Youths vandalise Chamber

SARLAHI, March 30 - A group of youths vandalized the office of the Sarlahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Saturday night after the office refused to accept their application forms after deadline.

The last date for filing applications under the self-employment scheme announced by the government was March 27. According to Ranga Lal Agrawal, president of the SCCI, an irate group wielding bamboo sticks trashed the office when the staff were processing the forms received during the day. "The police chased them away when they were trying to break down the office door, so there was no major damage," said Agrawal.

-ekantipur.com-

VP Jha does it again; says Tharus are Madheshis

JANAKPUR, March 26 - Vice President Paramananda Jha who had always, somehow, managed to fall into controversies has made yet another remark, no other politician has dare said.

Jha on Thursday said Tharus are actually Madheshis.

Earlier, the Tharu, an indigenous group mainly residing in the Terai, carried out protests against the government for listing them in the Madheshi category in the recent ordinance.

At least three people including a cop were killed in the two-week long protest.

"Madheshis have never treated Tharus, residing in every part of the country, differently," VP Jha told journalists at the airport in Janakpur.

He added that the Madheshis have been interacting with the Tharus like all other ethnic groups residing in Madhesh.

Expressing doubt over some political parties' hand in the agitation, Jha said, "I do not know how they were encouraged to agitate."

VP Jha fell into controversy as soon as he was sworn in for taking the oath in Hindi, the official language of India. Then came his statements concerning the Army Integration Special Committee being 'unconstitutional' and later his questions about his role. All these events generated widespread criticisms from various quarters.

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ekantipur.com

Address Tharu demands: Nepal’s political actors

With the Tharu uprising taking on a violent turn after the death of two innocent civilians and a police official on Friday March 6, 2009, Nepal's political actors have begun making statements in favor of the Tharu Community.

First, Minister Bijaya Kumar Gacchedhar, though, a member of the indigenous Tharu community, who has time and again made confusing statements, sometime in favor of the Tharu community and sometime against them, has all of a sudden said that the Tharu uprising was indeed a needed one to guarantee the rights of the Tharus.

"It has been executed at the right time and was a needed one", said Gacchedhar adding, "I urge the government to address their demands at the earliest".

Mr. Gacchedhar is a leader of the Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum- a majority Madhesi party that advocates the demand for One Madhesh One Province- which the Tharu community rejects tooth and nail.

Mr. Gacchedhar also criticized the government for resorting to repressive measures in the peaceful Tharu agitation.

Similarly, Mr. Mahanta Thakur the president of Tarai Madhesh Loktantrik Party too has slightly toned-down his pro-Madhesi demands and asked the government to address the Tharu demands.

The TMLP had recently called for entire Tarai closure demanding the government to abide by the promises made by the government to the Madhesi people that included declaring the entire Tarai belt of Nepal as One Madhesh One Province.

Mr. Thakur who had even threatened in Bhairahava recently of that the nation could se vertical split if the Madhesi demands were not met with now tells that "even the Pahadi population making their homes in the Tarai were Madhesis".

"I ask the government to address the Tharu demands" said Takur.

Mr. C.P. Gajurel, the United Maoists' Central Committee member rejected the idea that says that the indigenous Tharu Community too fell in the Madhesi category.

The United Maoist party is the one that advocated first in favor of Ethnic Awareness but unfortunately it is turning communal and threatening the existence of the Nation- State, say experts.

Mr. Gajurel on Friday on his way to Sarlahi district talking to media men at the Simra airport even disclosed that the government under excessive pressure from some political parties was forced to categorize Tharus in the Madhesi category.

"Our party never took the Tharu Community as Madhesis", he clarified.

Mr. Gajurel said, India has occupied Nepali lands in 58 different locations along the open border including Susta, Kalapani and Ilam, our party will soon launch a National Awareness Program against this continued Indian aggression".

Mr. Matrika Yadav, a Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) leader however, believes that the Pahadiya Rulers of Nepal are trying to create fissures between the indigenous Tharu community and the Madhesi community to create unrest in Tarai.

The Prachanda led government of Nepal is trying to divide the population first and rule in an absolute manner", said Mr. Yadav talking to the pressmen in Rautahat on Friday, March 6, 2009.

"Even if Nepal gets the new constitution, it will be just in favor of Khas (Chhetri and Brahmins) Community", Mr. Yadav predicted.

"The pro-Madhesi parties want to occupy power and exploit the Madhesis themselves", Mr. Yadav also said.

---telegraphnepal---

Terai continues to reel under shutdown strike, curfew in Lahan

The continuing general strike in Terai region called by Tharu groups has badly affected the normal life on Thursday as well.

The three-day strike jointly called by Tharuhat Joint Struggle Committee (TJSC), Tharu Welfare Council (TWC) and few other organisations of ethnic groups has been extended for indefinite period alleging the government of not addressing their demands.

The abrupt decision to continue the strike has left hundreds of travelers stranded along major highways.

The leaders of agitating groups most of whom are residing in Kathmandu remain silent about the scarcity of daily consuming goods in the districts and other necessary items caused by prolonged closure of market.

Transport service, market places, educational institutions and industries have been shut down in most eastern and western Terai districts such as Saptari, Siraha, Sunsari, Rauthat, Sarlahi, Chitwan, Kapilvastu, Bardiya, Dang and Banke districts.

The local administration of Siraha has imposed indefinite curfew in Lahan from noon in view of the violent confrontations between Tharus and Madhesi groups. The town remained tense from early morning with Tharus staging angry protests. The Madhesi groups resorted to protests alleging that Tharu cadres obstructed the Constituent Assembly members from interviewing people as part of collecting people's suggestions for upcoming constitution.

In Chitwan, the agitators vandalised around two dozen vehicles after they clashed with police Wednesday evening.

The Tharus, with support from Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) continued indefinite strike starting today, protesting against the categorisation of many indigenous communities of Terai as Madhesis. The Tharu groups said their demands have not been taken seriously. The government on Wednesday clarified it hasn't taken any such decision.

In the far-west, students continue to carry out protests on Thursday as well even as the government agreed to establish a university in that region as demanded by them. The agitators said government must specify the place where the university would be based, but their demand is clear that it should not be other than in Kanchanpur.

--nepalnews.com--

Life hit on second day of Terai strike

Normal life in Terai districts has been halted on the second consecutive day due to the strike called by Tharus and other ethnic communities against including them in Madhesi community.

The second day of the three-day strike saw some vandalism in eastern Terai where a milk van and three ambulances were torched by the agitators. Some industrial establishments were also attacked by the mob.

Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) has extended support to the ethnic groups in the protest programmes.

In the recent government decision, many ethnic minority communities in Terai were included in the list of Madhesi and reservation quota for them in government services is included under Madhesi category.

Transport service, educational institutions, market places and industrial activities have come to a complete standstill in Saptari, Siraha, Sunsari, Rautahat, Bardiya, Kapilvastu and Nawalparasi districts.

---nepalnews.com---