NEWS FROM NEPAL

King Takes Over. The people of Nepal are used to frequent changes of government (there have been four of them in the last four years), but what happened on February 1 not only shook the nation but much of the rest of the world. It was that day that King Gyanendra seized control of the government, sacking Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba (for the second time since 2001), and placing his country in a State of Emergency. AI have decided to dissolve the government,@ he announced in a nationwide TV address, Abecause it has failed to make necessary arrangements to hold elections by April and promote democracy, the sovereignty of the people and life and property.@ His speech was shortly followed by the silencing of all news media, including websites, as well as the cutting off of all phone and cell phone communication and the closing of Tribhuvan International Airport. All international flights into Nepal were forced to turn back before landing. (6 February update: the airport is said to be open). As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (now some 78,000 strong), the king also promised that security forces would be given additional power to maintain law and order - adding, perhaps in recognition of international outcry [see below, under@ Human Rights@] - that human rights would be respected. Vehicles mounted with machine guns patrolled the streets and security forces were posted outside the house of fired Prime Minister Deuba and other prominent politicians. A Reuters news team was turned away from the former prime minister=s door, yet he was able to get the message out that he considered the king=s action Aa flagrant violation of the constitution of Nepal@ and a A step that has thrown the country into a grave crisis.@ Madhav Nepal, leader of Nepal=s second largest political party, United Marxist-Leninists (UML - not connected with the Maoists), shouted from his roof, Athey have forbidden me to talk to any people, to meet with any people. . . Actually, this is a coup d=etat!@ Witnesses claim to have seen security personnel force him and Nepali Congress (NC) leader Girija Prasad Koirala back into their houses as they tried to emerge to talk to reporters. An NC official asserted that at least 50 of that party=s top leaders had been arrested in two days and that others, like him, had gone Aunderground.@ The king claimed that his action was authorized by the constitution. AI have exercised the rights given to the crown under the present constitution and dissolved the government in the larger interest of the people,@ he said, adding that he intended Ato form a new government under my own chairmanship.@ A day later, ten new cabinet ministers, most of them pro-monarchists, were sworn in. No prime minister was named - the king will assume that role himself. Although vague about how he will do it, he has promised that he will both resolve the Maoist problem and make Nepal democratic within three years. As for the Maoists, he called upon Aall those who have gone astray, taking up arms against the nation and people. . . to return to the mainstream of national politics peacefully.@ The Maoists, whose basic aim has long been the abolition of the monarchy in favor of a communist republic, responded by threatening a nationwide blockade in protest (see below). Their most prominent leader, Comrade Prachanda, described the king=s move as characteristic of a Amedieval feudal autocracy.@ There has been much speculation concerning the king=s motives. In his speech, he was particularly critical of Nepal=s politicians in their Atussle for power, abuse of authority on gaining power, and unhealthy competition in fulfilling personal and communal interests at the expense of the nation and citizenry.@ The severity of the crackdown on communications and travel in and out of the country implies a fear that his seizure of the government will provoke a strong and possibly violent reaction. Some have speculated that he is acting on behalf of, or in concert with, the army. It may be comforting to know that there are those who think that all this is no big deal. Steve Berry, managing director of Himalayan Kingdoms trekking agency, says that Athe type of trouble we are having is commonplace in Nepal. Politics out there has become so ridiculous! When I heard about this, I thought, Aoh, here we go again!@ (Internet news sources from India, China, Britain, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Arab [al Jazeera], Amnesty International, etc. - nothing from Nepal itself, February 1-3)

World Reaction. International reaction to the king=s takeover of government was generally condemnatory. India=s Foreign Minister declared that Athese developments constitute a serious setback to the cause of democracy in Nepal and cannot but be a cause of grave concern to India.@ Among other things, it was probably regarded as a snub that the king took such drastic action without consultation with India, upon which Nepal depends not only for trade but for military and political support. Its Foreign Minister complained that Aeven as I speak [two days after the coup], there is virtually no communication. There is no way in which we are able to engage the government of Nepal in even making a proper assessment of what is happening.@ There are some in India who have recommended that it close down trade routes and suspend its military assistance. Britain, apparently, was also considering rethinking its aid programs to Nepal. AThis action,@ its foreign office announced, Awill increase the risk of instability in Nepal, undermining the institutions of democracy and constitutional monarchy in the country.@ Australia called for Athe immediate return to multi-party democracy and respect for civil liberties and freedom of expression.@ The United States, which has been providing funds, arms and training to Nepal in its war against the Maoists, is also upset. AI would say that we are deeply troubled by the apparent step back from democracy,@ said Richard Boucher, a spokesman for the US State Department. AWe are urging an immediate move toward the restorationof multi-party democratic institions under a constitutional monarchy.@ UN Secretary Kofi Annan was quoted as describing Athese actions as a serious setback for the country@ and urging that steps be taken immediately Ato restore democratic freedoms and institutions.@ Only a week earlier, a UN representative had been assured by the king of his reaffirmation of Ahis unequivocal commitment to human rights, democracy and multi-party rule.@ The European Union warned that house arrests and suspension of press freedom could have Aserious implications@ for Nepal=s international standing. Amnesty International worried that Athis action plunges the country deeper into crisis and puts the Nepalese people at even greater risk of gross human rights abuses.@ Almost the only country that did not seem to be upset by the king=s move was China. Its foreign minister, Kong Quan, regarded it as Aan internal affair of Nepal@ and announced that China Arespects the choice of Nepalese in developing their own country and sincerely wish the nation to realize social security, economic development and ethnic pacification.@ Pakistan, whose own leader seized power from a democratic government, agreed that Nepal=s problems were an Ainternal matter.@ (world media, February 1-3)

