Press Release; June 15, 2009

The Progressive Nepali Forum in Americas (PNEFA) in collaboration with other organizations around the world today held a global day of action against Indian aggression in Nepal. Except for the New York rally, where our brothers and sisters were mistreated by the “Brown Sahibs” while trying to handover the letter addressed to the Indian PM, today’s historic protests were held successfully from Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Canada, UK, Australia and Nepal.

Nepalis and peace-loving friends of Nepal protested the encroachment into Nepali lands in Dang District by the Indian Border Security Forces (IBSF) last month. These actions of IBSFs resulted in the displacement of more than 6000 people from their homes. Cases of rape and disappearance have also been reported, all consistent with a pattern: encroachment, forceful displacement, shifting of border markers and appropriation of Nepali territory and committing atrocities by IBSFs. Since 1950, India has already appropriated more than 60,000 hectares of Nepali territory at 84 places along the border. But India has not shown any sign of taking responsibility of its excesses in a foreign land. Two high level delegations of elected officials have investigated the incidents and determined that Nepal’s borders have been illegally and forcefully breached.

Participants in the rallies put forward the following demands: that the Indian government retract its recent aggression, that the IBSE be brought home to their barracks in India, that the government of India apologize to those Nepalis who have been the victims of a barbaric act, and that it compensate those whose property has been destroyed. The rallies also appealed all Nepalese, regardless of their ideology or party affiliation, to defend sovereignty. Organizers ask international friends and communities to condemn Indian aggression in Nepal.  The systemic encroachment into Nepali lands as well as the atrocities committed against Nepalese citizens are a violation of international law and human rights, and constitute an attack on Nepal’s sovereignty. People from Nepal and India have very cordial relations: they respect and admire each other. They share many common attributes. Nepalese appeal to the Indian government to base its foreign policy on those attributes as envisioned in Gujaral Doctrine. It is high time for Indian foreign policy making be taken out of the hands of bureaucrats still living in the shadow of colonialism.

Here is the online petition for your signature and distribution, which we plan to submit to the once reaches the mark http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Condemn-Indian-Aggression

Abi Sharma

President

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