#170 14 - 20 November 2003 16 pages Rs 25

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Weekly Internet Poll # 111. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.comQ. Should the political parties patch up with the king,the Maoists or continue with their agitation?

Total votes:1,357

Weekly Internet Poll # 110

Q. Are you generally optimistic or pessimistic aboutNepal�s future?

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NAVIN SINGH KHADKA

n Tuesday evening, a Buddha AirKathmandu-Biratnagar flight flewby mistake to Bhairawa.

Given the present rush indomestic airline traffic and the chaos at theterminals, a slip-up like that was bound tohappen sooner or later. Domestic airlineexecutives say they are reaping a bonanzabecause security concerns along highwayshave diverted travellers to fly rather than

drive. But they add that traffic is reachingsaturation point because of capacity andinfrastructure bottlenecks.

Domestic airline capacity has beenseverely cut because airlines with largeraircraft like Necon have grounded their 50-seater ATRs and Cosmic is only operatingone of its SAAB 340s. This means airlineswith smaller planes like Buddha, Yeti,Skyline, Sita and Gorkha are stretched tothe limit to pick up the slack.

aoist threats to farmers not to harvest grain,confiscation of land and looting of granaries has spread concern that Nepal’s already-precarious food situation may worsen in the coming months.

Across the country, the Maoists are occupying farms taken from absentee landlords orconfiscated from political opponents. There is no estimate how much farmland is directly underMaoist control, but reports from across the country this is a nationwide trend. Elsewhere, tillers whoused to hand over a part of the harvests to landlords, are now forced to give the produce to localMaoists. Food security experts say this has set off a chain reaction of lower harvests, fallingproductivity and a general food shortage.

Since the landlords know they won’t be able to collect the harvest, they do not invest anymore on fertiliser, seeds and other inputs. The tillers or sharecroppers can’t afford to make thatinvestment and the Maoists are too busy fighting to help with farming. As a result, productivity isdwindling and adding to the plight of middle and lower-income farmers.

A large number of landowners in western Nepal have abandoned their property and this trendhas accelerated after the Maoists descended to the tarai during the post-Dasai harvest season.Many farmers have migrated to India, or to the cities. In the fertile Rajapur region which is anisland between two branches of the Karnali, many farmers have simply stopped planting becauseof Maoist extortion and threats.

Sita Devi Upadhyay, a 51-year-old widow, lost all her land to the Maoists when she could notmeet their donation demand. She took a loan of Rs 30,000 to pay them off, but the Maoistswanted more. Now they have taken over her land. Her neighbour, Shankar Tharu, was forced tohand over all his harvest and since he had nothing left to feed his family, he left for India.

Further west in Kailali, the Maoists have confiscated more than 200 hectares of land mostly

Because of its larger fleet of sixBeechcraft, Buddha has profited the mostfrom the current crunch, carrying nearly halfof all domestic passengers since Dasai. Butits managing director, Birendra Basnet, saysthe traffic will drop off once the buses startrunning normally again. Basnet also saysairlines don�t like to work under suchpressure. �It is difficult to maintainschedules and we have to make sure ourcustomers are happy,� he told us.

In an effort to meet passenger demand,Buddha has shunted nearly all its Biratnagarand Bhairawa flights to late evening and nightbecause they are the only airports with night-landing facilities. Nepalganj�s nightlanding isout of action because of technical problemswith equipment, making matters worse.With morning fog in Kathmandu, there justaren�t enough hours in a day to flyeverywhere.

As passenger volume peaks, airlines cash in.

Ocontinued p5ð

Prachanda feeler?Maoist supremo Prachanda�s fiery statementThursday in which he lashed out at the army,government and Washington, had anoverture to the political parties. He askedthem not to dismiss his movement�scommitment to multiparty democracy. But,Prachanda added that a multiparty systemwould only work after �feudal dictatorship

owned by local political activists and are farming it commune-style. This trend is spreading east. In Sindhupalchok, a Maoistflag flutters on a tree in the property of UML leader AmritBohara. “First we were targets of the panchayat governmentand now we are under attack from the Maoists,” Bohara told usin Kathmandu.

In Panchthar, Maoists looted the granary of RPP leaderPadma Sunder Lawoti and, after harassing his 80-year-oldmother, they looted his house and took away his horses. InDhankuta, the ancestral home of Prime Minister Surya BahadurThapa, his land and property have been seized. In Morang, theMaoists harvested the entire rice crop of Nepali Congress leaderAmod Upadhyay and took it away. In Bhojpur they forced localUML leader Hemraj Rai to hand over one-third of his harvest,but later apologised and returned the grain.

Maoists have not only targeted rich landowners but also poorer farmers who they suspect ofbeing informants, or those who refused to cooperate with them. All this goes against therevolutionary agricultural plan of the Maoist United Revolutionary Peoples’ Council that pledges notto confiscate land from farmers and lays out a land-to-the-tiller policy. So far, most farmerstargeted by Maoists own less than 10 bigha.

The Maoists justify their action, saying it is against zamindars and capitalists. But it is themiddle-income farmers who have suffered the most—the same hardworking Nepali farmers wholong ago gave up expecting anything from the government and had built and cultivated their ownfarms. t

With reports by Jhalak Gaire in Nepalganj and Rajendra Nath in Nepalganj

and military fascism� was rooted out from thecountry. He accused the Royal Nepali Army ofacting under instructions from the United Statesto set up a unified command, which he said wastrying to establish military control in South Asiaand encircle China. Another Maoist leader, RamBahadur Thapa (Badal), in an interview thisweek with the party paper Janadesh said thathis group was trying to coordinate with theanti-king agitation of the political parties.

One of the remaining familiesin Rajapur winnowing grain.

The Maoist policy of confiscatingland aggravates an alreadyprecarious food situation.

Land grab

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Winging it

2 EDITORIAL 14 - 20 NOVEMBER 2003 NEPALI TIMES #170

Nepali Times is published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd,Chief Editor: Kunda DixitDesk Editor: Trishna Gurung , Design: Kiran MaharjanWebmaster: Bhushan Shilpakareditors@nepalitimes.com, www.nepalitimes.comAdvertising: Sunaina Shah advertising@himalmedia.comSubscription: Anil Karki subscription@himalmedia.comSales: Sudan Bista sales@himalmedia.comSanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, LalitpurGPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, NepalTel: 01-5543333/ 5523845 Fax: 01-5521013Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hattiban: 01-5547018/17

L E T T E R S

MAYORKathmandu’s mayor KeshabSthapit comes across as a boldand visionary dreamer in yourprofile of him (‘My city’, #169).But he should also pay attentionto saving the Valley’s openspaces and its agricultural land.His new urban plan shouldincorporate the basis of theValley’s heritage and civilisation.New settlements should useminimum prime farming land bygoing highrise. Kathmandu

needs proper management andrelocation of its settlements,especially those which came after1985. Kathmandu can be amodern cosmopolitan city, as themayor says, but we shouldn’tmake that happen at the expenseof our past glory.

Basanta Kumar Gautam,Kasugai, Japan

l There is no doubt thatKathmandu has lost its charm dueto unplanned urbanisation,population growth, overcrowding,traffic, dust, pollution. MayorSthapit seems confident he canbring the city back to its pastpristine glory. This is not possiblewithout the help and the full co-operation from the government. Ibelieve it is the duty of allresidents of Kathmandu to lendhim a helping hand in achievingthe goal. I hope the promises hehas made in your article will notbe like the empty rhetoric oftoday’s politicians.

Dr Eli Pradhan, KMC

STATE OF THE STATE by CK LAL

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LALHere we go again with CK Lal(‘Our praetorian guards’, #168).Were the NEA and NTC, thosemodels of efficiency, not chargingexorbitant fees way before theinsurgency? The cost per kwhwas certainly a major issue behindthe derailment of Arun III, if I recallthe debates correctly. Also, onewould be hard-pressed to find anation that has not been united orcreated by force. The Greeks,Romans, Aztecs, Zulus, Europeannations, South American nationsand so on have been united byforce. It is an undeniable andflawed element of human natureand utopians tend to convenientlyignore this. Paul Johnson, anAmerican historian, asks (I partiallyparaphrase) “...can a nation, bornin sin and war, rise above theinjustices of its origins, and by itsmoral purpose and performance,atone from them?”

In Nepal, we need to right pastwrongs but this doesn’t have tooccur through an insurgency that

unleashes even more pain andmisery and drains our meagreresources even further. Workingwithin a system can also bringchange and opportunity—withfar less misery. Finally, oneneeds to have a nation like Romebefore reaching for acomparison with its PraetorianGuard. We are talking about acountry that never evenapproached a millionth of theglory of Rome. When has theRNA ever made or brokenemperors, kings or primeministers? They can barely holdtheir own. Earth to CK Lal:please return from PlanetHyperbole to writing greatarticles again.

P Rana, email

NRNGlad to see that NRNs are liningup to invest in Nepal. As anoverseas Nepali myself, Iwonder why they want toinvest in Nepal at such atroubled period. It is evident that

discrepancy between word anddeed is one of the defining featuresof authoritarian regimes.

Pronouncements usually hide realintentions of the authority. Acontradiction between a government�spolicies and their implementation over aprolonged period hollows out a regimefrom within. And when such regimesfinally fall, their collapse is so suddenthat it takes even its opponents bysurprise.

After repeatedly asserting that thecountry was not being militarised, theprime minister has suddenly changed hisline and accused his predecessors ofstarting the process. There is no smokewithout fire and Girija Prasad Koirala isindeed guilty of allowing the military tomeddle in civic affairs by inviting it tobegin pilot development projects indistricts with security problems.However, that was an anomaly in ademocratic system.

But with royal-appointedgovernments in Singha Darbar, the armyhas begun to call the shots. Thapa cansay that he is in charge, but everyone

Halt the alms race...before militancy and militarism devour the country from within.

knows who his real bosses are. There arejust too many signs of creepingmilitarisation.

A study of the militarisation ofpolitics and society in Southeast Asiahas shown that there are parallels acrossIndonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

In addition to unnecessary violence,militarisation results in:l Repression and human rights

violationsl Loss of resourcesl Underdevelopmentl Dependency

Instances of repression and humanrights violations are on the rise, there isconstricted freedom of expression andthere is a curtailment in the freedom ofmovement and association. When armedmen in uniform suffer from road rage onRing Road and shoot taxi drivers dead,we know there is a problem.

For some years now, we have seendevelopment resources being diverted todefence. Soldiers who flaunt shinyBelgian guns may not realise it, butmoney to buy those weapons willprobably mean their own children willsuffer from the reduction of publicinvestment in education and healthcare.

Underdevelopment is difficult todetect at the initial stage, but the factthat the economic growth hascontracted for the first time in severalyears is a clear indication that theeconomy is in a tailspin. A war economypropels growth only in those countriesthat manufacture military hardware, itbenefits only arms merchants. For therest, it takes money away frominvestment in sectors like publicinfrastructure and social welfare. Nepaland Pakistan are the only two non-sub-Saharan countries on UNDP's list oflowest human development index.

Militarisation leads to dependency asthe armed forces rely on foreign donors.Alms of arms have deadlier strings attachedthan development aid.

The militarisation of Nepali polity isproceeding at a pace that hasn�t beenseen since the days of the Ranas who

were stooges of the British and helpedout militarily whenever the empirefound itself in a bit of a tight corner.Where will the process of militancy andmilitarisation lead us this time?

The process of militarisation usuallymeans that authoritarian regimes aremore loyal to the forces that prop it upthan to the people of the country.Which doesn�t augur well for the futureof democracy in the country. It seemsthat the promises of the current crop ofministers notwithstanding, thelikelihood of elections being heldanytime soon are remote. Themainstream political parties haveconcluded that the present regime hasno intention of restoring democracy inthe country.

Perhaps that explains thecontradictions in Surya BahadurThapa�s public pronouncements. As hisflip-flop on the delay in theappointments of constitutional bodiesshow, the prime minister is a loyalcourtier who takes flak when things goawry. The identity of invisible decision-makers remain hidden.

