Unguarded Borders
From smuggling to criminal activities, extortions and terrorism, Nepal’s southern border has been facing all kinds of destabilizing activities
By KESHAB POUDEL
Cadres of Jwala Singh-led Jantantrik Terai Morcha traded gunfire with security personnel at Sitlapur Barganiya village development committee Rautahat, close to Indian border - The Himalayan Times (May 14, 2007)
Five members of a family were injured when a group of dacoits attacked them at Miguliya VDC in Morang district - Kantipur (May 13)
There were celebrations in Birgunj when one of the dreaded criminals Chhotelal Sahani was killed in India. Sahani was extorting money and kidnapping Nepalese businessmen from across the border in India. (Gorkhapatra May 10)
An engineer of district road office Navaraj Bista was shot dead by Terai Jantantrick Mukti Morcha (Goit) in Lahan and they kidnapped two others. (Kantipur May 12)
Ajaya Yadav, district president of Jwala Singh, was shot dead by Goit group in Rautahat district. Similarly, an unidentified gunman killed 23 years old Dilip Raya in Sarlahi.
Proprietor of a medical store in Bara, Hridaya Narayan Yadav who was abducted by an unidentified group on April, fled from the clutches of the kidnappers from unknown location in India. (The Himalayan Times May 15)
More than nine tons of red sandalwood was discovered in Swayambhu. In Imadole of Lalitpur, over ten tons of red sandalwood was seized. The smuggling of sandalwood is reportedly carried out from Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to smuggle to Tibet.
After upsurge of smuggling activities in border, chief district officer of Morang constituted five members coordination committee. According to Chief District Officer, everything is coming from Indian border to Nepal. (Annapurna Post May 13)
A group of Maoists were detained in Nautunwa when they were traveling to Gorakhpur, India carrying Maoist literature. (Nepal Samacharpatra).
These are some sporadic news coming out in major newspapers from Nepal’s southern terai. One can read these kinds of news every day in various newspapers. From robbery to act of terrorism, extortion and kidnapping, such things have become commonplace in Nepal’s southern border and plain areas.
Incidents of killings, extortions, rapes and heinous crimes of this nature have become everyday news in the country. It is said that this upsurge is for liberation of suppressed populating in Madhes, which is in the south of Nepal. Some times it is seen as an ethnic cleansing against the population of hill but the violence has no border and no identity as a race or the region.
Lots of Madhesis many of whom are supposed to be of the Indian origin are also facing same kinds of cruelties and kidnappings along with the population of hilly origin. “The open border between Nepal and India has been one of the main contributing factors to the increasing magnitude of international migration. Illegal trade associated with free movement of people across the border has been a matter of grave concern for both countries. It is therefore necessary to regulate the movement of people along the border between Nepal and India,” late Dr. Harka Gurung had recommended in his study on internal and international migration.
After the atrocities and destructions unleashed by one decade long Maoist insurgency, all had expected that peace had come to Nepal and it would prevail. Sadly, this is not turning out so.
“After a series of arguments and discussions, ultimately, Maoists have procured substantial share in parliament of nominated persons as well as in the government. Soon after the announcement of the end of insurgency by arrangement of interim constitution on January 15, another phase of violence has erupted as a bolt from the blue. Nobody had any apprehension that a new kind of violence and insurgency would erupt in whole of southern belt of Nepal under several leadership with similar motto. All are preaching violence, extortion, kidnapping and crimes of these natures,” said a political analyst.
Beside various criminal groups, Madheshi Tiger, Terai Cobra, Jantantrik Terai Mukti Morcha - Goit and Jawala Singh, Chure Bhawar Ekata Samaj, Nepal Defense Army (a religious group more active in Birgunj), Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, Terai Army (which owned up the responsibility for exploding a bomb in Chandranigahapur of Rautahat on May 14 injuring 14 persons), TM Don Group (active in far western terai region) have been launching violent activities.
“Outwardly, it does not seem like calculated and coordinated terror. But whatever general idea one has about the method of terrorism as a weapon of extracting concessions from a regime, is clearly seen in this situation. This is a completely new experience of terrorism for Nepalis,” said the analyst.
A veteran Indian journalist Rajinder Puri describes the situation as, “The silent cooperation between terrorist groups with diverse aims.” The inference is that these groups function under a central command. In his recent write-up in The Statesman regarding terrorism in India, Puri writes, “Broadly there are three kinds of terrorists. The dupes who believe in a cause and are the cannon fodder for terrorism; the criminals who take to extortion, murder and rape under protection of political banner; finally there are the few moles that are aware of hidden agenda of their masters. The hidden agenda of terrorism here is to destabilize and weaken India.”
