Nepal fears wider conflict if Terai unrest continues

Violent protests by ethnic Madhesi people in Nepal's southern plains that left five dead in recent days could set the stage for wider communal conflict if grievances are not dealt with quickly.

Analysts say the military could be forced to intervene, further tarnishing a much-lauded peace process between Maoists and the government that has seen the former rebels join an interim parliament after a decade-old conflict.

"If the government does not respond quickly and comprehensively, it could be dealing with a bigger problem than it had with mainstreaming the Maoists," C.K. Lal, a political analyst in Kathmandu, said yesterday. Ethnic Madhesis are linked more closely in language, dress and culture to Indians living across the border than with Nepal's ruling elites, who come largely from the country's Himalayan mountains.

The Madhesis say they have not been given a fair share of power and want their rights and contributions to the nation fully recognised. They live along a fertile strip of land along the Indian border called the Terai, Nepal's agricultural and industrial heartland that is home to nearly half the country's 26 million people.