Headlines
European envoys' meeting with Nepalese activist sparks furore
Kathmandu, Jan 27
Ambassadors of some European
countries here have triggered a diplomatic storm in Nepal following
their meeting last week with controversial Nepalese activist C.K. Raut.
The
meeting between Raut and some EU envoys, which took place at a
Kathmandu-based European diplomatic mission, has drawn flak from
multiple quarters in Nepal.
Terming the EU ambassadors' meeting
with Raut as a breach of diplomatic practice, the Nepalese government
has warned the envoys against any kind of talks with activists in
separatist movements.
Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey
reminded the EU ambassadors that the diplomatic community in Nepal
should conduct their activities and show the diplomatic etiquette under
the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities.
"I
also urged the ambassadors to maintain diplomatic decorum while working
in Nepal in line with the Diplomatic Code of Conduct issued by the
Nepalese government," Pandey told Xinhua news agency Tuesday.
The EU envoys made it clear that they met Raut over certain human rights issues.
"The
ambassadors conveyed to me that their meeting with Raut took place at
Raut's request and they never approached him earlier," Pandey said.
Raut,
who is known as a "secessionist leader", has been spearheading a
movement to create a separate country in the southern regions of the
Himalayan nation since 2011.
According to his personal website
ckraut.com, Raut got a Ph.D. degree from the US and worked as a
scientist at BBN Technologies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has been
carrying out the separatist movement especially in southern Nepal after
returning to his home country four years ago.
Raut, coordinator
of the Alliance for Independent Madhes (AIM), has been arrested by the
police several times for the anti-nationalist movement and was last
released Dec 29, 2014.
Late last year, British Ambassador Andrew
Sparkes had sparked controversy by questioning Nepal's commitment to
secularism. In an open letter to Nepali lawmakers, Sparkes urged them
"to ensure that the right to change religion is protected" in the new
constitution of Nepal.