July 11, 2008
Republic shackled before it learns to walk
The youngest republic on earth remains log jammed and unable to form a government that has been inundated with southern ethnic groups’ protests. The inordinate delay in selecting a president and prime minister leaves Nepal especially vulnerable to the mounting economic concerns created by skyrocketing oil prices and sinking food supplies in an already impoverished country. The Brussels-based International Crisis Group just published a report that law and order “is in tatters, particularly in some Terai [southern] districts and the culture of impunity remains intact.” Strikes from diverse groups add to the general uneasiness. Pushpa Kamal Dahal (“Prachanda”), leader of the Maoists, recently admitted that the parties have not been able to meet the expectations of the people even after three months of successful election to the Constituent Assembly.
For the moment, the Seven Party Alliance’s biggest political challenge is dealing with the Madeshi parties that have interrupted proceedings for the last two weeks. On July 8, the government retracted an earlier supplementary amendment bill draft and prepared a new one to address the issue of autonomy, various rights of indigenous people and a guarantee of equal opportunity for Madeshis to enlist in the Nepal Army.
However, the Madeshi parties' members walked out of the House when the bills were tabled, saying they did not exactly address their demand for a single autonomous region of Terai. Still, the members did not obstruct the proceedings of the House as in the past. 
The Constituent Assembly is also expected to pass a key amendment bill on Sunday that would allow a simple majority to form or dissolve a government, instead of the current provision requiring two-third majority. This would allow a go-ahead for the selection of a president and prime minister.
But nothing is certain. The Achilles’ heel of infighting among the seven parties, as well as the continuing protest of the long ignored Madeshis, may prevent significant headway.
Against the backdrop of a contentious Parliament, the country is hindered with additional worries.
Doctors’ Strike
On July 9, Nepalese doctors walked off the job shutting down hospitals and clinics in the capital to pressure the government to protect them against attacks by angry relatives of patients who have died. There have been several incidents in the past year in which patients have died, and their family members have attacked or threatened hospitals and doctors, alleging negligence in their relatives' deaths. In the latest incident, the family of a patient, who died after kidney surgery, threatened doctors at a hospital in Katmandu over the weekend. The government had promised better security at hospitals two years ago after a similar incident led to a doctors' strike, but little has been done. 
The Nepal Medical Association strike, which has left all but emergency services shut in hospitals across the nation, will continue until Sunday. There are about 7,500 doctors in Nepal.
Tibetan Protests
Fresh demonstrations in Kathmandu in which 200-300 Tibetans are brought into custody daily, continue on a daily basis with no end in sight.
On July 6, Nepal's Supreme Court freed three leading Tibetan activists who had been arrested in their homes and jailed for allegedly leading anti-China protests. Kelsang Chung, Ngawang Sangmo and Tashi Dolma were arrested last month, charged with violating the Public Security Act and imprisoned for 90 days.
The judges ruled that police did not have enough evidence to arrest the activists and jail them under the act. The judges also said that police had failed to explain why the three were a threat to security and peace.
The three were the first Tibetan activists in Nepal sentenced to jail terms since March, when almost-daily protests began in Katmandu condemning China's crackdown in the Himalayan region.
Nepalese authorities have banned protests by Tibetan exiles, saying demonstrations against friendly nations, including China, will not be allowed. Tibetan refugees have also been barred from all political activities.
Unrest in the South: Anti-Madeshi protesters shut down Nepal’s Terai
Twenty-two ethnic organizations opposing the creation of a single state for people of Indian origin Thursday shut down Nepal’s Terai plains, blocking highways near the Indian border as well as customs offices and entry points. The town of Birgunj, an industrial hub where dozens of Indo-Nepal industries are located, was shut down.
The Tharu Kalyankarini Sabha spearheaded the protest with 21 other indigenous organizations. The Tharus were the original inhabitants of the fertile plains but were displaced by migrants from India and Nepal’s hills and reduced to bonded slaves by the newcomers.
Scholars from the community claim Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was a Tharu. The 22 organizations oppose the demand by three Terai parties, who emerged as the fourth largest bloc in the April election, for the creation of an autonomous Madeshi state in the Terai.
The opponents of the Madeshis say, while they are from Terai, they do not consider themselves to be Madeshis or people of Indian origin. The formation of a Madeshi state would marginalize them, the protesters say.
During the Maoist insurgency, Tharus supported the underground party en masse and claim to have been the most oppressed of all groups by security forces. They are now calling for the creation of a state for Tharus, called Tharuwat.
This is the second strike called by the anti-Madeshi protesters within a week. Thursday’s closure comes after the ruling parties seemed on the verge of reaching an agreement with the Madesh parties.
Thursday’s strike saw transport come to a halt -- Nepal-bound vehicles and trucks stranded near the Indian border and educational institutions, shops and markets and industries remaining closed.
Bombing in Terai
The Rajan Mukti faction of the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha detonated bombs in a government office and a non- governmental organization in Dhanusha district in south-central Nepal on 10 July. No one was injured. The group cited “irregularities in the offices” as their motive for the bombings.
Tigers Disappear From Nepal
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed by the dramatic decline of at least 30 percent of the Bengal tiger population in Nepal’s Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, once a refuge that boasted among the highest densities of the endangered species in the Eastern Himalayas. The recent survey of April 2008 showed a population of between 6-14 tigers, down from 20-50 tigers in 2005.
The Government of Nepal made a low-key announcement on July 1 based on the results of a long-term camera trap study conducted in large part by WWF. Officials identified poaching as perhaps the major cause of tigers disappearing from this protected area. Ironically, the very equipment set up to capture tiger images has photographed armed poachers.
“The loss of tigers in Suklaphanta is undoubtedly linked to the powerful global mafia that controls illegal wildlife trade,” said Jon Miceler, managing director of WWF’s Eastern Himalayas Program. “The evidence suggests that Nepal’s endangered tigers are increasingly vulnerable to this despicable trade that has already emptied several Indian tiger reserves—clearly, this is symptomatic of the larger tiger crisis in the region. We need a stronger, more sustained response to this issue in order to protect the future of tigers in the wild.”
Suklaphanta shares a porous international border with India, allowing for easy and untraceable transportation of wildlife contraband. Unlike poaching of other species like rhinos where only the horns are removed, virtually no evidence remains at a tiger-poaching site because all its parts are in high demand for illegal wildlife trade.
In May, two tiger skins and nearly 70 pounds of tiger bones were seized from the border town of Dhangadi. Just last month, two separate raids recovered tiger bones being smuggled by local middlemen through the reserve.
“With only 4,000 tigers remaining in the wild, every tiger lost to poaching pushes this magnificent animal closer to extinction,” said Dr. Sybille Klenzendorf, director of WWF’s Species Conservation Program. “Tigers cannot be saved in small forest fragments when faced with a threat like illegal wildlife trade—this is a global problem that needs the concerted effort of governments, grassroots organizations and all concerned individuals.”
WWF is committed to working even more closely with local communities and various government bodies in Nepal and India to tackle illegal wildlife trade. Activities ranging from improved community-based anti-poaching operations to entrenched informant networks and better-equipped rapid response teams are being strengthened.
Most poached tigers end up in China and South East Asia where they are used in traditional Chinese medicine. They are prized as symbols of wealth and are also served as exotic food.
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