Local Reaction. With phone and internet communication silenced and media censored, it is hard to get an accurate picture of how Nepal is responding to the king=s action. As we go to press, less than a week after the royal takeover, we can get only a tentative picture. Life on the streets has appeared to be normal, yet there is obvious tension. A report in Britain=s The Independent describes Kathmandu=s streets a day or so after the coup as Alined with soldiers armed with tear gas and assault rifles... conversations stop at the sight of an unfamiliar face.@ Soldiers have been posted in every newsroom to make sure broadcasts are suitably loyal. At one major newspaper, nineteen army officers have been checking articles, word for word. AWe cannot speak freely,@ one journalist told a foreign reporter. AWe can=t write about politics now. What are we going to put in the newspaper? Love stories?@ Some journalists have been able to reach India to file their stories. They have reported that paramilitary police raided an underground political meeting involving around 50 members of the Nepali Congress (Democratic Party - Deuba=s faction), who had come together in the yard of the party=s headquarters. Although most participants were able to slip away, about a dozen were left inside when police locked the gates. It was not immediately clear whether these were arrested - or if they were, whether they have been released. Reporters and photographers were also held briefly and their digital camera disks and videotapes seized. The Hindustani Times reports that students at Prithvi Narayan College in Pokhara had come out of classes to protest the take-over and for a while had managed to keep soldiers from entering the campus to halt their demonstration, but were then fired upon from army helicopters. At least 15 were wounded. Another report claims that 250 were arrested. Although it cannot be documented, it is believed that a number of political leaders are meeting underground trying to work out how they can oppose the king=s actions. A tape recording purportedly carrying the voice of veteran Nepali Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala calls for street protests against the king=s coup. A Maoist-called general strike was apparently being observed in rural areas under the control of the insurgents but was largely ignored in Kathmandu - perhaps, because of the blocking of information and communication, people didn=t know about it. Discontent is said to be simmering on the campus of Tribhuvan University, where there have reportedly been protests. AAll the students are against the king,@ one of them is reported to have said. AWe need democracy and we will fight for democracy. We are prepared to die for democracy.@ (all media, February 1-5)

No Democracy Until Maoists Defeated. In spite of King Gyanendra=s pledge to bring back democracy to Nepal (Aonly a meaningful multiparty democracy can be an effective means of governance by the people@), there will be no effort to do this until the Maoists are defeated. AWe have learned the lessons after paying a heavy price that without restoring peace and security, we cannot hold elections,@ says Nepal=s new foreign minister, Ramesh Nath Pandey. Although one reason for the firing of Prime Minister Deuba was that he had made no progress towards calling elections by April, the government now believes that it will take three years before democracy can be re-introduced. Until the insurgency is stopped, says Pandey, Amulti-party democracy cannot come back on track.@ (BBC News, February 4)

Maoists Threaten Blockade as Protest to King. Maoist leader Prachanda has challenged the king Ato withdraw his retrogressive steps immediately@ or face a countrywide blockade and traffic strike of indefinite limit, starting February 13. He has urged his fellow citizens to stock up on vital provisions and to come out Ain strong resistance@ to the ANazi-style repression@ practiced by the king=s forces. (Khaleej Times, February 6)

Army To Get Tough. AThe army must launch tougher action against the Maoists if they ignore His Majesty=s call to lay down their arms and join the mainstream,@ says army Chief of Staff General Pyar Jung Thapa. King Gyanendra has called on the rebels to come to the negotiating table. Earlier, the latter had insisted on a direct dialogue with the king but now, because they are upset with his takeover of the government, they are refusing to talk. The army seems to feel that its task will be made easier by the clampdown on freedoms in the country. ANow we can solely go after the Maoists in a single-minded manner,@ said one of its spokesmen, >without having to worry about what=s going to happen on the streets, and peoples= agitation.@ (BBC News, February 4; The New York Times, February 5)

King=s Participation in SAARC Meetings One Reason for Cancellation. In his new role as executive head of government, King Gyanendra announced that he would attend a summit meeting during the second week of February of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Bangladesh in place of the fired prime minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba. This was a little too much for India=s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, whose government has viewed Gyanendra=s takeover of Nepal=s government with some concern, if not alarm (see AForeign Reaction,@ above). The Indian government was already worried about increasing incidents of lawlessness in Bangladesh but apparently decided that the prime minister=s presence at the meeting would indicate endorsement of the Nepalese King=s assumption of power, and announced that Prime Minister Singh would not attend the meetings after all. Without his participation, the meeting has been indefinitely postponed. (New York Times, and world media, February 2 and3)

