Nepali Govt enters peace talks with ethnic rights activists

NEPAL: A government delegation met with ethnic rights activists Sunday to discuss how to end the violence in southern Nepal that has claimed more than 70 lives this year, a government minister said.

The government negotiators met with representatives of the Madeshi People’s Rights Forum - the main group behind the anti-discrimination protests and strikes - in Katmandu, said Water Resources Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, a member of the government delegation.

Details on the progress of the talks were not immediately available.

The Madeshi People’s Rights Forum is among a number of ethnic rights organizations involved in strikes, transportation shutdowns and demonstrations to demand greater rights for minorities in southern Nepal.

Some of the protests have turned ugly, and a number of government officials in the region have come under attack.

Many southerners say their region is largely ignored by the government in Katmandu, which favours the more populated, mountainous north.

The activists demand greater autonomy, more seats in the national legislature and a guaranteed number of southern representatives in the administration.

The government needs to settle the unrest before it can proceed with plans to hold elections in November. The poll will select a special assembly to draft a new constitution and establish a new political system for Nepal - currently a constitutional monarchy.

Katmandu, Sunday, AP