Limbuwan Autonomy

Limbuwan Autonomous Movement

Limbuwan Autonomous Movement is the ongoing movement by the people of Limbuwan to attain a true and meaningful autonomy for the Limbuwan region of eastern Nepal. In the Limbuwan-Gorkha Treaty of 1774 AD, King Prithvi Narayan Shah had given a political, economic and judicial autonomy to the people of Limbuwan. All of those summarised in the system known as the Kipat system.

History

In 1965, King Mahendra and his government unilaterally abolished the Kipat System of the Limbu people of eastern Nepal by implementing the Land Reform act. There were huge opposition to this move by the people of Limbuwan. Limbus felt that their only vestigial rights from their past was stolen by an act of betrayal. Limbus knew that during the conquest of the ten Kingdoms of Limbuwan, King Prithivi Narayan Shah of Gorkha had sworn to uphold the Kipat and other Autonomous rights of the Limbu people. King Mahendra was King Prithivi Narayan Shah’s 9th generation descendent who had unilaterally stripped Limbu people of their rights.

The Limbuwan Autonomous movement gained momentum ever since the overthrowing of the Rana rule in Nepal. Limbuwan Liberation Front was the first leftist political party of Nepal to demand for greater rights for the people of Limbuwan and a true autonomy for Limbuwan. Limbuwan Mukti Morcha as called in Nepali is the Limbuwan Liberation Front.

Limbuwan Liberation Front was not recognised as a political party of Nepal and was not allowed to run in the general election of 1990 by the government. Its policies of Autonomy based on ethnicity and regionalism were labelled as a threat to national sovereignty and integrity.

It was not only the Kipat rights that Limbus was worried about, ever since the conquest of Limbuwan Kingdoms, Government in Kathmandu has always tried to suppress the languages and cultures of the indigenous people. The caste system incorporated in Muluki Ain of Jung Bahadur Rana, the policy of one Language Nepali and one religion Hindu, the policy of not recognizing the mother languages of Native peoples, and many more galvanised to raise a movement against the central government in Kathmandu.

There were several rebellions that rose in Limbuwan area from time to time against the central government.

1778 AD rebellion broke out against Limbu language repression policy

1792-1793 AD Limbus rebel against the King of Nepal during Nepal-China war and assists the Chinese army.

1867 AD Dashain boycott in Dhankuta

1870 AD Limbuwan rebellion against Limbu language repression policy

1950-1951 AD Kirant Rebellion when Kirant including Limbus rise up in arms against the Rana regime

1964 AD Kirat Movement against the abolition of Kipat System

Current Events

After the restoration of democracy in Nepal, various ethnic and regional groups have been asking for a Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal with autonomous states based on ethnicity and region. Political parties and Forums from Limbuwan have been very vocal in their demand of fully Autonomous Limbuwan State within the frame work of Federal Democratic Nepal.

Limbuwan Strike

From August 7-9 2007, Federal Limbuwan State Council called a three strike in nine districts of Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Dhankuta, Sankhuwasabha, Terhathum, Taplejung, Panchthar and Ilam. FLSC demanded the guarantee of Limbuwan Autonomous state.

Market places, schools, transportation services and industries all came to a stand still due to the strike. Both public and private transportations were off the roads. The cadres of the council also burnt copies of the Kantipur daily and Damak based Purba Sandesh daily saying that the newspapers did not cover the news of their strike.

The Morcha cadres stopped the vans carrying Kantipur daily at Damak of Jhapa and Pathari of Morang districts and burnt the copies of Kantipur being sent for distribution from the publication's eastern regional office Biratnagar.

Joint Agitation

In August, Federal Limbuwan State Council, Khambuwan National Front and Tamangsaling Autonomous State Committee come together to cooperate each other and work together in pressurising government to meet their demands of Limbuwan, Khambuwan and Tamangsaling Autonomous States respectively.

Indefinite Strike

The Joint agitating Limbuwan and other parties call for an indefinite strike on Oct 4th 2007 demanding autonomy based on ethnicity/region and declaration of Nepal as a republic.

Police arrest 50 people from Jhapa and Morang for enforcing the shutdown. Police clash with Federal Limbuwan State Council cadres for vandalising public buses on the highway being escorted to their destination by police.

On Oct 7th, local administration in Jhapa imposes indefinite curfew to control the Strike which got out of hand.

On Oct 8th, Raj Kumar Angdembe a 20 year old cadre of Federal Limbuwan State Council is shot dead by police. Police say he was shot for defying curfew orders, the Council members and witness say he was shot during their peaceful protest. Police also arrests 33 members of the FLSC. Curfew is not lifted overnight. More than 40 passenger buses and 14 trucks had to be escorted by police from Morang to Jhapa on the fear of protestors.

On Oct 9th, the joint struggle committee halts their strike and agitation owing to Hindu festival of Dashain and Muslim festival of Id-ulfitar.

Fresh Agitation

On 29 Oct 2007, the Federal Limbuwan State Council, FLSC has put forward a new nine point demand to the government of Nepal including the establishment of Federal Limbuwan Autonomous Region before the Constituent Assembley elections. The group came up with the demands after their second central meeting which was held in Ilam from 25th of october. The council has also warned of fresh new agitations if the demands are not met soon. They have also said that with respect to the people of Limbuwan the new agitations will effect the public less.

The demands set forward by the FLSC council,

1) Declaration and establishment of Limbuwan Autonomous Province with in Federal Nepal.

2) All proportional representation system in the Constituent Assembly elections.

3) FLSC, Limbuwan activist Rajkumar Angdembe be declared a Martyr and proper investigation into the incident.

Federal Republican National Front

The Kathmandu Declaration on 20th November 2007 has brought struggling Federal Democratic National Forum, Federal Limbuwan State Council, Tamangsaling Autonomous State Council, Madhese Peoples' Right Forum and United Tharu National Front Nepal together to make a common front for their demands. The organisation agreed to make common demands on the issue of movement of complete abolition of Monarchy before Constituent Assembly elections, management of fully proportional electoral system for CA on the base of proportional representation of each ethnic group and establishment of Ethnic Autonomous States with the right of self-determination in the historic background of ethnicity and language. According to the agreed Kathamandu Declaration, the Front has presented a Memorandum Letter [click] to Prime Minister Girija Pd. Koirala on 21st November by mentioning all of demands to be fulfilled with the ultimatum for 7 days. The Front is also organizing Public meetings altogether in four places. According to the schedule- First Public meeting will be in Madhesh at Birganj on 23rd Mangsir [9th Dec.2007] Second Public Meeting will be in Limbuwan at Kerkha on 26 Mangsir [12th Dec 2007] Third Public Meeting will be in Tamangsaling at Hetauda on 29 Mangsir [15Dec 2007] Fourth Public Meeting will be in Tharuhat at Kailali on 3rd Push [19th Dec 2007]

External links

* [http://www.limbuwan.co.cc/]
* [http://www.chumlung.org.np]
* [http://www.nifn.org]
* [http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=126770]
* [http://limbuwan.blogspot.com/]
* [http://www.limbuwan.co.cc/]
* [http://www.nepalnews.com]
* [http://www.kathmandupost.com]