Cover Story (Spotlight Weekly)

RIOTS IN KATHMANDU
Calm After The Storm

After the imposition of curfew for five days, the valley’s life has returned to normalcy but it will be a long time before the people can get over the mysterious mayhem organized in a well-calculated and well-planned manner. From Hrithik Roshan episode in 2001 to Palace killings in 2001, people have witnessed a number of similarly mysterious violence and destruction of public properties. Like all previous mayhems, it lasted for just around seven hours. Just three days after the violent Bandha (General Strike) called by sister organizations of Nepali Congress (NC) – a liberal democratic party – seemingly a dress rehearsal protest demanding apology for a minor incident at Tribhuwan Airport, the violent rampage took place on September 1 disturbing the communal harmony and virtually destroying the burgeoning foreign employment and tourism industry as well as threatening media houses. The message of the mayhem is simple and clear - no one is safe including media, business houses, multi-national companies and religious places from the mysterious mob

By KESHAB POUDEL

After eight hours long rampage of looting and destroying, trained demonstrators executed a well-planned operation leaving a trail of destruction hitting at Nepal’s basic fundamentals including communal harmony, burgeoning foreign employment sector, tourism industry and media houses owned by Nepalese on 9/1/2004.

Though it was termed as a spontaneous in the initial point of time, the mysterious violent demonstrations of Wednesday (September 1) left tons of ash of old tires, papers, furniture, window panes, burnet vehicles of foreign employment companies and media houses strewn across the streets of the capital city.

Qatar Airways building : Sensless vandalism

The mayhem calmed down after the imposition of curfew for five days. The nature and style of the violent demonstration was like that of all the previous ones. The only difference was that the curfew hours were longer and stricter this time.

Tragedy Of A Small Country

Sandwiched between two major powers, Nepal has already faced much tragic turmoil like the recent one. Of course, it destroyed Nepal’s foundation of economic development but it also indicated that such incidents cannot go on for a long time.

As earlier, it also showed that Nepal’s tragedy is also its strength. The internal interests of particular neighbors create turmoil but their own interest also helps to pacify the situation. “The interest of both the neighbors and their nervousness is strength as well as weakness of a small country like Nepal,” said a foreign relations expert. “Internal worries of neighbors create more troubles to Nepal. If Nepal’s neighbors did not have any interest and/or worry, Nepal would not have to face the situations like this so frequently.”

Just two weeks ago, the Maoists had imposed the economic blockade but it did not work despite exaggerated reporting in the international level by Indian media. After five days, the Maoists lifted their blockade.

In the last fifty-five years long Nepalese history of modernization, there was hardly a time when Nepal remained out of turmoil. Whenever Nepal made efforts to achieve its economic goal for self-reliance, unseen political disturbances have destroyed them. Unfortunately, Nepalese are used against Nepalese to destroy these achievements.

Target Against Religious Harmony

Although other institutions including media houses were attacked apparently to divert the attention, the targets set by the demonstrators were directly related to the Muslim countries where a large numbers of Nepalese are employed.

Rampage near New Road : Misplaced outrage

The responses from political leaders, intellectuals and common citizens have similar tones, as it seems that the mayhem and losses did not make any difference to them. It reminds Francis Hamilton’s assessment of Nepalese people.

“These mountain Hindus appear to me a deceitful and treacherous people, cruel and arrogant towards those in their power, and abjectly mean towards those from whom, they expect favor,” writes Francis Buchanan Hamilton in his book “An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal: And of the Territories Annexed to this Domain by the House of Gorkha.”

Although he had assessed Nepalese one and a half century ago, it seems that the observation made by Hamilton is perhaps correct! Nepalese are yet to make efforts to disprove Hamilton’s assessment.

If the recent incidents and reactions of political leaders are any indication, it shows that Nepalese can be easily used to destroy their own country and the economy.

Following the brutal killing of 12 innocent Nepalese hostages by Iraqi terrorist outfit on Tuesday (August 31) afternoon, the reactions of two ministers and responses of the country’s main political parties and their sister organizations hit the sentiments of the people. The portrayal of cruel killing displayed in the media - state owned and private - and their headlines gave enough fuel to make people senseless.

