Nepal: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2016

All Nepal National Independent Students UnionRevolutionary (ANNISUR) aligned to Netra Bikram Chandled Maoist party on May 2 announced all Kathmandu Valley schools would close tomorrow (May 3) to exert pressure on the Government, reports The Himalayan Times. Narayan Nepal, Kathmandu Valley Incharge of ANNISUR said they were going to shut down educational institutions, both community and institutional schools tomorrow to exert pressure on the government to release their friends who are in police custody and to control all kinds of irregularities in the school sector Read less...

Meanwhile, in an interaction organized by Nepal Republic Media (NRM) in Malangwa, the district headquarters of Sarlahi, on May 2, civil society leaders argued that the Government should not delay in addressing the legitimate demands of Madhes movement, reports Republica. They blamed the Government for wasting resources under the pretext of holding negotiations with agitating Madhes-based parties. Warning the Government about the adverse consequences of allowing Madhes issue to fester, the participants urged the Government to work seriously toward resolving the disputes. Read less...

Nepali Congress (NC) lawmakers on May 2 urged the party President Sher Bahadur Deuba to try and form a National Consensus Government under the NC’s leadership, reports The Himalayan Times. NC lawmaker Balkrishna Khand said “The government has failed at all fronts. As the largest party, the NC should make genuine attempt to forge broader consensus and deal with the national problems under its leadership. Neither the government is willing to implement the constitution nor can it amend it to address the concerns of agitating people. It is trying to make the judiciary the recruitment centre of party workers and former MPs. It is not being able to take the parties within the country, as well as the neighbouring and foreign countries, into confidence.” Read less...

Budget session of the Legislature Parliament began on May 3 and the first meeting of the session ended in five minutes, as it did not enter into any business, reports The Himalayan Times. The House will discuss contemporary national problems on May 4 and May 5, as demanded by the Nepali Congress (NC). The NC will raise delay in reconstruction and relief works in earthquake affected areas, black marketing, slow pace in implementation of new Constitution and bilateral relationship with neighboring as well as other foreign countries. Read less...

Nepali Congress (NC), the main opposition party, has joined hands with the second-largest ruling coalition partner Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) and agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF)  to topple KP Sharma Oli-led Government, reports The Himalayan Times on May 4. NC leaders held informal talks with UCPN-M leaders and a formal meeting with the leaders of the UDMF at the Legislature-Parliament building in New Baneshwor, Kathmandu. “We have offered the UCPN-M the post of Prime Minister in the coalition. Oli-led Government has failed on every front, including implementation of the new constitution, and has not shown flexibility in resolving the national problems. UCPN-M has accepted our proposal,” said a senior leader of the NC on condition of anonymity Read less...

UCPN-M skipped a meeting called by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to discuss burning political issues among the coalition parties, reports Republica on May 4. However, the meeting was attended by other ruling parties. Read less...

Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M), an important ally of the incumbent KP Sharma Oli-led Government, on May 4 decided to form a new Government under the leadership of its Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, reports Republica. A meeting of the office bearers of the party held at Dahal’s residence in Kathmandu took a decision to this effect. The party has also appealed to all the parties to join the coalition Government. After the meeting, a press statement said “Although we had decided to support the KP Oli-led government with view to safeguard national sovereignty, settle remaining issues of peace process; resolve political issues through talks and reconstruction works, the government failed to move ahead with the tasks despite drawing attention of the UML leadership by the party.” Read less...

Expressing dissatisfaction over the Government’s failure to address the demands, lawmakers of the United Democratic Madeshi Front (UDMF) boycotted the pre-budget discussion in Parliament on May 5, reports The Himalayan Times. Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal (FSF-N) senior leader Ashok Rai accused the Government of not paying attention towards demands raised by the UDMF. Read less...

Federal Alliance at a meeting held at the office of the Federal Socialist Forum (FSF) at Tinkune, Kathmandu on May 5 has decided to intensify its ongoing protest programmes, reports The Himalayan Times. The Alliance decided to form different committees and sub-committees to make its Kathmandu-centric agitation more effective. The agitation will start from May 15. Read less...

