Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-02-24-Speech-4-156"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20050224.13.4-156"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Many thanks. The events of recent weeks have left the European Parliament with no choice but to hold a debate on human rights violations in Nepal, a problem that has been escalating for many years. The Kingdom of Nepal, which is situated between India and China, is becoming ever more dependent on China, as that country is both its main trading partner and the main source of inspiration for the Maoist guerrilla movement. The latter is engaged in a struggle to overthrow the constitutional monarchy, and its aim is to establish a Communist state. The civil war in Nepal has already claimed over 12 000 victims, and the political situation is Byzantine in its complexity, although the information blackout means that we are not familiar with all the details. After the Prime Minister was dismissed, the King and the Nepalese army seized power and suspended basic constitutional rights such as the right of association, the freedom of speech, the right to information, privacy and property and the ban on illegal detentions. The King has prohibited criticism of the security services on the radio, on television and on the Internet. Censorship and persecution are part of everyday life. The Nepalese Government also disregards the rights of refugees, as it has closed the Office of the Representative of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Refugees Welfare Office, which provided assistance to Tibetans persecuted for their faith. Every year 2 500 people flee from Chinese-occupied Tibet because they wish to practice their religion freely and to study in their native language. An ever-greater number of Tibetans are choosing to leave the country because they feel increasingly threatened. The Nepalese Government, however, acts in violation of national and international law by handing Tibetans over to China. These Tibetans are imprisoned and subjected to unbelievably cruel abuse after having been deported to China.
Both the Government and the Maoist rebels have been accused by international humanitarian organisations of committing atrocities against the civil population. The debate this House is holding today will make it possible to identify the roots of the conflict. These can be found in an insane totalitarian, Communist and atheist ideology that denies the existence of God and treats human beings as objects, as well as trampling on their dignity and violating their rights. Nepal has a population of 23 million, and every second person is illiterate, whilst society is still governed by a caste system. What are needed are improved living conditions and education, not a civil war aimed at establishing a destructive Communist system.
The only options available to us are to increase awareness of the conflict and to use diplomatic channels, such as this European Parliament resolution, to insist that the Nepalese Government puts an end to the illegal arrests and other corrupt practices. We must also demand that the Nepalese Government protects human rights activists, journalists and political leaders from such practices. Public pressure has already resulted in a decline in persecution once before. Consideration should be given to the question of whether EU aid is in fact used to foster development and for humanitarian purposes, and there is also a need for action. Finally, I should like to quote the Holy Father John XXIII, who wrote that a threat to the family is a threat to the state, and that similarly, a threat to social order in one state is a threat to international order. I thank you."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples