Kathmandu - As Nepal marks the second anniversary of the end
of civil war, there are yet painful reminders of the bitter conflict
that left thousands of people dead and missing.
For many people who lost their loved ones in the fighting or were
driven from their homes, their struggle for justice continues.
'It has been two years since the government and the Maoists signed
a peace deal, but in reality, life hasn't changed that much for us,'
said Ram Bahadur Karki, who fled his home in eastern Nepal with his
family after Maoist rebels accused him of supporting the government.
'We sought shelter in Kathmandu four years ago and since then, it
has been a challenge everyday to make ends meet,' Karki said.
Karki had a farm and a house in Bhojpur district in eastern Nepal
before his flight. He is not sure if he will ever get them back. More
than 700 people who were forced to flee their homes regularly meet in
Kathmandu to organize their pressure campaign for return of property
seized by the Maoists.
But they admit that hopes of returning to their villages and
getting back their properties are fading by the day.
'The government must ensure that the displaced people are allowed
to return home to their villages with full security guarantee and the
return of their properties,' said Rameshwar Nepal, director of
Amnesty International Nepal office.
'The government and the Maoists agreed to return seized property
and allow people to return to their villages while signing the
comprehensive peace agreement. But it appears not to have been
implemented,' Nepal said.
According to estimates, nearly 200,000 Nepalese were driven from
their homes either by Maoists or threats by government security
forces.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights in Nepal said local level Maoist cadres were preventing the
displaced people from returning.
'Internally displaced people trying to return home have been
chased away, and in some cases, beaten up by local Maoist cadres and
in other cases made to appear before the Maoist 'people's courts,'
the UN office said.
The situation is equally dire for relatives of victims who
disappeared during the decade-long insurgency.
The International Committee of the Red Cross says over 800 people
are listed as missing, and that majority of the forced disappearances
were carried out the state security forces.
Last year, ICRC launched an appeal for information on the missing,
but little has been done to either find them or take action against
security personnel or Maoists responsible for the disappearances.
'The government still hasn't formed the Truth and Reconciliation
Committee which would have investigated the disappearances along with
other issues,' Nepal said. 'We are still calling for the formation of
a commission that has real power, and will be able to effectively
give justice to the people.'
The Maoists, who waged a brutal guerrilla war against the state,
are now leading the government.
'We are committed to finding the whereabouts of the missing
people,' Minister for Information Krishna Bahadur Mahara said. 'We
have already initiated the process to form a commission to
investigate disappearances and things will move ahead now.'
Despite assurances from the government, family members remain
sceptical.
'I have sought information about my son for years and received no
word about his whereabouts from the government,' Chhiri Maya Ghale
said.
Her son Ujjal was arrested by security forces in Myagdi in western
Nepal in May 2002, and was never seen since.
Maoists were also accused of widespread human rights violations
during the conflict, and human rights organizations have accused
political parties of trying to protect their own.
'If Nepal wants to reconcile with its past, then the politicians
must allow the law to take its course, even if it mean actions is
taken against their cadres,' Amnesty's Nepal said. 'Impunity must not
be tolerated.'
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