Another Airport AInsult@ to Koirala. Once again, Girija Prasad Koirala has been insulted at the airport and once again, his followers have launched countrywide protests. It was again a case of the failure (he says deliberate) of security personnel to recognize the former prime minister and Nepali Congress president or his importance. In August, they had stopped him from special entry privileges at the airport without realizing he was a VIP. This time they forced the helicopter in which he was returning from Bharatpur to land at the army=s helipad before going to its regular place at the airport. AI was not allowed to get off the helicopter, as a team of security men arrived there along with dogs to conduct a search operation inside,@ said Koirala. The army says that nothing personal was intended and that it did not know Koirala was a passenger. AAs per new rules, all helicopters coming from outside Kathmandu are supposed to land at a safe area near the old runway for checks,@ said an army spokesman. Koirala, however, insists that the intent was to humiliate him. AEven after my personnel security officer informed the army about me being inside, the army continued to search,@ he said, adding that, AI will never surrender to the king and the army. I will keep on fighting for democracy >til my last.@ (Kantipur Online, nepalnews.com, January 12, 13)

ATHE PEOPLE=S WAR@

Activity on Scattered Fronts. As is typical of most wars between guerilla forces and an organized military, clashes between government and insurgents have been taking place in scattered locations and at scattered intervals. In mid-December, for example, Maoists ambushed a government patrol in Arghakhanchi in south central Nepal and killed more than 20 security personnel. A few days later, government forces turned back an attack on another patrol in the western district of Dailekh, killing 17 insurgents. The army claimed a major success in an attack on a Maoist hideout in the far southwestern Kailali district in early January, with 41 rebels killed (foreign news agencies say 30). Other encounters have produced death tolls of 34 (western Nepal) and 23 (Ilam, in eastern Nepal). A Maoist attack on a police post in the south central city of Hetauda produced no casualties but added new captured weapons to the rebels= arsenal. Maoists made their first organized attack on a police post in Kathmandu. This was in Sankhu district, and it produced no casualties.(all media, December and January)

More Money to Fight the Maoists. After the failure of the Maoists to respond before the Deuba government=s deadline of January 12 for resuming peace talks, the government issued a supplementary budget that calls for a nine percent increase in security spending. That means, in terms of US dollars, an $18.8 million boost to the $220 million already budgeted. At the same time, the government is adding 3,000 persons (13,000, according to one news report) to its armed forces. Its present forces are badly overstretched, with a presence in only 22 of the country=s 75 districts. (The Maoists claim control of 65% of the country, although this claim is rejected by the government). A 3% increase in Nepal=s Value Added Tax (see below under ATourists Will Pay...@) will aid in meeting security costs. In addition to boosting security and providing assistance to those who have suffered under Maoist violence, the extra funds will provide a 20% Aspecial allowance@ to all government employees. (yahoo!news, PTI Data India, January 14, 15)

Maoist Blockade. Kathmandu, along with nine districts, was subjected to a nearly week-long Maoist blockade in late December. The rebels were protesting the arrest and disappearance in government hands of some of their partisans. They promised that the ban on traffic into or out of the city and districts would remain in effect indefinitely as long as the government would not reveal the location of missing Maoists. As in earlier efforts of this kind, it was not so much the physical presence of the rebels on the highway as their ability to threatenl violence that acted as a curb on traffic. Interestingly, tourists and tourist buses were allowed to pass. It was after security forces started accompanying convoys of trucks, and, at about the same time, the government agreed to reveal the whereabouts of the missing Maoists that the blockade was lifted. In the meanwhile, the city of Kathmandu, cut off from its normal suppliers, had begun to suffer shortages of goods, with a consequent dramatic rise in prices. The nine affected districts, most of them in the hill country in the central part of Nepal, are called the ATamang Autonomous Region@ by the Maoists. Highways were also blocked in eastern hill and Terai districts. (all media, December 20 - 30)

Soldiers Shooting Up Soldiers. Not all army casualties are inflicted by the enemy. In late December, a junior commissioned officer stationed in Kathmandu Amistakenly opened fire@ with a loaded machine gun, killing one of his fellow soldiers and injuring two others. Another junior officer who is described as Asuffering from psychiatric illness@ had days earlier opened fire in the dining hall at the same barracks in Hanuman Dhoka but had not hit anybody. Two days after the Kathmandu shooting, four soldiers in a barracks in Rautahat district in the Terai were injured when, following a dispute, one of their mates Astarted random firing@ with Aa sophisticated weapon.@ (Kantipur Online, January 26, 28)

Out-of-control Gun Kills 1, Injures 2. This time it was the gun itself that was responsible for spraying the bullets that hit three soldiers after it had been dropped on the ground. The offending weapon Amistakenly fell on the ground in the dining hall of Junior Commissioned Officers@ in a Kathmandu army camp, Aresulting in the barrage of bullets out of the gun without any control.@ The injured were rushed to the hospital, where one of them died. The poor soldier who dropped the gun has been taken into custody Ato initiate further investigations.@ (Kantipur Online, December 25)