In order to save the Government, Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) on May 5 signed a nine-point agreement, reports The Himalayan Times. In the agreement, the two parties have decided to take initiatives to form a national consensus government with an objective to create conducive environment for the implementation of Constitution and socio-economic transformation. They have decided to discuss and resolve the issues of Madhes-based parties including federalism through political consensus. The parties have decided to initiate the process of amending the laws within 15 days to work on transitional justice as per the spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Accord. Read less...

UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal speaking at an interaction programme on May 5 said that it was not an appropriate time to change the Government as the date to announce the next budget was approaching closer, reports The Himalayan Times. Expressing his thanks to the major opposition party Nepali Congress (NC) for requesting the UCPN -M to take charge of the new Government, Dahal, also a former Prime Minister, argued that the national issues would not be resolved by merely changing the Government. Read less...

Conflict Victims Common Platform Nepal (CVCP) on May 6 said that the political agreement the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) parties struck in order to keep the ruling coalition intact has breached the current transitional justice process, reports The Himalayan Times. “We are shocked by the major two ruling parties’ intent to interfere in the current transitional justice process and withdraw the cases from the court and grant clemency (to the accused),” CVCP Chairman Suman Adhikari and General Secretary Ram Bhandari said in a statement. Read less...

A writ petition was filed at the Supreme Court (SC) against the nine-point agreement signed by Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), reports The Himalayan Times on May 9. Four advocates and a student of law have filed the writ petition, stating that the two parties’ agreement to withdraw conflict era cases and to accelerate the process of amending the relevant laws within 15 days was against the verdicts delivered by the SC. The petitioners have said the signatories of the nine-point deal acted against the independence Read less...

Election Commissioner Ila Sharma said that local elections were imperative but election related laws needed to be enacted and there must be political consensus before holding local polls, reports The Himalayan Times on May 9. Sharma said the required technical and administrative infrastructure must be in place and the Government must ensure that the election bill drafted by the Election Commission (EC) is enacted before holding local polls. Read less...

Government on May 8 formally invited United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) for talks, reports The Himalayan Times. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa, who heads the Government talk’s team, wrote a formal letter to the UDMF, inviting its constituents for talks. Stating that the Government was committed to addressing the Madhes movement on the basis of dialogue and consensus, he said the first two amendments to the Constitution were also made as per the understanding reached during the talks held between the Government and the UDMF. Thapa also wrote in the letter that the government had already formed a political mechanism to address the question of provincial boundaries. Read less...

Rajendra Mahato, Chairperson of Sadbhawana Party (SP), a constituent of UDMF, on May 8 said that the Government sent the formal invite to weaken the ongoing agitation, reports The Himalayan Times. He said “We are going to intensify our movement from next week and hence the government wrote this letter today to defuse our movement. The letter does not reflect government’s seriousness about dialogue. Had the government been serious about negotiated settlement, it would have sent this letter much earlier.” Read less...

Nepali Congress (NC), which is the main opposition party, on May 9 demanded that the civic polls be held only after restructuring the local bodies in accordance with the new Constitution after forging political consensus, reports The Himalayan Times. NC lawmakers in an amendment proposal registered at Legislature Parliament Secretariat sated “Since a commission is working to restructure the local bodies as per the new constitution, conducting civic polls under the old structure is meaningless and the local polls should be held under the new structure following the commission’s report.” Read less...

Chairman of Federal Socialist ForumNepal (FSFN) Upendra Yadav on May 10 announced to foil elections of local bodies, reports Republica. He said “The United Democratic Madhesi Front won’t let local polls happen. Declaring local elections without resolving disputes over provincial boundaries is a ploy to fail federalism.” Read less...

