Peace Roadmap: An Appeal to the Leadership of the Eight Parties

Peace Roadmap: An Appeal to the Leadership of the Eight Parties
(Published originally in Nepali, Kantipur daily, 21 Sept 2006)

Sri Girija Prasad Koirala, Sri Madhav Kumar Nepal, Sri Sher Bahadur Deuba, Sri Amik Sherchan, Sri Narayan Man Bijukchhe (‘Rohit’), Sri Bharat Bimal Yadav, Sri Prabhu Narayan Chowdhary and Sri Pushpa Kamal Dahal (‘Prachanda’)

Gentlemen,
Before peace and democracy, fought for during the 2006 People’s Movement, have been attained, the country is entering a vortex of human insecurity. The forces that defeated royal authoritarianism by means of the 12-Point Agreement are growing apart, and this provides opportunities for reactionary elements to become active. Steps must be taken immediately to reduce the confusion and mistrust between the seven parliamentary parties and the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) during the interim period before the elections to the Constituent Assembly. We appeal to the leadership of the eight parties to reach a wide-ranging agreement with regard to a peace settlement before the upcoming Dasain season. In our opinion, once the roadmap for peace is decided upon, the very maturity of the people will lead us through to the Constituent Assembly elections and the new Constitution. We urge the eight parties to put behind them questions of who has or has not conformed to their stated responsibilities thus far, and to move ahead with a new mutual understanding.

In our view, the central focus of the eight parties must be the people of the villages and districts, who are in the process of losing hope and trust. The eight parties must work together in order to create a comprehensive roadmap that will pave the way to both the Constituent Assembly elections and to lasting peace. In our opinion, such an agreement between the parties should include understanding on the following points:

1. The Interim Constitution
Neither the peace process nor the preparation for a Constituent Assembly will move ahead without the incorporation of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) – one of the forces that participated in the April People’s Movement – into the government. The Interim Constitution is required in order to achieve this inclusion, but the recently submitted draft Interim Constitution is incomplete because the parliamentary parties and the CPN (Maoist) were not able to agree on the key issues. Since it has already been agreed that the Constitution for a new Nepal will be created through the Constituent Assembly, an interim constitution should be made through general consensus and in a manner that it does not contradict the proclamations of Parliament.

2. The Interim Parliamentary Order
Since it is the reinstated Parliament that has been able to guarantee the gains of the People’s Movement through its national legitimacy and international acceptability, for now one does not see an alternative to this institution. At the same time, as a group without representation in Parliament, it is not possible for the CPN (Maoist) to be accountable to the House when it is in government. To get around this problem in a practical manner, we suggest that a People’s Consultative Committee be established by agreement between the eight parties. All political decisions would be taken by the Committee, which would be given the stamp of approval by the government and Parliament. The committee must function under the directives of the leaders of all eight parties.

3. Management of Arms
In our understand, the ‘management of arms’ involves, on the one hand, the bringing of the Nepal Army under full control of the government and Parliament and to make it committed to the democratic and pluralistic system of government. On the other hand, ‘management of arms’ refers to, from start to finish, the process of Maoists setting down their arms. It is important to make the officers of the Nepal Army who are implicated in atrocities during the conflict and who were part of the royal takeover to be held accountable for their actions. Meanwhile, at a time when the police and army are confined to their posts and barracks, it is a fact that the people at large in the villages and districts are having to live under the threat of armed Maoist groups, in an environment of fear. Even though guns are not being fired under the ceasefire, the citizens are yet to be freed from the fear of weapons. It is our conviction that the Maoists cannot backtrack from their commitment to management of arms, under the letter and spirit of the 12-point agreement and the 5-point letter to the United Nations. Therefore, in order to afford the people psychological relief, it is necessary that the CPN (Maoist) place all of its armed personnel in specified camps under the supervision of the United Nations. Meanwhile, nationally and internationally, we will have to guard against the possibility of atrocities against Maoist supporters who have been separated from their arms. In our view, it will be timely to implement the suggestion contained in the 5-point letter, to put all armed personnel in cantonments, while putting aside for the time being the question of when the full disarmament of the Maoist fighters and militia is to take place.

4. Ceasefire Agreement
Even though the Maoist’s ceasefire declaration is of the phased kind, it has brought relief to the people. The roadmap to permanent peace, however, requires the Government of Nepal and the CPN (Maoist) to sign a bilateral ceasefire agreement. Such an agreement must contain adequate mechanisms for supervision and mutual communication.

5. Agreement on Human Rights
Given that disregard for human rights lies at the root of the violence and bloodshed that the Nepali people have suffered, it is important that the government and the CPN (Maoist) show commitment to respect the basic principles of human rights and humanitarian law, to sign an agreement on human rights and humanitarian law, and ensure its implementation and enforcement.

6. Public Security
The Nepali people are experiencing insecurity and lack of peace, and the absence of government throughout the country is a matter of utmost concern. The Government of Nepal has failed in its responsibility of delivering human security, and this can be considered disrespect of the mandate of the People’s Movement of 2006. In this context, it is important for the government and the CPN (Maoist) to cooperate in giving the citizens a sense of law and order. Logistical support to the Nepal Police should be enhanced immediately, and there should be a move towards re-establishing police posts all over the country. This is important in providing a sense of rule of law nationwide. Simultaneously, in order to provide a sense of security in the interim period, the government has to proceed with providing the basic elements of human security through the provision of public health, education, essential items, and so on. Both the government and the CPN (Maoist) have to agree that in order to provide security to the people, the police force, administration and the court system have to be activated and made visible throughout the country.

In conclusion,
The Nepali people are today involved in making space so that a group that has been engaged in revolt for more than a decade is able to enter open competitive politics with respect and self-esteem intact. We believe that the character of Nepali society as well as the goodwill and understanding between the CPN (Maoist) and the government provide ample reason for this campaign to succeed. The successful implemenation of the peace roadmap following extensive homework between the parties, we believe, can make Nepal a ‘model country’ in front of the world community. Further, the process that begun with the People’s Movement of 2006 to promote pluralism, democracy and lasting peace will ultimately lead the country at long last towards progress. Through the Constitution that will be drafted by the Constituent Assembly, a people that has been cheated throughout history will at last enjoy respect and prosperity within an inclusive structure of governance. Under this process, the CPN (Maoist) too will convert from a ‘rebel group’ to a responsible national party, gaining the opportunity to serve the people and be part of the exercise to create a New Nepal.

If lasting peace were to be achieved through the points made in this appeal, we believe that Nepal is capable of moving ahead with the constituent assembly process. In doing so, through reasoned discussion, the citizenry will successfully address the many sensitive pending issues in order to introduce a new state structure befitting our soil. We ask the eight parties that have been working together from the 12-point agreement to the 5-point agreement not to underestimate the people’s good sense, and to sign a Understanding for Peace and Democracy, before the upcoming Dasain season. As you thus draft the roadmap that will take us to the Constituent Assembly, we also request you to please keep the interests of the people in the villages and districts foremost in your thoughts.

Signatories to the Appeal:
1. Amrit Gurung
2. Bhimarjun Acharya
3. Binaya Kasaju
4. Bipana Thapa
5. Bishnu Nisthuri
6. Dhurba Basnet
7. Durga Baral ’Vatsayan’
8. Dr. Gauri Shankar Lal Das
9. Dr. Gopal Krishna Shiwakoti
10. Hari Bangsha Acharya
11. Kanak Mani Dixit
12. Kapil Shrestha
13. Kedar Bhakta Mathema
14. Kedar Sharma
15. Kiran Krishna Shrestha
16. Kundan Aryal
17. Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa
18. Madan Krishna Shrestha
19. Mandira Sharma
20. Manoj Gajurel
21. Nilamber Acharya
22. Nisha Sharma
23. Prateek Pradhan
24. Rajesh KC
25. Renu Rajbhandary
26. Sapana Pradhan Malla
27. Dr. Saroj Dhital
28. Shambhu Lama
29. Shanta Basnet Dixit
30. Shanta Lal Mulmi
31. Shobhakar Budhathoki
32. Subodh Pyakurel
33. Sulochana Manandher
34. Sunil Pokhrel
35. Sushil Pyakurel
36. Tashi Zangbu Sherpa
37. Tika Ram Bhattarai
38. Dr. Tirtha Bahadur Shrestha
39. Yubaraj Ghimire

Interview with Martin Macwan, founder of Navsarjan.

`System has become more pervasive'
ANNIE ZAIDI

Interview with Martin Macwan, founder of Navsarjan.



Martin Macwan, one of 11 children born into a Dalit family, has worked ceaselessly for the cause of Dalit and tribal rights in Gujarat. As a young lawyer and an activist, he founded Navsarjan in 1988, a charitable trust working for the elimination of caste-based discrimination. Since then he has served as the national convener of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, has helped found the National Centre for Advocacy Studies, and was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2000. The public campaign against manual scavenging began in 1996 in Ranpur, where Macwan stumbled upon safai karamcharis who were still carrying human excreta. Within a year, Navsarjan filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court. Since then, the struggle for ridding the State of the practice has been an exhausting, endless one.

Excerpts from an email interview with him:

What are the major obstacles to the elimination of manual scavenging in Gujarat?

Navsarjan raised the issue of persistence of manual scavenging in Gujarat in 1997. Although its campaign has generated national and international debate, elimination seems to be a distant dream.

1. For the State as well as civil society at large manual scavengers are not equal citizens. The State denies the existence of the problem, but continues to receive special assistance from the Central government for rehabilitating manual scavengers. The State, and all its panchayati raj institutions, is one of the major employers of manual scavengers.

