1. Public Awareness and Peoples' Signature Collection Campaign
10 October 2004

This program was organised as a public awareness building and signature collection campaign on the first day of the Ottawa Convention Awareness Week. The officials, members and volunteers of NCBL gathered at Ratna Park, Kalanki, Maharajgunj, Chabahil, Koteshwor and New Baneshwor early morning. Passers-by were attracted by the placards, banners and piece of cloth for signature collection. Posters and stickers further attracted audience and brochures and handbills helped in telling them about the event. The NCBL volunteers satisfactorily fielded the questions asked by the audience. People were interested in the event and expressed their commitment towards the call to put a complete ban on landmines by signing it. About 25,000 people signed on the 100-metre long cloth within half an hour.

Those who signed included former minister Amrit Kumar Bohara. We took video interview of some people on the occasion. The following are the interviewees:

2. School to School Program, 11 October 2004

The participation of school students in public awareness raising on the danger of mines not only protects them from the danger, but they also play a catalytic role in making other people aware of the threat of the lethal weapon. They can also help in exerting pressure on the government for signing the Mine Ban Treaty. The education and training given to them would be sustainable in giving continuity to our campaign. Therefore, we have completed awareness raising among the students in 12 schools of Kathmandu. Program was conducted as per the condition and suggestions of the schools. The program was conducted through following activities:

• Distribution of publicity materials including caps and T-shirts with logo and banner visiting classrooms.
• Interaction among the students in classrooms.
• Discussion among the students after distributing publicity materials.
• Carry out planned activities utilising the assembly time of the students.
• Sticking posters and stickers on the walls of and around school buildings in villages and cities.
• Involving teachers in giving their views on the issue.
• Question-answer between teachers and students.
• Singing songs.
• Speech from school principal and distribution of caps and T-shirts with logo.

3. Bicycle Rally, 12 October 2004

We chose Ratna Park, the heart of the city, in Kathmandu for the program of the third day. Youths assembled on a given time with T-shirts and caps on. As per the prior information given to the traffic police, they halted all the vehicular traffic for a given time. Gathering of smart youths in files further made the event attractive. Every bicycle carried placards with slogans. The rally went through Ratna Park, Bag Bazaar, Putali Sadak, Bhrikuti Mandap, Tundikhel, New Road, Indrachok, Ason and Bhotahity and converged into a gathering at Ratna Park.

Slogans written on placards during the cycle rally were:

• Secured living is our right
• Peace and security, need of hour
• Let’s not destroy nation in warfare
• Ban landmines, provide security and establish peace
• Initiate peace talks
• Stop killing and violence
• Protect human life
• Let’s end infighting, move ahead for restoring peace
• Sign Ottawa Convention
• Stop using landmines for restoring peace
• Let’s stop mines, shun violence and choose peace

At the end of the rally, Purna Shova Chitrakar, coordinator of NCBL, addressed the gathering. She also appealed for a complete ban on landmine. One hundred and twenty-five youths took part in the rally.

A delegation of NCBL officials and youth activists met Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa at his office in Singha Durbar and submitted a five-point memorandum to him on the occasion. Emphasis was also given to abide by the points in the memorandum.

The Prime Minister said that the problem was created by the Maoists so NCBL also hold talks with them as well.

Journalists were also present on the occasion.

Letter submitted to the Prime Minister:

Date:
Right Honourable Prime Minister
Sher Bahadur Deuba
Prime Minister’s Office
Singha Durbar, Kathmandu

Subject: Ban on landmines and participation in Nairobi Review Conference

Your honour,

Landmine is an indiscriminate and lethal weapon. It cannot not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. Not only that as mines remain active even decades after conflicts are over, it keeps on injuring, maiming and killing innocent people. Even today about 20,000 people lose their lives in mines explosions annually in 65 countries of the world including Afghanistan and Cambodia which suffered from conflicts.

The use of mines is increasing everyday in Nepal due to the conflict that began nine years ago. 731 people fell victims to landmines and IEDs in 2003 while the number of mine victims in six months 2004 rose to 976 from February to June. Of them 92 are children, 45 women, 295 common people and 432 others.

Besides, 82 policemen, 70 armed policemen, 240 army men and 152 Maoists fell victims to the IEDs and mines. It is indicative of causing loss to life in the future. Therefore, it has been imperative for the country to put a complete on the production, transfer, stockpile and use of mines. Hence, on behalf of NCBL I would like to request right honourable prime minister to take action on the following:

• Immediately sign the Ottawa Convention which puts a complete ban on the production, transfer, stockpile and use of mines, an indiscriminate and lethal weapon, as it causes the irreparable loss to the lives of millions of people every year.
• Make arrangement for the participation of a high level government delegation in the Review Conference being held from November 29 to 3 December 2004 at Nairobi of Kenya from formulating future strategies with a view to globalising the Ottawa Convention.
• Include the ban on the production, transfer, stockpile and use of mines to make an agenda during the peace talks between the government and the Maoists. Incorporate it into the code of conduct to be formed during the talks.
• Form and implement special programs for the treatment of mine victims, introducing Mine Risk Education and rehabilitate the victims immediately.
• Initiate talks to restore peace immediately and announce ceasefire in order to create environment conducive to holding talks.

At last I would like to extend cordial felicitation on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami.

Purna Shova Chitrakar
Coordinator
NCBL

A press conference was organised on the last day of the week-long program. Media covered the news of different events of MBT Awareness Week. Click here to view news published by the different newspapers.

NCBL also issued a press release on the occasion.

Press release

The use of mines is increasing everyday in Nepal due to the conflict that began nine years ago. 731 people fell victims to landmines and IEDs in 2003 while the number of mine victims in six months 2004 rose to 976 from February to June. Of them 92 are children, 45 women, 295 common people and 432 others. Besides, 82 policemen, 70 armed policemen, 240 army men and 152 Maoists fell victims to the IEDs and mines. It is indicative of causing loss to life in the future. Therefore, it has been imperative for the country to put a complete on the production, transfer, stockpile and use of mines. In keeping with this reality, NCBL organised an Ottawa Convention awareness week program from 10 to 14 October 2004. The following activities were carried out during the period:

• Signature collection campaign: The campaign was conducted at Chabahil, Maharajgunj, Kalanki, Koteshwor, New Baneshwor and Ratna Park in which 25,000 people signed demanding a ban on landmine on 10 October.
• School awareness campaign: The number of children falling victims to landmines is increasing every day. Therefore, it has been imperative to make children aware of the danger of mines and to declare children as zone of peace school awareness campaign was launched among 10,000 students of Kathmandu on 11 October.
• Bicycle rally: A bicycle rally was taken out in Kathmandu on 12 October demanding restoration of peace. One hundred and 25 representatives from various organisations, students of schools and colleges, representatives of youth organisations and general public participated in the rally.
• Submission of memorandum to Prime Minister: An NCBL delegation met Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at his office in Singha Durbar on 13 October and submitted a five-point memorandum to him urging the government to participate in the Review Conference going to be held at Nairobi of Kenya from 29 November to 3 December 2004. Apart from the memorandum, the delegation also submitted the collection of 25,000 signatures to the prime minister on the occasion.

Since landmine is an indiscriminate lethal weapon, we urge the government and the Maoists to stop the production, transfer, stockpile and use of mines. We also request journalists to be actively engaged in mine ban campaign and to disseminate the stories of the victims, write article on prohibition of landmines in order to control the loss of lives and property caused by landmines.

Purna Shova Chitrakar
Coordinator
NCBL
14 October 2004