Chairman of Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal (FSF-N) Upendra Yadav speaking at a press meet organized by Madhesi Journalists Society in Birgunj town of Parsa District on May 10 said that dialogue with Government irrelevant as the Government had failed, reports The Himalayan Times. He said “The government will face a great loss if the demands put forward by UDMF are not met. The people are suffering due to shortage of petroleum products and are not getting cooking gas, petrol and diesel, among other necessary items, even though the nature of the Madhes protest has changed. The ongoing Madhes protest has taken a national form.” Yadav appealed to all to make the agitation, which will start from May 14 decisive. Read less...

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on May 11 urged foreign diplomats to duly acknowledge the Government’s efforts towards democracy and human rights, reports The Himalayan Times. He said the Government was committed to addressing issues over the Constitution raised by protesters through talks. Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa also told the envoys in Kathmandu, “True partnership means support, solidarity and appreciation of what has been gained and encouragement for continuous improvement.” Read less...

Six Maoists parties including the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal met at Dahal's Lazimpat residence in Kathmandu on May 11 and pointed out the need of immediate unification by settling the disputes, reports Republica. Chief personal secretary of Dahal, Jokh Bahadur Mahara said the discussion was held on how they made efforts for unification and within some days, they would make the parties one. The meeting was attended by the leaders Ram Bahadur Thapa, Matrika Yadav, Mani Thapa, Netra Bikram Chand, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Chairman Dahal and others. Read less...

Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal taking part in a meeting of the Legislature Parliament on the Government’s policy and programme on May 11 expressed discontentment at the Government’s policy and programme for lacking clear vision in dealing with the issues of Madhes, setting up proper mechanism for implementation of Government’s programmes and conducting civic polls, reports The Himalayan Times. Dahal said it would be difficult to hold local bodies’ polls without forging political consensus and clearing the Constitutional confusion Read less...

responding to a call for talks from Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa, the parties under the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) banner on May 12 said that it will be useless sitting for talks with the Government unless some prerequisite conditions are met and a favorable environment is created, reports Republica. "The government should immediately create an environment for talks. We cannot accept that the government is serious about seeking a consensus through talks as long as it does not prepare the necessary environment. UDMF for its part is always ready for resultoriented and decisive talks," stated the letter to the Prime Minister. Read less...

Federal Alliance in a press release on May 13 warned Government against using force during its demonstrations, reports The Himalayan Times. The Alliance announced that it would take out a rally from Ratnapark on May 14 and stage demonstrations around Singha Durbar on May 15. “If the government represses people’s movement and uses force, it could create a situation of longterm conflict and civil war. We want to warn that if such a situation arose, the government would be responsible for it,” the alliance said. Read less...

International Commission of Jurists, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International on May 13 said that the ninepoint agreement signed between the CPNUML and the UCPNM threatened to entrench impunity for those who planned and carried out killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other crimes during insurgency, just as the country’s long delayed transitional justice process was finally about to get under way, reports The Himalayan Times. They further said that Nepal’s leading political parties should not bargain away justice for victims of serious human rights abuses as part of an agreement to form a new coalition Government. Read less...

The Supreme Court (SC) on May 13 dismissed the writ petition against the 9-point deal between the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), reports Republica. A single bench of Acting Chief Justice Sushila Karki dismissed the petition stating that the deal was a political document signed between two political parties that didn’t require any judicial review. The apex court has also clarified that a show cause notice over the writ petition was not necessary as the deal calls for withdrawing only the cases filed with political bias, and that there is already a set procedure to withdraw such cases. Read less...

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Communications, Sherdhan Rai said “The protest is meaningless. The alliance is inflicting pain on people through the protest and it will backfire on them”, reports Republica on May 15. Saying that the Government amended the Constitution to address demands of the agitating parties and formed a political mechanism to resolve grievances over demarcation of provinces, Minister Rai stressed that the Government is for seeking solution through talks. Read less...

25 conflict-era complaints were registered with the Local Peace Committee in Sunsari District on basis of the notice issued by Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP), reports Republica on May 16. Among the complaints, 14 are related to CIEDP and 11 with TRC, according to the Peace Committee. Read less...

