French mission letter on Right to Conversion in Nepal annoys Kamal Thapa

Posted May 19, 2010


May 17, 2010
Telegraph Nepal
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After returning from a trip to Mumbai, the financial capital of India, to participate in the International Hindutva Conference, Kamal Thapa, Chairperson of the single Royalist party Rastriya Prajatanta Party-Nepal, making a meaningful revelation has said that his party will launch an agitation for the sake of National Independence and Democracy.

It was indeed an attractive slogan to draw the attention of a vast majority of Nepali population.More importantly, Thapa in the course of his speech made at a program to celebrate 20th Anniversary of his party expressed serious objections over reports which claimed that the outgoing French Ambassador to Nepal, Mr. Gilles Henry Garault, had sent a letter on behalf of the European Union to the government of Nepal to guarantee ‘right to religious conversion.’Currently, France is the chair of local EU presidency.“The European Union urges the government to allow ‘full freedom’ to proselytize while drafting the new constitution”, one of the prominent media had reported referring to the “official” letter sent by the French Embassy.The current constitutional provisions on religious rights were “limited”, also says the French Embassy letter sent to the government of Nepal."In the last four years experience of Nepal as a secular nation, one million Nepalese have been compelled to convert their religion", Kamal Thapa said in the course of his speech.
Thapa said that his party will not allow Nepal to be endorsed as a Secular State. "We do not believe in religious Fundamentalism. However, our party is in favor of Nepal as a Hindu State along with Monarchy. Hinduism is the identity of Nepal", he also said.
“Nepal cannot lose its unique Hindu Identity”, he said and added, “We want monarchy revived in Nepal but not an autocratic one.”