NATIONAL

Husbands Seeking Help from Domineering Wives. The Legal Aid and Consultancy Center is set up to give legal support to women and children who have been abused by their menfolk. Yet it says that more and more men are coming to it to complain that they are being harassed by their wives. AMost of the men are quite young and they are harassed by alcoholic wives,@ says an official of the non-governmental organization. The wives, who are described as domineering, suspect them of extra-marital affairs and Aengage them in serious quarrels at home.@ Men suffering at the hands of their wives (and complaining to authorities about it) are a relatively new development in Nepal=s traditionally male-dominated society. The Center has also found it unusual that it has been approached by a number of children who want their parents to be separated. AAs the family environment remains distrubed due to incessant daily quarrels between parents,@ says one of its spokesmen, Achildren prefer that their parents live separately.@ (Kathmandu Post, January 2)

Digging of Mustard Plant Provokes Caste War. What got it all started was the digging up of a mustard plant by Jaleshwor Sada=s grandson in a field belonging to Jhawar Mandal. Sada is a member of the low caste Mushars. The Mandals are an upper caste. The dispute that followed led to a group of around 100 Mandals taking out after the Mushars with rods - beating them, burning their houses and stealing their goods. Although many of the Mushars were injured, their enemies kept them from getting to the hospital. They were later able to get treatment in a neighboring community. The police did not respond to their calls for help nor take action when they showed them their wounds. When asked about this, a police spokesman said they were investigating the case.

INTERNATIONAL

Tibetan Centers Closed. No-one seems to know what prompted the Nepalese government, on January 21, to close down two offices dedicated to the servicing of Tibetan refugees. The Tibetan Welfare Center and Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office had been helping Tibetan refugees in Nepal since 1959 when the Dalai Lama fled his country. In a letter sent to Wangchuk Tsering, the Dalai Lama=s representative in Nepal, the District Administration Office announced that the refugee centers must close because Athey were not registered with the local administration.@ The reason that they are not registered is that there are laws in Nepal that forbid foreigners from registering an organization. There are thousands of non-registered organizations in Nepal, run both by Nepalese and by foreigners, yet this is the first instance of the government closing one down. Although the government has not made clear why it suddenly started worrying about this problem, it denies that Chinese pressure had anything to do with it. An estimated 3,000 refugees enter Nepal each year; there are currently some 1,000 sheltered by the Welfare Office. Nepal subscribes to the Geneva Convention, which would seem to require that the refugees be accorded Athe most favorable treatment accorded to nationals of a foreign country.@ But perhaps Nepal=s government follow the Chinese in regarding them not as refugees but as Aillegal immigrants.@ Most Tibetans who enter Nepal are turned over to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRC), which helps them to get to Dharamsala, the home of the Dalai Lama in India, the favored destination for most of them. But some stay in Nepal, which has the largest Tibetan exile community in the world outside of Dharamsala. The closing of the two offices may make the Chinese happy but it has given rise to protest in other parts of the world. Both the American and British governments have urged Nepal to re-open the offices, and human rights groups have been particularly vehement in their criticism. AThe Refugee Welfare Office has been a critical safety net for tens of thousands of persecuted Tibetans,@ says the director of the New York-based Human Rights Watch. AClosing the office leaves thousands of Tibetan refugees without critical support.@ (Nepalese, Indian and US media, January 28, 29)

India Helps Tibetan Refugees. India, at least, is sympathetic to the Tibetan refugees. Since February 2002, its mission in Kathmandu has been issuing them special entry permits to travel to India from Nepal. Embassy officials say they are not governed by Chinese or Nepalese reactions to this practice. The Indians are offering their help for humanitarian, not political, reasons. Their efforts also contribute to regularizing and monitoring the flow of escapees who would otherwise continue to reach India illegally. (The Navhind Times (India), January 6)

Nepal to Sign Environmental Protection Treaty. Never mind what the US does or doesn=t do. Nepal has given approval in principal to the Kyoto Protocol and is preparing to ratify it this month. AA country like Nepal can earn a decent foreign currency through the carbon trade after signing the Protocol,@ explained Nepal=s Minister for Population and Environment. (China View, January 22)

Celebrating Entente on an Elephant. Michel Jolivet is the French ambassador to Nepal. When he ran into the British ambassdor, Keith Bloomfield, at the 23^rd World Elephant Polo Championships last November, the two came up with an idea. Why not celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the signing of the Entente Cordiale (you remember that - the peace treaty that ended centuries of war between France and England) with a friendly British-French elephant polo match? AIt was a bit disconcerting to be leaning over the side of a large pachyderm holding on with your left hand as you tried to hit the ball, which looks minuscule on the ground, with a long mallet in your right as another large pachyderm comes charging at you,@ admitted the ambassador, who had ridden elephants before but not played polo from the back of one. Earlier, he noted, the size of the ball was more in scale with the size of the animals. But the elephants discovered that when they stepped on these inflated soccer balls, they would burst Awith a delightful whoosh.@ That was too much fun for the elephants, so the players now use a standard polo ball. Jolivet found that the contest could Abe pretty confusing at certain times@ with Aa jumble of limbs, trunks and mallets@ and mahouts all wearing the same jersey and exchanging elephants at half time. He did not seem to mind that his team lost to the British, 2-1. He even thinks that a number of times, in the midst of confusion, he may have helped by hitting the ball in the wrong direction. (Nepali Times, December 17)