Federal Alliance began their Kathmanducentric protests on May 15 with the picketing of Singha Durbar as an initial phase, reports Republica. Starting from 9 a.m., protestors from 29 Madhesi and Janjati parties gathered in the Singh Durbar area, the center of the country's administration. This was followed by rallies with placards, banners and flags that began from various locations in Kathmandu. The protestors chanted slogans against the Government leadership and urged fulfillment of the 26point demand they submitted to the Government. They emphasized the redrawing of provincial boundaries and amending of fsome provisions of the Constitution, among other things. A brief scuffle occurred after the protestors tried to cross into the restricted zone. Read less...

Police and Federal Alliance cadres clashed at Balutwatar in Kathmandu while the former tried to prevent the latter from moving toward Baluwar, reports Republica on May 17. Federal Alliance has been protesting against the Constituand centered its protest at the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar. The Alliance had picketed Singha Durbar as part of its protest programs on May 15 and 16. Read less...

13 people were injured when Police clashed with the agitating Federal Alliance cadres at Balutwatar in Kathmandu on May 17, reports The Himalayan Times. Those injured include 12 cadres of Federal Alliance and two Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASI) Rabindra Dulal and Pramod Raut. Police recovered 150 sticks from the demonstrators.  Read less...

A single bench of Acting Chief Justice of Supreme Court (SC) Sushila Karki on May 17 issued a show cause notice to the Government and the leader of main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) for not holding local bodies’ election, reports The Himalayan Times. The bench sought a written reply within 15 days from the defendants on the issue after a preliminary hearing on the writ petition filed by six advocates, including advocate Chandra Kanta Gyawali, on May 3. Stating that the petition raised serious constitutional and legal question, Karki also ordered that the case be taken up with top priority. The petitioners argued that the Government would not be able to implement the Constitution and carry out reconstruction work effectively in the absence of elected local representatives. Read less...

after protesting outside the country’s main administrative centre, Singha Durbar, for two consecutive days, the Federal Alliance on May 16 decided to picket the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar on May 17, reports The Himalayan Times. As part of their plan to gherao Singha Durbar, the Federal Alliance had staged demonstrations at Maitighar Mandala and Hanumansthan for two days. According to Federal Alliance spokesperson Sitaram Tamang, the Federal Alliance will picket the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar from 10:00am to 5:00pm on May 17. Read less...

Blaming the Government of inciting protesters to prolong its term in power instead of addressing their concerns, Nepali Congress (NC) treasurer Sita Devi Yadav on May 17 said that the NC supported the genuine demands of Madhes-based parties and indigenous people, reports The Himalayan Times. “There should be two provinces in the Madhes from Jhapa to Kanchanpur, the electoral constituencies should be determined on the basis of population and there should be proportional representation in all local bodies. The NC will support all genuine demands of the agitating parties,” she said at a programme. Read less...

Meanwhile, Santosh Poudel, office secretary at the Local Peace Committee, Rupandehi District said that 21conflict-era related complaints have been registered in Rupandehi, reports Republica on May 18. He said of the complaints registered so far, 20 are related to TRC while one is related to CIEDP. The deadline for submitting complaint related to CIEDP is June 14 while that of TRC is June 16. Read less...

Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) members on May 17 said that the recent ninepoint pact sealed between the ruling Communist Party of NepalUnified Marxist Leninist (CPNUML) and Unified Communist Party of NepalMaoist (UCPNM) parties has shattered thousands of conflictvictims’ hope for justice, reports The Himalayan Times. TRC member Madhabi Bhatta, who returned to Kathmandu after visiting 14 Districts of the midwestern region, said hundreds of victims of Maoist insurgency fear acts of vengeance from the perpetrators, especially after the CPNUMLUCPNM agreement. CIEDP spokesperson Bishnu Pathak, who is visiting Districts of the eastern region, observed that fewer victims were coming forward to register complaints across the country since the ninepoint pact. Read less...

