February 28, 2008: Separatist groups in the south have tried to
blockade the roads north, to the Katmandu valley, where the capital is. The
government sent thousands of police and soldiers to break the blockade. Truck
movements north to the capital have been irregular for most of this month as a
result. The separatists want political changes (more autonomy for themselves)
before the April elections. The government refuses to make changes until after
the elections. Things have spiraled out of control, with mobs of separatists
clashing with police.
So far this month, five have died, and
over a hundred have been injured. Last year, such violence left 45 dead. Half
the population lives in the south, and they have long felt slighted by the
other half, who live in the Katmandu valley, and many other mountain valleys,
to the north. The Maoists largely represent disaffected members of the urban
middle class (in Katmandu) and poor tribesmen from the many up country ethnic
groups. The southern groups, which don't always get along, represent people who
have moved north from India over the centuries, and have long been ruled by an
aristocracy originally from India, and more warlike mountain tribes. The
Maoists ignored this long simmering discontent, and are now caught in the
middle of it, not really sure of what to do. The unrest in the south is hurting
the economy, which is causing still more discontent.
