NEPAL: WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE TERAI? A SHORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 000267 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE TERAI? A SHORT VERSION REF: A. KATHMANDU 265 ¶B. KATHMANDU 232 Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary/Introduction -------------- ¶1. (C) The Madhesi people believe they have been consistently oppressed in the course of Nepal's social, economic, and political development. The Terai (the lowlands of Nepal where most Madhesis live) is the breadbasket of Nepal, producing most of its agricultural and industrial output, and serves as home to nearly half the total population. However, the Madhesi people are strongly underrepresented in many aspects of the government and civil service. Given the catalyst of specific abuses in the Terai and the feeling that the currently fluid situation provided an opportunity to address long-standing grievances, this perceived discrimination has fueled a series of violent protests over the past few weeks, bringing industry, transportation, and life to a halt in most of south-eastern Nepal. The government has ineffectively attempted to address the demands of the Madhesi people, and has not called them to an effective dialogue in a serious way. History of the Madhesis -------------- ¶2. (C) The Madhesis are a group of people of mostly northern Indian origin living in the Terai. The only level terrain in Nepal, the Terai is a narrow strip of land along the India-Nepal border that occupies about 23 percent of the total area of Nepal and is home to nearly 50 percent of the total residents, according to the 2001 census. (Note: There are many who argue that the 2001 census under-counted people in the Terai due to language barriers, resulting in much of the population being deprived of citizenship. End note.) Although Madhesis live in the Terai, they are not its only residents. The 2001 census reported that 63 percent of the Terai population was Madhesi (nearly 32 percent of the national population). Many Madhesis do not speak Nepali, but instead speak one of the ethnic dialects of the region, and often Hindi as well. Pahadis vs. Madhesis -------------- ¶3. (C) In the years following the eradication of Malaria from the Terai, people from the hill districts of Nepal began to move into the Terai as well. Many of these Pahadis (hill people) started businesses and industries in the Terai, and many have now lived in the area for generations. Pahadis tend to be better educated than the Madhesi inhabitants of the Terai, and many are from higher Brahmin and Chhetri castes. Many of these Pahadis became the political leaders of the Terai; the current Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, was born and raised in the Terai in a Pahadi family. Oppression and Discrimination -------------- ¶4. (C) Many Madhesis believe they are discriminated against in all aspects of life in Nepal: socially, economically, and politically. According to the 2001 census, literacy rates for Madhesis are only 38.4 percent compared to 65.6 percent for Pahadis Most Madhesis in the Terai live at the bottom rung of the socio-economic ladder, many engaged in subsistence farming. There are very few Madhesis in the civil and foreign service of Nepal, and they are highly under-represented in the security forces. Brahmins, Chhettris (the two highest castes),and Newaris (an ethnic group centered in the Kathmandu Valley) constitute only 36 percent of Nepal's population, but occupy more than 89 percent of the positions in the civil service. This inequality has contributed to the Madhesi feeling of oppression over the past hundred years or more. Immediate Causes of Recent Unrest KATHMANDU 00000267 002 OF 003 -------------- ¶5. (C) Although the base for the current unrest comes from many years of deep-seated oppression of Terai residents, the spark that started the current conflagration was the promulgation of the interim constitution. Although the Madhesis played an integral role in the April 2006 People's Movement that brought an end to the King's rule and restored the Parliament, the newly formed Government of Nepal and its Maoist partners have continued to ignore the population's demands, such as proportional electoral constituencies and a measure of regional autonomy. The interim constitution does not address the Madhesis. Adding fuel to the fire in the Terai, on January 19 a Maoist "protective force" shot and killed a protestor in the Terai city of Lahan, in Siraha District. Since then, the unrest in the Terai has been growing, with local governments declaring curfews in numerous localities across the eastern Terai in an attempt to quell the growing protests. On January 31, protestors from the Madhesi Janadhikar (People's Rights) Forum (MPRF) attacked a police station in Biratnagar, in Morang District, and killed one police officer. As of February 2, a total of fourteen protestors have been killed in the violence across the country as well. Political Parties Fail to Co-opt the Terai -------------- ¶6. (C) Many Madhesi leaders feel that, although some of their group have been co-opted by the mainstream political parties, they lack political power. There are Madhesi representatives among the major political parties and the Maoists, but leaders of the MPRF believe that these representatives are not actually working for the rights of the Madhesi people. Madhesi demands have been repeatedly ignored by the established political parties and the MPRF sees the current movement in the Terai as a means to force the political parties to finally address the issues of the Madhesis. Maoists Fail to Co-opt the Terai -------------- ¶7. (C) During their decade-long insurgency, the Maoists consistently promoted autonomous regions based on ethnicity and language, a concept that appeals to many of the Madhesis in the Terai. The Madhesi Mukti Morcha (Madhesi Liberation Front) (MMM),led by Maoist Member of Parliament Matrika Prasad Yadav, has promoted an autonomous Madhesi region in the Terai. Now that the Maoists are moving into the government, many Madhesis are finding Maoist promises to help promote Madhesi rights were hollow. Many Maoist offices and cadre have been attacked in the Terai over the course of the recent uprising. Active Groups in the Terai -------------- ¶8. (C) Many Madhesi groups are now active in the Terai. The MPRF, a loose confederation of civil society groups led by Upendra Yadav, is leading the current protest movement. The group has successfully called for a bandh ("closure") of the eastern Terai for the past few weeks and has led daily protests in most major eastern Terai cities. Their main demands are two-fold: a proportional representation system of election to a Constituent Assembly and a federal system of governance in Nepal, with a separate autonomous state for the Terai. The MPRF has recently called for dialogue with the government to solve its demands (ref A). A Maoist-splinter group in the Terai, the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM),advocates the use of violence against non-Madhesis in order to fulfill their demand of a separate Madhesi state (ref B). The Madhesi Mukti Morcha is also active in the Terai, especially in the east. ¶9. (C) The mainstream Nepal Sadbhavana Party was established about 16 years ago on a platform of anti-discrimination against marginalized groups, specifically Madhesis. The majority of the party is made up of Madhesis, and the party has played a critical role in the current unrest. The KATHMANDU 00000267 003 OF 003 NSP-Ananda Devi (NSP-A),a break-off faction of the NSP, is one of the seven parties in the governing Seven-Party Alliance, although it has threatened in recent days to pull out of the government, culminating in the resignation of the NSP-A Minister of Industry Hriyadesh Tripathi. The NSP-A call for a strike led to the violent protests in the western Terai city of Nepalgunj on December 26, 2006. Comment: Where Do We Go From Here? -------------- ¶10. (C) The GON response thus far to the Madhesi rights movement has failed to address the problems of marginalization and discrimination against the Madhesi people. Effective dialogue between the GON and the Madhesi rights groups will be essential to resolving the current unrest. The replacement of Home Minister Sitaula with Agriculture Minister Mahanta Thakur, a Madhesi, as chief negotiator on February 1 was a positive sign that the GON intends to address Madhesi demands. Post will continue to support dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the unrest in the Terai; we will stress that the key will be establishment of a political and economic system that ensures equal rights to all Nepalis within a democratic framework. MORIARTY