Nearly 15,000 people in the insurgency-hit mid-western district of Dang took part in a peace rally Wednesday calling upon the government and rebels to give up violence and resume peace negotiations ‘with trust and honesty.’
People from various walks of life including ethnic Tharus, Magars, janajatis, political activists, students, teachers, women, dalit and senior citizens took part in huge numbers in the silent rally in Ghorahi, the district headquarters of Dang district. Opposition Nepali Congress activists also took part in the rally by raising their four-star flag. The participants carried placards that read: “Let’s hold negotiations, Gun is not the answer,” among others.
A 19-point declaration adopted on the occasion by ‘Network for Human Rights and Sustainable Peace, Dang’ called upon both the government and Maoists to stop activities like abduction, making people disappeared and killings. The declaration also called upon to declare schools as ‘Zones of Peace’ and no to target women, children and unarmed civilians during the conflict.
The declaration, that has already been signed by nearly 350 non-governmental organizations based in Dang, has maintained that the on-going armed conflict was a political issue and, hence, could be resolved only through political means.
The Network has also demanded to scrap what it said anti-human rights legislations including the amended anti-terror ordinance (TADO). The declaration said they protest any form of foreign intervention that could encroach upon the country’s sovereignty.
Addressing the mass meeting after the rally at the premises of District Development Committee of Dang, leading human rights activist, Krishna Pahadi, warned that the on-going violence could even end independent existence of the country. While blaming the monarchy for the present ills in the country, Pahadi also urged the Maoists to understand the lesson from history that violent means have never resulted into success.. Rights activists Mall K. Sunder and Bishnu Pukar Shrestha also spoke on the occasion.
Addressing the meeting from the chair, senior journalist and social worker, Narayan Prasad Sharma, called upon the civil society to assert itself and pressurize both the parties in conflict to resume peace talks.
The second round of peace talks between the government and rebels had broken off at Hapure in Dang in August last year. The Maoists had also walked off unilaterally from the first round of peace talks by attacking the Royal Nepalese Army barrack at Ghorahi in Dang for the first time in November 2001.
The district headquarter, Ghorahi, and other areas in the district are continuously under night time curfew since then. The rebels have staged a number of attacks against the security forces in this strategically located district and dozens of civilians have been targetetd and killed from both the sides. nepalnews.com by Dec 15 04