Nepalmountainnews Report | 15 May 2008
Maoists have asked the victims, whose lands were seized by the party during insurgency and aftermath, to keep quiet until they form the government, write a new constitution and their chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal becomes president.
According to a Kantipur report, 75 percent of 210 families in far-west district Kailali, have nothing after CPN (Maoist) land-grabbers seized their property. The people robbed of their land have been lobbying for implementation of Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA), which calls on Maoists to return seized property.
Citing a victim Sher Bahadur Hamal who after being displaced from the village seven years back, after the Maoists seized his land and property in 2001, the report said, "If he had agreed to join CPN (Maoist) party and openly voted for the party -- a demand he alleges the Maoists made of him -- he would have already got back his property. But he did not comply."
He took up labor work to feed his family and educate his children, the report said.
According to District Administration Office, Kailali, Maoists have seized 3,200 bigha lands belonging to 210 households. The number of displaced families because of this land-grab is 525.
According to Lila Dhar Bhandari, president of Conflict Victims Society, Maoists in the district have distributed many land holdings to their party cadres in the name of landless squatters and freed Kamaiyas.
In some places, Maoists themselves are using land in the name of commune farming. "After signing the CPA, they (Maoists) announced they would return some land in Kailali, but this has not happened at the local level," Bhandari, whose eight-bigha land is in Maoist, control said.
Maoists have claimed they have not seized land from people with less than 10 bighas. "Besides me, 60 percent of displaced families have less than 10 bighas," he added.
However, Bhagat Badwal, district In-charge of CPN (Maoist) and elected member to the Constituent Assembly claims most of the land has been returned. He further claims only 1800 bighas of seized land remains with Maoists.
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