KATHMANDU, Aug 18: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Ashika Tamang walked out of the House of Representatives meeting on Tuesday after the Speaker stopped her from protesting the Foreign Minister’s response on the repatriation of Nepalis who die abroad.
Tamang stood up during the meeting to object to Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal’s remarks that the government needed to formulate procedures and complete the necessary process to bring home the bodies of Nepali citizens who die abroad.
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The Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal directed her to maintain parliamentary decorum and take her seat, saying there was no provision for her to seek clarification at that point. When she was not given time to speak, Tamang left the meeting hall, effectively boycotting the session.
Tamang has been pressing the government to expedite the repatriation of Nepali citizens’ bodies from abroad. During Monday’s zero hour, she said she had been raising the issue of bringing back the body of Dhading’s Santosh Rai from Cambodia for 37 days, but the government had yet to act.
She also accused the foreign ministry of failing to implement a budget allocated by the Ministry for repatriating and managing the bodies of Nepalis stranded abroad, saying the ministry had yet to formulate the required procedures.
Tamang said the delay had left families waiting for the remains of their loved ones with diminishing hope of bringing them home.
Her walkout came as lawmakers continued to question the government’s handling of the repatriation of Nepali citizens who die abroad.