In the developing world,authoritarian regimes often take up thereigns of government on the pretext ofrestoring order, justifying it by sayingthat elected leaders made a mess ofthings. But as Pakistani human rightsadvocate Clement John observes, thebreakdown of democratic governance inAsian countries isn�t due to thecorruption of politicians alone, �It isbecause most Asian societies are facedwith complex problems relating to race,culture, religion, nationalism, ethnicparochialism and last, but not least,their class base. In such circumstances,it is difficult to obtain a politicalconsensus on such complex issues.�

The antidote to this creepingmilitarisation is aggressive politicisation.Messers Koirala and Nepal have theirwork cut out for them in the days tocome�political mobilisation and grass-roots activism to fight the ogres ofmilitancy and militarism that aredevouring the country from within. t

TPARTY POOPERS

hings are finally moving on Nepal-India cooperation. Whatever created thelogjam, it seems to have been removed. Several hydropower projects aremoving ahead simultaneously: Budi Gandaki, Upper Karnali and even the on-

again-off-again private sector joint venture West Seti. The last is such good news inIndia that the Economic Times newspaper gave an exultant headline to the story thisweek: ‘Nepal to light up North India’.

In other fronts, the Birganj dry port agreement was finalised amidst cheers from thebusiness community here. Nepali banaspati ghiu exporters are happy that they canstart selling again in India. Even the Nepal-Bhutan bilateral agreement onrepatriation of refugees, however flawed, appears to have unjammed. This week, aftermore than a decade, India announced it is resuming bilateral cash grants to localbodies with a first package worth Rs 500 million.

For the intrigue-minded in Kathmandu, all this is too good to be true. Where is thecatch, they ask. Is all this tied up somehow with domestic political developments? To be sure, Indian aid to local bodies comes at atime when elected VDC and DDC councils don’t evenexist. Positions are being filled by nominees who arehanded their appointment papers at the LocalDevelopment Ministry at Sri Mahal. At a radio talkprogram this week (translated on page 12) some ofthe new nominees argue that their responsibility istowards the people and the people can’t wait for thepolitics in Kathmandu to sort itself out. They have apoint.

The debate really should be over how to quicklydeliver development in a time of crisis, not atheoretical debate over the process of democracy.That is the current conundrum: how long do we waitfor things to get worse before we start working to makethem better?

The Maoists dismantled democracy at thegrassroots over the past eight years by systematicallykilling off, or hounding out, elected local officialsand blowing up most VDC buildings. At the nationallevel, a parliament, an elected prime minister andother institutions of democracy have been extirpatedone by one by the royal right. Just go through thischecklist: Parliament is dissolved, the AuditorGeneral’s office hasn’t made a report in two years,the Election Commission is commissionerless (theprime minister has clarified that some names are stillin his pocket) and, although the Attorney Generalhas his hands full, it is not clear who he isaccountable to these days.

In fact, the only institution that is extraordinarily active is the CIAA, leading tospeculation about who it choses to prosecute. One does not have to be a conspiracistto see that it really does look like shadowy forces are dismantling the superstructure ofdemocracy.

The only entities that could start rebuilding democracy, the political parties, haveshown themselves to be out of their depth. Their fragile alliance seems to fall apartevery time a prime ministership is dangled in front of them. The Nepali Congress andthe UML are still waiting for that phone call from the palace. Sher Bahadur Deuba andGirija Prasad Koirala hate each other so much that it is certain they will take eachother down without anyone else's help.

Collectively, the parties are trapped between the right and left. Their anti-regression logic is now tired, and they know that the people know it is a hollow slogan.They don’t want to intensify the agitation for fear the Maoists will infiltrate it. In theend, as is the norm in Nepal, the losers are the people from whose grasp sovereigntygranted by the 1990 Constitution has now been all but taken away. They have lost theirvoice, and have nowhere to turn now to ask the questions that they want to aboutwhether international agreements involving national resources will ultimately benefitthem. Through all this, the king is keeping an enigmatic silence.

if there is anything that will upliftNepal in the next few years, itmust be a reversal of its politics.All economic laws warn againstinvesting in Nepal at the presenttime since there will be no returnon investment because of theprevalent negative growth. But ifinvestments are to be made, itmust be on the poor. That alonewill guarantee some returns.

Pradeep Thapa,Baltimore, USA

WATRINYour praise of Fr Eugene Watrin(‘In the name of the Father’,#169) was much-deserved. It isthe likes of Fr Watrin and hiscontemporaries who came asyouthful Jesuits to serve inNepal who have been role-models for many of us. We mustlearn from their dedication andwork ethics. Your article failedto mention the ‘Fr Eugene LWatrin Scholarship EndowmentFund’, which was established in2003, and is dedicated to

improving educational opportu-nities for young Nepalis. Thefund provides scholarships,both merit and needs-based, toschool-going children. It hasearmarked support for childrenaffected by conflict. There arealready 200 students who arebeing helped.

Shanta Dixit, Patan Dhoka

ARIASI very much appreciated youreloquent and on-the-markeditorial (‘Boy on a swing’,#169) invoking Oscar Ariasand Esquipulas as a possibleexample for restoring peace inNepal. Having been active insolidarity with the CentralAmerican revolutions of the1980s and opposition to theReagan and Bushadministrations, it warmed myheart to see that historicmoment resurrected andapplied to the present juncturein Nepal.

P Constantini, Seattle

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4 14 - 20 NOVEMBER 2003 NEPALI TIMES #170NATION

by DANIEL LAKHERE AND THERE

TFull circle

Doomed to repeat all our old mistakes.his past week was one of remembrance of things past. On the 11th

hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1918, a horriblewar came to an end�the first war fought with modern technology

but still using human cannon fodder on a grand scale. Many, many millionsdied in the conflict known as World War I, most of them from Russia andthe territories that would form the Soviet Union. So horrified were thesurvivors that 11 November has henceforth been recognised in manycountries as a day to recall the cost of war; not just by honouring fallensoldiers, nurses, workers and civilians but by renouncing violence as a wayto resolve conflicts.

Of course, being human means lessons are rarely learnt from history.We repeat our mistakes, and often modernise them. The carnage andtragedy of Europe�s first horrible war of the 20th century was soonsurpassed by the genocide and cynicism of the second. Not just on theGerman side either, although few would argue that the Nazis were not evilincarnate. World War II saw the British, American and other Allied powersengaged in the deliberate targeting of civilians as a tactic to discourageGerman war planners from their own bombing campaigns. Overshadowingeven the battlefield and urban bombfield casualties of that war, though,were the victims of Nazi hatred�Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, Poles andother groups that somehow offended Hitler.

Europe�s second descent into barbarism of the last century ended invictory for the anti-Nazi forces and a great outpouring of collectivist humanbehaviour on a scale the world hasn�t seen since. American largesse rebuiltthe bomb shattered lives of Europeans, sparing no expense and pouringresources into defeated Germany, every bit as much as victorious England.And the British soldiers, who survived and came home heroes, threw theirefforts into rebuilding their country politically. They voted for a socialist

political party, Labour, that promised and delivered on some of the mostsweeping economic reforms outside of Bolshevik Russia. Universal healthcare, unemployment insurance and protection for the weakest in society,these were seen as the hallmarks of the new, post war civilisation.

In effect, the war dead were being honoured by attempts to forge aconsensus against poverty and ignorance, to move away from corporate andelite exploitation of the poor. Yet the platitudes of brotherhood and

cooperation that kept the anti-Nazi alliance together collapsed as militarytechnology proceeded apace, delivering the worst weapons of all time�atomic bombs�to both America and Russia. Anti-communist paranoiatook hold of the United States, not entirely without good reason, as Sovietexpansionism clapped shackles around Eastern Europe. China too, for itsown reasons, followed a Communist path.

The Korean War entrenched fear, anger and cynical exploitativepolitical behavior in Western countries. Senator Joseph McCarthy began hisinfamous witchhunt in the United States and President Eisenhower�sinfamous �military industrial complex� easily bested the forces of peace andreason that once seemed ascendant. A new decade, the 1960s, saw Americaenter a new, and later disastrous, war in Southeast Asia. A prosperouscountry sent its young into battle despite the misgivings of its friends andallies around the world. The US still bears the scars of its intervention inVietnam, and as for the people of that region, one statistic will suffice topaint the picture. More bombs were dropped by US bombers on thesparsely populated backwater of Laos than on all of Europe by all of theaircraft that flew in World War II. To this day, the Laotian countryside isstill the most dangerous minefield on the planet.

Now, in the week of Remembrance 2003, a new millennium, theaftermath of an unprecedented economic boom in most Westerneconomies, technology once again resurgent and liberating, literacy,healthcare and other development indicators largely improving, where dowe stand? Why, we�re once again at war, often it seems against chimericalenemies who barely exist, but make no mistake, it�s war. War for war�ssake, perpetual war, war, war, war. A grim week of remembrance then, ofthe stark fact that we seemed doomed to repeat our mistakes. Again andagain and again. t

shakeout as the fly-by-nights go bankrupt,and only the professionally-run andefficiently managed airlines survive. At onepoint the number of operating licenseholders had reached a staggering 44. Nepal�sdomestic aviation history (and the apron atKathmandu airport) is littered with therusting hulks of airlines that didn�t quitemake it: Mountain Air, Lumbini, FlightCare, Nepal Airways, Everest Air.

Airline owners blame faulty taxation andinconsistent civil aviation policy for theirplight. They complain that they have nomore tax holidays nor can they import spareparts at reasonable custom duties like theydid in the past. �Initially, the policies wereright and helped us grow, but they changedpolicies midstream and that has threatenedour existence,� Rana explains.

The other factor is the downtrend intourism since 1999 and especially post 9/11when airline insurance premiums went up.In fact, the airlines that have survived arethe ones who don�t solely depend on touristtraffic and derive a proportion of theirincome from operating trunk routes.

Officials with Civil Aviation Authorityof Nepal (CAAN) charge private airlinerswith mishandling their companies. They sayif policies were wrong, all airlines shouldhave been equally badly affected. Even someprivate operators agree with that. �It alldepends on whether you want to get richquick, or you want to build an institution,�says Buddha�s Basnet. �Those who runairlines professionally have been able tosustain themselves.�

To be sure, government policies havebeen haphazard and ad-hoc. The mandatoryrequirement for airlines to ensure that 40percent of their flights are to non-touristdestinations and remote areas is notenforced anymore. When asked, a seniorCAAN official passed the buck to theministry saying they aren�t allowed toexercise autonomy on policy-decisions.

Some investors are now flexing theirwings to fly international routes. Afterkeeping application in deep freeze, CAANhas finally selected Air Shangri-La andCosmic Air for international licenses. AirShangri-La has permission to fly as far asMunich via Sharjah and other destinations,provided at least one of its two aircraft iswidebody. Cosmic has asked for regionaldestinations, mainly in India and is requiredto operate at least one jet. Both have oneyear to start operations, or else they will gothe way of previous ill-fated attempts tostart private international airlines. t

A flying start

The unexpected turnaround in touristtraffic also caught domestic airlinesunawares, although they aren�t complainingabout it. Domestic airlines make most oftheir profit from dollar-denominatedtourist rates on flights. A tourist on aPokhara-Jomsom flight, for instance paysnearly four times more than a Nepali.Another money spinner is the Mt Everestsightseeing flight which costs $100.

On a single day last week, there were25 flights to Lukla, Pokhara saw a record107 flight movements on a single day inmid-October during a Maoist bandh, andKathmandu airport has been regularlyservicing over 250 takeoffs and landings aday, most of them planes on domesticroutes. �The airport is as busy as it wasduring the Visit Nepal Year in 1998,� oneairport official told us.

Even state-owned Royal Nepal Airlines

is responding to the demand. With sevenTwin Otters, it has the largest fleet amongdomestic airlines but till last month only twoof them were airworthy. �We made it apriority to get them flying again, and now wehave five in the air,� says Captain VijayLama, head of domestic operations.

Despite the surge in traffic, domesticoperators have been cautious aboutexpansion. If Necon starts flying both itsATRs, for instance, a lot of the pressure onother carriers could immediately ease. Butthat doesn�t look likely.

Fish Tail�s Bikash Rana, for one, hasdecided that this is the right time to expand.He has sold off his Ecuriel helicopters toplan an ambitious foray in domestic routeswith used Fokker F-50s. �There is a demandfor domestic air seats which are not beingmet, we will fill it,� he told us.