2. The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, is conditional legislation. It denies an individual the right to file a complaint directly. Only appointed authorities can file complaints, within a stipulated time frame. Hence, to my knowledge, there has not been a single complaint filed under this law.

3. Scavenging is done primarily by Balmikis, who are the lowest in the caste hierarchy; [they are] treated as untouchable even by other Scheduled Castes. Their isolation and exclusion is historical, bringing about an internalisation of despair, hopelessness and cynicism. This degradation of [their] humanity has confirmed the belief that they could be secure only with their present status. Hence, there is very little willingness on their part to free themselves.

4. Most scavengers are women, who do the filthiest work, whereas the supervisors are men. The men of [scavenger] families do not mind women doing this work as long as they continue receiving money and leftover food.

5. Discrimination is rampant in public schools, resulting in a higher dropout rate. In many schools, even today, children from scavenger families are forced to clean urinals and toilets. The only option left for these children is to join the same occupation.

6. The State has left the implementation of rehabilitation schemes to commercial banks, who are not interested. Gujarat Safai Kamdar Vikas Board, founded after Navsarjan petitioned the High Court, has been doing little towards rehabilitation, apart from ensuring that the Chairperson and the Managing Directors are, by and large, from the Scheduled Castes.

What is the current status of the petition Navsarjan had filed?

Navsarjan filed a PIL [public interest litigation] in the Gujarat High Court in 1997, which directed the State to abolish the system and work out a concrete plan of action towards the elimination of the practice and the rehabilitation of scavengers. But the practice continues. Navsarjan has joined some others in a petition before the Supreme Court, which is pending disposal. However, my experience says that whatever the verdict, the practice shall continue, because the nation does not have the political will to eliminate the practice.

What has the response of the Gujarat government and State administration been like over the last decade to Navsarjan's efforts?

What can one expect from a State that, even after being reprimanded by the High Court for filing a false affidavit, continues to do so even today?

During a hearing in the High Court, one of the defences that the Gujarat government offered was that Navsarjan was into conversion activities! While there are some sensitive bureaucrats, by and large political parties do not think they have anything to do with the issue, except when using it to embarrass their opponents.

Gujarat has 13 Scheduled Caste MLAs and Parliament has 79 MPs from the Scheduled Castes, but manual scavenging is no concern of theirs.

How strong a role do caste and gender play in the continuation of the practice?

In Gujarat and in the rest of the country, too, scavenging is a caste-based occupation and the state, the panchayat bodies and the private sector make sure that they only employ a particular sub-caste, the Balmikis, for sanitation jobs, even when Balmiki youth are better qualified and have applied for other jobs. There is a lawyer just 25 km away from Ahmedabad practising law in a Sanand court but his identity as a Balmiki does not get him cases, except from his own sub-caste. When he does not get work, he does scavenging work.

Women, being unequal partners, and further down on the ladder of castes and sub-castes, do the filthiest work. Yet, no women's commission in the country has taken up the issue from a gender perspective. Most NGOs [non-governmental organisations] also shy away from addressing it because their leadership structure is parallel to the caste system.

How do you intend to carry forward the struggle?

We are doing the following:

Continue raising the issue in the court and in the media.

We set up the Dalit Shakti Kendra, which provides vocational education to Dalit youth, including those from scavenging families.

Navsarjan has started three primary schools that give priority to children from scavenging families.

We did a major padayatra for 100 days, covering 475 villages and 44 taluks, against untouchability practised by sub-castes within the Scheduled Castes. For the first time, 200,000 people had water and tea from common cups.

Navsarjan has formed a union of sanitation workers, which raises demands for more wages, better technology, prohibition on lowering human beings into manholes, better education for children, implementation of the law, and filing of cases when there is violation of minimum wage rules. All union members have been insured under a special Central scheme, although insurance companies are not willing to continue such schemes since they are loss-making ventures.

Could you give us a historical perspective on the origins of manual scavenging in India?

As human settlements grew larger and cities came to exist, the necessity for a sanitation system grew. One finds evidence that during the Harappan civilisation, people had created a system of disposal of human waste and grey water. As the caste system grew stronger, people who were considered impure were forced to do this work. One finds mention of the sweeping of public places as a caste-based occupation in Buddhist literature. During British rule, there were numerous mentions of conflict between scavengers and those who were not in the profession. Gandhi was the first national leader who raised the issue and linked it with independence. He himself took up the job of cleaning toilets.

On October 15, 1947, a private members' Bill was moved in Greater Bombay to abolish the practice. This was followed by the setting up of several commissions and debates in Parliament. The U.S. Congress also passed a House Bill saying that the U.S. would vote against any water and sanitation projects (of the World Bank) in India if it did not prohibit scavenger labour. It became a major subject of focus for Five-Year Plans. Navsarjan's campaign has once again drawn national attention to the issue but the system has become more pervasive.



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"Ours is a battle not for wealth or for power.
It is a battle for freedom. It is a battle for the reclamation of human personality."
- Dr BR Ambedkar
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Take action to ensure Universal Ratification of the Rome Statute

Take action to ensure Universal Ratification of the Rome Statute

Amnesty International is appealing to all governments to join the international movement to end impunity for the worst crimes known to humanity by ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Currently there are 100 countries that have ratified the statute. The statute provides for a permanent International Criminal Court, which will try individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The ICC will only act when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so.

The Rome Statute provides that in most cases (except when the UN Security Council decides) the International Criminal Court will be limited to investigating and prosecuting crimes that take place on the territory of states that have ratified it. It is therefore essential that as many states as possible ratify. Amnesty International is calling on all states to ratify the Statute, in order to make the international justice system as effective as possible in combating impunity for the worst crimes under international law.


TARGET COUNRTY NEPAL

Greater support for the International Criminal Court in the Asian region is crucial for the growing global fight against impunity and for the defense of fundamental human rights.
The Coalition for the International Criminal Court and its members are calling on Nepal to take a major step forward in its commitment to international justice and the rule of law by acceding to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as soon as possible.
Encouraging reports from Katmandu indicate that on 24 July 2006, the House of Representatives unanimously endorsed a proposal to accede to the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister K.P. Sharma Oli affirmed that Nepal will take the necessary measures to accede to the Rome Statute very soon.
While the CICC understands the challenges facing Nepal in the context of its transition to democracy and its strengthening of the democratic order, the CICC feels that in joining the ICC, Nepal will further consolidate the rule of law and will send clear sign to the international community of the their commitment to upholding the highest international human rights.
Asia remains poorly represented at the Court, and greater Asian participation is needed to ensure that the ICC is enriched by the diverse legal cultures of the region. Currently, Cambodia, East Timor, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Afghanistan and Tajikistan are the only Asian States Parties to the ICC. While Thailand, the Philippines and Bangladesh have already signed the Rome Statute, they have yet to ratify. Nepal’s accession to the Rome Statute would further strengthen the Nepal peace process and help to bring Asian expertise to this landmark institution.
The Rome Statute came into force in July 2002 and now has the support of more than half of the world’s nations. One hundred states from across the globe have acceded to or ratified the treaty and 139 are signatories.


As SAPF Member what can you do to promote universal ratification of the Rome Statute?

Take Action Now by supporting the SAPF appeal by sending letters by mail or fax urging the government of Nepal to accede to the Rome Statute as soon as possible.

Send your letter to:
H.E. Mr. Girija Prasad Koirala
Prime Minister of Nepal
Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers
Singh Durbar
Kathmandu,
Nepal
P.O. Box 43312
Email: nfo@opmcm.gov.np
Tel: 977 – 1 - 4211000
Fax: 977-1-4416016
LETTER FORMAT
Your Excellency,
I was delighted to learn of recent developments in the Nepalese House of Representatives whereby on 24 July 2006 the House unanimously endorsed a proposal to accede to the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court. I also welcome statements by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister K.P. Sharma Oli affirming that Nepal will take the necessary measures to ratify the Rome Statute very soon, thereby demonstrating its commitment to end impunity in the country.
While there are many challenges facing Nepal in the context of its transition to democracy and its strengthening the domestic democratic order, by joining the ICC, Nepal will be able to further consolidate the rule of law and will also send clear sign to the international community about your commitment to upholding the highest international human rights. I therefore appeal to your Excellency and urge the government of Nepal to accede to the Rome Statute of the ICC as soon as possible.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court entered into force in 2002 and to date, 139 states have signed and 100 states have acceded to or ratified this treaty. As the first permanent global court capable of trying individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, the ICC represents one of the most important advances toward ensuring that the gravest violations against humanity no longer remain unpunished.

As you are aware, Asia remains poorly represented at the Court, and greater Asian participation is needed to ensure that the ICC is enriched by the diverse legal cultures of the region. Currently, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Timor L’este, and Tajikistan are the only Asian States Parties to the ICC. While Thailand, the Philippines and Bangladesh have already signed the Rome Statute, they have yet to ratify.
Once again I take this opportunity to welcome Nepal’s recent declarations in support of the ICC and express the wish that we may soon witness Nepal as an additional Asian State Party to the Court.
Sincerely,

BOMB BLASTS IN MUMBAI – CROSSING THE LIMITS


Asghar Ali Engineer

(Secular Perspective July 16-31, 2006)

It was indeed terrible Tuesday (11/7/06) when innocent commuters going back home after hard day’s work were targeted with bomb blast from Matunga to Bhayandar on western suburban trains in Mumbai. So far the death toll is more than 200 and about 700 people injured, many of them quite severely. No words are enough to condemn such horrible crime against humanity. No one who has even elementary sense of being human will commit such dastardly act.

