Short Introduction to the
Program:
NCBL organised an MRE seminar at Hotel
White House in Surkhet on 15 August 2005. In the program, Shyam Singh
Thapa, Deputy Inspector General of …… Police; Jit Bahadur
Pun, Superintendent of Armed Police Force; Raju Khadka, Colonel of
Royal Nepalese Army; Krishna Bahadur Khadka, Officer of District Administration
Office; Govinda Prasad Subedi, District Chairperson of Human Rights
Organisation; Prabha Prasad Dhami, Chairperson of District Appellate
Court Bar; Min Bahadur Karki of Rural Reconstruction Nepal; Kamlesh
DC, Central Member of Press Chautari Nepal; Rama Pyakurel from LACC;
Kanindra KC of SACC, Bindu Lal Regmi of INSEC; Dilli Ram Lamsal, PABSON
Secretary; and Kalendra Sanjuwal of Federation of Nepalese Journalists
spoke on the occasion.
Madhav Dhungel, facilitator and
chairperson of the program, spoke on the necessity, importance, objectives
and the possible impact of the program during the seminar. Tekendra
Basnet had emceed the program participated in by 56 representatives
of various sectors and organisations.
Similarly, the same morning an
awareness program among 69 students of Surkhet Education Campus was
organised. Madhav Dhungel, facilitator, also informed the students
on NCBL and it was agreed on the occasion that an interaction among
the students would be organised later. On the occasion, many students
appreciated the MRE program and urged NCBL to open up a branch office
and run program in the rural areas of the district. Amid the presence
of the students, posters were pasted and pamphlets were distributed
at various cross sections of Surkhet Bazaar and the group passed through
the major thoroughfares of the township.
Mine Problem in the District:
A large number of people
are being affected by the use of landmines in the course of violent
conflict that in February 1996. Passers-by, farmers, firewood collectors
and children have fallen victims to landmines over the years. The
use of landmines, a by-product of the ‘People’s War’
has affected people from different walks of life. Besides the Maoists,
the army and police have also been using landmines on various pretexts.
As Surkhet is also among the most affected districts, the NCBL has
launched its program here.
A passenger bus full of people
was about to for Nepalgunj from Salleri Bazaar of Surkhet district.
A bomb went off suddenly. It left about 15 persons and some animals
killed and about 15 persons maimed. Later it was known that it was
the security force that exploded the bomb. People were aware that
the security force was clearing their way. But what sort of impact
does it have when a bomb is exploded in a populous settlement?
Response to MRE:
“Many many thanks
to NCBL. The organisation has done the job that we had to do. Landmine
is an enemy of all. It does not discriminate against anybody including
the users. Therefore, the police administration will provide best
possible cooperation and support to NCBL in this initiative.”
Shyam Singh Thapa, DIG…… Police.
As Surkhet is one of the most
affected districts by the violent conflict, the NCBL has begun working
here in right time. As it is an important place in mid-western region,
the programs carried out here will also have impact on other districts
of Karnali zone. The District Administration Office lauds the efforts
made by NCBL in protecting the children and common people from the
scourge of violent conflict and it will lend its support to NCBL for
its future programs.
In my opinion, the MRE is a human
rights work. The NCBL has approached this district at a time when
the entire nation is shattered by the war with a noble program. We
welcome NCBL to Surkhet for lunching a program to save the lives of
children and common people while the nation is turning negligent every
day.
The NCBL has been carrying out
this program equipped with data and distributing awareness building
pictures, paintings, leaflets, posters to students and common people
and has decided to launch the program for high school students. It
has helped us learn more about landmines. Other publicity materials
and programs have given us additional opportunity to understand the
issue. We have realised that this seminar has have a huge impact on
the people of Surkhet. This morning NCBL organised a huge gathering
at the campus and distributed various publications while passing through
the town. This program is praised by all sectors. The Free Students
Union of the campus is ready to extend any support to NCBL in Surkhet.
It would be better to include
the awareness building collection of stories in the curriculum of
primary school and dedicate a separate class for it. The awareness
building pictures and posters are great in themselves. As the innocent
children most often fall victims to landmines, this program would
be very useful for them. If we can just distribute the publicity materials
to all the schools in Surkhet district, the awareness building program
will be fifty percent complete.
If the teachers cooperate in
course of their teaching by including those publicity materials, it
will to a greater extent be successful to save the children from landmines.
We request NCBL to send more such materials. We will with the help
of such materials also make our neighbours and relatives aware of
the scourge of landmine. It is necessary to make the programs of NCBL
more effective in order to minimise the risk of landmine and other
explosives.
Suggestions on Future Programs:
-
Need to open up
branch and run programs in rural areas.
-
District Education
Office, PABSON, N-PABSON, teachers’ organisations and students’
organisations should help NCBL by distributing its publicity materials.
-
Need to coordinate
among the active stakeholders in the districts in order to make
the program more organised.
-
It would have been
better to organise interaction among the people by including the
rebels.
-
It would be better
to exert pressure on the state and non-state actors in order to
make them aware of the negative impacts of using landmine.
-
Besides distributing
posters, pamphlets, leaflets and bulletins, the technical person
of the organisation should visit villages and generate awareness
among the people along with the introduction of NCBL.
-
Networks should
be formed in every district. This program can be launched in the
villages as well, where the rebels are also present.
-
Classes on MRE
should be run in schools time and again and street drama, song and
eloquence competitions should be organised.
-
Need to distribute
enough publicity materials.
-
Pressurise the
state to sign the Ottawa Convention.
-
Need to nationalise
and internationalise this problem.
-
Security positions
should be away from schools.
-
The following measures
should be adopted to free children from the suffering of conflict:
1. Children should be kept away from violent and war activities
2. Military and defensive activities should be carried out very
cautiously at public places and schools
3. The army should not be allowed to use public play ground for
their parade
4. Information and news on violent activities should not be allowed
to be broadcast through the media.
5. Massive awareness building programs need to be launched in order
to protect children and common people from moving towards violent
and dangerous activities. I also request to convey this message
to the concerned agencies.
