www.USNepalOnline.Com: Nepalese News Live from the capital of the world-New York City

News from Nepal & New York

Inside This:
यस भित्रका खुराकहरु:
संपादकीय Editorial
साताको कुराकानी Interview
साप्‍ताहिक झटारो
हाम्रो बोली
अन्‍रांष्‍ट्रीय खबरहरु
International News
न्‍यूयोर्कमा आगामी कायंक्रमहरु
Upcoming Events in NYC & USA
न्‍यूयोर्क शहरमा एक साँझ
An Evening Out in New York
न्‍यूयोर्कका नेपाली संघ-संस्‍थाहरु
Nepalese Orgs in NYC
न्‍यूयोर्कमा नेपाली ब्‍‍यावसायहरु
Nepalese Business in NYC
अमेरिकामा नेपाली संस्‍थाहरु
Nepalese Orgs in USA
अमेरिकामा नेपाली ब्‍‍यावसायहरु
Nepalese Business in USA
समकालिन साहित्य-रचना
Contemporary Writings
कविता Poetry
मनोरन्जन Entertainment
दोहोरी लोक भाकाहरु सुनौं
Nepalese Folk Music & Dance
पाठक प्रतिकृया Readers' Comments
Audio Archive/Video Archive
नेपालका आदिवासी-जनजातिहरु
Indigenous People of Nepal
प्रवासी नेपाली संस्थाह्‍रू
Nepali Diaspora Orgs
Nepali News Media
नेपाली पत्रपत्रिकाहरू
दैनिक Daily
साप्‍ताहिक Weekly
Monthly & Other Media
Nepali Online Portals
Nepali Radio / F.M. / TV

Disappeared People’s Family and Displaced Nepalese Have No Hope from the New Government

Disappeared Nepalese family members in Kanchanpur. Photos: Sangmo

Kailai/ Kanchanpur, September 22, 2008- "Everyday, when night falls, I worry whether my sister and brothers will come home or can be seen somewhere else." says Narendra Chaudhari, 27 of Pipladi, Kanchanpur whose sister Parbesani Chaudhari, brother Sundar Lal Chaudhari, and cousin Prakash Chaudhari were taken by the then Royal Nepalese Army in 2059, Bhadra 29, during the decade long armed conflict in this country, having been accused of involvement in the Maoist party.

Parbeseni was studying in grade 6, Sundar and Prakash were 7th graders in the National Higher Secondary School in Pipladi when army personnel took them. Their whereabouts are still unknown.

"Army personnel accused them of writing revolutionary songs and suspected their affiliation with Maoists.” Narendra said. Narendra was working in India at the time of incident. "They were innocent. They were not involved in Maoist Party."

He informed the local police about the incident but the police took no action.

Narendra's family claims that the then Royal Nepalese Army made them disappeared. “ I think they are still alive as their bodies have not been found anywhere", Laments Narendra.

Narendra and his mother Rishiya Chaudhari.

He explains his brothers and sister's names are not mentioned in the disappeared list of ICRC, a human rights organization, and the government's report. "The government report is inauthentic," says Chaudhari, "but their names are written on the list of Maoists."

The locals claim 28 people of Pipladi village were disappeared by then Royal Nepalese Army during the Maoist insurgency. But none of their names are written in the government disappeared list.

"I hoped that the whereabouts of my brothers and sisters would be found after the formation of the Maoist government as they were charged with being Maoist, but this government is not showing any interest," he complains.

Tara Devi Bohara

46 year old Tara Devi Bohara of the same village also hopes that her husband Amar Singh Bohara, 45, will one day return to their home. He was disappeared by then Royal Nepalese Army in the month of Poush, 2059 B.S while he was going to India for work.

He was also charged with being a Maoist.

"Later, Maoists informed me about the disappearance of my husband, but until now they (Maoist) have not done anything to bring us relief" says the grief stricken Mrs. Bohara.

"No human rights organizations have come to ask us about the real situation," she said.

The mother of 3 children, Bohara becomes distraught when her small children ask about their father saying "I become speechless at those times. I was hopeful that my husband’s situation would be known after establishment of the Maoist government, but this government is not concerned about the investigation of disappeared citizens.”

Now her only desire is that the government will provide education for the children and take care of the elderly family members, and provide employment to the victim.

She has little or no hope that the victims will receive justice because the government is ignoring the issue.