Same day in the morning eight persons lost their lives in Srinagar, five of them tourists from West Bengal. Grenades were thrown at the tourist bus proceeding towards Pahalgam. Why these killings? Who is behind it? Earlier violence was mostly confined to Kashmir Valley. Now this has spread to various cities of North India, Delhi, Varanasi, Ayodhya and Mumbai. Mumbai witnessed such horrifying bomb blasts second time, first time in March 1993 in which more than 250 innocent people lost their lives.

Some people think, as many Kashmiris thought in 1989, that violence is the only way out and if they take to guns, azadi will be near at hand. Now after loosing 80 thousand people they have realised what repercussions use of violence has. ‘Azadi’ is as far away as it ever was for Kashmiris and all they have gained is violence and more violence. Peace now is as elusive as azadi itself.


We can very well realise the wisdom of Gandhiji’s insistence on non-violence for attaining freedom for India from clutches of British imperialism. No one believed Gandhiji when he talked of achieving India’s freedom through non-violence. Even Churchill, the then Prime Minister of Britain, talked of Gandhiji with scorn and said what this ‘naked faqir’ can do to mighty British empire on whom sun does not set.

The world saw that the naked faqir and his non-violence shook the British Empire and got freedom for India. Generally people think that oppressed are justified in using violence and secondly that without using violence one cannot achieve liberation from the oppressors. However, one forgets that while violence is physical, non-violence is moral and spiritual. While the oppressed may not be able to match violence of the oppressor, non-violence gives the oppressed moral superiority and puts the oppressor to shame.


However, it is not easy to practice non-violence for an ordinary person. It requires tremendous inner discipline. Thus in Gandhiji’s theory of non-violence there is equally important concept of what he called satyagraha (insistence on truth) and this requires tremendous patience. Thus non-violence, insistence on truth and patience, all go together and this has appeal of its own and if practiced honestly, it can achieve tremendous results as Gandhiji showed.

Interestingly, Gandhiji’s concept comes very close to the Qur’anic teaching of truth and patience (haq and sabr) as enshrined in chapter 103. It is great shame that the so called ‘jihadis are committing such dastardly acts of violence in the name of Islam. Nothing can be more un-Islamic than these horrifying inhuman acts. This game is being played for power and pelf by the section of Pakistani army. These terrorists cannot carry on such powerful blasts without the support of ISI of Pakistan. Lashkar-I-Tayyiba, which is suspected to be behind such acts cannot sustain itself without active help from ISI. Though Lashkar-I-Taiyyibah has not claimed responsibility for bombing on trains on Tuesday neither police has reached any decisive conclusion but all available indications point in that direction.

Nawaz Sharif, the Ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan has said in his recently published biography that ISI is not under government control and has been trying to de-stabilise India and Bangla Desh. He is certainly in know of things in Pakistan and what he says cannot be lightly dismissed.

It is such a matter of shame that Pakistan, which claims to be an Islamic state is bringing shame and disgrace to Islam. No other Islamic country is home to so many terrorists as Pakistan is. Pakistan also has become a front state for all American designs, which further fuels violence and creates more terrorists. In fact if Pakistan is true to Islam than it should have been heaven of peace. The prophet of Islam made peace central to Islamic teachings.


He accepted peace treaty of Hudaibiyah, which was thought to be humiliating by most of his close companions and yet the Prophet (PBUH) insisted on accepting the treaty as it led to establishing peace. What better noble example than this? But these terrorists feel no pang of conscience in killing innocent citizens. Even according to the rules of Shari’ah, non-combatants cannot be killed. These rules are precursors to the Geneva Agreement, which was drawn up hundreds of years after these Shari’ah rule.

However, it is these Muslims who are openly defying these Shari’ah rules in the name of Islam. What could be more condemnable? Also how can one say that one needs jihad for taking Kashmir? Jihad is not meant for conquering territory it is for defending oneself, if attacked and for controlling ones evil desires. The Qur’an specifically prohibits any war of aggression. It clearly says, “Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you. Do not commit aggression; Allah does not love aggressors.” (2:190)

And in throwing bombs and killing innocent people they are doubly guilty: they are aggressing against those who are not aggressors and over and above that they are killing non-combatants. Thus they are violating every injunction of Islam and ironically in the name of Islam. They have named their armed groups as “Lashkar-I-Tayyiba” (Holy Army) and “Jaish-I-Mohammad” (the Army of Mohammad, peace be upon him). How can an army which kills innocent people be a holy army or army of Holy Prophet. Those who commit such inhuman deeds can never deserve to be called holy army or army of Mohammad (PBUH).

And as for jihad, it has never been used in the sense of war in the Qur’an. There are other words like qital and harb for war. The Prophet (PBUH) when asked what is jihad he is reported to have said that best form of jihad is speaking truth in the face of tyrannical ruler. Here so called jihadis them selves are tyrannical and it is needed to speak plain truth in the face. They need to be told that what they are doing is tyranny against innocent people.

It is such dastardly acts, which has brought bad name to Islam in popular imagination. We claim that Islam is a religion of peace but such acts convince people that Islam has nothing to do with peace but with violence and terrorism. It is in fact duty of Muslims to project them selves as model for peaceful behaviour. We cannot expect common people to discern and discriminate between handful of aggressors and large mass of Muslims living in peace with others and sticking to the Islamic teaching of peace.
It is believed that one of the intentions of throwing bomb on innocent people is to start communal violence in India. They threw bombs in Ayodhya, in a temple in Varanasi and earlier in a market place in Delhi last October. But people of India are mature enough not to fall prey to such dirty game. When bomb was thrown at a temple in Varanasi it was feared that it would trigger off communal riots. But not only Muslim leaders and intellectuals but also the chief mufti of Varanasi issued a fatwa decrying that attack on temple quoting the Qur’anic verse that to kill one innocent human being amounts to killing the whole humanity (5:32).

The chief mufti and chief priest of the temple in Varanasi came together and expressed solidarity thus completely frustrating the designs of those who wanted to ignite Hindu-Muslim riots. When a bomb as thrown at Ayodhya it was feared in the same way that it might trigger off violence between Hindus and Muslims and nothing happened. We must salute maturity of Indian people.

This time around also all important Muslim leaders have condemned this cowardly attack on innocent people. Jamiat-I-Ulama-i-Hind, Muslim League, Jamat-e-Islami-Hind, all of them spare no words in condemning this heinous crime against humanity. No saner person will ever condone such ghastly killings. The Hindus and Muslims in Mumbai rose to the occasion and helped all those who were injured and removed dead bodies to hospitals.

It seems India will have to live with such attacks for sometime to come. It is therefore, necessary to be ever alert. What happened on terrible Tuesday is also partly an intelligence failure. Though it is very difficult to predict when and where terrorists will choose to attack, it becomes all the more necessary to be very very alert. It is the duty of the Government of India to protect the lives of people against such attacks.

Also, it appears there was lack of alertness and disaster management. The police and other authorities took long time to reach spots of disaster. Time and again it has been stressed by the NGOs and other activists that India woefully lacks in disaster management. It has been proved once again that India needs to work hard to provide for emergency situations.

People themselves were, it appears, more prepared than the authorities. Such major disaster man-made or natural, are bound to take place time and again and so government should work in all seriousness to evolve sooner than later the disaster management plan.
_______________________________

Centre for Study of Society and Secularism

Mumbai

www.csss-isla.com

Dear friends,
In this debate of merit verses reservation, the brahmanical crookedness is working overtime through media. A tiny protest of illinformed people has been made 'national' by the 'national' media. Those of us who have been working against this very system, internet and web remain the best alternative source to get our voices spread all over the world.

I had filed a case with National Human Rights Commission regarding the harassment of

a bright Dalit scholar who completed his M.Phil and is not being enrolled for Ph.D at the National Law University, Raipur. To day, I have got official confirmation from NHRC that they have send notice to Secretary, Higher Education, Government of Chhatishgarh in this regard and asked them to send a Action Taken Report in this regard with in four weeks. The notice was issued on 21st of April, 2004.

Abhishek Anand case suggest how Dalit face discrimination at different levels. It is doubly important for the government and educational system to ensure that issue of diversity and affirmative action become a part of our national life and not just 'sarkari' orders.

regards,

Vidya Bhushan Rawat


National Human Rights Commission

Faridkot House,

New Delhi April 6, 2006



Re: Harassment of a bright Dalit student in the Hidaytullah National Law University, Raipur


Sir,



I write this to inform you about Abhishek Priya Anand, a student who enrolled for Integrated Interdisciplinary ( M.Phil-Ph.D ) course from Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur, Chhatishgarh. Abhishek took this four-year residential course offered by the University in July 2003.

According to structure, he should have been provided M.Phil degree in the very first year but that did not happen. His M.Phil was prolonged for one year and finally he got his worksheet for M.Phil after two and a half year. There has been no notification issued in writing to him as why has his case being delayed. Even when Abhishek wanted to enroll for the Ph.D, the University has shown no interest in dealing with him.

During my recent visit to Raipur to attend a National Seminar on " Towards a National Dalit Policy', I met Abhishek Priya Anand when he discussed the issue with me. I was shocked to hear from him the problems that he had been facing. It seems that the University authorities have targeted him deliberately that smell deep caste prejudices.

Abhishek has been a bright student all his life. He is a Master of Science from Sri Sathya Sai Institute of

Higher Learning, Prashanti Nilayam and got around 68% of marks. When he enrolled for this

comprehensive integrated course, he never realized that he would face a severe threat to his career. He

was supposed to get teaching assignment from the second year but was denied the same. The students

from other castes are clearly favored. He got his stipend of Rs 5,000/- for just two months only and that

too in the second year only. Most of the other student received it for over 5-6 months. None of them

have been informed as why the stipend was not given. In the third year, Abhishek was supposed to

get Rs 10,000/- per month to pursue his Ph.D.