After its initial phenomenal growthfollowing deregulation in the early 1990s,the domestic airline industry has seen a

from p1ð

HAPPIER TIMES: Pokhara airport apron last year with two airlinesthat are not flying anymore: Mountain Air and Necon (above) andKathmandu’s domestic airport crowded with flights waiting for the fogto lift.

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Fallen soldier in France, World War I.

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WANDA VIVEQUIN in HELAMBU

rom talking to independenttrekkers here in these scenicmountains north of Kathmandu,

it seems people holidaying in Nepalare treating travel warnings with agrain of salt.

�I don�t want to soundirresponsible, but I have to say thatnowadays there are so few adventuroustourist destinations left that are not onsome sort of hit list,� one Dutchtourist in Sermathang told us. Sheadded, �It�s been a couple of yearssince the travel warnings were uppedfor Nepal, but the fact remains that nota single tourist has been harmed as aresult of the conflict.�

In the villages above the Melamchiriver, a scant one-day walk fromKathmandu, we wander throughvillages sporting Maoist flags flutteringfrom treetops. Anti-American graffitidenouncing the �Royal AmericanArmy� adorn the walls of schoolbuilding, and look like they are fromanother era, and another war. Otherslogans: �People�s liberation is notterrorism�, �American Imperial ArmyHands off Nepal�. The Maoists hereseem to have run out of red paint,because the writings are all in freshblue paint, the colour of peace.

Most trekkers we ran into inHelambu were prepared, rupees handy

and sometimes even eager for anencounter, perhaps to provide themwith added adventure for the slideshow back home. �I am sure thosewere Maoists we saw on the trail today,did you see them?� one woman askedme at night in the lodge. They wereactually the family of a sick young girlbeing carried down in a doko. Butbecause they did not call out thecustomary �namaste�, were assumed tobe Maoists. �I mean, what does aMaoist look like anyway?� anothertrekker asked me. She might havebeen surprised to know that sitting inthe kitchen of the lodge that eveningwere three local Maoists.

In Gol Bhanjyang, locals said thelocal Maoist cadre leader had �enoughmoney for now� and we would nothave to part with any rupees. Two dayslater as we headed back to Kathmanduwe awoke to a stream of armypersonnel sweating their way up thevalley. Their undercover operativeshad been sent through the area acouple of days earlier to gatherintelligence on Maoist activity. Whatwe were witnessing was a mopping-upoperation. We walked one way, and thearmy went further up the valley. �Allthe Maoists disappeared now,�the lodge owner said with a flick ofhis hand.

Up on the Annapurna trail, there

Mixing Maoism and tourism

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JOEL SCHONE ON THE MANASLU TRAILSherpa who had worked on a trek with me had come to my hotel forhis salary, and unwisely, I had paid him in view of the hotel staff.After he had gone, one of them had approached me; “Why do you

give this man money? He is a dirty peasant. I am educated, give me somemoney also…” It is hard to explain to someone when logic goes that way.

I tried to explain to the hotel staff that the Sherpa worked hard to makea living, but it was clear he simply saw me giving away what to him was avast sum of money.

That was 15 years ago. In October, our trekking group was held up byMaoists in the stunningly beautiful Manaslu trekking circuit. The rebelstold us we would not be allowed to proceed unless we paid a ‘war tax’ of$100. In conversation, the young man was forthright, telling us the moneywas being used to equip his comrades for their struggle. Around usvillagers were in the middle of their own struggle: harvesting millet anddown the hill we could see children in the school playground, their strugglefor education about to begin for the day. Like most Nepali children, theygot up early to finish their tasks on the farm before walking uphill to school.

It was obvious that none of the money we were forced to donate wouldgo to local education, agriculture or health care. It was obvious that, unlikewhat Mao Zedong taught, they were not interested in the people of thismountain village above the Budi Gandaki. This man sat in his office, wellfed, healthy, waiting for the next group of trekkers to take money from. Wepaid, of course. We had come from around the world to see Nepalmountain peoples and $100 was not a lot of money.

While all this was going on, our Sherpa crew sweated up the hill,unloaded and started to prepare lunch. Two seven-year-olds on their wayhome stopped and watch their countrymen work while I try to reason withthe comrade who wants our money. The children walk past just as I amhanding over the wad of $100 notes. They see a foreigner give another oftheir countrymen—the city man who sits at the entrance of the village anddoes nothing—a fortune in rupees.

After 20 years of wandering across the Nepal Himalaya, I amconvinced that the Manaslu region is the most beautiful trek in thecountry. You look at the yellow signs painted on the rocks as you enter thevillages: they tell you how much it costs to pave the streets and put in theclean communal toilets. Sometimes up to $1,000 per village. Each signsays how much the local Mothers’ Group contributed, occasionally up to 70percent.

The people of Nepal do not want charity, they do not want handouts.Like anyone, they want to lead a dignified, meaningful life in theirvillages. To work, to follow the cycle of the seasons and their various faiths.The Maoists are behaving in the same way as the hotel clerk did with me inKathmandu 20 years ago. They are setting the wrong example by robbingtourists in full view of the future of Nepal, its children. This is incredibleshortsightedness if they are truly interested in their country’s biggest asset:its people.

Joel Schone has been trekking in the Himalaya for the last 20 years.

were similar stories last month.Trekkers on the trail were carryingsouvenirs of Maoist receipts for�donations�. �We had a fantastic time,�two trekkers in Pokhara chirpedenthusiastically. �You want to see ourreceipt?� They had been stopped in alodge at Ghorepani, where one eveningin mid-October, a couple of pleasantyoung chaps had come in asking for adonation.

�They were polite enough to let usfinish our dinners first and when weexplained we were volunteers in Nepal.They said we should meet them laterin another room downstairs,� one ofthe trekkers said. They were given a�special discount� rate, but still tried toexplain to the young Maoists that theywere not happy about the forceddonation and that they should considerreclassifying the request. �Calling it a�fee� would be better,� they said.

The following day, after a hefty,hot climb to Damphus from Phedi,our own group were happily enjoyingrefreshments when another Canadianfriend and her trekking groupappeared. They had just spent twodays walking the trail from Landrukthrough Tolka and Pothana where alarge number of Maoists amassed inone of the villages.

�It was a schoolyard full of youngMaoists being called out by name to

come forward�comrade so and so,comrade so and so,� she said. �Theywere all very young and this mightexplain why further up the valley Ireally noticed the absence of teenagerscoming home at the end of the schoolday.�

The following day, during theonly day of action in the area so far,moving through the forest towardsDamphus, the trekkers heard gunfireas the army began flushing outMaoists in the nearby jungles. Sincethen, this particular phase of activitiesin the Annapurna seems to be over,and the area has been quiet. The armypresence is not so pronounced andMaoist extortion has tapered off.

My trekking clients often ask whatthey can do for Nepal when they gethome to New Zealand. I simply askthat they put the situation into somesort of context that moves beyondthe sensational headlines that havescared people off for the last fewyears. If tourism numbers this yearare any indication, this seems to beworking. t

Wanda Vivequin is a Canada-basedtrekking group leader.

DOMESTIC BRIEFS

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SoldThe Snowy Mountain Energy Corporation (SMEC)has signed a draft power purchase agreementwith India’s Power Trading Corporation (PTC) tosell power from the West Seti hydel project to northIndian states, according to Indian media reports.The Australian company will now get a generationlicense to begin construction of the 750MW storagetype hydro-project. One of the most lucrative hydelschemes in the country, West Seti has beendesigned with the sole purpose of exporting powerto India. According to the agreement, West Seti willprovide eight hours of peaking power to northIndian states at the rate of IRs 2.60 per unit. It tookSMEC years to reach an agreement with India’sPTC. The Indian government has also begunnegotiations on the construction of the UpperKarnali hydropower project in west Nepal. NEAofficials believe it is almost a done deal and that theIndians might start work by the end of this year.

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Documentary fest in PokharaPOKHARA - Travelling Film South Asia 2004 kickedoff in Pokhara this week with full house back-to-back screenings of the top films from this year’sdocumentary fesitval. This is the first time that adocumentary festival has been held in Pokhara, andthe organisers Himal Association were surprisedby the turnout. “It was amazing, the two halls weresold out for every film and we had to screen someof the Nepali films twice,” said Basanta Thapa ofHimal Association.

The event was co-organised in Pokhara by Ex-Gandaki Boarding School Alumni Association(EGBOSA). Fourteen films from Travelling FilmSouth Asia, which will be screened internationallyfrom January, were shown along with otherdocumentaries of interest to Nepalis. The festivalended with the screening of Tony Hagen’s Uhileko

F

Nepal with archival footage of Pokhara 40 yearsago. The enthralled audience broke into applausetwice during the screening. The last twoscreenings of Bhedako oon jasto and UhilekoNepal drew 1,000 viewers in the 600 capacity hall.

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Up in armsAmnesty International (AI) has expressed concernover the government’s plan to introduce RuralVolunteer Security Groups and Peace Committees,announced on 4 November, which would arm localvolunteers to resist Maoist violence. “The creationof such groups could also have a negative effecton reconciliation efforts when the two sides laydown their arms and peace negotiations resume,since they have the effect of setting neighboursand communities against each other,” AmnestyInternational said.

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Sky runnersThe first Everest Sky Race 2003, to mark thisyear’s golden jubilee of the first ascent, began on10 November. Forty-five mountain runners fromaround the world are competing in 10 gruellingstages that span 11 days. Organisers Base CampTrekking & Expeditions are sponsoring seven Nepalirunners including two women. The race begins andends in Lukla and extends 280km with a climb of upto 5,540m at Kala Pathar. Runners will cross threemajor passes all above 5000m: Kongma-La, Cho-Laand Renjo-La. Runners carry their own backpacksand plot their own trail using a map. On 11November, after Stage 2, 18km from Monjo toNamche, Nepal’s Sumba Sherpa was in first placewith Frenchman Pascal Beaury second. Therunners took a break on 12 November at Namche toacclimatise and for medical check-ups. Friday,Stage 4, runners left Pangboche at 9AM to hit thesnow-laden trail.

AMaoists in Manaslu

6 NATION 14 - 20 NOVEMBER 2003 NEPALI TIMES #170

The third war in Nepale are all aware that thereare at least two wars beingfought in Nepal: one pits

the Maoist rebels against thegovernment, the second is between themain political parties and the king.

In fact, Nepal is fighting a thirdwar: a war against poor governance,exclusionary and feudal socialstructures, and ultimately povertyitself. It is being fought mostly byless-than-fearsome-lookingtechnocratic reform leaders and anenlightened breed of politicians whohave transcended the day-to-daybusiness of politics. On the flanksare change advocates all acrosscivil society.

Some of the local level politicalleaders have been the important�field commanders� of reforms.Unlike in the other two wars, nobullets are being fired and no massdemonstrations have been held. Yet,the consequence of defeat is no lessserious than in the other two wars.Together, they could lead to nothingshort of a failed state.

Despite the many positivechanges that Nepal has seen sincethe advent of multi-party democracyin 1990 and the first wave ofeconomic liberalisation measures inthe early-1990s, stark andworsening inequities persist, notonly in terms of incomes, but also of

the fundamental ability of theNepali citizen to participate in socialand political decision-makingprocesses. The Maoist insurgency isa particularly acute expression of thedisillusionment over these adversedevelopments. After the Maoistsescalated violence in November2001, the economy went into a

tailspin and the government�s fiscalposition weakened sharply. When thiscrisis did not seem to prompt thepolitical leadership into seriouscorrective action, the frustration ofmany turned into utter alarm that thenation was heading for catastrophe.

It is from this profound sense ofcrisis that a new wave of reforms was

born. The deepening politicalturmoil contributed to this crisis,but it also produced the space andcreative stress for technocrats tobegin implementing some importantreforms. Nepal�s reform leadersalready knew that unless decentpublic services begin to reach thepoor masses quickly and their trustin the state is restored, Nepal wouldnot have the foundation for eithersustainable peace or meaningfuleconomic development. Now wasthe time to run with the reforms.Serious reform efforts have thusemerged in a range of areas:

Public expenditure management:Nepal�s budget system had beenplagued by waste, corruption andpolitical interference. In 2002-03,Nepal introduced a �medium-termexpenditure framework.� Simplyput, the Government is trying toimpose a realistic spending ceilingon itself, prioritise spendingthrough a transparent evaluationprocess and hold line ministriesaccountable for effectiveimplementation of the agreed workplan. Nepal�s expenditure reformefforts are beginning to drawattention internationally as a little-known success story.