A meeting of the Joint Movement Mobilization Committee under the Federal Alliance on May 18 announced protest programs for the next 12 days, reports Republica.The meeting decided to organize mass rallies and programs of public gathering in different places of Kathmandu valley and some other cities. As per the newly-announced program, the alliance will stage demonstrations at Patan on May 19, at Baneshwar on May 20 and at Swayambhu on May 21. Likewise, the alliance has announced mass gathering at Chabahil on May 22, in Kirtipur on May 23, in Bhaktapur on May 24, at Balaju on May 25, at Kalanki on May 26, at Thimi on May 27 and at Kathmandu Durbar Square on May 28. The alliance has also said that protest rallies and public gatherings will be held in Birgunj and Pokhara respectively on May 29 and May 30. Read less...

Expressing dissatisfaction over leadership of the protesting Federal Alliance, three of its constituents on May 18 declared they left the Alliance, reports The Himalayan Times. Issuing a press statement, Lok Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party-Nepal and Loktantrik Party-Nepal announced that they no longer are parts of the protesting bloc. The Alliance, currently led by Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal (FSF-N) Chairman Upendra Yadav, was said to have 30 parties as constituents including members of the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF). The three fringe parties have accused Yadav and the UDMF of ignoring presence and agendas of other smaller parties and bargaining with the government based on their own 11-point demands. The three parties said they would independently carry out struggles putting forth 102 demands. Read less...

Minister for Information and Communications Sherdhan Rai speaking at an interaction at Reporters’ Club in Kathmandu on May 18 said that the Kathmandu-centric protest by Federal Alliance is pointless, reports Republica. Minister Rai claimed that there was no public participation in the protest, adding that the Alliance would be left with no option than holding talks at the last. “The Constitution was not promulgated by someone’s mercy. The agitators are for pushing the country toward another civil war by hindering implementation of the Constitution,” he claimed. Read less...

Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"Victims of Madi bomb blast, one of the most infamous incidents from the insurgency era, have filed their complaints at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), reports Republica on May 19. The Madi Incident Struggle Committee collected 57 complaints from the victims and submitted it to the officials at the TRC central office in Kathmandu.On June 6, 2005, a group of the then Maoist combatants had ambushed a passenger bus from Gobinda Basti to Bharatpur in Madi killing 39 innocent people on the spot and injuring 72 others. Among the injured, four died while undergoing treatment. According to sources, the victims have also named some Maoist leaders as perpetrators of heinous human rights violation in their complaints. Read less...

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has started preliminary investigation on complaints received from the conflict victims, reports Republica on May 19. According to TRC commissioner Madhavi Bhatta, preliminary investigation into the complaints will decide whether the event complained about had indeed occurred or not and whether the complaints fall under the jurisdiction of the commission or not. TRC had started receiving complaints from the conflict victims from April 17 and has received altogether 7,789 complaints from the conflict victims from across the country til May 18. The TRC is scheduled to start detailed investigations on the complaints from June 15. Read less...

Ten Maoist parties in a joint convention in Kathmandu on May 19 united to form a new force under the former rebel commander Pushpa Kamal Dahal to give birth to what they have decided to call Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-Maoist Centre), reports Kathmandu Post. The new party includes Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) led by Dahal, CPN-Revolutionary Maoist led by Ram Bahadur Thapa, CPN-Maoist led by Matrika Yadav, Revolutionary Communist Party led by Mani Thapa, Gauravshali Party leader Jayapuri Gharti and some leaders from Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN-Maoist and  Baburam Bhattrai-led Naya Shakti. Read less...

General Secretary of Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) Netra Bikram Chand on May 20 said his party would revive the people’s Government and people’s courts at the local level as the new Constitution was promulgated without consulting his party, reports The Himalayan Times. He also claimed that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was plotting to frame Maoist leaders and cadres on false charges. He said some Maoist leaders had deviated from the original Maoist ideology and therefore the leaders, including Pushpa Kamal Dahal, were not real Maoists.  Read less...