According to documents made available to us, a three member committee formed to look into the matter had come to unanimous conclusion that Abhishek be enrolled for the Ph.D programme. The Vice Chancellor of the University Dr M.K.Shrivastava has not only not taken any interest in the case but also seems to have a prejudiced mind. After three years of staying at a place, the Vice Chancellor ordered Abhishek be thrown out of the University Hostel. Abhishek was told that since there is no faculty for his specific case, he couldn't be enrolled in the University as a Ph.D student.

It is amusing that a University which officially offer courses in certain categories deny the same to one bright student and that too from a Dalit community which remain marginalized, not due non availability of merit or meritorious students, but with deep rooted prejudices in our system. It was easy for the Vice Chancellor to ask the student to go back but where would the student go. Abhiskeh has written to every one in the University including the Vice Chancellor and other State authorities but so far nothing has happened. It is imaginable that a student cannot go too far fearing a backlash from higher authorities who are out to destroy his career.

Other Dalit students in graduate and postgraduate classes also confided with me in Raipur that their life is made difficult under the current administration. They are not allowed to venture out freely outside the campus.

Abhishek wants justice to be delivered because his future is doomed if the University does not enroll him. He switched to Law from M.Sc in Chemistry. The University was offering the course and he shifted. He is hardworking and cannot afford to lose three years period that he has devoted to his new course including obtaining M.phil degree. A young student cannot be denied justice under the pretext of unavailability of faculty. Who is going to compensate him for his years that he has devoted in the college.

I am enclosing the details of Abhishek Priya Anand which I have received from him through emails. I have got one copy of his letter addressed to NHRC when I was coming back from Raipur. We are also enclosing various petition of Abhishek's to the authorities including the advertisement regarding the course given by the University in the newspapers.

We are ready to provide all other details to NHRC in this regard. As a social activist, who has been working on the issue of human rights of the marginalized, I must say, Abhishek's case is a fit case for NHRC to intervene effectively. His case reflects how the caste prejudices are still strong in our society. Chhatisgarh is under Naxal threat because Dalits, Adivasis are further marginalized and people are losing faith in the institutions. This faith in the institutions can only be restored if justice is not only done but also done speedily. Dalits have continuously opted for a constitutional remedy even when they have to face the brunt. I do hope that an institution such as NHRC would come forward to the rescue of young Abhishek so that his faith in Law and constitution remain intact.


There are a few questions of propriety and ethics which should be asked from the authorities:

How can they deny a student right to study further without completing his full courses. No show cause notices have been served to the student if he violated any order of the authorities.
Can a student be responsible for joining a course if the University does not find faculty for the same ?. Why did the University go ahead with the programme ?
Abhishek has not been given teaching assignment despite the fact that second year student often get the same.
He was given stipend for two months only. Why has it not been given and why it was stopped.
Universities action has given tremendous mental torture to a bright student and it has now asked him to vacate the hotel. Who is going to compensate for that.


We hope that a prompt action from NHRC will give justice to a Dalit student. NHRC should seek an explanation from the authorities as why have they been harassing a student who is brilliant and has been enrolled in the institution with all necessary requirements.

Thank you,

Yours Sincerely,



Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Director,

Social Development Foundation,

Delhi

Action Needed to End Impunity and Hold Perpetrators Accountable

Action Needed to End Impunity and Hold Perpetrators Accountable


Shobhakar Budhathoki


Human rights violations rose significantly after King Gyanendra of Nepal took all powers on February 1, 2005. Most of the abuses included an increase of systematic torture, rape, and extrajudicial killings by the King’s security forces, and the suppression of political and civil rights, but economic rights were also violated. In the final days of his absolute rule, the Nepalese people experienced harsh measures imposed by the King and his regime, and the excessive force exercised by regime-hired thugs, the King’s army, the armed police, and the Nepal police. Human rights violators, perpetrators and those who issued the orders alike, must be reprimanded and brought to justice. Impunity, long the standard in Nepal, is not acceptable.

It is frustrating and disappointing that perpetrators of human rights abuses and enemies of the 2006 peaceful democratic movement move freely and without fear of being prosecuted. Nearly two weeks after the fall of the King’s dictatorship, the masterminds and implementers of the repressive policies of the previous regime have not been brought under scrutiny and go unrestricted in enjoying their unlimited access as though still in positions of authority and power. The reinstated House of Representative (HOR) and the new government, headed by the well-respected leader G. P. Koirala, have made numerous decisions that endorse the 12-point understanding of seven political parties and the Maoists, these include: the removal of the terrorist tag and red corner notice against Maoists leaders; approval of the proposal for a constituent assembly election; formation of a judicial commission to investigate the use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrations; announcing reparations for the families of martyrs and for injured persons; announcing an official dialogue with the Maoists and reciprocating the Maoists’ ceasefire; and annulling all political appointments of King Gyanendra since October 2002. However, even some of these steps seem ad hoc or incomplete, such as approving a proposal for a constituent assembly election, the formation of the commission without having a clear mandate set in place, or deciding on reparations that do not necessarily take into account the future livelihood or education of those families.

The new government and reinstated HOR seem to be hesitating to endorse the people’s aspirations that were brought to the forefront during the 19-day-long April movement, which include the announcement of an unconditional election to constituent assembly through the enactment of an interim constitution, and to carry out judicial actions such as arrest and criminal prosecution of those involved in the use of excessive force resulting in the killing of 21 people thus far, and the injury of more than 5,000 people. Similarly, the whereabouts of more than a dozen people remain unknown, with corpses also being taken by the security forces after the use of open fire.

Perpetrators of human rights abuses must face the consequences for their violations of the people’s rights, including political detention, the use of excessive force, as well as the misappropriation of state funds and abuse of power. Unfortunately, one of the main culprits is the former Home Minister, Kamal Thapa, who has been seen enjoying himself freely in public places without hesitation or concern over being held accountable for his actions. Mr. Thapa and the others responsible for the repression of the people roam freely and enjoy a privileged life with seemingly full immunity. Considering that no action has been initiated against those who have committed crimes that could be immediately brought before the courts, and that no actions have been taken to prevent those who will be investigated from leaving the country or destroying evidence, they continue to operate with impunity and with the continued protection of the palace and the King’s security forces.

Many of these culprits have either escaped or are staying in safe places (there are some accounts of them staying in the premises of the security forces or under the heavy protection of the royalist security forces), and they are once again attempting to empower the palace and dismantle democratic structures by being spoilers to the HOR decision-making and to the ongoing peace initiatives. These destructive efforts aim to eventually disrupt the people’s noble mission to hold the constituent assembly election and establish sustainable peace. We fear that once again the pro-democratic government will delay taking action against perpetrators; such was the case with the 1990 Mallik Commission that resulted in a report but no action against human rights abusers and eventually allowed them to reenter power under the King’s rule and continue their regression without fear of facing state offences for their misuse of power and authority.

To prevent this from reoccurring, the members of HOR and the new government must carry out the following immediate actions against the perpetrators involved in the violation of human rights and the use of excessive force (this is not a comprehensive list).

1. Seize the passports of all members of the previous regime, including the heads of all four security agencies, responsible commanders that issued orders to field commanders, and field commanders deployed to suppress peaceful movement.
2. Suspend all services granted to state officials that members of the former regime continue to receive (private protection from the security forces, staff, living in government housing, etc…).
3. Expel the heads of the security forces (as their terms were extended by royal proclamation) and appoint pro-democratic officials in those vacant positions.
4. Suspend field commanders who were personally involved in suppressing peaceful demonstrations either by issuing orders, or being complicit in the actions of his unit (many can be identified according to their deployment in areas where serious incidences occurred).
5. Freeze the bank accounts of senior members of the previous regime, high-ranking officers of the security forces, and of unofficial advisors to the palace and the regime, such as Satchit SJB Rana, Bharat Keshari Singh and Sharad Chandra Shah.
6. Immediately enforce the Mallik commission report.
7. Immediately impeach the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and pro-royalist judges, including the Chairperson of royal advisory council and the Commission for Investigation of the Abuse of Authority (CIAA) (all of which were king-appointed).
8. Seize the passport of all members of the Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC) officials and other illegal royal appointments.
9. Take immediate actions to begin freezing accounts and property of the royal family and senior officials during the regime until an account of the abuse of state and public funds and property during this time can be determined and then begin repossessing property and recovering those funds.
10. Call on the international community to refuse entry of human rights abusers and those being investigated into their countries, and to make public the international bank accounts of those perpetrators.
11. Work with the human rights community to determine the strategy for efforts to hold perpetrators to account after the initial judicial commission’s report.
May 9, 2006, Kathmandu

Dear All,

Thanks a lot for your concern. Don't mind if I am little blunter, realizing that English is not my mother tongue and also that I am directly involved in day to day and nearest monitoring of ongoing conflict in Nepal.
We Nepali also represent 21st century and equally capable to make right decisions. Decisions without King.
In every change there is inevitable vacuum. Formatting the theory of vacuum is always to support past regime. Not less or more than that.
This is peoples' movement. People's supremacy is most, non-negotiable. So every decision will be political.
People decided for Constituent Assembly. This is final and minimum bottom line condition. Current constitution is dead and funeral completed by the king on Feb-01, 2005. Some of octogenarian {physically and or psychologically} leaders are holding ashes in a mud-pot (Called ASHTU KALASH in Nepali). They have great care and affection because that represents cover up to their past idiocy.
People are so wise that they shook hand with brutal police men and Army yesterday, when they were in 1.5 + million strong rally. They could smash and kill those criminals, if you remember the heinous atrocities done in last 16 days of repression. People are completely peaceful. They are praying with Army and Police to restrain and refrain. They are asking people to be aware from government vigilante who provoke by throwing stone to the police. Family members of Police and Army are protected by civilians.
Maoist wants to join mainstream. They committed to Multi-Party democracy with all its principles. They expressed commitment to Human Rights principles and offered to put their Red-Army under UN or any other reliable international supervision. What else one should expect from a deadly insurgent group holding strong influence over 80% of the country? They have even accepted to examine their crimes. They have a clear road-map; Political conference to constitute all party, including Maoist, full power interim government; Holding of constituent assembly; Transformation of society to address all pertaining problems; i.e. social, political, cultural discrimination. Besides pro-king leaders only one person having belief on current constitution and Monarchy is Mr. K.P. Bhattarai, interim P.M. of 1990. He is totally sunk with OSHO meditation and GEETA prayer, so poor old and senile should not be blamed.
WHAT NEXT:

(01) Declare every thing INTERIM; the constitution (with necessary amendments), the government (new with leadership of seven party alliance), The King (with track record of generations to betray and deceive).