Public service delivery: For thelast 30 years, Nepal�s centrally-managed primary education systemhas performed poorly. Last year,Nepal started the process of handing

over primary schools to communitymanagement. Other countries (eg,Guatemala and El Salvador) havedone something similar, but whatNepal has done is breathtaking in itsscope. The government has told allcommunities that they have the optionof taking over the management ofpublic schools, and in 2003-04, itexpects 1,000 communities to sign on(out of about 20,000 public primaryschools). In health, 460 sub-healthposts (out of about 4,000) havealready been handed over tocommunity management.

Fighting corruption: People hadcome to see corruption as the normin politics and publicadministration in Nepal. Evenwhen the legal power of theCommission for Investigation ofAbuse of Authority (CIAA) wasstrengthened in 2002, manyexpected little change. Since itscreation under the 1990Constitution, it had won but oneconviction. During the last fiscalyear, however, the CIAA won over40 convictions, and has changed thebasic equation for the corrupt. Tobe sure, most of the cases involving�big fish� are still pending, but theyare in considerable fear now.

Financial sector reform: The twolargest and ailing commercial bankshad accumulated estimated losses ofabout $450 million, nearly 8percent of GDP. No doubt, much ofthese losses arose because the politicallywell-connected elite have abused thesetwo banks. The reformers becameconvinced that left alone, the bankswould eventually bring down thewhole financial system, and wreck theeconomy and government finances.The reform is already showing someencouraging results in stemmingfinancial haemorrhagingand improving loan recovery. TheDeputy Governor of the central bankof Bangladesh came to Nepal recentlyto learn how Nepal has done what hiscountry has not been able to do.

Greater role of the private sector:Like many developing countries,Nepal�s public sector tended to beinvolved in too many things. Thishas been changing rapidly. Forinstance, to expand telephoneservices in the rural areas, thegovernment has just selected aprivate operator to cover 538 VDCsin the Eastern Region. Such aventure is not viable on a strictly

by KEN OHASHICOMMENT

W commercial basis, but instead ofrelying on the public monopoly, thegovernment has opted to harnessprivate sector efficiency by offering aone-time, capital subsidy to attract acompetitive private bidder for thisservice.

These are only part of a muchlonger catalogue of reformsunderway. To be fair, the impact ofmany of these reforms have not beenfelt widely yet at the grassrootslevels. Only when many of the poorcome to see the change first handand regain confidence in their owngovernment, will there be afoundation for sustained peace anddevelopment.

Impressive and sustainedreform efforts in many othercountries have emerged often aftercatastrophic events. Only suchevents seem capable of breakingdown the entrenched social andpolitical norms, and opening upspace for a new vision andleadership. But, what a costly way todo what is clearly right for thenation. Nepal�s reformers refused toaccept this historical �rule� andstarted a bold attempt to avertcatastrophe in the first place. Whilethe original impetus for changecame more from technocraticleaders, many more in the politicalleadership now appear to be takingnotice. A far deeper appreciation ofthe centrality of reforms to peacebuilding is beginning to emerge.

Take for example either thechange agenda forwarded by HMG atthe last round of peace talks with theMaoists, or the 18-point program ofthe agitating five party coalition.Polemics aside, the bulk of eithercomposition is about social andeconomic reforms.

Nepal�s donors can only hopethat Nepalis themselves will find thecourage to set aside political differencesin the pursuit of peace through theirfirst two wars. Accustomed to inactionand corruption, donors have beensomewhat cautious in the past toacknowledge the progress made inreforms. Now, however, many donorsappear willing to give Nepali reformleaders the benefit of the doubt andprovide stronger support to theirefforts at winning Nepal�s thirdwar. As Nicholas Stern, the WorldBank�s chief economist till recently,said: this is indeed a �specialmoment� for Nepal. t

Ken Ohashi is the World Bank CountryDirector for Nepal.

From a profound sense of crisis, says the World Bankrepresentative in Nepal, a new wave of reforms is beginning.

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714 - 20 NOVEMBER 2003 NEPALI TIMES #170ECONOMY

BIZ NEWS

NEW PRODUCTS

by ASHUTOSH TIWARISTRICTLY BUSINESS

n surveying the presentNepali business landscape, agenerational difference

becomes clear.In the younger set, leaving

instances of youthful arrogance aside,good news is aplenty. There nowexist a number of private-sectormanagement colleges in and out ofKathmandu, enrolling more menand women than ever in variousBBA, MBA and Executive MBAprograms. Two monthlies, The NewBusiness Age and The Boss, havefirmly established themselves in themarket, complementing each other�sbusiness-related coverage. Profiles,even puff pieces, of youngentrepreneurs who have, on theirown, started successful shoppingmalls in Pokhara, coffee houses inThamel or event managementcompanies regularly hit the businesspage of newspapers.

On meeting, talking andworking with a slice of this urbanyounger section, you sense energy,optimism, an eagerness to learnmore and a can-do attitude. Whenyou ask them who their role models inbusiness are, you hear them citing thenames of Indian or Americanbusinesspeople, but rarely do theymake mention of any older non-family-member Nepali businessmen.

That, however, should not comeas a surprise.

With a few remarkableexceptions, most elderly Nepalibusinessmen who get written up

about in the press for being, well,captains of Nepali private-sector,inspire neither respect norconfidence�as far as youngerbusinesspeople are concerned. Thereare, for instance, well-known traders,who, upon being blacklisted by banks,rush to rally others of their ilk forcollective protection. Then there arethose who have long been notorious fornever paying their ad agencies,suppliers and, in some cases, evenemployees for long periods.

There are many who still runtheir conglomerates in a traditionallyclosed, command-and-control�munshi-ji� style, forcing anyemployee with brains to quit withinsix months of starting. Others seemto spend so much time at politically-charged organisations like theFNCCI that you wonder�unlessthey operate on extremely high levelsof energy (which is doubtful)�howthey ever find time to work as CEOsof various companies that areexhaustively listed on their businesscards. Still, the worst are those who,upon given a microphone anywhereanytime, see themselves as quasi-Planning Commission members, andstart talking about national policies,when all that they can honestly do istalk about their own businesses. AsNarayan Manandhar, an economistwho studies industrial relations, putsit, �If you really want to appreciatethe working style of even an HMGoffice, try working for one ofthese captains of private-sectorindustries first.�

To be sure, most of these elderbusinessmen have evolved to thispresent avatar for a reason.Historically, many of them started astraders who could milk theadvantages of arbitrage opportunities

Old and newthat arose in trading routes betweenthe Indian planis and Tibet. Few ofthem started out running competitiveentrepreneurial ventures thatdepended on market forces. As theNepali state asserted increasing controlover commercial activities, thebusinessmen�s success depended onearning the blessings of the HMGbureaucrats and politicians of variousparties to get the monopoly licenses.

The name of the game, then, wasnot free-market capitalism with itsattendant set of rules that ensure alevel playing field. Instead, the gameconsisted of fixing and finagling,which led to many legally-sanctionedcartels and interest-groups. They, inturn, legitimised narrow businessinterests even if it meant distortingthe markets. Over the years, oneresult of all this has been thatwhenever you talk of ways to makemarkets competitive and transparentin Nepal, it�s these old but politicallypowerful businessmen who areusually the most vocal ones to opposemarket-friendly ideas.

In this context, one strategy forcoming years is clear: for any market-reform measure to succeed in Nepal,the fears of the old should be allayedwhile the optimism of the youngneed to be built upon. t

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Top 30Nepal has figured prominently in the Lonely Planet’s list of 30 of theworld’s top tourism hotspots. The list, which appeared in various leadingnewspapers around the world, included Machapuchre described “asperfect as the Matterhorn, only bigger” and the legendary KathmanduGuest House in Thamel. So, Nepal still has what it takes.

HEAVY WEIGHTS The global logisticsgiant FedEx began the FedEx 10kg andFedEx 25kg Box service in Nepal throughtheir local agents Everest De Cargo.Designed to do away with strings, scissorsand accompanying headaches, these boxescan be assembled and shipped in seconds.Even better, with one flat price for eachzone, expressing international box

shipments are easy and affordable.

OBJECTS OF DESIRE Gadgets and gizmos galore for the 21st centuryhome, all conveniently found under the same roof at JumboElectronic’s new showroom on the first floor of Hotel Classic inNew Road. Brand names jostle for attention in homeappliances, entertainment systems and state-of-the-artcommunication media in what the company says is thebiggest showroom of its kind in the kingdom.

RELAUNCHED Iceberg, the old staple from HimalayanBreweries was revamped and relaunched recently. Thestrong beer is all set to hold its own against othercompetitors, branding itself as “Freedom with Iceberg” andaligning itself to youth and the great outdoors.

DIAL IN STYLE The new P900 from Sony Ericsson blurs the definitionof a mobile phone with an inbuilt video recorder. It’s smaller, faster,simpler and more flexible than ever before. Based on the open symbianplatform, it is a high quality phone providing fullPDA/ organiser functions as well as a good gamingexperience. It is also possible to view and edit wordand Excel files, and present Power pointpresentations, which can easily be saved on aMemory Stick Duo and transferred to a PC. Thefabulous P900 is available at Ocean Computer inNew Road.

O

8 100 YEARS OF FLYING

Yak yeti

hey say there are sixdirections in Nepal: north,south east, west, up and

down. And one of the most verticalplaces in Nepal is Pokhara. Frombarely 700m above sea level, theterrain rises within 35km to thesummit of Machapuchre at nearly7,000m. Very few places on earthhave such a perpendiculartopography.

And yet, what Nepal haspromoted so far is only a horizontalPokhara with the lake and thereflection of the mountains on it.There is a whole new Pokhara that alucky few have discovered: its airspace. Today, almost by default, thistourist town is fast developing into acentre for aerial sports, as ultralights,paragliders, skydivers and freefallerstake to the skies in growing numbers.

UltralightThe pioneer was Avia Club Nepalwhich started taking tourists onmicrolights (hang-gliders withengines attached) for sightseeingflights from Pokhara airport in 1996.It was tough in the beginning: theproject initially ran into turbulence asgovernment agencies found onereason or other to block it. NatashaShrestha, founder and director ofAvia remembers those days well. �Fortwo years were just doing provingflights and trying to convince thegovernment it was a good idea, butfinally we convinced them it wouldadd to Pokhara�s draw as a touristdestination,� she recalls. Today, Aviagets full cooperation from the CivilAviation Authority of Nepal and theMinistry of Tourism.

Getting the operating license wasthe first hurdle, the second wasensuring that the seasonal flightswould be a viable businessproposition. But marketing efforts arefinally paying off. Despite a tourismslump this year, Avia logged morethan 210 hours of flights in its threeultralights this month�nearly fivetimes the normal for this season.

At the hangar in Pokhara airport,Avia�s brand new Russian-madetandem ultralight with side-by-side

seating is getting ready for the firstflight of the day. As the fog lifts,pilot Alexander Maximov, who is aTupolev engineer in his spare time,guns the engine and asks Pokharatower to taxi out. �Hotel Charlie,cleared to taxi out to runway 04,"replies Debendra KC, air trafficcontroller at the tower, who by now,is used to the early morning flightsof the microlights in his airspace.

The cockpit looks like amotorcycle, it even has a rear-viewmirror. The only difference is that italso has an altimeter, vertical speedindicator and a compass. Maximovgoes through the pre-flight checkwhich involves nudging the controlbar to see if the big kite-like wingabove us is ok. Cleared for take off,the noise of the engine behind usrises to a whine, the craft hurtlesdown the runway and takes offeffortlessly.

Pretty soon, Pokhara is hiddenin haze and the Annapurnas rise upto the north in a gigantic wall of iceand rock. Maximov puts the craft ona slight bank over Phewa Lake, andwe notice two other ultralightscircling the Peace Stupa likedragonflies.

The plane is surprisingly easyto fly, push the bar down meansyou go up, push it up and you godown. Move it left, you go right andmove it right and go left. It�sopposite of flight controls on a bigplane. Leveling off at 6,000ft, thetwin peaks of Machapuchre heaveinto view: a more elegant anddignified peak is hard to find onthis planet. You never get tired oflooking at it.