INTERNATIONAL - THE US AND NEPAL

No Guarantee that DV Lottery Winners Will Get to USA. Every year, thousands of Nepalese apply for what is called the DV (Diversity Visa) Lottery, a program that allows immigration to the US beyond the usual quota and without the usual formalities. Its intent is to give better representation to countries, such as Nepal, that have not earlier been well-represented in numbers of immigrants. In the past six years, it has been responsible for bringing more than 4,500 Nepalis to the United States. Yet many DV winners have discovered that there is a catch. Just because you won the draw does not mean that you can come to the US. There are other requirements, both educational and financial, that many applicants have not understood until their applications have been denied. A group of them held a press conference in early January to complain. AWe won the lottery and fulfilled all required procedures of one and two, yet after interviewing us, the US Embassy, without any clear or satisfactory reason, refused to give us a visa,@ declared one of them. AWe must either be granted the visa or be adequately compensated.@ They point to the money they have had to spend, which averages Rs 200,000 to 300,000 (around US $280 to $420). The Embassy has responded that the Aclear and satisfactory@ reasons are contained in a letter that is sent to each winner. It lists educational or work requirements and warns applicants not to assume they are going to the US until the visa is in hand. AVisa issuance cannot be guaranteed,@ a spokesman said, Aeven if you meet all the qualifications.@ (Kantipur Online, newkerala, January 3,5; Spotlight, January 7)

Consul Denies Visa for Medical Treatment. Surendra Baniya, who has turned 17, suffers from a rare disease (osteogenesis imperfecta, or Abrittle bone disease@) which has stunted his growth, twisted his back, disfigured his hands and made him vulnerable to repeated bone fractures. His father, Shiva Bahadur Baniya, a wealthy Pokhara businessman, took him to India for treatment but was told there that there was only one place in the world where the necessary surgery could be performed, the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and only one man, Dr. Jay R. Shapiro, who could do it. Baniya got in touch with the doctor and a date for admission was set. Necessary financial arrangements to meet the cost of the operation (slightly more than US $100,000) were made. But the US Consul has twice turned down his application for the necessary visa. ANepalis do not have the financial capacity to undergo medical treatment in the US,@ he was told. Baniya, who is a real estate agent and co-owner of a textile mill, was able to prove that he had more than $140,000 available for the purpose but that did not seem to impress the consul=s office. They needed more information, they said. AWe sympathize with their suffering,@ said a Consulate spokesman, Aand they are welcome to come back with required additional information.@ They did not say what that information might be out of regard for the applicants= privacy. (Kathmandu Post, newkerala, December 29)

KATHMANDU VALLEY

Giant Peace Rally. Demonstrations are commonplace in Kathmandu, yet this one was unique in that its purpose was to promote peace. More than 100,000 people turned out December 27 to urge government and Maoists to come together in a peaceful solution to their differences. AThe rally is totally peaceful and voluntary, perhaps the biggest in the history of the Himalayan kingdom,@ said one of its coordinators. People of all ages and from all walks of life joined students in carrying banners and chanting such slogans as, Agive peace a chance!@ and Athe country and people can no longer bear war!@ (China View, December 27)

Indian Embassy Shooting. There was apparently nothing political involved in a shooting of two guards in late January at India=s embassy in Kathmandu. There had been a Aheated argument@ among the guards assigned to secure the embassy. One of them seized the gun of another and Ashot at one of the other guards, in the process killing two and wounding the third,@ according to a statement by the embassy. A later news report claimed that three had been injured. A three-man team from India is carrying out an investigation of the incident. In the meanwhile, the man who pulled the trigger has been arrested and sent back to India. (Hindustani Times, January 19)

ELSEWHERE

Alcohol Ban Loosely Enforced. People in the remote northwestern district of Mugu have to get by for much of the year on subsidized food grains. There are those who do not like to see these being wasted for producing alcohol and that is one reason Gamgadhi, the district=s headquarters, has been declared a Adry zone.@ Not everyone is pleased about this, especially the local Buddhist community. Losar, its biggest festival of the year and a time of general celebration, is approaching. Chang, a fermented drink with some alcoholic content, plays an important part in the festivities. In fact, according to the news report, the Mugu monks consume only chang during the festival. Its role in Losar may explain why police have had only modest success in finding and destroying the offending liquid. In a raid of 26 houses, they came away with 500 liters of the stuff but suspect that there is more out there. There is some suggestion that the police are not as dedicated as they might be in this quest. Along with Aeducated youths and government employees,@ they have been observed Awhiling away their time drinking.@ They claim that they are serious about enforcing the ban but as soon as they arrest someone, either a political party representative or a social worker approaches them seeking that person=s release. (Kathmandu Post, January 8)