(02) Current constitution may be declared interim with amendments. Amendments are necessary to make provision for constituent assembly, cabinet from non-parliamentarians and many other necessary things.

(03) Under article (32) of the current constitution King can transfer his authority to any person and or council, in his absence or for any specified period. Now, the king should transfer his political and state authority to interim government invoking this article. This will make the king truly ceremonial.

(04) [A] Interim government should issue interim constitution which will enable them to carry on further towards twelve point understanding they had with CPN Maoist. [B] Maoist should declare cease-fire. [C] Government should revoke red-corner notice and terrorist tag against Maoist. [E] Maoist should be incorporated in the interim government. [F] Interim government should hold election for constituent assembly within specified and agreed period. [G] in the constituent assembly, there should be parallel constituencies for all discriminated and strong participants of current movement; i.e. Women, Dalit, Indigenous, Professionals, Youth, religious minorities, Physically challenged etc.

(05) There are many things to be managed by interim government through interim constitution e.g. putting whole state authority including Royal Nepal Army under government; Dismantling King’s council (as mentioned above {03}) etc.

After constituent assembly election the new constitution will through out this ugly, criminal, outdated, cruel, feudalistic and deceiving Monarchy for ever through peaceful and due process. This bloody Monarchy suppressed my Father, I and I cannot tolerate to the misery of my children. His grand father Tribhuwan and father Mahendra did conspiracy and crime against us. His elder brother Birendra and this Gyanendra is inflicting upon me. His son, the notorious criminal will conduct lot more misery against my children. To get rid of, this historical blunder must go and go for ever.

Subodh Raj Pyakurel.
Chair-Person, INSEC and South Asian People's Forum
www.inseconline.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 22, 2006
AS-072-2006

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission
NEPAL: Coup leader Gyanendra must be ousted and brought to justice by popular demandDemonstrations totalling hundreds of thousands of Nepalese citizens have continued unabated since April 6th, 2006, defying curfews and shoot-to-kill orders given to the security forces. The movement to rid Nepal of its autocratic monarch has become more and more determined throughout this time. At least 14 persons have been killed, hundreds injured and thousands arrested as the result of the excessive use of force and repression by the security forces, including the firing with live ammunition on crowds of demonstrators. On April 21, 2006 the massive demonstrations protesting against the February 1, 2005 coup by King Gyanendra, forced the increasingly isolated King to make a last ditch televised bid to create the impression that he is willing to retreat to the position of constitutional monarch, based on the 1990 constitution. He called upon the seven party alliance opposition parties, who have been at the forefront of the demonstration movement, to put forward the name of a prime minister to whom he will hand over executive power. This is an obvious move to buy further time in an attempt to divide the opposition and to dilute the protests on the streets of Kathmandu and elsewhere around the country.

Once again, Gyanendra has misjudged the will of the people. The opposition protesters have pledged to continue holding rallies after dismissing King Gyanendra’s promises as being too little, too late. Opposition leaders have stated that these promises have not addressed the demands of the people and that they are nothing more than a ploy to fool the people and to secure the future of the monarchy. Demonstrations are scheduled to continue today and a new curfew has been called. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) sincerely hopes that there will be no further loss of life as a result of further excessive force on the part of the authorities.

Central to the demands of the demonstrators, who come from all walks of life and a broad range of sectors in Nepal, is the creation of a constituent assembly that will re-write the constitution of Nepal through a democratic process and enable the abolition of the monarchy through popular consent.

King Gyanendra has no legitimacy to remain as a constitutional monarch, as he is a coup leader who overthrew the legitimate and elected government, dissolved parliament and took autocratic executive control, without any legal basis to do so. His ouster can only be seen as a just resolution of the coup. Further to this, King Gyanendra should be brought to justice under the principle of command responsibility for the plethora of human rights abuses and violations of humanitarian law that have occurred under his rule. Nepal has been the stage of one of the worst human rights calamities in the world – the UN Human Rights Commission had named it as being the country with the greatest number of forced disappearances in the world in recent years. Torture, extra-judicial executions, rapes, mass arrests and detentions, and wide-ranging curtailments of many other rights have been perpetrated against the people of Nepal during King Gyanendra’s rule. He must be held accountable for these acts. The future of the country, which has suffered too long, must be built on the foundations of justice, democracy and accountability.

The demands of the people need to be met. The demonstrations have been spontaneous and based on a groundswell of legitimate political resistance to abuse. This has given them the resilience needed to carry on against the repressive acts committed by the authorities. The demonstrators must continue to push until their legitimate demands are met, including the establishment of a democratic republic. In remaining steadfast in their resolve, the people of Nepal can bring about the changes required to put an end to the internal conflict that has caused over 13,000 casualties in the country, to the gross human rights violations and to the despotic regime that have crippled the country socially, economically and politically.

The AHRC calls upon the international community to urge the coup leader to abdicate from the throne and to support any moves by the people of Nepal to bring him to justice in line with international norms and standards.

Moments for decisive change appear very rarely. Such a moment is now upon Nepal. It is the responsibility of everyone in Nepal and outside to support all efforts to get rid of the systems and individuals that are responsible for the human rights disaster in the country. AHRC earnestly hopes that the dreams for democracy manifested by the people in the streets and those that have paid with their lives will not be betrayed.

# # #

About AHRC The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984

Asian Human Rights Commission
19/F, Go-Up Commercial Building,
998 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hongkong S.A.R.
Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367

SRI LANKA: President blatantly violates constitution by appointing members to 17th Amendment commissions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2006
AS-063-2006
A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

SRI LANKA: President blatantly violates constitution by appointing members to 17th Amendment commissions

In blatant violation of Sri Lanka's constitution, President Mahindra Rajapakse took it upon himself to appoint members to the National Police Commission and the Public Service Commission. These appointments bypassed the constitutional process, which requires the appointments to be approved by the Constitutional Council. Before granting approval, the council is to examine the merits of the proposed persons, as well as take into account any public objections, thereby preventing arbitrary or political appointments. By making appointments to these commissions himself, the president is moving towards absolute power without safeguards.

In the days preceding these appointments, a drama was enacted to give the impression that the president was concerned with the delay of the appointments to the Constitutional Council. The delay comes with the lack of agreement on which minority party should appoint the third member to the council. The drama involved the president writing to the speaker of parliament to promptly resolve the problems deterring the functioning of the Constitutional Council. The very next day, the president announced appointments to the National Police Commission and Public Service Commission. These names could not have been gathered on that day; the appointments were clearly planned. It will never be known whether these appointments would have been approved by the Constitutional Council or whether any public interventions would have been made.

If the president genuinely wanted to resolve the delay in appointing the Constitutional Council and other commissions, he should have intervened with the minority parties, particularly the JVP, TNA and JHU, to get the third member appointed. As a European Union representative suggested, if these parties cannot agree on a single member, they could agree to share the time period of three years. It is clear however, that the president was not concerned with expediting the appointment to the Constitutional Council, which would then select commissioners for the various commissions under the 17th Amendment on merit. The president's action has in fact preempted the Constitutional Council.

The Asian Human Rights Commission calls upon President Rajapakse to withdraw these appointments forthwith, and urges the appointed members to desist from accepting these appointments. The damage caused by the appointments and their acceptance will be greater than any good the commissioners contemplate doing through the commissions. Neither the commissions nor the appointments are at present legitimate. By functioning illegitimately, the significance of the commissions--which are vital to the defence of basic freedoms--will be lost.

For this reason, the AHRC impresses the need for everyone, including the international community, to unequivocally condemn these appointments and work towards the reversal of these decisions. Within the past few months the AHRC has several times noted that the Sri Lankan government is on its way to becoming a dictatorship. The present manipulation of all public institutions is a move by the executive to gain absolute power and instill fear into all areas of life. Bypassing the constitutional process in this instance can only lead to further unconstitutional and illegal acts. The reversal of these appointments is therefore crucial.

