http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L14548236.htm

West flouting rules with Nepal arms sales - Amnesty
14 Jun 2005

Reuters

By Jeremy Lovell

LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - Western governments are flouting their own
rules and contributing to grave human rights abuses by selling arms and
weapons systems to crisis-torn Nepal, rights watchdog Amnesty
International said on Wednesday.

It accused Britain, India and the United States of supplying thousands
of assault rifles to the poor Himalayan kingdom which is facing a
Maoist insurgency and said Belgium was selling machine guns and South
Africa military communications equipment.

"With the conflict poised to escalate, any further military assistance
would be highly irresponsible," Amnesty said, appealing for a ban on
arms sales to the mountainous nation.

"Arms should not be exported as long as there is a clear risk that they
might be used to commit serious human rights abuse," said Amnesty's
Asia-Pacific programme director Purna Sen.

At least 12,000 people have been killed in the nine-year Maoist revolt
that has led to turmoil in the Hindu kingdom sandwiched between China
and India.

King Gyanendra sacked the government and took power himself in February
accusing politicians of having failed to stem the rebellion. But to
date he too has failed to curb the violence.

He also imposed a rigid clampdown on press coverage of the conflict,
and on Monday some 50 journalists protesting the press curbs were
detained in the capital Kathmandu and three wounded as police broke up
their rally.

Amnesty said India had sent Nepal 25,000 rifles which had been used in
the killing of 19 Maoist rebels in 2003 and also Lancer helicopter
gunships made under licence from France's Eurocopter used to attack
village meetings called by the rebels.

Amnesty said the United States has supplied Nepal with 20,000 M16
assault rifles and $29 million in military funding since 2001.

It accused Britain of sending several shipments of small arms and
nearly 7,000 assault rifles in breach of the 1998 European Union Code
of Conduct on Arms Exports, as well as supplying Short Take Off and
Landing aircraft without verifying their end usage.

Britain's Ministry of Defence denied it had broken any rules.

"The Department of Trade and Industry will not issue a licence if to do
so would be contrary to international commitments or where there is a
clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal
repression," a spokesman said.

London-based Amnesty also accused Britain, India and the United States
of training Nepalese security forces without vetting them for suspected
human rights abuses.

Amnesty called on the Nepalese authorities to end arbitrary arrests,
clarify the status of all people who had "disappeared", relax rigid
security laws and fully investigate all allegations of human rights
violations.
	
	

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