Roundup: Over 1 mln Nepalis get citizenship certificates

Roundup: Over 1 mln Nepalis get citizenship certificates - March 5 2007

http://english.people.com.cn/200703/05/eng20070305_354389.html

Nepali Home Ministry on Monday told Xinhua that more than 1.2 million people have received citizenship certificates across all 75 districts of the country.

As the proposed date for holding elections to the Constituent Assembly by mid-June in Nepal is nearing, the Citizenship Certificate Teams mobilized by the Home Ministry are working day and night to issue citizenship certificates to the rightful persons.

According to Under Secretary of the Citizenship Coordination Central Cell at the Home Ministry Ganesh Rai, a total of 1,237,409 citizenship certificates have been distributed throughout the country till Monday morning.

The 561 Citizenship Certificate Teams mobilized by the Home Ministry distributed citizenship to 1,163,746 persons on the basis of descent, 51,285 on the basis of birth, 22,158 on the basis of naturalized by marriage while 220 received on the ground of being offspring of naturalized citizens.

The Cell also recorded that among those who have received the certificates from the Mobile Citizenship Distribution Teams, some 93,000 persons live in 15 different districts in northern mountain region, while 540,741 persons dwell in 20 districts of southern Terai plains. The Hilly region in the central of the country witnessed the highest number of citizenship certificate distribution, with 603,647 persons having acquired the certificates.

The parliamentary committee of the House of Representatives HoR) of Nepal, on Nov. 24, 2006 approved a citizenship bill to facilitate the distribution of citizenship certificates to people living in the country .

The passed bill stated that any person born before mid-April 1990 and living in the country since then, was eligible to acquire citizenship of Nepal. Similarly, any person born of parents who are the citizens of Nepal would be a citizen of Nepal on the basis of descent. Any foreign woman married to a Nepali citizen could acquire the Nepali citizenship on the basis of naturalization.

While passing the bill, the parliament members expressed optimism that the long-standing citizenship problem faced by an estimated 4 million people would be resolved.

The bill has made the provision of providing citizenship on the basis of land ownership card, birth certificate or voter's list for proof. In case of non-availability of those proofs, recommendation of three members of the community had been sought.

Although easier provisions in the new citizenship bill made it easier for many people who are deprived of citizenship to acquire certificates, others are apprehensive of the possibility that foreigners will override in the one of the tiny countries of the world.

It is estimated that around 4 million people are deprived of citizenship right in Nepal.

Lawyer Bhimarjun Acharya told Xinhua that the loose distribution mechanism in the bill might provide space for many foreigners to acquire Nepali citizenship. "The provision of recognizing the recommendation of just members of a community for acquiring citizenship is dangerous," he said.

"Many Indians living in Nepal who have become a part of the Nepali society over the years may claim Nepali citizenship," he added.

On the other hand, the political parties too showed the tendency to use their influence in the citizenship certificate distribution process so that to consolidate their vote banks for the approaching elections to the constituent assembly scheduled to take place by mid-June.

The members of the Mobile Citizenship Distribution Teams have their own dilemma as recent agitation in southern Terai region of country put more pressure on them. They even had to put their lives on stake if they deny certificates as they receive threatening from different sides if they reject the application on the ground of inadequate proof to become legal Nepali citizen.

The Home Ministry also stated that legal actions were taken against non-Nepali persons who were trying to acquire citizenship certificates by presenting fake details.

In Dolkha District, four Bhutanese refugees were indicted of providing false details to become Nepali citizen while more than 100 Indian citizens in Nepal-India bordering districts reportedly received citizenship certificates by falsifying their real identity.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry had stated that legal actions were taken against those who gave false details or made an attempt to acquire the certificate by force while applying for the citizenship certificates.

The ministry had also requested one and all to not involve in acts like recommending citizenship for foreign nationals and help by informing the Team, the District Administration Office, Regional Administration Office and the ministry if anyone was found acquiring the certificate by giving false details. Source: Xinhua