# # #

About AHRC The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984



Asian Human Rights Commission
19/F, Go-Up Commercial Building,
998 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hongkong S.A.R.
Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367

Peoples caravan against WTO in eastern UP (Update)

Peoples caravan against WTO in eastern UPPeoples Carvan 2005
Peoples caravan against WTO in eastern UP against WTO started from Champaran, Bihar on 24 Nov 2005. Thousands of activists from different organizations gathered at
Rajendra Nagar Bhawan, Motihari, East Champaran and Peoples Carvan were inaugurated. This Peoples Carvan in due course of time was joined by a large number of activists working in remote countryside areas. Passing through Mujjaffarpur, Vaishali,Madhubani, Gaya and Patna, it culminated into a huge rally at Gandhi
Maidan, Patna and held a public meeting at the ground of Milller High School. On 25 Nov Peoples Carvan reached to Jasauli Patti, where it was welcomed and
joined by farmers and workers. A public meeting was held there. In Chakia and in Hassi, street dramas were played against WTO. On 26 Nov Peoples Carvan entered
into the district of Mujjaffarpur. Their activists of different organizations, intellectuals, and youth held a meeting against WTO in University Hall. On 27 Nov
Peoples Carvan passed through different places in Mujjaffarpur and held several public meetings in protest of WTO. On 28 Nov Peoples Carvan led a big
rally and held a huge public meeting at Gandhi Maidan Patna. On 29 Nov Peoples Carvan held several meetings and played street dramas at Teslal Nagar,Danapur,Koilavar and in the ground of Vir Kuwar Singh Mahavidyalaya.
On 30 Nov Peoples Carvan had to advance in Uttar Pradesh in the leadership of Rajkumari Gandhi.Rajkumari Gandhi is a committed lady activist for the upliftment of women and Dalits. In the district of Balia, she has been trying her best to
organize movement against the policies of WTO. Due to the disturbance created by killing of Krishnanand Rai;Peoples Carvan had to face great difficulties but
despite those problems and difficulties Peoples Carvan from Balia reached to Varanasi. In Varanasi it held several public meetings at different places and call
the people for joining Peoples Carvan in protest of WTO.
On 3rd December 05, International Day against Slavery, Peoples Carvan against WTO reached to Varanasi hundreds of women, men and children with
banner in hands and shouting slogans like, Imperialism Down Down, Multinationals Go Back, withdraw seed bill,come out of WTO etc entered into the city. They
were given warm welcom and joined by local activists and organizations. People’s Carvan held a public meeting in Azad Park, Lahurabir the meeting was
addressed by Dr. Lenin, Nandlal, Siddharth and others.
All of them warned Indian Government not to take part in ministerial meeting of WTO, scheduled in Hong Kong from 13 Dec to 18 Dec. Sri Nandlal called on people to
protest the policies of WTO at all costs. He said that if Policies of WTO were not protested and if it were implemented in present form then It would be disastrous for our country. Sri Siddharth said that there was no other way out but to come out of WTO.
Addressing the gathering Dr. Lenin remarked about proposed seed bill, Patent Law and said that if those were not opposed then we would loss employment and our independence as well. He told that so many changes had been taking place in the policies of Indian Government in the pressure of WTO. He said that in such a
condition Indian Government would be bound to reduce subsidies given to farmers and others. He said that our whole economic system would go other way round
throwing us in slavery. After meeting, from Azad Park,Lahurabir, activists of Peoples Carvan moved to River Ganga giving slogans against WTO-WB-IMF and
distributing pamphlets with ashes of WTO in earthen pots to give it symbolically funeral treatment to get rid of it finally. Ashok Sinha of Action Aid
International and Maheshanand of Kanhar Bachao Andolan joined peoples carvan in Varanasi.
Dr. Lenin is going to attend anti-WTO conference organized by Christian conference of Asia along with other human rights groups and trade unions in Hong Kong, which is scheduled from 8 December 2005 to 10 December 2005. On 9th December 2005 a documentary will be displayed at the conference based on miseries of Indian weavers. Asian Human Rights Commission and Peoples Vigilance committee on Human Rights published a book titled Handloom has become live grave for weavers¡±. Dr. Lenin will attend a press conference on 11 December 05 and will give description of disastrous
effects of the policies of WTO-WB-IMF on Indian weavers and farmers especially on children. On the same day, he will participate in a huge rally in protest of WTO organized by Hong Kong peoples alliance against WTO.
There is a big public meeting of Dalits is going to be held at Shiva Ji Maidan of Mumbai under the leadership of Shri Ram Das Athwale and Shri Ashok Bharati on 6th
December 05, the death anniversary of Baba Saheb.Siddique Hasan and Aftab of Boonkar Aur Dastkar Adhikar Manch (Forum on rights of weavers and artisans) are going to take part in meeting on behalf of weavers and artisans of Varanasi. At this occasion
a book written by Ms. Sam of food right campaign of Action Aid International on adverse effect of WTO and NAMA on weaving and leather industries in India, will
be inaugurated. This book is being inaugurated all over the world on 6th December 05 by Action Aid International.
For more details, please contact Mr.S.P.Singh(Adv.)and Shruti at pvchr@yahoo.com

CSO declaration on WTO

STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION WORKSHOP ON

PRE WTO HONG KONG MINISTERIAL

CIVIL SOCIETY DECLARATION

AT

NEW DELHI
December 2, 2005

We, the representatives of farming communities, social movements and the civil society organizations in India, are gathered here in Delhi to demonstrate our solidarity and express our concerns and demands about WTO Agreement on Agriculture.

We welcome all the honorable delegates of this Meeting. This meeting is taking place at a crucial point in time when only ten days is left for the Hong Kong Ministerial Meeting and there is no tangible movement in the Doha Round negotiations so far. We hereby adopt the following resolution and place it for its record and consideration.

Part – I: For the Leaders of Rich, Developing & Least Developed Countries
Aware that the sixth ministerial meeting of the WTO, which is scheduled from December 13-18,2005 in Hong Kong will have massive consequences for the developing countries as well as the LDCs;
Aware that trade liberalization in the name of ‘free trade’ during the last decade under the WTO regime has been fundamentally flawed with disastrous results to the poor countries;
Aware that during the last decade, poor nations have been forced to submit to market fundamentalism and have been coerced through various agencies into opening their markets to foreign corporations and foreign produce, privatizing their services and abandoning the measures which helped small domestic companies to compete with overseas competitors;
Aware, that while weaker trading nations have been repeatedly promised that every concession that they make to free trade will be matched by similar concessions by the powerful nations, every time the rich world has responded by breaking almost every promise it has made;
Aware that poverty for many of the world’s people, means death by starvation and disease and that the immediate cause of such starvation and disease is the lack of purchasing power;
Aware that the world’s purchasing power resides in the hands of the people whose need is least, while those who need it most, for such necessities as food, clean water, housing, health and education, have almost none;
Aware that a one percent increases in the share of world exports for each developing region would reduce the number of people in extreme poverty by hundreds of millions;
Aware that consumers in the developing countries lose as a result of trade practices such as subsidized dumping by Northern producers which causes immense turbulence in Southern food markets and undermines local food production;
Aware that WTO policies also harm the non-farming indigenous communities which still depend on commons, pastures, forests and natural waters for their livelihoods and cultures. The WTO-backed extended agriculture in fact encroaches upon the livelihoods of these communities;
Aware that the working population in farming is barely 3 to 4% in the rich countries in contrast to the majority (60-70%) in the poor countries, fair trade in the products of farming would cost the rich world very little in terms of the loss of welfare to its inhabitants, while delivering major potential benefits to poorer nations;
Aware that the rich nations now give their farmers nearly $ 1 billion a day as subsidy which is six and half times of what they give poor nations in the form of aid;
Aware that the rich nations impose much higher tariffs on goods from poor nations than on goods from other rich nations;
Aware that intellectual property rights granted by the WTO over the years have enabled corporations to assert exclusive control over genetic material and plant and animal varieties forcing the poor people of the developing countries and the LDCs to pay them a license free which forms a discriminatory commercial practice and a tariff barrier
Aware that foreign direct investment can some times cost a poor nation more money than it makes;
Noting that since the adoption of the Doha work program there is little evidence of progress on the development of the developing countries as well as the LDCs while on the other hand the rich countries still continue to pressurize poor countries for deeper commitment towards further liberalization in crucial sectors such as agriculture, services and bound tariff rates;
Realizing that due to the lack of progress on the special and differential treatment (STD) and implementation issues the economies of the developing countries and the LDCs will face grave consequences;
Recognizing that we need to devise a system governing the flow of goods around the world which offers a perfect equality of opportunity permitting a significant transfer of wealth from rich to the poor all allowing poorer nations to compete on roughly equal terms, addressing the balance of trade between nations and ensuring that temporary deficits did not turn into permanent debt;
We recognize that Agreement on the Agriculture (AoA) has two fundamental problems:

First, it does not differentiate between the structural characteristics of the agriculture system of rich countries and that of the poor countries despite significant differences between the two. For instance, majority of population in poor countries (60-70%) is engaged in agriculture as against only 3 to 4% in rich countries. Majority of the poor countries have subsistence agriculture system compare to the commercial and market oriented agriculture system in rich countries.
Second, it contains implementations related loopholes that enabled rich countries to increase the subsidies by 9 percent after 1995 instead of reduction in subsidies.
We therefore believe that poor countries should avail this opportunity of AoA Review to rectify and overcome these fundamental problems;

We accordingly urge the rejection of the aforementioned WTO negotiations package that contains, inter alia, the following anti-development elements:

The expansion of Blue Box
‘Sensitive Products’ for rich countries
c) The conditions for the elimination of export subsidies

and to undertake necessary efforts to bring a TRUE DEVELOPMENT agenda on the negotiation table that must include the following:

Immediate end of trade distorting domestic subsidies
Immediate end of export subsidies and export credits in a way that the national reform programs in the rich countries do not impede the elimination of export subsidies
A substantial numbers of special products and special safeguard mechanisms to be treated according to the situation of the respective poor countries
Green box review to eliminate all trade distorting parts of subsidies
Elimination of blue box
Elimination of tariff peaks and tariff escalation
We, the CSO’s, considering the urgency to discuss WTO related issues and to play our vital role as peoples’ representatives in the ongoing negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO);

Call upon the developed countries to stop dumping of their agricultural and industrial products and eliminate all subsidies and export credits, forthwith, from agricultural products;



Urge the developed countries to provide wider market access to exports from developing countries as well as the LDCs and supplement more rapid debt relief with an increased level of new unconditional financial support for the heavily indebted countries;



Call upon various developing countries as well as LDCs to build defensive as well as offensive strategies that promote the interests of the peoples of the developing countries and the LDCs and their economies and to further strengthen the unity and solidarity among the poor nations;



We urge the governments of the South Asian countries to make coordinated efforts and remain firm and committed in articulating and sustaining priorities which promote the interests of their people and their economies.



