When pigeons and balloons were released in front of the Nepalese embassy in Bangkok on Wednesday (1 February), they symbolised the hopes of the 50 or so pro-democracy demonstrators who staged the rally to protest King Gyanendra’s one-year authoritarian rule of the Himalayan kingdom.
Gathering to mark the first year of his unconstitutional takeover of the Nepalese government, the demonstrators included human rights activists, civil society organisations, trade unionists and women rights activists.
When pigeons and balloons were released in front of the Nepalese embassy in Bangkok on Wednesday (1 February), they symbolised the hopes of the 50 or so pro-democracy demonstrators who staged the rally to protest King Gyanendra’s one-year authoritarian rule of the Himalayan kingdom.
Gathering to mark the first year of his unconstitutional takeover of the Nepalese government, the demonstrators included human rights activists, civil society organisations, trade unionists and women rights activists.
The demonstrators massed in front of the Nepalese embassy to express their solidarity with the democratic movement in Nepal, and denounced the continuing human rights violations in the country, holding placards showing photographs of alleged atrocities committed by the state against the people of Nepal.
Representatives from the demonstration’s organisers presented a joint appeal letter to Arjun K Mainali, Deputy Chief of the Mission at the Royal Nepalese embassy in Thailand, who accepted it on behalf of King Gyanendra.
The joint appeal was issued by some 49 NGOs, civil society organizations and trade unions from around the world.
Several activists took turns to speak at the rally, and among their messages were those urging the international community to stop selling arms to the royal government in Nepal.
They also questioned the relevancy of the upcoming municipal elections, in light of the planned boycott by all the major political parties in Nepal, and emphasised that such elections should be conducted by a democratic government, not the current one.
Ji Ungpakorn, a political science lecturer from Chulalongkorn University, said that Thais understand the struggle for democracy because many had been involved in the long fight for it in their country, especially during the pivotal periods of October 1973 and May 1992.
“One important lesson from Nepal for Thailand is that if we are dissatisfied with an elected government, calling on a dictatorial institution to step in is not the answer,” he said.
The demonstration in Bangkok was part of a larger international protest campaign, with similar pro-democracy demonstrations taking place on 1 February in Brussels, Delhi, Hong Kong, London, New York City, San Francisco, Stockholm, Sydney and Washington D.C. calling for the restoration of democracy, peace and human rights in Nepal.
For background information on the situation in Nepal, see:
- FORUM-ASIA's recent Update on Nepal dated January 20, 2006 (in pdf, 16 pp. 163kb).
- Nepal: One Year under Autocratic Regime, a Background Paper for Worldwide Demonstration against the Crack-down on Democracy and Human Rights in Nepal produced by INSEC, FA member in Nepal (pdf, 8pp, 70kb).
