Ongoing Struggles for Land in Kailali, Nepal

	Baidya Maoists seize private land in Kailali
	DIL BAHADUR CHHATYA, MyRepublica.com DHANGADHI, April 12: Cadres of the CPN-Maoist have seized a piece of land in Lalbojhi VDC of Kailali district, which was under huge Maoist influence during the insurgency. While hoisting a flag of their party on a plot of 22 bighas [36.82 acres] of land spreading across Lalbojhi VDC-2 and 3, the CPN-Maoist cadres announced that the land, which legally belongs to one Navaraj Singh, a relative of former King Gyanendra Shah, will henceforth be under their control. The land, which was initially seized by the UCPN (Maoist), was seized by a group of CPN-Maoist cadres led by one Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is in-charge of Kailali-10 of the party. Mahesh Baduwal, Kailali district secretary of the CPN-Maoist, said that they decided to seize Singh´s land as the UCPN (Maoist) was planning to return it to the lawful owner. “We will not allow return of seized lands to feudal lords,” said he. Baduwal said that the CPN-Maoist will seize more lands as per their party policy. He also said that the seized lands will be distributed among families of martyrs, poor and the landless. He said that the CPN-Maoist decided to seize all lands previously seized by the UCPN (Maoist) as the latter is now working in the interest of the ´ruling class´. In Kailali, no lands seized by the UCPN (Maoist) during the war have been returned to their rightful owners so far. Although former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai´s government initiated efforts to return the land seized by his party in the past, no tangible progress was made.
Published on 2013-04-12

Nepal: Landless peasants and Maoists (CPN-M) struggle for land, against landlord in government

[This struggle for land has been ongoing for years.  Since the abandonment of the People’s War by the UCPN-M, Maoist defenders of the peasant land seizures have continued to hold and seize the lands of feudal landlords.  See the two articles on recent actions, followed by news of an earlier (2011) confrontation in Bardiya. — Frontlines ed.]

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Baidya cadres seize Regmi land

KAMAL PANTHI , The Kathmandu Post

BARDIYA, APR 03 – Workers of the Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist have captured around 6.7 hectares of land belonging to Chairman of the Interim Election Government Khil Raj Regmi in Khairichandanpur VDC-7 in the district.
Around 25 Maoist activists led by district secretary Drabya Shah announced the seizure by hoisting the party’s flags on the land on Tuesday night. They shouted anti-government slogans and demanded Regmi’s resignation. The party claimed it captured around 23 hectares of the land belonging to the Regmi family. Shah said they captured the property as per the party’s policy.
Chief District Officer Dhruba Raj Joshi said the land was registered in the name of Regmi’s wife Shanta.
Police reached the site on Wednesday morning and removed the flags from the land.

Film review: 5 broken cameras

Hot Docs Trailers 2012: 5 BROKEN CAMERAS

 

4 March 2013. A World to Win News Service. 5 Broken Cameras, the first Palestinian documentary nominated for an Oscar, gives an overwhelming depiction of the injustice and brutality on a massive scale against the residents of a village called Bilin in the West Bank. Israeli settlers exude entitlement as they move into new apartments on the hilltops surrounding Bilin, settlements on land stolen from Belin farmers. Not only are Belin’s inhabitants viciously assaulted and oppressed but even the olive trees that are supposedly left to them are burned by brazen settlers or uprooted by the army using armoured construction machinery.

Starting in 2005 and filming over a period of five years with a succession of five cameras destroyed one after another by Israeli soldiers or settlers, Emad Burnat, a farmer turned amateur filmmaker, documented the protests against the land seizures by the Israeli government and the wall under construction that occupies and will separate them from their farmland. Despite great personal risk, he continued filming from a sense of moral obligation to his people and the desire to make the world aware of the struggle to save their land. In 2009 Burnat enlisted the aid of Israeli activist and filmmaker Guy Davidi to help make the film.

The film won many prizes worldwide, in Europe and in the U.S. at the Sundance Film Festival. That this documentary did not win an Oscar is not surprising in a climate where the reactionary feature film Argo received the award for the best picture of the year. Despite having an official invitation to attend the Academy Awards ceremony, when Emad Burnat, his wife and youngest son Gibreel landed in Los Angeles, they were detained and almost deported by U.S. immigration officials until filmmaker Michael Moore intervened and called in Academy lawyers.

New Land Seizures in western Nepal

BARDIYA, May 23rd, 2010: Maoist-affiliated All Nepal Freed Kamaiyas Association (ANFKA) on Sunday seized an additional 154 bighas [1 bigha = 1.67 acres] of land in Rajapur area of the district. The area was once known as the hotbed of Maoist insurgency.

The Maoists, who started land grab drive a week ago, have already seized 87 bighas of land in Daulatpur village.

Police records showed that the seized land include five bighas and 17 katthas land owned by Rudra Bahadur Shahi, 12 bighas owned by Prem Kumari Rana and 70 bighas of land belonging to Ramesh Gyawali.

The land owners have vented anger against the police for not taking steps to free the land.

Meanwhile, ANFKA Chairman Challu Tharu said they will continue their land grab drive till until the government provides land to landless squatters.