At 45 knots, the speed is justright, and the wind chill factor isn�tunbearable. As winter sets in, it is agood idea to wear a down jacket andgloves. This is just like riding amotorbike on a winter morning onthe Ring Road, the only difference isthat you are flying 4,000ft above theground. We pass Sarangkot belowus, and notice a Jomsom-boundDornier has just taken offand is straining to get overGhodepani Pass.

The descent is slow and

UltrasPokhara

Microlights, paraglidersand skydivers encroach over

Pokhara airspace.

over

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smooth, no ears popping. We arecleared to land and swoop downtowards the runway, the flare is quickand thrillingly close to the asphalt,followed by a slight squeal of tyres.

Natasha Shrestha�s future plansare to expand the fleet of Avia�sultralights to include one with floats sopilots can use the lake to pick uppassengers for sightseeing flights. Sheis running into some bureaucraticopposition to this idea, but she is usedto that. Her son Stefan is nowworking on developing Pokhara as avenue for international ultralightchampionships. Avia has alreadybecome a member of the FederationAeronautique Inernationale (FAI) andlast year, it undertook the first-evercross country ultralight flight in Nepalfrom Pokhara to Bharatpur andMeghauli. �If we can get cooperationfrom the government, Nepal will be asought-after destination for ultralightchampionships,� says Stefan Shrestha.

Mother and son also plan to turn

Avia into a flying school forultralights that will also draw foreigntrainee pilots because there is nothingelse like it in the region. Air sportsgroups involved in ultralight,paragliding and hot air balooning arealso forming the Air SportsAssociation of Nepal to promote theindustry.

Avia is also planning to start aYoung Fliers Club on 17 Decemberto commemorate the first flight bythe Wright brothers 100 years agoto encourage young Nepalis to beinterested in aviation. Avia'sDeepti Gurung is working withschools to get students from Grade8 and above to join in a pro-gramme that will include familiari-sation of aviation concepts and anultralight flight.

Ultralighting in Nepal may geta lot of publicity after theBollywood blockbuster Love inNepal starring Sonu Nigam comes

out later this month. Avia�sultralights were used for shootingscenes in Pokhara.

ParaglidingOur next stop is Sarangkot, headingup in a jeep is a lot clumsier thanflying, but we need to get up there sowe can jump off the mountain on aparaglider. One of the pilots is anotherRussian named Ilya Milkov who istrained as a MiG-21 pilot in theRussian Air Force. We ask him a sillyquestion: what is the pilot of anadvanced supersonic jet doing ridingthermals under a parachute inNepal? Milkov is a man of fewwords: �It�s fun.�

Rajesh Bomjan and his brother,Binod, are two Nepali pilots licensedto fly paragliders. Rajesh takes his

passenger through pre-flightinstructions. (There is oneembarrassing question about howmuch I weigh, which I deflect.) Wego through tips on how to rundownhill for the take off, then howto hit the ground running duringlanding at the bottom of themountain.

So we sit in our hammock-likeseats and start running like maddown the slope. Suddenly, withouteven realising it, we are airborne,held up by the updraft coming upSarangkot. This is the closest onegets to real flying: no sound, just therush of wind circling to catch thethermals. Rajesh takes the paraglidertowards where he sees a group ofgriffon vultures soaring on thethermals. We go round and roundjust like the birds, rising all the

while. Soon, we are about 500ftabove the takeoff point, at eye-levelwith Sarangkot. Below us are thephosphorescent ripples on thelake, and beyond the ever-presentmassif of Annapurna South.

Unlike in the ultralight, here itis completely quiet, except for therush of wind. Pilots shout to eachother, and as we get closer to theground we can even hear thesound of dogs barking and busesclimbing the highway. Thematerial in the parachute makes arustling sound as we come in for alanding on a road on the banks ofthe Phewa, there is a final swoopand�yes�the eagle has landed.

Rajesh immediately unfastensmy harness in case the wind picksme up again, he gathers up his sailand we go into the nearbyMayadevi Lodge for refreshments.Rajesh has adopted some raptorsthat he has trained to fly with himto guide paragliders towards

thermals. They take three years totrain, and a National Geographic filmabout �para-hawking� in Nepalreceived honourable mention at thefilm festival in St Hilaire in France.

We ask Rajesh if he would everlike to be an airline pilot. He shakeshis head: �This is real freedom, hereyou are face-to-face with nature, youhave to know about wind patterns howthey behave along mountain slopes, notwo flights are the same.� Rajesh hasalready logged 3,500 hours onparagliders and says there is enormouspotential in Nepal to develop thissport. Pilots needs to have at lest 500hours and a basic instructor�s coursebefore they are allowed to takepassengers. t

Ultralights:Avia Club Nepal, Pokhara 061-525192

aviaclub@fewamail.com.npwww.avianepal.21.bc.net

Paragliding:Sunrise Paragliding, Pokhara 061-521174

sunrise@mos.com.np

Skydiving over PokharaJorge, a Canadian of Venezuelan descent (right) hasbecome the first person to make a freefall from anultralight over Pokhara during a test flight on 19October. The skydiver went up on an ultralight whichclimbed to 7,000ft above Pokhara, and once the pilotswitched off the engine he jumped off freefalling fornine seconds before opening his parachute. On groundto receive Nepal’s pioneer skydiver was the managerof Pokhara airport, Sagar Man Pradhan, and otherdignitaries from the Civil Aviation Authority.

From l-r: In formation withMachapuchre in thebackground, paraglidercoming in for a landing abovePhewa, Rajesh Bomjan takesoff his harness, NatashaShrestha at Pokhara airport.

10 14 - 20 NOVEMBER 2003 NEPALI TIMES #170WORLD

ittingly or unwittingly,individuals do things thatinjure other individuals.

For society to function, it mustprovide individuals with incentivesnot to do so, through rewards andpunishments, regulations and fines.By polluting the air, one harmsanyone who breathes. The legalsystem has an important role here.If I injure you, you should be ableto sue me.

Of course, individuals have amoral responsibility not to injureothers. Indeed, this is perhaps thecentral moral imperative�do untoothers as you would have them dounto you, and do not do unto othersas you would not have them dounto you.

Immanuel Kant, with hiscategorical imperative, provided thephilosophical foundations for thosewho wanted an alternative basis forethics than that provided byreligious aphorisms. But modernsociety cannot and does not simplyrely on individuals doing the�right� thing. It provides carrotsand sticks.

Motivating corporations to dothe right thing is even moredifficult. After all, corporationsdon�t have a conscience; it is onlythe conscience of those who run thecorporation, and as America�s recentcorporate scandals have made all tooclear, conscience often takes abackseat to profits.

America�s legal system makessure that firms that produce a

defective, and particularly an unsafeproduct, are held liable for theconsequences. Firms are in a farbetter position than consumers toassess the safety of their product; weall benefit knowing that our legalsystem has provided corporationswith incentives to pay attention tothe safety of what they produce.

Similarly, environmental lawsmake firms liable for their toxicwastes, and many countries,including the US, have enshrinedthe principle that �polluters pay,�that is, companies must pay for thedamage they cause. It is a matterboth of incentives and social justice.

In other realms, however, we areonly beginning to think about what

corporate responsibility shouldmean for our legal system. InWorld War II, Germancorporations were all too willing toprofit from the slave labor of thosein concentration camps, and Swissbanks were happy to pocket thegold of Jewish victims of Naziterror. Recent suits have madethem at least pay back some of whatthey took.

More recently, oil companieshave demonstrated little consciencein providing money that feedsguerrilla movements�so long astheir own interests are preserved.When, in Angola, one brave firm,BP, wanted to do the right thing bytrying to make sure that oil

royalties actually go to thegovernment, rather than to corruptofficials, other oil companiesrefused to go along.

In the Congo, the profits ofmining companies helped maintainthe late President Mobuto of Zaire,now the Congo, in power fordecades�enabling him to pillagehis country, allegedly facilitated bythe secret bank accounts that are thespecialty of countries likeSwitzerland, the Cayman Islandsand Cyprus. World Bank and IMFmoney also helped sustain Mobuto.These institutions knew, or theyshould have known, that their loansand aid was not going to help thecountry�s desperately poor people.

by JOSEPH E STIGLITZANALYSIS

It would only leave them deeperin debt.

Today, we believe thatindividuals, corporations andinstitutions should be heldaccountable for their actions. Butwhat should that mean, if it is tobe more than rhetoric? For astart, it means debt forgiveness:international lenders may not beable to compensate fully thedamage caused when their moneyhelps maintain odious autocratsin power, but at least the victimsshould not be burdened by adisastrous financial legacy.

In South Africa, it wasarguably the economic pressurebrought by sanctions whicheventually brought down theracist Apartheid system; but bythe same token, it was economicsupport from the outside�including loans frommultinational banks�which keptthe system going for so long.Much the same may be trueabout Iraq during the 1990s.

Those who contributed tomaintaining Apartheid�andespecially those who did notadhere to the sanctions after theUN approved them�should beheld accountable. The Truth and

Reconciliation process may or maynot work to heal South Africa�swounds, but if corporations are tobe provided with incentives to dothe right thing, they must now paythe price for the profits that theyreaped from that abhorrent system.

If corporations had a conscience,they would act, without being forcedto do so: they would estimate theirprofit from the Apartheid systemand pay it back to the country, withinterest. For Apartheid�s demise hasnot solved the country�s deepeconomic problems, including anunemployment rate in excess of25 percent.

So far, there appears to be norush to make amends in SouthAfrica, and, as elsewhere, theevidence is meager that the corporateconscience runs very deep. But it isto be hoped that the West�s legalsystems will provide an alternativerecourse, one that will not onlypartially redress past injustices, butprovide incentives for corporationsto think twice before profiting frombrutal regimes in the future. t(© Project Syndicate)

Joseph E Stiglitz is Chief Economistand Senior Vice President at the

World Bank.

If corporations had aconscience, they would act,without being forced to do so.

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AIN TAHMINA in DHAKAhen it comes to going to Malaysia, ‘Dui Nombore Jaoa’, whichmeans ‘going abroad illegally’ is a phrase much used in thesevillages of Sirajganj district in northern Bangladesh. So is

‘Golakata’ or ‘picture-change passport’, that is, a false passport with itsphotograph replaced. The dreams of working in Malaysia, nurtured andattempted by nearly all the men here, are rife with stories of being cheatedby ‘dalals,’ the middlemen or brokers.

The Malaysia craze began here in the early 1990s and continueddespite the Malaysian government’s freeze on intake of Bangladeshiworkers 1996 onwards, a freeze that was just lifted last month. By officialcounts, there are now some 113,000 Bangladeshi skilled workers inMalaysia, who had been extended a fresh five-year tenure last year. Non-government sources maintain that undocumented workers included, thenumber would be no less than 300,000.

“I went in 1994, illegally, through a middleman,” says MohammadKhasru Alam of Balarampur village. “On reaching Malaysia, I was takento jail immediately.” Nine-and-a-half-months later, Khasru was senthome straight from jail. He returned to Bangladesh penniless but wantsto go again, especially now Malaysia has ended the freeze onBangladeshi workers.

Mohammad Abu Siddique went to Malaysia on a proper passport andmanaged to get a good job. He had previously worked in Saudi Arabia.“The pay there is much less,” says Siddique. From 1994 Kabir regularlysent home between 25,000 takas ($428) and 13,000 takas ($223 ) everyother month, which his father wisely invested . Despite being cheated of ahuge amount later, Kabir has not been badly off since his return. Very fewof the returnees have had that comfort. t

ndia has rarely witnessed the rallying of its public indefence of the freedom of expression as it is seeing todayin the case of The Hindu newspaper, which last week

faced a harsh punishment of 15 days� jail for its journalistsfor the �breach of privilege� of the Tamil Nadu LegislativeAssembly.

Scores of journalists� unions and media organisations,publishers� associations, professional bodies, politicalparties, civil society groups and ordinary citizens all overthe country protested the sentencing of four seniorjournalists of the 125 year-old, highly respected, multi-edition newspaper headquartered in Chennai.

The punishment, ostensibly for carrying in Aprilreports and comments derogatory to the prestige of the stateassembly, has been widely seen as grossly unfair and aimedat muzzling free expression. Tamil Nadu Chief MinisterJayaram Jayalalithaa, who engineered the breach-of-privilegemotion based on British colonial precedents, suffered a biglegal setback on Monday when India�s Supreme Courtstopped the execution of the imprisonment order pendingfurther hearings.

