Nepal has not signed the
Mine Ban Treaty. The reason given by a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official is
that Nepal is not directly concerned by landmines: "Nepal is never against
landmine ban treaties. We have not signed it only because Nepal has no mine
problem."[1]
Nepal participated in all the Ottawa Process preparatory meetings, but only
as an observer, including for the Oslo negotiations and the Ottawa treaty
signing. Nepal did not endorse the pro-treaty Brussels declaration in June
1997, but did vote in favor of the pro-ban UN General Assembly resolutions in
1996, 1997, and 1998. Nepal has not signed the Convention on Conventional
Weapons.
The Nepal Campaign to Ban Landmines (NCBL) notes: "During our meeting with
the government representatives they said, ‘We fully support the campaign
for the total ban on landmines but we have to wait and see whether all the
nations of the world will sign the document on the total ban on landmines. If
all the countries do not sign the document, the world will be divided into two
groups and we will be labeled as this or that lobby. Therefore, we should not be
involved in dispute.’" The Campaign draws the conclusion that the
government of Nepal is in favor of the global ban on landmines but is afraid of
the powerful nations and is hesitating to express its
commitment."[2] Some officials
were reluctant to discuss the mine issue in
detail.[3]
Use
It does not appear that Nepal has ever used
antipersonnel landmines. In February 1996 the CPN-Maoist party launched an armed
rebellion with a view to establishing a People's Republic dethroning the
monarch. Senior Police Officer R. Bahadur Singh has stated the Maoist rebels
have not used mines, but have used homemade devices that function like
antipersonnel mines.[4]
Production, Transfer, Stockpiling
There is no evidence that Nepal has ever produced
or exported antipersonnel mines. Government officials have indicated that Nepal
does not have a stockpile of antipersonnel mines. However, in 1998
parliamentarian Surendra Prashad Pandey "asked the government to remove the
mines stockpiled at the Swoyambhu area as it could pose a great threat not only
to the people living in the area, but also residing in the adjacent
areas."[5] The government has
not responded to requests by the Nepal Campaign to clarify this issue.
Landmine Problem
Nepal is not a mine-affected country. The Nepal
Campaign to Ban Landmines, however, is concerned about the use by the Maoist
rebels of homemade weapons that function like antipersonnel mines, and the
possibility they could use antipersonnel mines in the future, conceivably
resulting in use by Nepalese forces as well. One parliamentarian has said,
"With the beginning of the Maoist insurgency, the internal conflict has set in.
The Maoists are using [homemade] mines and there is a strong possibility of the
government retaliating with the insurgents using
mines."[6]
Landmine Casualties
As Nepal is not mine affected, there have been no
landmine victims inside the country. However, Nepalese soldiers have fallen
victim to landmines while participating in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, and
peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavian
territories.[7] Other Nepalese
soldiers have apparently been maimed and killed by landmines while serving in
foreign armies, such as India and
UK.[8]
[1] Interview with Mr. Shyama
Nanda Suman, Joint- Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sitalniwas-
Kathmandu, 4 December 1998.
[2] Mrs. Purna Shova
Chitrakar, NCBL Coordinator, in NCBL review, "Ban Landmines All Over the World
to Promote World Peace," 25 November 1997, p. 3.
[3] The personal assistant of
the Commander in Chief and the Inspector General of Police refused to speak
about mines, as did the Maoists.
[4] Interview with
Mr.Rajendra Bahadur Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police at the Terrorist
Activities Control Division of the Police Headquarters, Central Police
Headquarters, Balladeer-Kathmandu, 18 December 1998
[5] Hon. Surendra Prasad
Pandey, member of National Assembly, in "An Interaction Program on Role of
Parliamentarians on Ban Landmines," NCBL executive summary, Kathmandu, 8 August
1998.
[6] Hon.Rajendra Prasad
Pandey, House of Representatives, in "An Interaction Program on Role of
Parliamentarians on Ban Landmines, "Kathmandu, 8 August 1998.
[7] Mr.Devandra Subedi,
Deputy Superintendent of Police Headquarters, in "National Conference on
Landmines and Human Rights," Kathmandu, 25 November 1997; South Africa Campaign
to Ban Landmines and Human Rights Watch, “The Non-Aligned Movement and the
Global Campaign Against Antipersonnel Landmines,” August 1998, p. 45.
[8] Hon. Padma Ratna
Tuladhar, House of Representatives, in "Role of Parliamentarians on Ban
Landmines," Kathmandu, 8 August 1998; Mr. Rishikesh Shah, in "National
Conference on Landmines and Human Rights, Kathmandu, 25 November 1997.
About Us
Our Research Products