What Puri diagnosed in Indian condition is as much appropriate in the case of Nepal. Nepal has been suffering from the curse of terrorism since a decade. Now a new dimension has been added in this crisis under the garb of regionalism, ethnicity, religion and language.
The country was supposed to have a lasting peace to get rid of poverty and illiteracy and usher a new Nepal- a credible Nepal.
“All didn’t share that kind of wishful thinking and day dreaming. The root cause of one decade long terrorism was not at all any upsurge of any ideology and noble ideals. It was an outcome of disguised conflict based upon strategic interest of broader dimensions. The new phase of political instability and rampant lawlessness and violence is the continuation of the same design under new facets and jargons. What veteran Indian journalist Rajinder Puri in his recent article in The Statesman ‘Anatomy of Terror’ had explained is not only the problem with India. All neighbors of India suffer from almost similar problems,” said the analyst.
Nepal had very peaceful borders with its neighbors in the past which is now a matter of history. It has two most powerful neighbors both economically and militarily powerful compared to which no security arrangements of Nepal can effectively insulate troubles from across the border. During the past one decade, slowly and gradually, Nepali border with the south became very fragile and uncontrolled as most of the police posts and check points were destroyed and devastated by Maoists. Although an effort was made to restore them following the ceasefire, last Madhesi uprising again devastated it.
The situation is now that there are virtually no police post and custom office in the Nepalese side of border where any element can come and go without any identification.
“We will take necessary steps to strengthen the security in terai. The government will prepare a log term security plan for terai,”said Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula.
According to the analyst, when Nepal was being burned by Maoists, all prominent Maoists leaders had enjoyed safe haven in India - which is an open secret now. Even Maoist leaders who have returned back to Nepal have revealed as much.
In the last few months after the upsurge of new violence under the name of Madhesis, Maoist cadres have become the first target. What happened in Gaur in March was quite cruel and dreadful.
“After all what all these great games are gaining on at the cost of lives of the common people and their peace and self respect. One need not go far away to find a clear perception of this crisis,” said the analyst. “There are some respectable columnists who have expressed their anguish while analyzing the violence of Nepal.”
Swapan Das Gupta, in Pioneer (29 May 2005), had long backed this view when he stated, “However, that does not gave it right to undertake a covert war in Nepal. How is this any different from the operation mounted by Pakistan, in Jammu and Kashmir and north India?”
“In one stroke, heads of intelligence service and the MEA have demolished ethical grounds of India’s diplomacy. We too are guilty of encouraging terrorists and acknowledging them as freedom fighters,” writes Gupta.
“These are some highly sensible and respectable Indians analysts who see troubles in Nepal as an outcome of a covert operation to promote an ulterior interest which is unethical and in the long run counter productive to them,” said the analyst.
In his recent article in Indian Defense Review, its editor Bharat Verma writes,” By humiliating its national army and making them surrender their weapons, Koirala government has opened itself to Maoist blackmail. It is a matter of time before the gun-wielding Maoists throw Koirala and rag -tag liberal political parties out of power. In terms of Indian foreign policy, it is blunder of epic proportions. The stark question is, if New Delhi cannot handle Nepal then what exactly can it do?”
A peaceful neighbor is the best guarantee of one’s security. Destruction in the neighborhood ultimately engulfs key players, too.
“ Nepal is not an isolated case in crisis rather it is more orderly and peaceful than any other smaller country of this region. Nepal has open and unguarded border due to which any disorder and violence in Nepal may ultimately spill away beyond its territory. It will be too late if the border with Nepal is kept unsafe and unguarded as it is at present – despite a huge deployment of Indian paramilitary border force SSB and all security system in the Indian side of border,” said the analyst.
The SSB came into the limelight for the first time through a report in Times of India supplement in 30 August 2001 soon after the Royal Palace massacre in Nepal. That dispatch reveals that it was created to use for subversive and clandestine activities deep within the Tibet. As the relations between India and China had improved, it was withdrawn from that task and deputed into a new task of guarding India’s border with Nepal against the ISI’s threat.
“After its deployment, there has not been any sensational news in the Indian press regarding ISI activities from Nepal’s border. But since then Nepal itself had become much more disturbed and chaotic in many respect,” observes the analyst.
“Now the question is of the statesmanship from big neighbor who could see that the border between the two countries is guarded properly and convincingly. Politicians in a democratic order are accountable to the people as well as their representatives. Therefore, they have to prevail over all kinds of administrative and security agencies,” said the analyst.