We assert that the WTO and rich countries must end the undemocratic practices such as mini-ministerial meetings, green room processes, Five Interested Parties (FIPs) etc, and the process should be made transparent and inclusive;



We emphasize that the targets of Millennium Development Goals cannot be met unless the trade distorting subsidies and protection in rich countries are eliminated;



We urge that the rich countries should accept the free flow of semi-skilled and less skilled persons from poor countries;



We urge that rich countries must accept the right of poor countries to protect the food security, livelihood of small farmers, labor rights and local industries;

We also urge that basic needs like education, health and water must not be privatized

We further urge the leaders of developing countries, not to accept any agreement on agriculture that misses out the above-listed critical points;

We emphatically demand that the G-20 should strengthen its relationship with other groups such as G-90, G33 and the LDCs since the rich countries would certainly try to continue their strategy of divide and rule the poor countries in order to strike an unfair deal;

We strongly urge that developing countries should learn from past experiences and must not accept any deal that compromises the interests of poor communities. The EU and the US are likely to strike an informal or formal deal on agriculture (like Blair House in Uruguay Round and Joint Agriculture Statement before Cancun) to impose on other member of WTO before the Hong Kong Ministerial Meeting;

We urge the leaders of developing countries, to reject demands of rich countries to compromise on NAMA and GATS in response to reduction in subsidies and tariffs. In fact, poor countries had already agreed on TRIPs and Services during Uruguay Round in response to the promises of subsidies and tariff reduction in rich countries. Such hopes however never materialized;

We urge the leaders of developing countries to also realize their responsibility to represent the vulnerable communities of their countries, such as small farmers and farm workers, in the Doha Round negotiations rather than only taking care of interests of the agri-business;

Hence, we call upon the leaders of developing countries to build defensive as well as offensive strategies that seek to promote the interests of vulnerable communities of the poor countries and to further strengthen the unity and solidarity among the poor nations.




Part – II: For the Government of India
Food is a basic human right and therefore not just like any other commodity. Almost 90% of the agricultural products in the world are consumed domestically and this in practice remains outside international trade. Only 10% of the world agricultural products are traded internationally and not for the 90% consumed domestically.
The participants have proposed that agricultural trade agreements be based on:

Principle

Each nation should have the right and obligation to produce basic food for its own population and ensure food sovereignty. All efforts should be made to reduce poverty and eliminate poverty.

Measures
Subsidies
ALL subsidies in agriculture provided by developed countries must be immediately removed. Further, all boxes need to be abolished. Till such subsidies are abolished, the government should not enter into any further negotiations.
Restore import protection through quantitative import restrictions or tariffs. This will be an effective measure for India to secure special strategic products and will serve as a special safeguard mechanism to protect livelihoods.
Protect farmers’ income bys state support on products for domestic consumption but not on products for export or products that end up on the world market (and thus function as hidden or indirect dumping of food).
Export subsidies, export credits and credit insurance should be eliminated beyond the period of 180 days. There is a need for an effective system of market regulation and supply management that stops dumping.
Market Access
Market Access needs to be kept out of WTO negotiations till all subsidies in developed countries are removed immediately. In case the developed countries refuse to remove these subsidies, India must bring back quantitative restrictions to protect its agriculture.
In case of imports of agri-products (e.g. soybean) that have depressed the domestic prices (e.g. oilseeds such as mustard), the government should raise bound rates of tariff to the extent that protects the interest of farmers.
All tariff lines should be kept at the bound levels and no reductions should be made at any cost.



July Framework, 2004
July Framework, 2004, is faulty and against the interest of Indian farmers. It provides opportunity to the developed countries to maintain and further increase subsidies. We therefore demand the total rejection of the July Framework by the government.
Non-existent Export Market
Agriculture exports from India are minuscule at present. Further, a very small proportion of Indian farmers are export oriented. Further, the various tariff and non-tariff barriers make it increasingly difficult for Indian agri-products to enter developed country markets. Therefore, the export potential being projected by the proponents of global trade is quite unrealistic. Given the above, any compromise made to gain access to a non-existent market will be detrimental to the interest of farmers. Instead, the need of the hour is to promote sustainable agriculture.
Trade-off at the Cost of Agriculture
Any trade-off in agriculture for service sector or NAMA is totally unacceptable.
Dairy and Fisheries
The dairy sector provides livelihood to millions of farmers across the country and is also crucial for public health and nutrition needs. Therefore, sustained dumping/ cheap imports of dairy products need to be checked immediately by revising the tariff rates and quotas.
Fisheries should be included under AoA rather than NAMA.
Restore protection of fishing industry and encroachment-free fishing territories of individual countries.
White Paper on WTO
Given the numerous reports of the disastrous impact of AoA on the developing countries, the Govt. of India should demand from WTO to publish a White Paper on the impact of 10 years of AoA.
The government should also immediately issue a White Paper on the 10 years of experience of WTO regime in India.
Multilateral Agreement on Hunger
India along with other developing countries should insist on a Multilateral Agreement on Hunger that protects the food security as well as food sovereignty of developing countries.
Seeds & Patents
No patent on life forms. Farmers’ rights in seed production must be protected.
Sustainable Agriculture, Environment
In most cases, modern agriculture in its drive for achieving higher production has been associated with environmentally harmful practices such as use of agri-chemicals and large scale mono cropping. The government of India should ensure that agricultural production and trade are promoted without harming the environment. Sustainable agriculture and other environment-friendly practices should be recognized and supported.

Protection of Indigenous Knowledge and the rights of tribals
Restore indigenous knowledge for future generations. Adopt rich indigenous knowledge in all development activities especially on agriculture. Tribal groups should not be displaced. Their access to forest products should be maintained. The state must also ensure that land reforms targeted toward the landless and tillers must be carried out from the perspective of social justice and fundamental human rights.

No quid pro quos
Trade is the cause for the pauperization of the rural people. Most of our people depend on agriculture and their situation is worsening due to the terms of trade between agriculture and other sectors. Agriculture in India is a lifestyle rather than a trade issue. Further, it is a mean of livelihood for more than 65% of the population of the country, majority of whom are subsistence farmers. Lack of transparency, nature of the discourse on negotiations and closed-door conspiracies in WTO meetings make this anxiety real. The richer nations are doing this to protect their supremacy and their interests in agriculture, which is largely led by multinationals. Hence all items should be negotiated on their merits and the issues facing farmers, agriculture and rural people cannot be bartered for gains in services, manufacturing, technical assistance or financial aid.

Draft circulated by Pascal Lamy for the Hong Kong Ministerial
Pascal Lamy’s draft text released for the upcoming Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO), if agreed in Hong Kong, will destroy the livelihoods of peasants, small farmers, landless and indigenous peoples, fisher folk and workers the world over.

Where is the promise of development?

The current round of talks is called the Doha Development Round but the draft Ministerial text makes it clear that there is nothing developmental about this round. The text focuses on opening up developing country markets and sidelines the main demand of developing countries for special and differential treatment (S&D).

The so-called “development package” that Lamy is offering to least-developed countries (LDCs) is little more than a public relations stunt. While stating they will live up to promises made to LDCs on development, the text waters down the S&D provisions and resurrects other valueless provisions which were rejected 2 years ago in Cancun. Lamy tries to cover this up with the offer of ‘Aid for Trade’. This is a ploy to confuse and weaken the resistance of developing countries as the program only goes towards building the capacity of developing countries to implement agreements that they were forced to accept in the first place.

Development for Agri-business not for small farmers

The text on Agriculture reflects the positions of exporting countries and the interests of their agri-business. Despite long standing demands to cut their direct and indirect export subsidies; the tabled proposals are “paper-cuts” that do not change the status quo in favour of developing countries. Instead, what the EU and the US have done is reinforce the imbalance by expanding the Blue Box, which will allow an additional US $5billion of farm support for the US and the maintenance of the undisciplined Green Box, which the European Commission will use for its other subsidies.

The text also does not give any date for an end to export subsidies. Such subsidies, which are largely provided to the biggest producers and their agri-business as opposed to family farm based agriculture, will be allowed to continue unabated.

In return for this, developing countries are expected to fully open their markets through drastic tariff reduction and to cut their remaining, if any, domestic supports. It is impossible to see how this Agreement, which threatens to wipe out peasants and small farmers, can be classified as constituting a ‘development round’.

Deindustrialization and loss of livelihoods

The Non-Agricultural Market Access text has been strongly criticized for its bias towards developed countries as it completely glosses over the wide opposition from least developed and developing countries to the proposals.

The text is a threat to developing countries as the draconian formulas proposed threaten to wipe out their industries and remove any future policy space to determine their own development priorities. Proposals put forward by Caribbean and African delegates have been ignored or sidelined in the draft Ministerial text.

