News from outside the valley conform that more than a
hundred and fifty thousand came out on the streets in
Narayangadh in support of the demand for restoration
of
"complete democrscy" and establishment of a new
constitution assembly.
This is no longer a protest organised by political
parties. It is a people's movement. The Seven Party
Alliance
had requested one person from every family to
participate in the protest rally of April 20. From the
number of people who came out defying the curfew and
the
overcoming the fear of bullets was enormous. I
have seen the expression on the faces of the people on
the streest yesterday. They are determined. They are
fearless, They know what they want and are not going
to
be stiopped by the army of the king. The days of
the
king and compromised politicians are over.
I appeal to all of to support this movement of the
people of Nepal.They want democracy and they want to
decide the future architecture of the state and the
polity through a democratically elected Constituent
Assembly. This king and his army are against this
demand of the people of Nepal. He has let lose a reign
of
terror on the people. He is killing, torturing and
jailing people. His army and security forces have been
looting the poor people and raping Nepali women in the
rural and urban areas. He has lost all legitimacy to
rule. His "government" is illegal and immoral. Those
who
recognise this killer king and still deal with his
rouge government can not escape the responsibility for
these deaths that are taking place in Nepal. They are
helping him to trample on the aspirations of the
people.
It time for the international community to reject this
rouge regime and call on the Seven Party Alliance to
form an interim government. The Seven party Alliance
should be helped to follow the road map that they and
the
Maoists drew up together for restoration of peace
and
complete democracy in Nepal.
I appeal to all demorcatic peoples of South Asia to
came forward and support the Nepalese people in this
hour of need. This is great moment in the history of
our
region. Let us not let another movement for
democracy be crushed.
I particularly appeal to the human rights defendes of
South Asian countires to come to Nepaql now and see
for
them selves the terror that a rouge king has let
lose and how the courageous people of Nepal, the
poorest country of our region are facing this terror.
I
also appeal to ever person of conscience to come to
Kathmandu NOW and be with the people mof Nepal and
help them in their struggle. Any one who will like to
respond to this appeal, please contact the
undersigned.
Tapan Kumar Bose
Secretary General,
South Asia Forum for Human Rights
Kathmandu
Tel: (+)977-1-5541026
Fax: (+) 977-1-5527852
Email:
[email protected]
E-mail:
[email protected]
Mobile (Indian)(+) 91-9818001206 |