Life with a Bullet in his Head. Krishna Raj Yogi taught sports at a school in the southwestern district of Bardia. He is described as a man of energy with a jovial nature, loved by his wife and two children and admired by his students, friends and neighbors. On September 21, 2003, a group of Maoists came to his school and demanded that all the teachers give them ten percent of their two-years= salary as a donation to the APeople=s War.@ That was too much, said Yogi, who was probably already known to the Maoists as a strong supporter of an opposing political party and a friend of the local police. They took him to a nearby orchard and made him sit on the ground. One of them came from behind, put a gun to his head, pulled the trigger and walked away. Yogi was aware of this because he was still conscious but he lay motionless to keep his tormenters from coming back to deliver the coup de grace. When he was sure they had left, he was able to raise his head and call for help. A girl working in a nearby field heard him and soon he was on the way to a hospital. At that point, he lost consciousness. For 19 days, he remained in a coma, then, miraculously, with a bullet still in his head, he woke up with his memory intact. A year and a half after the incident, he is living in Kathmandu with his family, supported by friends and relatives, and the pain and paralysis is gradually receding. He had returned to Bardia and started teaching again last April, but school authorities, after being threatened by the Maoists, asked him to give it up. He does not like being a dependent but promises of help from politicians have not materialized. Although doctors assure him that it does no harm to have a bullet in his head, he would like to get rid of it. Yet maybe it is not as bad as it sounds. When asked how it feels, he replies that Ait feels like you are intoxicated permanently.@ (Kathmandu Post, January 28)

HUMAN RIGHTS

American Rights Group Raps Government and Rebels. Nepal and its Ahighly unpopular@ government were given very bad marks by the US-based Human Rights Watch, which, like the National Human Rights Commission, holds it responsible for the extrajudicial killing of some 2,000 persons. AWhen people are killed during security operations,@ it says in a recently released assessment of human rights abuses in 64 countries, Agovernment security forces almost always issue a statement identifying the dead as Maoist rebels killed during exchange of gunfire. Yet investigations into the circumstances of the deaths have often revealed that many individuals were already in the custody of the armed forces at the time they were killed. The report also criticizes the Maoists for Athe brutal execution of civilians,@ which in many cases takes place Ain front of villagers and family members.@ The rebels are also condemned for recruiting children and Amaking them carry ammunition and supplies to the front lines,@ as well as putting them to work as cooks and porters. The organization is particularly critical of the Royal Nepal Army=s habit of lying to the Supreme Court. AThe army=s disregard of the Supreme Court habeas corpus orders and its blatant lies to the courts have seriously undermined the judicial oversight of detentions, one of the most important legal protections against disappearances.@ (Kathmandu Post, January 14)

Killings are Increasing, Says A I. These above sentiments were endorsed by Amnesty in a report called Nepal: Killing with Impunity that points out that Athe number of people who are being illegally killed in Nepal is increasing, and those responsible are going completely unpunished.A The report mentions specific instances where people have been killed unlawfully by both sides without accountability. AWhat is most chilling,@ say the organization=s Asia Director, Ais that these killings are going completely unpunished.@ The charge seems to have hit a nerve with the Royal Nepal Army (RNA). AThe word >impunity= is a loosely-used word by various sources at various times to tarnish the image of the RNA,@ complained a spokesman. The army is Avery much conscious of human rights and has never gone beyond the limits of legal boundaries.@ The army=s sensitivity may come from an awareness that a known disregard for human rights could jeopardize the employment of its troops in UN peacekeeping missions. (Amnesty International press release, January 20; Kantipur Online, January 27)

ENVIRONMENT

January Cold Takes Lives. A cold wave descended on Nepal in late January, leaving at least 28 dead, mostly in the eastern and central Terai. For a while, snow blocked three of the country=s major highways, including the Arniko Highway, its only route to Tibet and China. Snow piled up in northern districts, and Kathmandu experienced its coldest day since 1992. (Nepalese, Indian and Chinese media, January 20-28)

National Earthquake Day. Nepal knows about earthquakes. It did not need the Sumatra quake with its devastating tsunami to remind it that it is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to large earthquakes (rated 11^th on a list of the most earthquake-prone). It sits over the juncture of two tectonic plates whose slow-motion collision has created the high mountains of the Himalaya and, in recent memory (1934), caused a shaking that registered 8.2 on the Richter scale, took the lives of 8,500 people, injured 15,000 others, and destroyed some 208,000 houses. It was to commemorate that event that the country celebrated a National Earthquake Security Day on January 15. It was a reminder that seismologists are predicting that Nepal is overdue for another large quake. Its 92 active faults (2 in Kathmandu Valley) are part of a system that extends all the way to Dehra Dun in India and that has been building up pressure which, when released, will create an enormous shaking of the earth. Scientists say that if that hits Kathmandu with the same force as the 1934 quake, it will kill approximately 40,000 people, injure another 95,000, and destroy 60 percent of the buildings. These figures do not take into account the number of people who would suffer from the destruction of 95% of the Valley=s water pipes and 50% of its pumping stations. Only one hospital would be able to withstand an earthquake up to a level of 9 on the Richter scale. There are some attempts to mitigate the anticipated devastation, such as a new effort to enforce building codes. The Home Ministry=s Disaster Management Division and the Royal Nepalese Army and Police have developed programs to cope with the disaster. AThere are mechanisms in districts and on the village level,@ says a Disaster Management Division expert. AWe are yet to develop bigger institutions to handle effects of major quakes.@ The UN has also been active in preparing for such a disaster. Even the tourist industry is taking steps. The Hotel Association of Nepal has drawn up an elaborate earthquake safety plan for hotels and has proposed an Earthquake Emergency Committee to coordinate efforts among hotels, guest houses, embassies, hospitals, army, and the United Nations in the event of crisis. (Spotlight, Kathmandu Post, January 14; Kantipur Online, newkerala, January 15)

