Nepal

At least three dead in violent ethnic protests

Article published on the 2009-03-06 Latest update 2009-03-06 14:38 TU

Prachanda, Prime Minister of Nepal
(File photo: Reuters)

At least two demonstrators and one police officer were killed in the Terai, the southern plains of Nepal, as a protest by members of the Tharu community turned violent. The Tharu started demonstrating for recognition as a separate ethnic group Monday in Chitwan, south of the capital, Kathmandu, and the protests have spread throughout the Terai.

“It’s a follow-up protest to last year,” Nepali journalist CK Lal told RFI, explaining that the Maoist-led government had grouped the Tharu in with other ethnic groups in the area, but they want to be recognised as separate, with more autonomy.

The Tharu make up two million of Nepal’s population of 27 million.

"The government called for talks, but they declined, and yesterday the protest got a bit violent and then police took action,” said Lal, who said 20 of the 75 districts in the southern planes are shut down.

Clashes with police continue, despite a curfew.

Nepal’s government has been struggling with ethnic tensions in the south since it came to power in an election last April. More than 200 people have been killed in the past two years.

Lal alleges that the ethnic tensions are bankrolled by NGOs and international donors, to destabilise the government.

“There is a bit of a conspiratorial aspect,” he said, naming groups like the Federation of Ethnic Communities, which he says is “heavily funded by the British government”, along with other, smaller ethnic groups.

“Then there are various church groups backing these ethnic communities, so it’s a pot pourri kind of a thing, many backers creating their own spheres of influence,” he said.

Lal says the government needs to address these issues, because it is dependent on these NGOs and donor groups for development.

“It cannot afford to antagonise donor agencies and foreign funders who may raise this issue as a point of human rights or identity rights,” he says.

As many as 20 major ethnic groups are demanding greater autonomy. Nepal is in the process of drafting a new constitution, intended to address some of these demands.