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EXTORTION |
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EXTORTION |
Business Under Threat British authorities
have advised ways to stem organized extortion. Will the government implement them? By SANJAYA DHAKAL Last week a principal of a school in
Lalitpur received a letter demanding Rs 20,000 as ‘donation’. A suspected Maoist
cadre walked into his office and handed over the letter just like that. Shopkeepers and traders even in Kathmandu
report receiving similar letters and/or phone calls. Even well-established business
enterprises have not been spared the wrath of extortion, which is increasingly affecting
the psyche of the whole business community in the country. As the Maoists continue to raise funds in
the name of donation to their party, the traders, teachers, government employees and
others have continued to suffer from not only the financial but psychological distress as
well. As most of the people fear to go against the Maoist order, they end up parting with
their hard-earned money. Teachers regularly face extortion threats
in the villages. Since schools are the only government agencies that are allowed to
operate even with the Maoist heartlands, teachers have become an easy prey. “We have
reports that teachers in some parts of Bardiya district – in mid-west Nepal –
have to pay 60 percent of their annual salaries to the Maoists as donations. In other
districts also, similar donations of around 25 to 45 percent is mandatory,” said
Keshab Prasad Bhattarai, president of Nepal Teachers Association (NTA).
In May this year when the
Maoists’ student wing had imposed indefinite strike in educational institutions,
Umesh Shrestha, president of Private and Boarding Schools Organization of Nepal (PABSON)
had expressed frustration over the persisting disturbances in schools. “It is an open
secret that many times schools also have to pay money to buy safety,” he had charged. However, it is rare for news stories of
extortion to come out, as most of the victims prefer to remain anonymous for fear of their
safety. Concerned by the growing extortion threat
and its impact on business community, authorities of Britain have offered help to Nepal.
The British envoy to Nepal Keith George Bloomfield revealed that recently a team of
experts from London Metropolitan Police had come to Nepal to study the problem and
recommend proper course of action. They have prepared a plan and has invited
Nepal government to set up a special task force (by including representations from all
security organs) to fight this menace. The plan also advises the government to provide
witness protection program and undertake a pilot program first in Kathmandu Valley. They
have given a report to the government a few weeks ago. The government is said to be
studying the report. “The problem of extortion is also a
criminal issue, which needs to be dealt accordingly. Even if the Maoist problem is
resolved tomorrow, you may continue to receive the threatening phone calls and
letters,” Bloomfield said. The British ambassador has urged
coordinated action to stem the terror of extortion haunting the business community and
people at large. “The difficulties of the business community has grown due to
increasingly systematic and regular extortion (by the Maoists),” Bloomfield said
addressing the ceremonial session of the 9th Annual General Meeting of the Nepal Britain
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NBCCI) on December 5. “The issue of extortion has
preoccupied the Industrial Security Group (ISG) about the course of action needed to check
the extortion, which is expanding and increasing in amount,” he added. The ISG is a
group formed to promote the interest of business community. It consists of embassies and
bilateral chambers of UK, USA, France, Germany and India. President of NBCCI Rajendra Khetan said
that the ISG continuously raises the voices of industries on labor, revenue and
security-related issues. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr.
Prakash Sharan Mahat urged the business community to collectively resist the pressures of
extortion. “Just like the people of Dailekh, you should resist them collectively. The
government is ready to provide all kinds of help,” he said. Among others, business leaders believe that
the formation of such special task force would boost the capability of the government
forces to deal with the extortion threats and undertake covert operations to smash the
network. Earlier this year, the security forces made a botched attempt to take action
against the Maoist extortionist when they ended up killing a Maoist cadre as well as an
official at the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Ullas Baidya. In an operation that
smacked of inefficiency, plainclothes security personnel, who were hiding nearby, opened
fire at a Maoist cadre named Krishna Adhikari as he was about to receive money from Ullas
Baidya, a director at the NEA, near Old Baneshwore chowk on July 13. However, their
bullets also hit Baidya who later died in hospital. Reports said that Baidya was acting in
coordination with the security forces who had provided him with a bundle of fake notes to
hand over to the Maoists. In many cases, the Maoists have taken
physical action and even killed people who refused to pay donation to them. On January 15,
2004, Gopal Giri, a mayor of Birgunj sub metropolis was shot to death by the Maoists. The
news reports quoted his family sources as saying that the Maoists had asked for US$ 6000
as ‘donation’ from Giri. Upon his refusal to provide the money, the rebels had
asked him to step down from the position of mayor. Later they shot him. Incidents like these have tremendously
affected the business environment in the country. |
Send your feedback to the
editor: spot@mail.com.np |