After the announcement of the killing by Nepalese media and confirmed by the two ministers, demonstrators organized torch rally demanding the resignation of Minister of Labor and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. Although media reports showed that demonstrations were spontaneous, the nature of mob showed that it was well organized and planned.

According to Gorkhapatra, a government-owned newspaper, the mysterious gathering of youths had organized rallies at Baneshwore, Ason, Ratnapark, Putalisadak and other many important places obstructing the roads. “The angry mob demanded actions against those manpower involved in sending Nepalese to Iraq,” wrote Gorkhaptra on September 1.

Failure of Intelligence

It was a failute on the part of security agencies including police, intelligence and army to preempt the situation by taking right steps at right time. Like all three previous violent demonstrations, Nepal’s police and intelligence system was blocked for hours paving the way for vandalism.

A vehicle burnt in Kalimati : Who is to blame ?

During the Hrithik Roshan episode, the business houses owned by a section of business communities were targeted. This time the targets were the Muslim-related agencies.

“When we witnessed violent mobs, we reported to our superiors about the incidentsled by new faces. But our senior officers replied to us that there is no order from the top to use the force or any other measure to contain the violence,” said a junior official at the Ministry of Home Affairs. “As most of the demonstrators were associated to major political parties, no one was prepared to take risk by using the force against them. When the mobs started to rampage the city destroying the public property, it was too late.”

The demonstration of Tuesday night had provided enough hints that the violence would spread the next day. Unfortunately, Nepalese police and other security agencies including Intelligence - which have been waging most difficult war with the insurgents under stress - had not done anything to prevent it. The unfortunate part is that the ministers in the government did not take any decision to prevent the mayhem.

"There were security lapses on Wednesday," said Minister for Information and Communication Dr. Mohammad Mohsin. "Home Ministry is probing about the lapses."

The provocative statements issued from all political sides against the killing and against the manpower agencies through media and irresponsible reactions from two ministers made the common people angry and brainwashing them to the extent that they were not able to distinguish right from wrong.

After the unhindered demonstrations of Tuesday (August 31) night, the demonstrators followed calculated plan and well-defined targets for the next day. According to the reporting on newspapers, student groups at Chabahil Campus began the violent agitation burning tires at the main road of Chabahil. This violence gradually escalated in all the main campuses of valley and a small but a well-trained group of people stopped the vehicles’ movement. The violence, then, spread to the city center.

Passports and documents : Are they safe ?

The next round of violence began at about 9 a.m on Wednesday when the demonstrators attacked the Mosque at the center of capital, two newspaper houses and scores of manpower agencies. In about five hours time, offices of more than 300 manpower agencies, Kantipur Publication and Channel Nepal’s Office, Space Time, Qatar Airways, PIA, Gulf Air were smashed.

The mysterious mob led by some well trained individuals attacked Egyptian Embassy in Pulchowk, Group Four’s office in New Baneshwore, a Beauty parlor in Kopundole, even medical stores and other institutions that came on their way damaging infrastructures, destroying computers, records and other facilities of manpower agencies and Airlines offices. Even Chiranjibi Wagle was not spared. A group of vigilantes ransacked his residence, set fire to his vehicles and looted sacks of rice. Wagle was recently convicted by the Special Court on corruption charges. The security agencies failed to intervene when a mob attacked a private residence of an individual - an ominous indication of things to come.

At a time when about a million Nepalese workers are working in the Muslim countries in the Gulf, these attacks might generate the feelings against the Nepalese there.

The Egyptian Embassy - which is authorized to issue the certification to Nepalese workers by the United Arab Emirates - is supporting Nepal’s quest to earn foreign currency through the export of surplus human power. The demolition of office of Qatar Airways, which connects Nepal into the Europe bringing a large number of tourists as well as offering air seat to fly to Gulf countries will have a long term implication to Nepal tourism-economy.

The Gulf Air also played an important role in providing air seats to those Nepalese who are going to the Gulf countries for work. The Pakistan International Airlines - which had started its operation only a few months back - too faced the damage. At a time when the national flag carrier Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) does not have aircraft to fly to the Gulf, the airlines of Gulf countries are taking Nepalese workers directly to their working destination.

