Letters from Renu and the WFN staff . . .

A diary of social work in Nepal . . . June 4, 2006

The Letters from Renu on these pages detail an ongoing saga of abuse. WARNING: these letters have graphic descriptions which may be disturbing. These are stories of real people in terrible trouble.

Finally! A public hearing for the Praja Forest People's families whose men were killed at Kalikot . . . .

Yesterday, the 4th of June, the Women's Foundation and FOHRID, a human rights organization, oganized rally and public hearing programme for the people whose family members were killed by the army five years ago. (Photo: widows and child of men killed)

The murder was In Kalikot district (western part of Nepal) where the government of Nepal planned to make an airport in the district headquarter of Kalikot. (See the script of "The Living of Jogimara," an investigative journalism film of the murders at Kalikot with the names of those who died.)

A man took responsibility for the work as the contactor. He hired the people who would build the airport. The workers were from many different parts of Nepal. Most of people who were hired to work on the airport were poor. While they were working, a large contingent of the Nepali Army went to that place. The Army made all the workers line up. The Army killed the workers, one by one, then they accused all the workers of being Maoist. Actually the workers were very poor innocent labors.

People tried to bring their case to court but the court failed tot register the case because of the Army's power.  Among 35 workers, 25 workers were form Chitawan. They were family members of the people still living in the forest called Praja or Raoute. They are remote and live with little outside social contact .  They eat wild fruit and the wild food - but today the forest is much smaller than in the past. There is less food. They have small houses, like a hut.

These people of the Praja Forest has to start woriking in other people's homes. Some people also started to plant their own crops but they didnot have much land. Most of the families were dependent on the earnings of the people who were killed by the Army in Kalikot district. The families know about the murder of their family members, but they could not do anything.

We brought the family members to Kathmandu on the 3rd of June, and yesterday, the 4th of June, there was a protest in the morning  from 8 am to 9.30 am.

Several human rights organizations, journalists, professionals, and students also took part in the rally.  They demanded to know where their family members were, asking, "Where are our family members? Where is my son? Where is my father? We need the dead body of each of our family members.  Punish the criminals. Protect our human rights!!

At 1 PM, we organized a public hearing programme. The family members, themselves, told of their pain. We are bringing their case to court today. The Women's Foundation decided to give shelter and education for one 6-year old girl and her mother, because, at present, they have no place to stay. They hve been passing their days going to the homews of different relatives each day.