I know in a fairly recent thread I argued the situation in Nepal wasn't as bad as some would like to make out, but events over the last few days in Nepal now beg to differ with that. I'm posting this because I know a few posters on this forum are planning trips around India and may (like many people end up doing) end up thinking about a side trip into Nepal. Basically there has been 4 days of strikes and protests (with apparently more to follow indefinitely) , not only in Kathmandu but across the whole country. This includes tourist areas such as Pokhara. 4 people have been shot during the ongoing daily curfew that protestors have been defying. Soldiers have been ordered to shoot on sight. 1 person was shot in Pokhara and protestors tried storming the Manipal hospital where the body was being held. Many other shave been injured with live ammunition being fired. Other people have been killed by government soldiers across the country in widespread protests and rioting. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4892424.stm more recent: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/...red_as_protesters_defy_Nepal_curfew__Roundup_ I've also been in touch with friends in Pokhara...They can confirm all this so basically i'd avoid Nepal for the time being at the very least until this strike is over. This is really really sad. Nepal under the rule of the absolutist king is bad, but if the Maoists come to power I can't begin to imagine where it would leave Nepal...
Thanks for the news. We are planning on trekking Annapurna next March, but figured we'd have to make a last minute decision. I was last there in Oct 2000, before the King was assassinated. At that time there was just a hint of the Maoists in the west. Its definitely a sad state of affairs for such a wonderful people.
^^hopefully by then nepal will finally have a functioning democracy and peace and stability... The Maoists are gaining more and more support because of the way the king is brutally oppressing ordinary nepalis and the totally non-compromsiing position on both sides... I'd like to think we could learn from history; Communist insurgencies thrive in these kinds of conditions. The harder the line of the government and the more frequently innocent people get killed in the cross fire the more support the insurgency gets (playing on anger)...Look at what happened in SE asia; the Khmer rogue, 'nam and the subsequent fall out...
I think that WE (people outside of Nepal, looking in) can learn from History, but look at who the insurgency is recruiting. From what I've read, the Maoists have been intimidating the small villagers and recruiting disenfranchised women and youth. These rural people probably have not been exposed to the mistakes of Cambodia, and even if they have, are not in a position to resist the Maoists. You are definitely correct in that the brutality of the King is only helping the cause. Have you been to Nepal recently? When I was there in 2000, it seemed like every villager proudly displayed a photo of the previous King (assassinated in 2001). Do they honor the current "King" in this same way? Just curious....
I was in Nepal from October 2005 to January 2006, I left 3 days after the Maoists called off the ceasefire. Yeah Nepalis seemed to really admire the previous king until the tragedy royal massacre. Things are MUCH different now though. The recent king , King Gyanendra, basically lead a coup in 2004 and took absolute power from the government. All the political party leaders were under house arrest. Since then the Maoist insurgency got much more intense and got much more support. The king has dealt with it in the worst way possible; human rights abuses, curfews, attrocities against the press , political parties and general population galore. This has lead to him becoming hated by pretty much everybody I met during my time in Nepal; I was in contact with Maoists, members of the political parties, mountain villagers, and the ordinary city folk. All blamed the king as a primary source of all the problems in Nepal. Most said he had to go for any sort of progress to be made. But on the flip side many people also blame the Maoists and there behvaiour and human rights abuses equally. I also noticed a sense of apathy amongst ordinary working/middle class folk in the sense that they are so desensitised and disillusioned to daily violence and killings that they no longer trust anyone, be it the king, political parties or Maoists to bring peace and democracy to Nepal. I think that's changing now though if recent events are anything to go by. I think people have finally had enough. But now it's just a matter who they decide to turn too to get democracy and how they do it. Today 2 children were injured by bullets and the violence seems to be just escalating day by day rather than calming down as predicted. This is day 5 of the national strike and bbc are reporting rumours of a potential split in the royalist appointed government about what to do. I've learnt to remain pessamistic about events in Nepal but i'm starting to think maybe this is a pivotal moment now. I think the future of Nepal is balancing on a knife edge. I just want what most Nepalis want for there country; freedom, peace and an end to tyranny. They deserve so much better.
I couldn't agree with you more. The Nepalese are beautiful people. Thanks for your insight on the current situation in Nepal. It broke my heart when I heard the news about the King's assassination.
