FREED KAMAIYAS WARN OF AGITATION

BASE held a leadership development workshop for kamaiya leaders on the 5th to 7th November in response to the weakening of the movement. In the year and a half since the freedom declaration the ex-kamaiyas have received little attention from the government. Many Ex-kamaiyas were loosing heart.

The land distribution program of the government only recognizes some of them. And the government has distributed land to these families at the expense of others, by issuing land certificates to plots that other ex-kamaiyas were already occupying. This has caused fights between the ex-kamaiyas in the registration and rehabiliation process. Ex-Kamaiya leaders discussed these issues and the future of the ex-bonded labourers movement at the workshop.

In a press conference in Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur District on November 11th, ex-kamaiya representatives from three districts announced their intention of starting agitation again for proper rehabiliation. They demanded that the government distribute identity cards to all the freed kamaiyas, distribute land to them where they had settled and provide them funds for rehabilitation. They also charged that the government was attempting to create conflicts among the ex-kamaiyas by providing identity cards and land only to some families while leaving others without anything. They said that they would not allow the government to "fracture the movement" in this way.

The freed kamaiyas have said they will present a 15-day ultimatum to the prime minister on November 20th. If no action is taken to address their three demands before December 5th, they will launch another round of civil disobedience and protest actions.