Attack Against Media

Thanks to the last minute intervention by the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) and efforts by its editorial staffs, editorial division of Kantipur publications and Kantipur Television station could be saved from total devastation. The mob went scot-free and went on to destroy the editorial office of Space Time and Channel Nepal. Channel Nepal stopped its news operation for 24 hours after the mob stole its camera and destroyed its studio. Space Time Network’s cables were also damaged in many places disconnecting people from the outside world.

Police in Ratnapark : Helpless

Had the two Television Stations been totally devastated and destroyed, people would have to rely on Nepal Television, a government Television, and India-based Nepal One Television for information. The usefulness of two private Nepalese channels - Channel Nepal and Kantipur Television - was proved on Saturday (September 4) to clear the well-planned rumor against the monarchy.

Of course, these two media houses, knowingly and unknowingly, promoted the violent culture in the past, but they supported the stability at the last minute when the country was really in crisis. “The attack against Kantipur Publications and Space Time network is well calculated and well planned,” said Prateek Pradhan, editor of the Kathmandu Post, in a recent interaction program. “We supported Nepal’s interest and democracy.”

Channel Nepal’s management, too, holds the view that the attack against them was a well-planned operation. “This is a well planned action against independent and free media. We didn’t receive any security when hooligans were ransacking our studio and editorial room,” said Kedar Koirala, executive Editor of Channel Nepal.

Target Manpower Agencies

One of the main targets of the mayhem was the manpower agencies. The agitators attacked almost all offices of manpower agents destroying their records and computers. Many manpower agencies have also lost the passports and other documents that were prepared to take many Nepalese for overseas employment.

After the attack against around 300 manpower companies, the foreign employment business is now in virtual standstill. Foreign employment agents have already declared that they would not start their function as long as the government does not provide them credible security and agrees to bear the loss.

The manpower companies have already declared that it will take them at least a month to be back in business. This means Nepalese who had applied for foreign employment will have to remain idle for at least another month.

According to the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), around 325 manpower agents’ offices have been destroyed resulting in losses over one billion rupees. Besides, all the manpower companies have lost computers and other related documents.

“Our initial report suggests that more than 20,000 passports with visa and work permits were stolen and lost,” said Ganesh Man Lama, first vice president of the Association.

Although the government has already formulated five member committee to present report to the Ministry of Labor on the loss and damage of manpower companies, the entrepreneurs have already rejected to join the committee.

“We will start the nationwide agitation seeking the resignation of three ministers including Labor and Transport Minister, Home Minister and State Minister for Foreign Affairs,” said Lama.

In fact, even before the 9/1 incident, the conspiracy against Nepalese foreign employment companies was already hatched. In the last two months, there were systemic attacks against manpower companies through the Ministry of Labor and Transport, newspapers and political parties.

With the rampant looting of the manpower companies, the country’s manpower companies are in no position to return to normal business anytime soon.

“I cannot say when the process of sending the foreign workers will begin. It is uncertain now as it will take months to physically prepare the office,” said Lama.

Who is Behind the Riot?

There are contradictory reports coming out regarding the riots. Some have pointed fingers towards external element behind the riot but others see it otherwise. Nepali Congress (NC) leader Girija Prasad Koirala in his recent statement with three other political parties accused the Royal Palace, Army, police and intelligence for the riot.

Analysts hold the view that such mayhem against the Nepalese interest is not possible without the backing of external element. “This is a handiwork of foreign element which does not want to see flourishing manpower industry in Nepal,” said advocate Bal Krishna Neupane, who has filed a number of public litigation including those on famous Tanakpur and Citizenship. “Our leaders cannot open mouth against their masters so they always blame others to protect (their masters).”

“It is the determination of Nepalese people, politicians and intellectuals to work together to save their own country. As a friend, a neighboring and friendly country can materially as well as financially support to make you country self-reliant. We believe that Nepalese are capable of doing so,” said a diplomat on the condition of anonymity.

“It seems that the whole event was a stage-managed show. From destruction and mayhem to the return of normalcy, it is systematic. The houses the demonstrators hit were well defined and targeted as if the road mapping were prepared many years before. The men sent to ransack the houses were well informed,”

As Nepal has been passing through a very critical phase of its history, the time has come now for Nepalese to prove that Hamilton was wrong about his assessment of Nepalese.