Sunil Chaudhari

11 years old Sunil Chaudhari, of Pipladi village lost his father during the insurgency in the year 2059 B.S. Bhadra. The Royal Nepalese Army took his father accusing him of being Maoist when Sunil was in class 1 and his sister was just 8 months old.

"The guilty must be punished for killing my father without any reason," says Sunil.

Now a 4th grader, Sunil dreams of becoming a doctor, but it seems quite impossible that his dream will be fulfilled as he lacks many text books and is having difficulty paying school fees due to his family’s poverty."I wish someone would help me to continue my studies."

Ratna Devi Chaudhari and Pabitra Chaudahri. Photos: Sangmo

Ratna Devi Chaudhari, 27 and Pabitra Chaudahri 25, of the same village also describe their agony about loss of their husband who was taken away by the Royal Nepalese Army.

"Now we only want the government to provide for our children's education and provide a job opportunity."

The bloody armed conflict has adversely affected many people in many different ways: making their loved ones lost, disappeared, disabled or displaced, leaving the living to deal with agony and frustration.

Gambir Singh Bom. Photos: Sangmo

The family of Gambir Singh Bom, 55 of Masuria-5 of Kailali district has not been able to return home since a Maoist captured their house and land during a period of insurgency.

"We are facing a difficult time as we don't have any source of income," says Bom who is now living in Dhangadi.

His son Min Bom was killed by the Maoists in 2058 B.S. on the charge of spying against them.

"Maoist leader Prachanda came to Kailali and promised to return our seized properties but nothing has been done so far," explained Bom angrily. "At first they said they would return it after the CA election, and later promised to return it after the formation of the new government, but we have still not got our seized properties back. It is all their fake commitments."

According to the Chief District Officer of Kailali, Chhetra Bahadur Bhandari, 556 families of Kailali were displaced during 10 years of armed conflict in the country.

Bom's daughter-in-law Sarada Bom, 28, wants the government to provide education for her 7 year old daughter.

"We have received false assurances from the government, nothing more than that," Sarada stated. "The government should provide employment to us according to our qualifications," she demands.

The Family of Lila Dhar Bhandari, 60 of Sadepani V.D.C-10 of Kailali has been displaced since 2057 B.S. after the Maoists captured their land and house. Currently they are living in their relative's house.

"We had a meeting with Maoist leader Pampha Bushal and others; they said they would provide economic support for our living expenses, but there is as yet no favorable environment to return home to due to immoral activities of YCL (Young Communist League), a sister organization of Maoist Party."

They express their anger toward Prime Minister Prachanda for not taking the initiative to improve the living environment.

Another displaced Bhagwati K.C. demands that the government make special provisions to the displaced ones to make their lives comfortable.

They have been living under mental torture.

Like these people, many others who were affected by the decade of Maoist conflict in the country had hoped that after the peace process, the victims would get justice and the guilty would be punished. But even after 3 years of peace, no concerned authorities have seriously dealt with their problems. Though the current government and the Maoist leaders agreed to make the disappeared citizens public within 60 days of the Great Peace Agreement, they are ignoring the matter. Last year the Supreme Court directed the formation of a “Commission on Investigation of Disappeared Citizens” but it has not been implemented yet.

Many children are forced to drop out of school due to poverty as the wage earner has been disappeared. Many families are facing a harsh and troubled life. The victims have been demanding government justice and relief by publicizing their grief and anguish. But the government remains silent and seemingly irresponsible towards the issues of victim justice and punishment of the guilty. Victims are fed up with reckless government. They have exhausted their hope that the government will meet their demands, because they have been deceived so many times. It’s a high time, therefore, that the government and the concerned authorities take proper steps to deliver justice to these victims of the conflict.

The Peace and Reconstruction Ministry's spokesperson Syam Sundar Gupta asserted that the draft of the Disappearance Commission has been prepared and will soon form.

The National Human Rights Commission's statistics show that a total of 970 citizens were disappeared during the period of Maoist insurgency in the country. This number includes 671 from the state side and 299 by Maoist.

However, the statistics of disappeared citizens differs from one human rights organization to another.

-Sangmo Yonjan-Tamang in Kathmandu

तपाईंको भनाइ लेखी छाड्‍न र अरुको भनाइ पढ्न यहाँ क्लिक गर्नुहोस्
Please add yours and view our readers' comments at: Guest Book page»