Waves AErupt@ in Sacred Lake. Nepal had its own mini-tsunami when waves two meters (approximately 6 ft) high Aerupted@ in Maipokhari Lake in the far eastern district of Ilam. Because the lake is considered sacred, locals viewed the phenomenon as an omen of evil for Nepal. Hundreds of them came to the lake bank to perform rituals that might forestall such a fate. According to a 78-year-old, it was the first time that such waves had appeared in the sacred waters. (nepalnews.com, December 27)

EDUCATION

Education Suffering. Nepal=s adult literacy rate, at 44 percent, is one of the lowest in the region. That would seem to make education particularly important to the future of the country. Yet, thanks mainly to the Maoist insurgency, schools are in decline. The United Nations Children=s Fund estimates that they are open an average of only 100 days a year (down from 180-200 days, already the shortest school year in South Asia), and many are not functioning at all. Maoists harass the teachers they do not kill, demanding that they pay Ataxes@ and indoctrinate their students in the rebel philosophy. The army then suspects them of collaboration. At least 126 teachers have been killed during AThe People=s War,@ - two fifths of them at the hands of the state. It is no wonder that many teachers have left their posts and that some communities are without schools. Of those that remain open, school, as described by Suomi Sakai, UNICEF=s representative, has become Aa place of fear, a place of violence.@ She thinks it is in everyone=s interest to change this. After all, as she points out, Maoists have children too. (The Economist, January 29)

Gang Vandalizes College Dorm. It apparently started when an ex-student at Pulchowk Engineering College showed up drunk at that college=s boys= hostel on December 27, demanding that the Free Students= Union provide a seat for his girlfriend in the girls= hostel. Upon refusal, he and his friends vandalized the hostel. Although this was exam time, no college authorities were around to try to curb the destruction which was severe enough to force them to close the college until repairs could be made. The incident, said one member of the student union Aaffected hundreds of students appearing in their first, third and fifth semester Aback examinations.@ The group has issued an ultimatum to the college=s administration demanding stern action against the offending Agang of students.@ (Kathmandu Post Jan. 2)

Never Too Late. It is not simply for company or protection that Jhapat Bahadur Bishwokarma, of Bhakimie in Syangja district in central Nepal, accompanies his great grandson to school. The 70-year-old is himself a student there. He has been a regular student for the past four years and is now in the eighth grade. During his blacksmithing days, he had watched hundreds of children on their way to school, including some who later used their education to achieve positions of prominence. AIf I had also studied in time, I too would have made it big like they did,@ he says. As for himself, AI don=t intend to become a great man by studying.@ He hopes instead to set an example to others who might still be able to benefit from a good education. AI=m going to school at this old age just to inspire all those who are not going to school.@ He has been described by his teachers as a good and disciplined student. His wife, however, is not enthusiastic. AIf he stayed at home instead of going to school, at least our cows and buffaloes would get something to eat. What=s the use of studying at this age?@ (Kathmandu Post, January 27)

ON THE ROAD

Wedding Guests Die in Major Bus Accident. It was apparently because its front axle gave way that an overcrowded bus carrying a wedding party from one village in Pyuthan district to another went off the road and plunged down a 100-meter (325-foot) embankment into the Madi River, killing 40 people and seriously injuring 15 others. The bridegroom was one of the victims, as was his father and brother. His mother, who was not on the bus, is the only surviving member of the family. The bride survived the crash but was injured. (Rising Nepal, BBC News, January 22)

IN THE AIR

Air Passengers Stranded. The airline passengers who were stranded in America around Christmas time might justifiably have complained about their plight, yet they were in better shape than many would-be travelers in Nepal at about the same time. The Maoist blockade of highways left air or foot travel as the only means of getting to most destinations. All flights were fully booked. Extra flights were added where possible, yet that nowhere near satisfied demand. To make matters worse, bad weather grounded many flights. AWe had never faced such a crisis before,@ said a Buddha Air official. AWe were not prepared to deal with such an abnormal situation.@ The run from Biratnagar in far eastern Nepal to Kathmandu offers an example of the problem. Normally, some 6,000 people per day make the trip by highway. The air industry can in no way compete with that. According to an airline spokesman, Aall airlines in total have a capacity of only 300 seats on this route.@ (Kathmandu Post, December 25)

Helicopter Crash Kills Three. Pemba Tsering, the 9-year-old son of Pemba Thondu Sherpa, cried when he discovered he was not going to be able to go with his father on a chartered helicopter ride from Kathmandu to Lukla in the mountainous Khumbu region of northern Nepal. The tears caused his father to change his mind, with the result that father and son died together when the plane crashed on a 9,000-foot hillside in Dolakha district. The pilot (another Pemba - Pemba Gelu Sherpa) was also killed. No reason for the accident, which took place in good weather shortly after the pilot had radioed that he was trying to ascend to a height of 11,500 feet, has been determined. The government has formed a five-member commission to investigate. (Nepalese and Indian news media, January 4)

IN THE MOUNTAINS

Is Everest Shrinking? There are scientists in China who think that the world=s highest mountain may be getting smaller. They have found evidence that its summit (now officially pegged at 29,035 ft) has dropped four feet because of glacier melt caused by global warming. They are sending a team, equipped with radar and global positioning technology, to investigate. (China Daily, quoted in The New York Times, January 26)

