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Danish high
school students send thumb prints to Nepal |
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On
January 13, MS Nepal partner organisation Backward Society
Education (BASE) Bardiya handed over thumb prints of 10,000 Danish
high school students to Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa to
remind him of government promises to the liberated kamaiyas
(bonded labourers) three and a half years ago. The then government
had promised to ensure land, housing, identity cards and education
for the liberated bonded labourers, but despite these pledges,
thousands of ex-kamaiyas still have received none of this and are
today living in temporary camps in Western Nepal.
Along with the thumb prints, BASE stated a short and concise
message to the government:
By putting my thumb print on this petition, I wish to call
attention to the fact that I have not forgotten the Nepalese
government’s promise more than three years ago to provide identity
cards, housing and ten kattha land for the ex-kamaiyas.
Unfortunately, not much has happened since. I hereby request you
to take immediate action to fulfil that which all liberated bonded
labourers were promised then. It is shameful that 19,000 ex-kamaiyas
are still living under inhuman conditions in temporary camps in
the Terai.
Acknowledging the petition, S.B. Thapa promised to appoint a
commission for rehabilitation of the ex-kamaiyas. Knowing that it
takes more than just words to produce results, BASE will follow
the development and actions of the government closely in the
coming days and weeks.
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Former kamaiya Astoni Chaudary to PM Surya Bahadur Thapa:
"Other people go to Kathmandu for holiday and fun. I have
never been to our capital before, but I have come here now to
tell you about the big problems we encounter. We have no land,
we have no decent place to live; all of us who live in
temporary camps in the jungle have no possibilities of finding
daily employment as we cannot even afford to go to the nearest
town. When we work for landowners, we receive a bag of chili.
We have no clothes, many people are cold and even die of this
when the Terai is covered by the thick winter fog. Our
children do not go to school because the schools are too far
away or because we have to send them away to work. We cannot
do anything to fight diseases. We are all Nepalese citizens
and we have come here to claim our rights” |
http://www.base.org.np
http://www.od.dk/nepal2002/ (in Danish)
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