English - Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal ...

Proliferation of small armsTotal 183 persons were arrested in 2006/07 in case of small arms. Thisnumber went up to 355 in 2007/08 and again it was increased by 90.16per cent reaching to 677 persons within 10 months of 2008/09. The allthe guns captured from criminals were small short barrel guns. Similarly,one gun has been used up to 11 times in crimes indicating the alarmingfrequency of crimes in Kathmandu. 112.2.2 Militarisation of youths and security dilemmaThe transitional situation is getting further complicated after the creationof the coercive nature of organisations such as YCL, YF and Madhes RakshyaBahini by political parties. On the occasion of UCPN (Maoist) leaderselected as the first elected Prime Minister of the Federal DemocraticRepublic of Nepal, the party declared to demilitarise YCL. This provisioncame as a result of the seven-point understanding reached among threeparties to go for coalition government. However, Prachanda has resignedafter the controversy in sacking the army chief once the President orderedthe army chief to continue his work. UCPN (Maoist) interpreted it asmilitary supremacy at the cost of civilian supremacy. Since then, it hasdeclared to protest in the parliament and street until the president repealhis decision. Often there are coercive actions from YCL and YF. There ispossibility of further clashes between these two militant youth groups inforeseeable future.The justification of need for creation of such forces by political parties doesnot match with their actions. Only legally defined institutions approved bythe government can enjoy coercive rights. However, these sister wingsare operating without any legal mandate consequently weakening statesecurity apparatus, creating parallel functioning and fuelling insecurity.Even a lay person can easily understand that such coercive forces areserving vested interests of their respective mother parties. Once powerfulpolitical parties have created such coercive forces, a severely weakenedpolice force (by politicisation or political protection) cannot contain them.Hence, Nepal’s security situation is facing dilemma.Another serious problem on proliferation of small arms is the militantgroups in seven Bhutanese Refugees Camps. 12 It will expand to create11As shared by Mr Rabindra Sharma, Superintendent of Police from the Crime Investigation Departmentof Nepal Police, in an interaction on ‘Impacts of the Small Arms in Peace Process and Domestic Violence’,jointly organised by International Action Network on Small Arms, SAPA-Nepal and IHRICON, on theoccasion of AIANSA Week of Action Against Gun Violence, 15-21 June 2009 at SAP Phalcha, Kathmanduon 14 June 2009.12See www.nepalnews.com/.../4276-bhutanese-refugee-leader-shot-dead-in-jhapa-.html for details.248