The breach-of-privilege concept goes back to theMiddle Ages, when the still-weak British Parliament wasdefending itself against an all-powerful monarchy. In thecontemporary sense, legislative privilege makes sense as ameans of protecting ministers of parliament from civilarrest, guaranteeing freedom of speech and debate inparliament, and preserving its status as the exclusiverepresentative of the people. In the Hindu case, there wasno evidence whatever of any attempt to insult or malign thelegislature or lower its dignity. The paper�s reports weresober, serious and unobjectionable.

Jayalalithaa first tried to give the whole issue a regionalor state-versus-central government character to mobiliseTamil-chauvinist sentiment. In particular, she objected tothe federal home ministry�s willingness to grant the request

of The Hindu editor-in-chief N Ram for deployment of theCentral Industrial Security Force for its protection becausethe state police cannot be trusted to be impartial.

Jayalalithaa�s platform is likely to be a damp squibbecause Ram has withdrawn his request. In any case, theTamil Nadu police�s record is poor. Last Friday, it turnedup at The Hindu offices to arrest four journalists and thepaper�s publisher in keeping with the assembly�s order, butwithout arrest warrants. The following day, they illegallytried to intercept Ram�s car in another state, Karnataka. Thelikely effect of the attempt to gag and punish media criticismby invoking privilege will be to open up for debate a rangeof issues in India: the notion of privilege, the nature of thefundamental right to the freedom of expression indemocracy; attempts to restrict it through the judicial powerof contempt of court, the need to extend freedom tosubstantive areas other than expression�and hence a reviewof repressive laws that sit ill with the right to life and limb.

Such a debate is welcome, indeed long overdue inIndia. India is of course a robust electoral democracy, whichhas thrived on the participation of millions of people whowere for centuries excluded from public life on account ofcaste and class. But free expression, also a major componentof democracy, is hemmed in and restricted in India by thecensorship of the market, by growing forces of intolerance,especially of the Hindu-nationalist variety, and by thejudiciary.

Many Indian courts, including the Supreme Court,

Migrant

by PRAFUL BIDWAICOMMENT

Old laws must be revised to open new frontiers.A press for freedom

known until recently for its liberal interpretation of theconstitution, have recently used the power of contempt toreprimand and censor writers and journalists or curb free,unfettered expression of views and opinions. There is clearlya need to reform this antiquated law. Equally urgent is theimperative to subject India�s many harsh and repressivelaws to rights-based scrutiny.

The Hindu case has greatly raised public awareness ofthe right to free expression. But the right to life is at least asfundamental, if not more basic. It cannot be compromisedfor frivolous reasons or on mere suspicion of guilt. YetIndia has at least 20 laws on its statute books thatsubstantially infringe that right. They presume a suspect tobe guilty before trial and allow for prolonged detention.Such laws exist not only in border states such as Punjab,Kashmir and the north-east. Some have all-Indiaapplication. Such laws encourage the police to evadegathering evidence and prosecuting criminals. They sit illwith democratic rights.

Among the most controversial of these laws as thePrevention of Terrorism Act, enacted in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. This imposes harsh penalties on suspectedterrorists and accomplices and in some cases, reverses theburden of proof. One can only hope the current spiriteddebate on The Hindu leads to a revision of these obnoxiouslaws. t (IPS)

Praful Bidwai is a New Delhi-based columnist.A resplendent Jayalalithaa.

Mohammad Enamul Haque and fellow Bangladeshi male workers inKuala Lumpur built the Petronas Towers, the tallest building in theworld. They live in nearby containers.

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12 14 - 20 NOVEMBER 2003 NEPALI TIMES #170FROM THE NEPALI PRESS SELECTED MATERIAL TRANSLATED EVERY WEEK FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Tap wall: Constitution of Nepal, 1990Madhab Kumar Nepal: No matter how hard I try, I can�t squeeze out a single drop, Girija babu !

Samacharpatra, 9 November

‘Aja ko Kura’ hosted by Kiran PokhrelRadio Sagarmatha, 11 November

Excerpts from a radio talk program withSanjay Adhikari of the UN’s ParticipatoryDistrict Development Programme (PDDP), thenewly-nominated DDC chairmen ofKathmandu and Humla, Bikram Thapa andJeevan Shahi, and Kiran Bhandari of Kantipurnewspaper.

Jeevan Shahi: Nothing is happening in thedistricts, the people have been orphaned. Thegovernment had to step in to provide relief to thepeople, it had to act. In the two years since theDDCs were dissolved I have been in my districttrying to do my best to push projects we initiated,like the Hilsa-Simikot road, or our nutritionprograms. The people’s needs don’t wait for thepoliticians to get their act together.

Of course, the best option would be for us tostand in local elections and obtain the peoples’mandate. But there is an extraordinary situation in

Words worth

the country, and we have to ask ourselves how wecan provide basic services to the people. Are wegoing to wait for an ideal democratic process to berestored, while the people are facing an emergencybecause of the breakdown of services?

There has been a lot of donor pressure on thereinstatement of local elected bodies since the daysof Sher Bahadur Deuba. Since bureaucrats could notrun the local bodies properly, the donors’ stand isthat if elections are not possible, let’s at least bringas many of the previously-elected officials back torun the VDCs and DDCs.

We all know things are bad, we can’t go to thevillages. I am from a district which is best known forfood shortages. I believe that despite all obstacles,we can get small things done for the people. Butdespite the security situation, we can’t give up, wehave to try to do what little we can. We will startrebuilding, trying to work with whoever is there onthe ground. We can never stop trying, we can’t letour country self-destruct.

Bickram Thapa: I am accountable to both the

�We urge the agitating parties not to doubt our commitment towards the multiparty system.�

- Prachanda in www.cpnm.org, 13 November

Rishikesh Dahal inSpace Time, 9 November

Religion is a way of life for Rimpoche TenzingJangbu Sherpa of Tengboche. Although dailyrituals at the monastery keep him occupied, a yearago he began working on a Sherpa dictionary. Hemet two Koreans working on a similar project lastyear, and while he appreciated their efforts, therimpoche worried that words would be distorted by foreigners who may not have thenecessary grip of the language. It spurred him to begin his own Sherpa dictionary. “I havealready finished the basic work,” says the chief abbot, pointing to files where he has ahandwritten collection of Sherpa words.The rimpoche is pleased with a computer a localpolitician donated for word processing.

He knows he has a bigger challenge to face—dealing with linguists. “That’s the toughpart,” says the rimpoche. “There are no easy meanings of Sherpa words in English andNepali.” He is aware that the dictionary may not recieve formal status without endorsementfrom linguists. “I have read Sherpa books for a long time but only recently realised howdifficult translations can be.” Once the work is finished, even non-Sherpas will understand thelanguage. Known for his work in environmental conservation, the rimpoche is now working atpreserving the integrity of his people. He is concerned that a day may come when theSherpas will have forgotten their language and will need to turn to what foreigners have puttogether, but his greatest worry is a lack of funds. So far he has managed to make ends meetfrom what the monastery receives for religious ceremonies. “This won’t work longterm and Iworry about how I’ll finish the dictionary,” he says.

people, and to the government. A representative onceelected, if he isn’t a convicted criminal, is stillaccountable to the people and it is petty to argue thatwe are not responsive to the peoples’ needs justbecause we were not elected. Unless we get overthe power struggles and look at how we can deliverdevelopment, nothing is going happen. Thegovernment is saying, ok it is impossible to holdelections now, let’s at least get some developmentmoving, why not help them? I agree, nominatingrepresentatives to local bodies is not the bestsolution, but under the circumstances it is the best thegovernment can do. But if we are doing this only toshow the donors that something is happening, thenI’m not very happy with it.

Kiran Bhandari: The process is important. It isimportant whether a representative is elected or not.If you are not elected, there is no accountabilitytowards the people, you are accountable to theperson who nominated you. The situation on theground is that outside the capital and some districts,development has ground to a halt. We all know this is

because of the Maoist insurgency. But after 9/11 theworld is moving towards US-led militarisation andNepal is also affected by it. The government is tryingto get the DDCs to work and automatically get theVDCs activated, but I don’t think the VDC chairmenare in a position to go back to their villages.

Sanjay Adhikari: We have to look at what are thealternatives in the current political scenario. Youhave to see this as the best option, under thecircumstances, to bring relief to the people through aparticipatory process. This is better than the vacuumthat existed last year. Even if they are nominated,the representatives are local people who are stillaccountable to the citizens of the villages anddistricts from where they are. We are concernedabout how support from the donor community canbe most effectively used during this period ofdeficient political decision-making. The questionsshould not be about whether or not it is possible toget work done to reduce poverty, but about whatwe can do concretely to deliver development to thegrassroots where it is needed most.

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Cabin pressureChalphal, 9 November

All cabin restaurants in the Valleyhave been recommended for closureto the government by a researchteam which says these placesexploit young waitresses to�entertain� clients. In response,restaurant owners say they areready to remove all female staff toimprove the atmosphere in theirbusinesses.

The government�s decision willbe far-reaching. Closing down cabinrestaurants will only jeopardise thelivelihood of these girls who couldto end up jobless and penniless.With no alternative, most will beforced into prostitution,exacerbating the situation.

At present, cabin restaurantsare registered as eateries and don�tfall into any specific category.Around 1,200 restaurants areregistered with the government,with 80 percent of the 30,000waitresses working in cabinrestaurants. Owners who run aclean business blame thegovernment for not introducingstrict laws to control immoral

activities. �It would beirresponsible for the government toclose down the restaurants,� says arestaurateur who says the NGOMaiti Nepal pressurised thegovernment into taking such anirrational step.

The owners, who have beenpaying more than Rs 8 million intaxes annually, are willing to bringin improvements that wouldinclude a minimum salary of Rs2,200, uniforms, removal of privacycurtains, bigger cabin rooms andlower dividing walls. They also planto provide literacy programs for thewaitresses and punish those whopromote immoral activities.

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GatekeepersSamacharpatra, 10 November

LIPING � Sabin Das Shresthacould hardly wait to reach Khasa toshop for clothing. But when hetried to enter through the Tatopaniborder area, Chinese bordersecurity guards tore his immigrationpapers and beat him up. �All Iwanted to do was buy some goods,�says Shrestha who was slappedaround and made to turn back.

Locals in Liping are complainingabout the continuous mistreatmentof Nepalis by Chinese soldiers,despite proper documents thatshould allow them to enter Khasa.This action is a violation of theNepal-Tibet Treaty that allowsboth Chinese and Nepali citizenswho possess entry papers to travelwithin 30km from the borders forthe duration of a day. �I don�tunderstand why they are acting likethis,� says Shiva Ram Gelal, chiefof Tatopani Immigration Office,who personally went through asimilar experience at the hands ofthe Chinese. A lot of Chinese canbe seen travelling inside Nepalwithout any papers. They are never

questioned or stopped by Nepaliimmigration, but Nepalis areharassed with guards manhandlingeven those with legitimate papers.

�At times, I have been refusedentry,� says Shiba Kumar Katuwal,chief of Tatopani Customs Office.�It�s difficult to comprehend whythis is happening. Our entry toChina depends on their mood.�Last week, a dozen Nepalijournalists visiting China were heldup for almost an hour near thegate, especially after the Chineseguards found out their occupation.�You need visas,� they were told.

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Jumla,a year laterShyam Krishna Budhathoki, CDOof Jumla in Rajdhani, 12 November

JUMLA � Last November thepeople of Khalanga went through agreat tragedy when the Maoistskilled my predecessor, two policeofficers and dozens of armypersonnel. I had just beenpromoted to the post of undersecretary at the ministry. Mysuperior persuaded me to fill thepost of Jumla CDO. �This is thetime to prove that you can really

serve your nation,� he told me.With that, I mustered all my

courage to take up this challengeand started work two months later.It was a tragic beginning. On myfirst day, a grenade left behind bythe Maoists accidentally killed twochildren. The people, alreadydesperate, were in despair. The CDOoffice building had been destroyed,Maoist corpses still floated in the river.It was a difficult start.

The first thing I did was toassemble the local people andpoliticians from all parties. Withtheir consensus, we used the statefund of Rs 1 million to rebuild theCDO office, the District PoliceOffice and the Regional Police Post.With the remaining money, werenovated Chanda Nath School andtemple. After that came the task ofmanaging our local governmentbodies.