All this is a shame, I was there last September when the ceasefire was called by the Maoists and people were full of hope. It's such a shame, the Nepalese are such nice people and I hate to read about all the trouble and the way it's escalating.
ok so an update on Nepal as people are asking about it still.... Basically the strike is still continuing, it's now in it's 17th day. A couple of days ago the king made a speech saying he'll return power to the political powers and restore democracy... Well the thing is the people have now changed there minds and have decided they want to totally abolish the monarchy and for nepal to become a republic...even a ceremonial role isnt good enough now. More people have been shot by army/riot police in kathmandu and no ones really sure what's going to happen over the next few days...If the people continue to protest and the momentum keeps going then we'll probably be seeing a lot more bloodshed and violence...I've heard strong rumours from various news sources that the army and police are starting to show signs of giving up and switching loyalties, this could well mean full blown revolution within the next few days. www.kantipuronline.com is by far the best english nepali news source.
the short term may not be what we humans (nepalese/otherwise) could hope for ..but these events can lead to activation/acceleration towards people's understandin of their wants and takin of a stand towards a vision of future, however distorted it may be in the current climate. its unfortunate for events such as these to be the cause for exchange of dialogue, debate, ideas among the masses - but good just the same all peoples are beautiful, and there's beauty everywhere .. power to people and dialogue amongst
My friend is a seasoned traveler that keeps an apartment in Bangkok. He has invited me out for a visit the first 2 weeks of September and wants to slate Nepal into the trip. I am hesitant to buy into the idea, but wonder why he seems so cavalier. Forgive the obvious...I'm grasping and you are clearly plugged in. dj
Why are you hesitant? It's all calmed down now. The Maoists have agreed to a new ceasefire. Parliament has been reformed. The kings remains but with his powers stripped. Put it this way; I'm going around September time no matter what happens. I had some of the best days of my life in Nepal....Hell i'd even go as far to claim Nepal changed my life! Theres just so much to do; Trekking in arguably the most stunning landscapes the world has to offer. The himalayas really do live up to all the hype and more...Retreat centres, yoga centres, kyaking, cycling, learning to paint, the temples and wats, the national parks with tigers, elephants, rhinos etc and of course the wonderful people...All extremely cheap! Please please please go to Nepal!
I don't know our precise destination in Nepal, but I know that we'll be checking out some weavers that he's excited about. I'm looking into rug design ideas. Who am I kidding? I'm looking into infinity and that seems like a good vantage point, hee hee! Where/what do you use as your pivoting point in Nepal? Do you have a hub of "operations"? So far we've penciled in early Sept, maybe 4th or 9th.
Pokhara was my hub of operations...But things happened. To put it short I went trekking and caught typhoid, spent 2 weeks in hospital then had to remain in pokhara for a month recovering...and I got stuck there about 3 months! Probably the best place in the world to recover from a major illness though, I wasn't complaining! So Pokhara is now a second home to me...It's just perfectly situated for all the trekking routes into the Annapurna range. I also just loved waking up everyday by the lake surrounded by the himalayas...I loved the way the mountains and pine forests were reflected in the lake and the way the mist came in early morning...Plus the sunsets...Surely one of the most beautiful places on earth? So much to do in and around Pokhara...If you are into art then go to a shop called 'Buddhist Thangka Art Creation' next door to Maya resturant. The two brothers Lawang and Sharof are really nice and will teach you to paint your own thangkas for a reasonable fee...I ended up painting 4 over the space of 2 months. There's also a few retreat centres dotted around and Pokhara provides a decent place for a retreat. I also recommend you go cycling through a village called Maya Devi and further around the lake because it gets really really chilled out the further around you go and theres paddy fields and wooden hut villages and a few small schools which really makes the whole area charming. Prices rise the further from lakeside you go towards maya devi (but only by a matter of 30-40 rupees...nothing really) but it becomes quickly apparent why because it's so quiet, and has far fewer backpackers and is away from all the noisey bars around lakeside. Hopefully i'll be back there in 3 or 4 months...I really miss waking up to fishtail mountain every morning...This time i'm going to do more trekking (and not catch typhoid!)...Lower Mustang for sure...maybe i'll make it into Tibet this time too...But who knows!
also a note on september 4th...odd because that was the date i arrived last year...Also it's the date i'm aiming for this year...