TOURISM

Tourism Up. The number of tourists arriving in Nepal by air in 2004 increased by 9 percent over the year before, according to the Nepal Tourism Board. Although there were one percent fewer visitors from India, there were 13 percent more from other countries. Each country=s contribution can be broken down as follows: US, 5 percent; Britain, 10 percent; France, 20 percent; and Germany 8 percent. Perhaps most dramatic was the growing number of visitors from China. Their total increased by 31 percent. Taiwan=s was a 26 percent rise. (China View, January 3)

Tourists Will Pay Slightly More. Tourists to Nepal will have to pay a little more for services after the government, faced with mounting costs, has added slightly to its value-added tax (VAT) and has made other small adjustments in fees affecting tourists. The VAT will increase from 10 percent to 13 percent, and will be applicable to all purchases including hotel and restaurant bills and most shopping items. The service fee that tourists pay when they arrive at the airport is increasing from Rs 500 (a little more than US $7) to Rs 565 (around US $8). As for the departure tax, that will cost the tourist about 50 cents more than it used to (now about US $15.85). In addition to taxes, tourists may find themselves paying a little more for bus transport, domestic air travel and taxis, thanks to a 10 to 28 percent hike in fuel prices. (keralanet.com, January 15)

WILDLIFE

Unwelcome Visitor. Most Nepalis slip back and forth across the Indian border without incident but most Nepalis are not rhinoceroses. This rhino took advantage of thick forest cover to enter India in October and has been hiding out in the sprawling sugarcane fields of Uttar Pradesh ever since. He is not a welcome visitor, especially after killing a man in the Lakhimpur-Keri district shortly after his arrival. It was then that authorities managed to hunt him down and administer a tranquilizer. Yet before he could be moved to a cage and transported back to Nepal, the animal succeeded in Abreaking its shackles and pushing farther into the mainland here,@ according to the district=s Chief Wildlife Conservator. Wildlife officials are keeping an eye on the rhino but feel that they should wait out a three-month period before administering a second dose. AAn overdose could be harmful.@ (newkerala, January 6)

Tiger Population Diminished by Two. There is good news and bad news for Nepal=s tigers. The good news is that the country=s tiger population now has reached the 350 level, and that this number includes 123 breeding tigers. The bad news is that this number has been lessened by two with the discovery of two poisoned tigers in Bardiya National Park. Poachers are blamed for the deaths. Yet it is the Maoists who are responsible for a lessening of security patrols in the park along with a consequent increase in poaching. This park is home to about 60 tigers. (nepalnews.com, January 5)

RELIGION

Low-caste Dalits Forbidden Entry to Temple. Local journalists were leading a group of low-caste Dalits when they tried to enter a Hindu temple at Kanakpur in the southeastern district of Saptari for collective worship. They were stopped by Aupper-caste@ people who beat them, inflicting injuries on at least a dozen people, who were later taken to the hospital. Many of those injured were journalists. (nepalnews.com, January 9)

Stars Favored King=s Move. The message from the Nepal Astrologers= Association is: Anot to worry!@ The stars were in favorable disposition for the King=s dismissal of the Deuba government and the timing was auspicious. The astrologers are predicting good things coming as a result. The palace retains a Royal Astrologer and, like many Nepalis, presumably puts much store in what the stars have to say about its affairs. After four years, King Gyanendra still has not been given full coronation ceremonies because there has not yet been an auspicious date for this. (newkerala, February 5)

HEALTH

Police Find Something Fishy About Miracle Cure. Suffering from asthma? bronchitis? or maybe even alcoholism? Well, here is a cure that thousands of sufferers in India swear by. You take a beaker of water filled with small live fish and drink it down - fish and all. It does wonders, they say, in India. Of course we are not talking about just any fish - you have to have the right kind, and Mohammad Alam Mansoor knows just what this is. He arrived in Nepal from his native India to administer the cure at Rs 800 (US $11) a shot. The medicine has apparently been working well in India, where several generations of one family have been dispensing it over a period of 150 years. It is so popular there that the Indian government provides special buses to take care of the crowds who come seeking its magic. Yet this will not happen in Nepal if Mansoor=s experience is a clue. He was arrested in a Kathmandu hotel after police received complaints from some of his customers. There may not be anything illegal about feeding people live fish, but Mansoor was adding allopathic drugs to his potion and these are not to be used without a registered medical practitioner=s prescription. (Hindustani Times, December 18)

SOCIAL NOTES - WEDDING BELLS DIVISION

A Husband Who Can Afford Her Protection. In Shankar Munda=s part of the world, it is not unusual for a girl to be married at the age of 8. What is unusual is marriage to a dog, yet this is what Munda has arranged for his 8-year-old daughter. The problem, he said, was that she had grown what he described as Adog teeth@ on her upper jaw, and that, he believed, was a bad omen. AIf the marriage had not been solemnized to a dog,@ he said, Aour family might have faced some trouble.@ Villagers agreed. If she had not married the dog, Ait could have invited evil spirits and the village could have faced serious trouble.@ There is no description of the wedding ceremony in the news report, yet it is said that the parents gave their daughter a dowry of Rs 22,000 (around US $280) in cash, a color television and a bed. (Himalayan Times, January 21)

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