Senior UN human rights officials visited Kapilvastu on Friday to assess first hand the works being done to address the causes and impact of the deadly riots there in September 2007.

Visiting Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kyung-wha Kang and OHCHR-Nepal Representative Richard Bennett interacted with people from different sectors in Kapilvastu and took stock of the situation there.

Saying that there have been encouraging local initiatives, apart from investigations by a special inquiry commission and the appointment of a chief district officer from the Terai region, to bring together communities divided by the violence, OHCHR said there is a need for further government action to address underlying causes of the violence, including tensions related to land and social exclusion, impunity for violence related to the decade-long conflict, as well as for more recent violence, and inadequate measures to provide security.

“All sectors should work together to find common solutions to grievances in a non-violent way and in the spirit of the peace process,” said OHCHR-Nepal Representative Richard Bennett.

The murder of local political leader Mohit Khan on 16 September had triggered five days of relentless violence that gripped Kapilvastu, Rupandehi and Dang districts. The worst violence took place in Kapilvastu where 14 people were killed, at least nine injured and several thousands displaced. nepalnews.com mk Feb 01 08