The take-over of services

Of all the proposals, however, the services text proves to be the greatest threat of all. It not only glosses over the opposition to this text, it has completely ignored any of the developing countries strong refusals to it. If endorsed, negotiations in services will be intensified along the path of the “plurilateral approach” which subverts the original flexibilities of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Countries will no longer be able to choose which sectors and how fast they will be liberalized but rather they will be all but forced to enter into sectoral negotiations and give foreign companies equal rights to local suppliers.

Part – III: Role of NGOs in the WTO issues
The members of this august gathering decided that from the signs appearing at various forums it was pretty apparent that the 6th Ministerial Meet at Hong Kong would not be able to achieve its desired outcome and could also land into a partial or complete failure.

Therefore post the 6th Ministerial Meet at Hong Kong, it was decided that

There would be review of what has happened and transpired at the 6th Ministerial Meet at Hong Kong and its future impact on all concerned stakeholders.
To accordingly develop future strategies so as to play an expanded role in the international trading system.
To find a suitable economist who could analyze and critique various papers that emanate out of the World Bank, IMF and other such institutions and bring to the light of the day the real issues
To act as watchdogs, lobbyists and agents of civil society enriching the public dialogue and representing interests not reflected in national government viewpoints and also see and evaluate how government policies impact the peasants, farmers, landless laborers, women, dalits and the marginalised
To mobilize public opinion and be the bridge between state and non-state actors connecting local and global politics
To be change agents offering new viewpoints
To form a forum of parliamentarians under the leadership of Mr. M. D. Mistry - Member of Parliament, who accepted the same, who could put pressure on the government through appropriate methodologies and personnel.
Organised jointly by
South Asian Network for Social & Agricultural Development (SANSAD)

National Centre for Advocacy Studies

Wada Na Todo Abhiyan




List of Participants

Abha Iyengar - SANSAD

Adil - The Hunger Project

Amitabh Behar - National Centre for Advocacy Studies

Anil Singh - SANSAD

Ashok Bharti - NACDOR

Awadesh Kumar - Srijan Lokhit Samiti

B. K. Keayla - National Working Group on Patent Laws

Babu Matthew - ActionAid

Bhaskar Goswami - Forum for Biotechnology & Food Security

Biswajit Dhar - Indian Institute of Foreign Trade

Brijesh Sharma - CECODECON

D. Santosh Kumar - Swadeshi Patrika

Deepak Xavier - CBGA

G. K. Pillai - Ministry of Commerce, Government of India

G. Placid - SAHAYI – Centre for Collective Learning & Action

G. Wakankar - IDMA

Gurinder Kaur - Oxfam Trust

Hans Raj - SAP – India

John Samuel - ActionAid

K. S. Gopal - Centre for Environment Concerns

M. V. Bijulal - Indian Social Institute

Madhusree Banerjee - Oxfam Trust

Narender Kumar - PAIRVI

Nilay Ranjan - One World South Asia

Nupur Khare - Agriculture Today

Paramjeet Bernard - Charkha Development Communication Network

Prakash Gardia - National Centre for Advocacy Studies

R. B. Singh - National Commission on Farmers

Rajul Pant - Srijan Lokhit Samiti

Rakesh K. Singh - SAP – India

Ramesh Kumar - Express Media Service

Ramit Basu - National Social Watch Coalition

Rimi Sen - Amity School of Rural Management

Robin Stevens - SANSAD

Ronald - Centre for Policy Alternatives

S. Joshi - CECODECON

Sakina - Voluntary Action Network India

Sanjay Bhatt - Department of Social Work, Delhi University

Shalinder Singh -NAFRE(National Alliance for Right to Education & Equity)

Shiv Kumar - SANSAD

Siddharth Narain - The Hindu

Sunila Singh - National Centre for Advocacy Studies

V. Acharya - SJM Dharmakshetra

Vaibhav Kumar - ICICI Bank

People's Carvan Against WTO in Tarai of UP,India

PEOPLE’S LAUNCH OF JAN CARVAN AGAINST WTO IN TARAI (II) REGION

AURAHWA TO CHAURI CHAURA
25th November 2005, Aurahwa Musahar hamlet

# The Cyclists ready for Jan Carvan at Aurahwa near Indo-Nepal Border

Amidst chanting slogans, and lots of enthusiasm, on 25th November- special day against violence against women, Aurahwa Musahar hamlet at Indo-Nepal border in Nichlaul block of Mahrajganj district witnessed the peoples launch of Jan Carvan in Tarai (II) region. With more than 200 men and women present, Bhuwari Devi (A rape victim who fought tooth and nail last year to see finally the culprit sentenced to jail and compensation from government) flagged off the Cyclists in the Cycle Yatra. These cycle riders who would traverse through parts of Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria and Gorakhpur; covering around a distance of 250 KM would arrive finally at historic place Chauri-Chaura. Along the way, the Jan Carvan in the form of Jan Carvan would closely interact with poor communities, peasants and farmers, daily wage labourers, panchayat functionaries, students and other segments of civil society discussing and raising local issues. It would also through public/street corner meetings, street plays, folk dance performance, interface with panchayat and district authorities, mass rally and demonstrations discuss and raise the people’s awareness on impact of WTO/WB policies on poor people’s livelihood, access to natural resources, community decision making and the likes. An interface with District Magistrate Kushinagar in Bheri Jungle on 26 Nov., a mass rally and sit-in at Padrauna district headquarter on 27 Nov., a nukkad natak and folk art exhibition at Deoria district head quarter 2 dec., and WTO/WB/IMF effigy burning and a press conference at Golghar, Gorakhpur on 2 December are other highlights of the Jan Carvan.

# Awadhraj addresses the Sit-in at Nichlaul Tehsil

At the launch of Jan Carvan the CPI (ML) activist Mr. Harish said that feudal and elite forces in beauracracy, state judiciary and media are the main hurdles of land reforms in UP. And now UP Zamindari Abolition Act, 1950 and the Land Ceiling Act 1970 are being modified by the government to suit the interests of private companies in the state. While Kaushilya termed Jan Carvan an opportunity to make our voice heard at highest level at once.

The Cycle Yatra converted into a sit- in demonstration at Nichlaul tehsil office. Addressing the gathering Mr. Gajendra, a lawyer criticized the UPDASP approach of farming and stressed the need for an eco -friendly, people centric and sustainable agriculture policies and practice in UP. Mr. Nilay Upadhyaya of People Forum attacked the flawed banking and credit policies and said it is increasing poor people indebtedness. He also appealed every one to discourage the local informal credit system in the area. Awadhraj, Musahar Vikas Pahal Samiti representative said that PHCs and CHCs are almost always running out of necessary medicines and high cost of medicines at private stores makes it impossible for poor to save his/her ailing family member. He said it was most ironical to see that poor people’s children died of Japanese Encephalitis due to lack of medicines. Musahar Manch representative Srikant highlighted the pathetic state of primary education in Mahrajganj. Likewise Udassi, Bhikhari, Basmati, Methailal, spoke and expressed their resentment on the current affairs of development. One by one they highlighted the issues of food, hunger and livelihood, recurring floods, minimum wage and fair wage, use of compine harvesting machines, violence on women, high cost of seeds and their unavailability in the area and migration and related hazards. It was collectively shared that 3 December wont end the Jan Carvan in Chari-Chaura but rather would mark a beginning of an ongoing process of constant struggle against the imperialist policies of developed nation. Finally a Memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister of UP was handed over to Tehsildar Nichlaul and Carvan proceeded for Charbharia village for Ratri Jagran Shivir with chanting slogans “Bhookh Nahi Kaam Chahiye” and “Bajar Nahi Khet Chahiye”….

Representatives of Musahar Manch, Laghu Simant Krishak Morcha, Right To Food Campaign UP, Bhartiya Kisan Union, Peoples Union for Human Rights, Naujawan Bharta Sabha, CPI (ML), Musahar Vikas Pahal Samiti, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Gramodhyog Sewa Samiti, People Forum, PGSS, SEEDs, and Shaswat were present at the launch and daylong demonstrations of Jan Carvan

26 October, 2005

Chitauni Bridge, Bheri Jungle and Padrauna in Kushinagar District

The Gram Panchayat of Charbharia passes a resolution against WTO policies. Addressed to Prime Minister the resolution by local panchayat says that farmers, weavers and artisan’s livelihoods are in danger hence there must not be any agreement on these three areas at Hong Kong Ministerial meeting. Now from Charbharia village the Carvan has started off for Bheri Jungle. En route the Carvan addressed three public meetings at Jehda, Katahri and Siswa.

At 01 O’clock, nearly 20 people welcomed the Cycle Yatris. The Carvan headed straight for Bheri Jungle Musahar hamlet where District Magistrate of Kushinagar Mr. Prabhu Dayal Srinivas is arrived for an interface. A good an hour interaction with DM took place. Radheshyam and Tettunia Devi raised the issues of distribution of Ceiling Land to landless. Chandrika and kaushilya proposed to start a collective fishery enterprise if the large piece of water logged land (the same has become a sort of pond) is granted permission for. Omprakash and Chanjyoti demanded Indira Awas for deseving poor people in the village. The DM said now its time to act. He asked the MVPS volunteers to come prepare with concrete proposals in the office for further action. He assured that if Musahars were willing there would be no dearth of work. Before that Vibhuti Chauhan and Srikant from MVPS spoke about the Jan Carvan.

In the evening the Carvan headed for Narayanpur Village, where they found a waiting Pradhan Mr. Ramesnsingh Chauhan with garlands and other villagers. After quick refreshment there were song and dance sequels before a meeting with panchayat members. Tomorrow the Jan Cravan will stage a rally at district headquarter Padrauna.

Report from

MVP and MVPS, Kushinagar