Government on May 20 decided to make a call to the Federal Alliance for talks, reports The Himalayan Times. A Cabinet meeting made the decision to this effect. According to the Cabinet decision, the Government would show utmost flexibility in the talks with protesting partiesMeanwhile, Nepali Congress (NC) on May 20 sought support from the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) for the proposal to amend the draft of the parliamentary regulations the former has registered in the Parliament, reports The Himalayan Times. Read less...

Communist Party of Nepal- Revolutionary Maoist (CPN-Revolutionary Maoist) Chairman Mohan Baidhya on May 21 decided to join the ongoing agitation launched by the Federal Alliance, reports The Himalayan Times. Baidhya said the central committee meeting of the party decided to support the genuine demands of Madhesi, Tharu and indigenous nationalities. He said the party would also organise separate programmes simultaneously. Read less...

Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) has put forth several conditions before resuming talks with incumbent Government, reports Republica on May 22. The UDMF has made it clear that declaration of martyr to the deceased during the Madhes protests, free treatment of injured and joint commitment of the major parties before resuming talks with Government. Read less...

Sadbhawana Party (SP) Chairman Rajendra Mahato at a program organized by SP at its Party office at Thapa Gaun in Kathmandu on May 21 reaffirmed that they will not return home until the rights for the Madheshis are secured in the new Constitution, reports Republica. Read less...

Chairperson of Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal (FSF-N) Upendra Yadav on May 22 said that if the Constitution is not rewritten, there will be another popular movement that will repeal the Constitution and write a new one, reports The Himalayan Times. Read less...

316 complaints registered in Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) in Jumla District through the local peace committee, reports The Himalayan Times on May 24. To date, 303 complaints have been registered at the TRC and 13 complaints at the CIED, according to local peace committee acting office secretary Belu Rokaya. Read less...

Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) on May 24 boycotted Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s allparty meeting, reports The Himalayan Times. So, the meeting ended without any conclusion. Chairman of Sadbhawana Party (SP) Rajendra Mahato said talks would not be necessary if the demands of the UDMF were implemented. He said the UDMF was against holding futile talks for the 37th time, as all the previous talks were a waste of time. Read less...

Nepali Congress (NC) leader Bimalendra Nidhi on May 24 revealed that his party was going to collaborate with agitating the Madhesi Front soon, reports The Himalayan Times. Nidhi said that the Government foiled the environment of talks instead of taking initiatives to bring the agitating parties for talks. Read less...

Supreme Court (SC) on May 24 summoned Unified Communist Party of NepalMaoist (UCPNM) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on a contempt of court writ filed by advocate Dinesh Tripathi, reports The Himalayan Times. After a preliminary hearing, a single bench of Acting Chief Justice Sushila Karki summoned Dahal to be present before the apex court and reply within three days. Tripathi had move the apex court as Dahal criticized the judiciary for issuing verdicts on the conflictera cases tantamount to the contempt of court.  The petitioner has demanded maximum punishment, which includes one year jail term, to the former prime minister, who is the top leader of one of the ruling parties. Read less...

The international community on May 25 urged all stakeholders in Nepal to respect the country’s basic national and international human rights obligations while addressing outstanding issues of the peace process, reports The Himalayan Times. “We urge all parties in Nepal, including non-state actors, to respect international human rights principles, standards and norms at all times,” read a joint statement issued on behalf of the United Nations in Nepal, the embassies of Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, the US, Switzerland and the delegation of the EU. Read less...

140 complaints have been filed in Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) in Kavre District, reports The Himalayan Times on May 26. Of the complaints lodged with the Local Peace Committee, 118 are meant for the TRC while the remaining 22 are for the CIEDP. Read less...

Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Anup Raj Sharma on May 26 said that the nine-point agreement reached between coalition partners Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) cannot override the order issued by the Supreme Court (SC) on the issue of human rights violations during the decade-long armed insurgency, reports Republica. Read less...

