Stories that Matter

November 5, 2016, at a Tharu village in Chitwan, Nepal. Me and friend decided to hire a horse cart and roam in Sauraha, a village in Chitwan district of Nepal, famous for its wildlife tourism. The Tangawala ( His horse's name was not Dhanno, but Ranjeet), we hired for the day belongs to Tharu community, an indigenous community of the area. We fixed the wage at 3000 Nepali for about 5-6 hours. After riding in the main tourist areas, we asked him to take us to his village, about 5 km away. He gladly took us there but repeatedly warned us that there is nothing to enjoy in his village except poverty. After reaching his village, we found a lovely river passing by and we unsuccessfully tried our fishing skills with great enthusiasm. It was about 35 Degree C and humid. After sometime, butterflies entered our beloved round shaped stomachs. We requested our Tanglawala for some rice and curry and it was sad to realize that they have no food at home except a little amount of rice. Tangla...

Editorial   Ban is not the solution, better crowd management is  August 25, 2016 Thumb Print 0 Comments BY ANJUMAN ARA BEGUM Public protests have always been a symbol of democratic and informed societies that represent people’s engagement into affairs that affect their lives. On most part, protests speak volumes of the people’s participation in national public affairs. More over, they help enable an environment where accountability and good governance can be promoted thereby allowing rightful spaces for peoples’ grievances and dissent. For the marginalized sections of the society, protesting is the only solution that ensures State attention towards mainstreaming their issues. Yet we all know that in reality, there is a high prevalence among government and non-state actors to undermine the culture of protests and treat it as a matter of inconvenient or threat. Locally, there is an effort by certain...

India: Restore the licence of Sabrang Trust, and Repeal FCRA 13 July 2016 5:40 pm (Bangkok/Kathmandu, 12 July 2016) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly condemns the cancellation of the license of Sabrang Trust under the Foreign Contributions (Regulations) Act (FCRA) of 2010 and urges the Ministry of Home Affairs of India to withdraw the cancellation order immediately. On 6 June 2016, the Ministry of Home Affairs cancelled the FCRA license of Sabrang Trust, preventing it from receiving future foreign funds for its human rights work. Sabrang Trust is actively involved in seeking justice for the victims of communal violence in India, particularly for the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots. Sabrang Trust’s FCRA licence was suspended for a period of 180 days starting from 9 September 2015. The Foreign Contributions (Regulations) Act was enacted in 1976. Several amendments have been made since, cre...

India: Stop the Use of Excessive Force against Protesters 14 July 2016 10:32 pm (Bangkok/Kathmandu, 14 July 2016) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is deeply concerned about the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis in Jammu and Kashmir. Following the killing of a 22-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen leader on 8 July 2016, large-scale protests have led to deadly clashes between protesters and security forces. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), at least 36 people have been killed and about 1,500 injured. Local media has reported that most of the injured have suffered bullet and pellet wounds. Children, women and onlookers are also injured. The excessive use of force by security forces is reported to be such that even ambulances carrying the injured to hospitals have been attacked and patients prevented from medical treatment. Due to the impact of pellet guns, a large...

Bangladesh : Uphold the Rule of Law to Fight Extremism 7 July 2016 10:56 am (Bangkok/Kathmandu, 7 July 2016) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly condemns the killing of 21 people at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, Dhaka, Bangladesh on 1 July 2016. At around 8:45 P.M., a group of armed assailants entered the bakery, and took the people present hostage, both Bangladeshis and foreign nationals. In the 12-hour siege that ensued, 21 hostages were killed, including nine Italians, seven Japanese, one American and one Indian. This gruesome incident is indicative of a serious lacunae in Bangladesh ’s security architecture for the protection of life and liberty of the people . Violent extremism and militancy has been growing in the country for some time now. Writers, bloggers, journalists, academics and members of minority groups have been victims of such extremism. They have been ...

The Maldives: Arrest of Journalists Condemned; Protect Freedom of Press 4 April 2016 7:51 pm (Bangkok, 4 April 2016) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest of 16 journalists in the Maldives on 3 April 2016. The arrests followed a violent crackdown on a peaceful demonstration against increasing restrictions on freedom of the press and of expression in the country. FORUM-ASIA calls on the Government of the Maldives to immediately stop the harassment of journalists and ensure the freedom of the press. The Maldivian Police Services resorted to unprovoked violence, using pepper spray, to disperse a peaceful sit-in by journalists and media workers outside the President’s Office in Malé, and arrested 16 journalists. They were later released on the condition that they appear before the police on 4 April 2016. “ Peaceful assembly is a legitimate means for jou...

‘From today, everything is coming to a halt’, my land lady ‘aunty’ warned me early morning as I am sipping a cup of tea. ‘It’s been a hell’, she cried. Her anguish and helplessness is understandable. It’s been nearly a month, the ‘unofficial economic blockade’ has devastatingly hit the land locked country of Nepal. The country is heavily dependent on India for essential supplies like food items, patrol products, cloths etc. 51% of Nepal’s import is from India and is it the sixth largest contributor to India’s foreign revenue. Fuel shortage impacted transportation creating worst situation ever since the deadly earthquake hit the country early this year.   It’s been two months since I have moved to Nepal. Since then I have observed political turbulence along with violence in the country surrounding the adoption of a Constitution for itself. About 49 people lost their life in the areas bordering Nepal. However, standstill life like this in the capital Kathmandu was beyond my ima...