About 20 participants of the 'People's Caravan for Food Sovereignty' - a project spearheaded by Malaysians - were captured by Maoist insurgents in Nepal yesterday.

The group were confronted by armed rebels near the Junge river in the Dhading district, some 52km from the capital Kathmandu.

Two of their four-wheel-drive vehicles were also set ablaze in the 1am incident. The group was travelling to Nepal through India.

Those taken captive, mainly Indian nationals and a Filipino peasant leader, were later released and rescued by security personnel.

Although no injuries were reported, some of the participants' lost their belongings, including passports, when the vehicles were torched.

Tighter security

At a press conference in Lazimpat, Kathmandu later, representatives of the People's Caravan expressed regret at the violence perpetrated by the Maoist against the participants.

Main organizer, Penang-based Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific (PAN AP) executive director Sarojeni V Rengam condemned the rebels' actions and called for tighter security.

"We urge the government to increase security measures and guarantee the safety of our representatives to ensure the success of our activities," she said.

Nepalese Home Minister Purna Bahadur Khada met with the organizers and apologised for the incident. He also pledged better protection.

Participants and delegaes are scheduled to attend an International Conference on Food Sovereignty today organised by PAN AP and local groups, such as the All Nepal Peasants Association (ANPA), All Nepal Women Association (ANWA) and South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE).

Themed 'Alternatives to Globalisation', the function will be officiated by Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Tomorrow, delegates and participants will celebrate the final day of the Caravan with a rally, where thousands of people are expected to march in the capital.

'Heinous act'

Commenting on yesterday's incident, ANPA chairperson Bamdev Gautam said the People's Caravan is an anti-capitalist globalisation movement initiated by the masses.

"What message is the Maoist giving out by committing such a heinous act attacking peaceful marchers denouncing anti-imperialist shackles in more than 13 countries?" he asked.

Bamdev said local non-government organisations were "extremely sorry" for the incident and called on the government to provide compensation for the losses suffered.

The People's Caravan has traveled about 10,000km across the Asia Pacific region, bringing with it three main demands.

These are for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to stay out of the food and agriculture sector, to eliminate pesticides and genetically modified food and resist agrochemical TNCs'.

European farmers

At the same press conference PAN AP chairperson and Tenaganita director Dr Irene Fernandez spoke of the People's Caravan which took place in three European countries France, Belgium and Germany.

According to Fernandez, the livelihood of farmers in Europe were also being threatened by large international institutions like the WTO.

She said farmers there were also suffering due to horticulture, which rice fields are being converted to and this eventually left devastating impressions on farmers.

"In Europe, there is a farm closing down every three minutes," she added

Meanwhile, Anwa chairperson Vidya Devi Bhandari spoke about the role of women in Nepal, which she said "was still very marginalised".

"We have a patriarchal society. We find that it is difficult even to work with like-minded male colleagues.

"But we need to establish a female force in society. That is why we are mobilising more and more women to join events like the People's Caravan," she stressed.

SUSAN LOONE is a researcher with the Penang-based Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific.