Civic group in Nepal submits memo urging government to reclaim land encroached upon by China
20 July, 2022 | Riya Girdhar
Nepal and China have some boundary issues in the districts of Humla, Gorkha, and Shankhuwashaba.
The REA has previously demonstrated in Kathmandu and other cities against Chinese encroachment on Nepali territory and overt interference in Nepali politics. Nepal and China have some boundary issues in the districts of Humla, Gorkha, and Shankhuwashaba.
On Tuesday, a Nepali civic group petitioned the government for the reclamation of land occupied by China. Earlier this year, the Rastriya Ekata Abhiyan handed over a memorandum to the United Nations accusing Nepal of encroaching on its land in Humla district. It has also urged the international community to take notice of alleged “Chinese land grabbing” in neighbouring countries and intervene.
“The encroachment in various areas of the Nepal-China border, including Ruila, in violation of international law and values is not only an insult to the friendship between the two countries, but also a direct challenge to Nepal’s sovereignty,” said President Binay Yadav in the memorandum.
Yesterday, a REA delegation delivered the memo to the Minister of Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation. The civic body also drew the Minister’s attention to China’s most recent incursion, in which the Beijing side erected a fence along the Ruila border of Chumanubri Rural Municipality-1 in Gorkha without consulting the opposing side.
The REA has previously demonstrated in Kathmandu and other cities against Chinese encroachment on Nepali territory and overt interference in Nepali politics. Nepal and China have some boundary issues in the districts of Humla, Gorkha, and Shankhuwashaba.
To resolve boundary-related disputes and differences with China, the Nepal government proposed last week to activate existing boundary-related mechanisms, the official decision of which has yet to be made. Yadav praised the current government for its efforts to combat encroachment on the Nepal-China border, while noting that it was a persistent problem.
Earlier in June, local media reported that China had constructed a fence near the no-land man’s in Northern Gorkha. According to reports, the structure was built without adhering to any of the criteria required for border structures. The Chinese side’s illegal occupation at the Ruila border appears to be unknown to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Gorkha’s District Administration Office.