Family members of 17 laborers who were killed in a military action in 2002 filed a complaint on May 26 at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) against the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and the then senior Royal Nepal Army official Rookmangud Katawal, reports The Himalayan Times. Deuba was then the Defence Minister and Katawal was stationed at the Nepal Army Mid-Western Regional Headquarters while the laborers were killed in Kotwada of Kalikot District on February 23, 2002 over suspicious of being Maoist combatants. 35 workers were killed in the widely known Mission Kotwada. Read less...

Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal in a press conference organized by the Revolutionary Journalists Association, Chitwan District on May 26 said that he will be leading the new Government after endorsement of the new budget as per the nine-point understanding reached between his party and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), reports Republica. Dahal claimed that it was not a written agreement but was agreed by the two parties for the same. Read less...

Federal Alliance during a meeting held in Kathmandu on May 27 said that it would sit for talks if the Government sent a formal letter in the name of Alliance, reports The Himalayan Times. The Alliance has also decided to launch Province and District-centric protests in the next phase of protest programmes. The Alliance decided to announce further protest programmes on coming May 30. Read less...

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said that the Constitution promulgated in September 2015 was the outcome of a long struggle, reports The Himalayan Times on May 28. He said that the Constitution has ensured the rights of indigenous nationalities, ethnic communities, women, Dalits, marginalised groups, Muslims, Tharus and backward communities residing in the country. Moreover, he said that the country was heading towards the path of development and prosperity after the promulgation of Constitution. Read less...

Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) has received more disappearance-related complaints than the number recorded in the Government data, reports The Himalayan Times on May 30. The CIEDP has collected 1,523 complaints of enforced disappearances that occurred during the Maoist insurgency. According to the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction data, only 1,495 had disappeared during the decade-long armed insurgency that ended in November 2006. Read less...

Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal said a national consensus Government was needed for at least next 20 months, reports The Himalayan Times on May 30. He said “We need to move ahead taking Nepali Congress and Madhesi parties together. The CPN-UML wants to play an active role to form a national consensus Government. If we move ahead in consensus, it can establish a political system. The nation will be prosperous only when there is political stability and sustainable peace.” Read less...

Federal Alliance in a press release issued by the Alliance's Coordinator Upendra Yadav on May 30 announced another round of protests, reports Republica. The Alliance said that it will stage a relay hunger-strike at Tundikhel Khulamanch in Kathmandu from June 7 until its demands are met. The Alliance will hold literary and cultural programs every day at Tundikhel Khulamanch to expose the Government. It is also said that the Alliance will hold similar protests at the District and Province levels.Further, Upendra Yadav on May 30 warned that a new Constitution would be issued through a third people’s movement if the parties didn’t agree to rewrite the present Constitution, reports The Himalayan Times. Yadav argued “Grounds for the people’s movement across the country have been readied. This constitution, which is not accepted by a majority of the country’s population, has to be rewritten and a third people’s agitation is the only alternative. This statute cannot establish peace, stability and prosperity of the country. Amendments alone are not enough.” Read less...

The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) led by Netra Bikram Chand issuing a press release on May 30 warned that it would launch an armed insurgency, reports Republica. The party has made its protest plans public in the course of holding the united Tarai-Madhes people's awareness campaign. "The party strongly stands against the parliamentary system, and it will start armed insurgency at any time. When we stand against the parliamentary system, the government will obviously suppress us, prompting us to take up arms against the state.” Read less...

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on May 31 said that no one could budge his Government and hinted that he wanted to stay in power as long as he could, reports The Himalayan Times. Oli said he, however, was in favor of the national consensus. But, the consensus Government could not be actualized when he became the Prime Minister as the current opposition Nepali Congress (NC) insisted on the active role of the opposition, he claimed. Read less...

UnifiedCommunist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on May 31 responded to the Supreme Court (SC)’s summon on a contempt of court case and argued that he did not make any statement against honor of the judiciary, reports The Himalayan Times. In his response, Dahal maintained that he just advocated for implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) regarding the conflict-era cases.On May 16, Advocate Dinesh Tripathi had moved the apex court claiming Dahal’s public statements about transitional justice had tried to intervene into the court proceedings, hence committed the contempt of court. Read less...