Three VDC secretaries hadresumed work during the ceasefire,but they left soon again after therebels attacked one of them. Thelocal administration work stoppedcompletely. So, I sent a letter to alocal Maoist commander to seek hissupport. It wasn�t long before theMaoists sent Angad Mahat to

participate in our mass interactionprogram. It was there that Mahatagreed that VDC secretaries wouldnot be mistreated. Soon, all 30VDC offices were back in operation.Things were getting better.

But after I reached the Maoist-affected Tatopani, I receivedunpleasant news of a minorencounter between the securityforces and the Maoists. Thegovernment had sent the army torun a relief program and the rebelswanted to run the army out. Thesecretaries fled their posts and arenow back in Khalanga, the districtheadquarters.

The Maoists are spreadingterror in the villages and we havenot been able to reach every VDC.But things will get better once thegovernment dispatches additionalarmed police forces. Right now, thelocal people live under extreme fear,especially after new rumours thatthe Maoists are planning an on thedistrict headquarters. As for me, Ilive in a government quarterguarded by six civilian policemen. Ihave let behind my loved ones, mywife and children for my job. I amnot running away, no matter whathappens.

�The people have been orphaned.�

1314 - 20 NOVEMBER 2003 NEPALI TIMES #170HISTORY AND CULTURE

e wished there wassomeone who couldunderstand Burmese.

Despite our total ignorance ofthe local language, we went intoa Naga village. Luckily, we metan old fellow who had served as areserve in the Burmese army. Inkeeping with Naga customs, hewas thoroughly filthy, makinghim look older than what Iestimated was his age, about 45-years-old.

�Sya, do you speak Burmese?�I asked politely. �Sya� in Burmesemeans �respectable man�. Hereplied that he understood alittle. We told him we werehungry and tired and asked ifsome rice could be spared. Hesaid there was no rice on thatside of the hill. We told him wewere dying with hunger and askedhim what their staple diet was.He replied that they made gruelso we begged him to get some forus because we had eaten nothing

Stretching three cans of rice

for three days and were closeto dying.

The shabby Naga told us ashop in the next village used tosell rice, but wasn�t sure if theshopkeeper could spare any. Weimplored him to help us. Heshouted in his native language tohis neighbour in the lower part ofthe village and reply came. Thefellow there had a small stock andwas willing to part with it.

Our Naga friend asked hisneighbour to bring everything hehad, which was about three milkcans of rice. Our expectation washigh but all we saw was a smallpackage wrapped in black rags.On closer inspection, we foundout that it was rice of dry landvariety. Since they have nohusking device they put paddy onstone and beat it with a woodenstick. He charged us Rs 15 or 20for the lot.

The next problem wasdistributing three cans of rice

among 375 soldiers. Each manwould get no more than a fistful.We hit upon the idea of makingrice soup so we asked the old manfellow for a big pot. Heunderstood what we were tryingto do. Being an ex-serviceman, hetook pity on our predicament. Hebrought us a big earthen pot,which was all he had. When Ilooked inside, we saw somethinghad burned right into the pot. Iwas scared the pot would break ifwe cleaned it with water so wescoured it with a stone to make itsomewhat cleaner after which wepoured in the rice and water.

Suddenly, while we were busymaking our rice, a captain, amajor and quite a few Britishsoldiers accompanied by anAssamese porter came into thevillage. The major was Gurkhaand enquired about our wellbeing.We told him we had some rice.They said with a smile that theyhad only a packet or two of

biscuits and could not part withit. The major asked us if we couldget a goat. Once again we rushedto the same old man. He said therest of the village wouldn�tunderstand why, but there was agoat in the village.

The major agreed to buy theanimal. I can�t recollect howmuch we paid for the uncastratedgoat with a long beard. I got aNaga boy to carry it to our place,for which he received a rupee. Iinformed the major about the costof the goat and offered to returnthe balance. He, however, refusedand asked us to keep it. He askedus to slaughter the animal andskin it. All he asked for was a leg,the rest we cleaned, cut andprepared to cook.

We had just one pot, now fullof our rice soup, and wonderedhow we�d cook the meat beforehitting upon the idea of grillingthe meat although some men ateit raw. We distributed the ricesoup equally among the men andeveryone relished this meal. Thatnight we slept soundly.

The following day we hadenough energy to walk with ease.On our descent we discoveredthotne. It grows abundantly inhigh altitudes and tastes likeseasoned bamboo shoot. Westopped and ate to our fullsatisfaction, but thotne has anintoxicating effect so we allbecame weak. Nevertheless, wewent on crawling. That eveningwe slept on empty stomachs. t

Social Science Baha and Enabling State Programme/DfIDinvite you to a public lecture

‘Affirmative Action in Nepal:Learning from Experiences Elsewhere’ .

Speaking on the occasion will be

Prof Neera Chandhoke from the University of Delhiand

Prof Nico Steytler from the University ofthe Western Cape, South Africa.

Time: 10.00 am

Date: Tuesday, 18 November, 2003Place: The Russian Cultural Centre, Kamalpokhari

Invitation to Public Lecture

Please check out www.himalassociation.org/baha for backgroundinformation on the lecture and profiles of the speakers.

Man Bahadur Rai and the rest of the retreatingGurkhas are plagued with hunger as they crossinto India over the Naga hills from Burma. Theyfind an unlikely source of help in an old Nagaman who speaks some Burmese. The men stretchout three cans of rice to feed 375 hungrysoldiers. Rai�s story is part of Lahurey ko Katha,a collection of memoirs based on oral testimoniesof 13 retired Gurkha soldiers. Translated fromNepali by Dev Bahadur Thapa for this fortnightlycolumn.

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14 CITY 14 - 20 NOVEMBER 2003 NEPALI TIMES #170

KATHMANDU VALLEY

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue

25-09 25-09 22-10 24-08 24-08

A trans-Himalayan low pressure area brought afternoon showers acrossthe mountains of central Nepal this week, even dousing thenortheastern parts of Kathmandu Valley and dusting snow down to5,000m. This trough is being pushed out, and a few days of clearweather will last till the arrival of another weak westerly front currentlyseen over Afgthanistan in this satellite picture on Wednesday morning.The effect of this front may be more pronounced because of the pullof a depression over the Bay of Bengal. Expect cooler nocturnaltemperatures with thicker fog in the mornings.

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONSv Fate and Freedom Unique handmade carpets by John Collins till 23 November at

SiddharthaArt Gallery. 4218048

v ?! an installation on Nepal’s present situation by Ashmina Ranjit organised byNepal Association of Fine Arts (NAFA), Royal Nepal Academy. NAFA, Naxal at12PM on 15 November.

v Living Culture by Krishna Gopal Ranjit 11AM - 6 PM, except Monday, from 16-30November at Gallery Nine, Lazimpat.

v Everest Climb Exhibition of Everest photographs taken by Ang Chhering till 18 November at Rum DoodleRestaurant & Bar, Thamel. 4425107

EVENTSv Himalayan White Water Challenge 2003 at Bhotekoshi River. Organised by Nepal Association of Rafting

Agents, 23 -25 November. Details: Nepal Tourism Board, 256909-140v Sur, symphony and sounds of valour, more than just military tunes. The Indian Embassy presents an

Indian Army Orchestra, 5PM on 20 November at BICC. Passes available at the Indian Embassy from14 November.

v Friendship Everest Sky race 16km from Namche Bazar to Thame, Khumbu. Organised by Cho-OyuTrekking, 18 November.

v AWON presents The Masquerade Ball 14 November at Hotel Yak & Yeti. Rs 3,500 per person,Rs 6,000 for couples.

v Fair Trade Con-Ex craft exhibition and conference from 14-16 November, Royal Nepal Academy.v Magic show at Belle Momo 1-5PM on 14 November at Belle Momo, Darbar Marg.

MUSICv Abhaya & The Steam Injuns every Friday at Fusion, Dwarika’s. 4479488v Orient Express Latin Jazz band at the Rox Garden 7PM on 14, 15 November, Hyatt Regency

Kathmandu.

DRINKv Winter Warmers at the Sumeru Bar with 25 percent discount between 6-8PM at Godavari Village Resort.

5560675v Festival of tropical black rum drinks and great steaks at K-too! Beer & Steakhouse, Thamel. 4433043v Cosmic Cocktails and chic home furnishings at Mitra Lounge Bar and Mausam homestyle boutique.

Above Cafe Mitra, Thamel. 4259015

FOODv Bring your wine along every Thursday and Sunday and buy our dinner. Himalatte Café, Thamel.v 5th Momo Mania on 22 November at The Bakery Café, Baneshwor. 16 exquisite varieties of momos, fun

competitions, games and live performances. Tickets available at all Bakery Café outlets.v Mediterranean Food Promotion till 16 November, dinner only at Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Kathmandu.v Sunday Brunch at Dhokaima Café, Patan Dhoka, 11AM to 3PM. 5543017v Momos & More the finest momos in town now at Dhobighat. 5520692v English Premier League, steaks and draft beer at K-too! Beer & Steakhouse, Thamel. 4433043.v BBQ in the Shambala Garden everyday at 7PM. 4412999v Roadhouse Cafe for wood fired pizzas and more. Opp St Mary’s School, Pulchowk. 5521755v Authentic Chinese food at Tian Rui Chinese Restaurant, Thapathali. 4243078v Traditional Nepali Thali lunch at Patan Museum Café, Patan Museum. 11AM-2.30 PM. Cocktails and

snacks 2-7.30 PM. 5526271v Saturday BBQ Lunch at Club Himalaya Nagarkot. Rs 500 per person. 468008v Traditional Newari Thali at Kathmandu Guest House, Thamel. 4431632v Weekend Ban Bhoj at the Godavari Village Resort. Reservation recommended. 5560675.v Krishnarpan ceremonial Nepali cuisine fit for a king. Reservation recommended. 4479488

GETAWAYSv Microlight flying adventures with the Avia Club, Pokhara.v Shivapuri Heights Cottage 30 minutes from Kathmandu, at the edge of the Shivapuri Reserve.

Email: info@escape2nepal.comv Weekend Special for Rs 3000 per couple, Park Village Resort, Budhanilkantha. 4375280v TGIF overnight package at Dwarika’s Hotel. 4479488v Shivapuri Cottage, Dadagaon Nature, peace and luxury. 4354331

Email: cbbasnyat@hotmail.comv Magnificent mountains and deluxe tents at Adventure Tented Camp & Country Kitchen. 4418992

Email: advcamp@wlnik.comv Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge , escape from Kathmandu to relax with very special offers. 01-4361500v Escape to Godavari Special holiday package on half board for the entire family at Godavari Village

Resort. 5560675

With the overnight temperature in Kathmandu dipping into single digits, an inversion layer trapspollution, making the air quality worse. Throughout last week, the levels of PM10 (small particlesthat can enter the human body) in urban areas such as Putali Sadak, Patan hospital and Thamelwere higher that the national standard of 120 micrograms per cubic meter. Which means wewere in the red zone right through, breathing particulates that are harmful to health. The averagePM10 for last week was 183 microgrammes per cubic meter which is almost twice the level forlast week. Similarly, roadside areas of Putali Sadak and Patan Hospital showed PM10 up by 70percent.

Good < 60

Ok 61 to 120

Unhealthy 121 to 350

Harmful 351 to 425

Hazardous >425

What you burn iswhat you breathe.

Courtesy: Mandala Book Point, Kantipath, 4227711, mandala@ccsl.com.np

Patan H Thamel TU Bhaktapur Matsyagaun Putalisadak

Average PM10 levels at selected pointsin Kathmandu 2-8 November inmicrograms per cubic meter.Source: www. mope.gov.np

91.2

Visit Ground Zero Fine wines, designer candles, cards, gifts, stationery,wooden items, perfumes and more. Darbar Marg, opposite Hotel del’Annapurna

Visit Femilines, the Exclusive Lingerie Store for ladies undergarments,nightwear, bathrobes and more. Ladies staff. Opposite Sajha Yatayat, HariharBhawan, Pulchowk. Tel: 547428

To Let : Rabibhawan area two storey house 4 bedrooms 2 bathrooms largekitchen dining living terrace lobby and porch and telephone. Contact: Roshani4275180

LIVE IN STYLE! Arcadia Apartments in the heart of Thamel. Centrallylocated, fully furnished apartments at unbelievable rates. For details:981026903, 4260187

Renting made easy : www.2letonline.com- Looking for a place to stay- Log onto find the perfect house, apartment or even a retail space that meets all yourneeds. Make an easy 1000 bucks by reporting a vacant property to us. Findout how- www.21etonline.com

To Let: Pleasant room (with private, ensuite bathroom) in a quiet bungalow inLazimpat. Share kitchen and large lounge. Perhaps suitable for visitingprofessional or volunteer. Tel 4428549

Get 10 % exclusive discount on the normal subscription rate of Himalmedia’spublication namely; Himal Khabarpatrika, Nepali Times and Wave magazine.Only at the Grihini Department Store limited,Baluwatar, Phone: 4415186

Daily 2045-2115 BBC g]kfnL ;]jf

Daily 2245-2300 BBC g]kfnL ;]jf

Get ready for a brand new day withBBC World Today.

Every morning on 102.4 FM from 5:45-6:15 AM

Rise and shine

on FM 102.4

Radio SagarmathaP.O. Box 6958, Bakhundole, Lalitpur, Nepal

Tel: ++977-1-545680, 545681,Fax: ++ 977-1- 530227

E-mail: radio@radiosagarmatha.org,www.radiosagarmatha.org /]l8of] ;u/dfyf

BOOKWORMABOUT TOWN

KATHMANDU AIR QUALITY

by MAUSAM BEEDNEPALI WEATHER

The Naxalites and their Ideology Rabindra RayOxford University Press, 2002Rs 250This second edition of a comprehensive sociological analysis of the Naxal movement situatesitself within the contexts of Bengali society, strains of Indian communism and the peasantry. Itdistinguishes between the movement�s ideological position and its actions, relating Naxalideology to Nietzsche�s philosophical tradition of Nihilism. The author presents a vividportrayal of the social and cultural heritage of Naxalism.

Social Suffering Arthur Kleinman, Veena Das, Margaret Lock (eds)Oxford University Press, 2000

Rs 345Social Suffering takes in the human consequences of war, famine, depression, disease, torture�resulting from political, economic and institutional power�and also human responses to social

problems as they are influenced by those forms of power. This cross-disciplinary investigationchallenges traditional research and policies, allowing us to see the 20th century in a new frame. It

provides new perspectives on social suffering and should prove timely to on-going examinationsof India�s partition.

Call 4442220 for bookings. www.jainepal.com

12PM, 3PM, 6PMJAI NEPAL CINEMA

Everything that has a beginning has an end, and so it is with the finalinstalment of The Matrix trilogy. Revolutions makes good on thegenius brothers Wachowski’s promise to fuse Kafka, Alice inWonderland, the New Testament and The Wizard of Oz. If TheMatrix and Reloaded chartered the spiritual/prophetic path to thewar between the machines and mankind, Revolutions delivers ontheir promise with bombastic action and climactic delight. Neo (KeanuReeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (LaurenceFishburne) maintain those intense, serious expressions throughout,and Hugo Weaving reprises his role as Agent Smith with his usualsado-masochistic lopsided grin. Their roles are flawless, perfectlyplaned but the mood is darker, more fatalistic, the stakes higher.

VIS -12-11-2003 09:00 GMT

1514 - 20 NOVEMBER 2003 NEPALI TIMES #170FOOD

he philosophy of Japanesecuisine, when it first madeits entrance onto the global

stage, was not immediatelyappealing to the Bhatmara mind. Astress on balance, health andmodesty mixes uneasily with a fan ofBacchus. However, over the years,it has won itself an increasingly largespace in my welcoming stomach.The simplicity is appealing. Theimperative of quality and freshingredients warms me further. Andfrankly the world is a better placefor the ocean of wisdom that isseared tuna. (Please note, this is afrivolous food column. Any worriedenvironmentalists, please grumbleto Daniel Lak. I understand, fromperusing his columns, that he likesserious grumbling and he likes hisreaders' grumbles.)

The problem facing Japanesecooks in Nepal are basic issues ofsupply. Japanese cuisine choice is

Kathmandu�s Tempura Top 10

fish-centric. Fish require morethan a drazzle or two of water.And fish from the sea, when asked,regularly express a preference forsalt with their H

2O. So unless

Nepal�s borders changedramatically (a tectonic shiftperhaps?) a tour of Nepal's fertilecoastline and its rich bounty willremain extant.

For now, the nearest �fresh�sea fish is to be found in the NewRoad fish market. Bhatmara Bhaihas traveled the route from theplains of Bengal to the Valley. It islong, dusty and hot. Those of acavalier disposition should seekbright red gills and bright eyes.You have been warned.

Consequently I have nothingbut admiration for the Japaneserestauranteurs of the Valley. Theyare gritty, brave and indomitableof spirit. No easy route to thediners pocket for them. In Nepal,

our stoic Japanese restaurant owneris forced to go just a little further�off road�. The style of Kathmandu�sJapanese cooking, to keep costs inthe affordable, is home-style. It isdefinitely not the more performanceart end of Japanese food. Spartanconditions have led to a higheroverall standard. Japanese foodcompares well to other cuisinesfeaturing in the Valley.

On my list of favourites isRoyal Hana Garden in Lazimpat.Once nothing out of the ordinary,it appears to have recently pulled itsculinary socks up. I regularlyindulge. The garden is a peacefuland relaxing place to eat, althoughthe tranquility is occasionallyshaken by the music that digs froma collection chosen by Mr Elevator.The last time I went, the Beatleswere being assaulted by a choir. Agentle friendly grumble will changethe CD.

My choices when eatingJapanese are firmly conservative, theresult, I believe, of my initialtrauma induced by theirincomprehensible healthy eatingphilosophy. Therapy has donenothing to make me moreadventurous. To open the batting, acrisp tempura and a very cold beermake an amicable coupling. RoyalHana Garden�s tempura (withapologies to King Wenceslas) islight, crisp and even. In theKathmandu Tempura Top 10 it isonly beaten by the tempura of the

Durbar Marg Koto. I normallyfollow the tempura with Californiaroll with crab (tinned, sadly). Therice in the sushi is as it should be,compacted but not overly stickyand the coat of sesame generous.Yummy.

There are a number of thingsthat makes Royal Hana Gardenstand out from the crowd. Firstlythe service is just right. And thisis enhanced by the ebullientowner�a woman (!)�whoseengaging and helpful style makes avery refreshing change.

The next difference is thedelivery of complimentary treats inbetween courses that guide the non-Japanese glutton into the widerworld of Japanese food. There is lifebeyond sashimi. The meal beginswith a complimentary salad ofmouli, carrot and seaweed salad inan unusual but pleasing dressing. Ofthe in-between course offerings thatI have had, I particularly enjoy thetongue with wasabi. The desert isyet another unexpected final touch.A bizarre sweet bean concoctionduly arrives. Although my initialreaction was one of fear, suspicionand general sneering (I mean, sweetHeinz beans?) my taste budsdisagreed. Don't dine with me. Iwant your beans. Sweet.

Royal Hana Garden also hashot springs, but did Bhatmara Bhaibrave these? Japanese philosophyhas its limits. Health and foodshould not be mixed. t

by BHATMARA BHAIEATING MY WORDS

Spartan conditions have led toa higher overall standard ofJapanese cuisine in the Valley.

Artist Sarita Dangolhas been paintingtrees—and onlytrees—ever since shecares to remember.She explains: “Whatthat would fascinateme when I firstattemptedlandscapes were treesas a whole and inpart: bent and fallen,stems that are coarseand knotted,branchescrisscrossing and leaping out, and leaves drooping andwithered.”

Little surprise then, that Sarita’s sixth solo exhibition,‘Creation and Creations’ concentrates on trees. However,although her subject remains constant, her style ofpresentation has never been more different. Sarita has veered into astyle that leans on expressionism with her old palette of blue andgreen giving way to warmer hues.

Her earlier work portrayed trees conventionally in light and shadeas a nod to her formal art education. ‘Defining Trees’ in 2000 showedthe trunks in her paintings beginning to grow branches that swirl andswarm up and down. ‘Trees and Trails’ in 2002 was, more or less, anextension of the preceding style but showed more maturity in the wayshe handled colour and created depth. Since then she has tried tobreak away from traditional conventions and her later work depictingtree trunks follow no prescribed logic and are a riot of colours.

The poet Manjul, who was inspired by Sarita’s work, wrote:

When the Earth wantsto meet the Heavensit climbs up stepping on the branches of trees.

When the Heavens wantto meet the Earththey descend stepping on the branches of trees.

This is the way they help,the treesintroduce the sky and the land

Sitting beneath a tree,you can send the Earth upor invite the Heavens down

butyou must have the language with which to talk to them(the trees can teach you that).

(Ajit Baral and Manjul’s poem translated by Maya Watson.)

‘Creation and Creations’ by Sarita Dangol is on exhibition at NAFA,Naxal till 28 November.

Linking heaven and earth

T

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16 14 - 20 NOVEMBER 2003 NEPALI TIMES #170

by Kunda Dixit

Under My Hat

CDO Regd No. 194/056/57 Lalitpur, Central Region Postal Regd. No. 04/058/59

LR

MIN

BA

JRA

CH

AR

YA

ily Thapa was something ofa child protégé: at 13 shefinished school, was 17 when

she graduated from college andwent on to become one of theyoungest master’s students at DelhiUniversity. But her family asked herto return home because her dyingfather, an ex-major general, wishedto see his eldest daughter married.

Lily put her studies on holdand was married to a medicaldoctor in the army. She juggledmotherhood to complete hermaster’s in sociology from PadmaKanya in Kathmandu. But her realeducation was about to begin.Widowed at 32 after her husbanddied of a heart attack while onpeacekeeping duty in Iraq, shesuddenly faced society’s stigma.Friends and family edged Lily out.“For the first time in my life, I feltlonely and ostracised,” recalls Lily,her old pain evident in her voice.

But Lily didn’t let this demoral-ise her, or make her bitter. Shechose to confront head-on thesocial stigma that Nepali societyattaches to widows. She launched asupport group for women who havelost their husbands. “We alwaysended up crying because weshared the same pain. We wereliving satis, burnt on the inside,”she says.

It took a while for Lily to realisethat society would offer neither pitynor sympathy. The widows wouldhave to unite and help each otherwith financial independence andspiritual strength. Women forHuman Rights was set up in 1994and has been providing skillstraining and savings and creditschemes for women to set up smallbusinesses. The group is now activein 20 districts and nearly 700

single women beneficiaries haveformed their own groups.

Pramila Nepal is a 24-year-oldfrom Sindhupalchok who heads agroup of 24 other young widows likeherself. “Lily didi changed my lifewhen I had lost all hope,” she says.Pramila is among those working ina pressure group to ensure thatwomen widowed by Maoists and thesecurity forces receivecompensation in their own name,reversing a growing trend of otherrelatives claimingcompensation. “If it had notbeen for Lily, my childrenwould not have money

NEPALI SOCIETY

ecent archaeological excavations in theHandigau area have brought to light manyantiquities, including fossilised remains of early

newspapers, which offer us a rare glimpse at everydaylife in ancient Kathmandu. Transcribing selectednews items from these prehistoric periodicals also giveus an indication about how much progress we havemade in this country in the field of masscommunications since those primitive times.Researchers have only recently finished decipheringthe following reports, and we can�t help but poke funat the quaint news sense and laughable reportages ofour forebears who euphemistically called themselves�journalists� in that hoary epoch of our nation�sturbulent history.

This exclusive news item was headlined inThe Uprising Nepal of 17 September, 1795:

Prince Of TransylvaniaFelicitatedKATHMANDU: King Girban Yuddha has sent amessage of felicitation to the Prince of Transylvaniaon the happy occasion of the National Day ofTransylvania. In the message His Majesty hasextended his best wishes for the personal health andhappiness of the Prince as well as prosperity for thegood citizens of Transylvania. The message furtherstated: �As a matter of interest, we want to ask you ifit is also usual practice in your country to makemessages of felicitation such as these headlines in yourstate-owned media? Because it is over here. Ciao.�

The Mahabharat Times outscooped all other paperson 3 June, 1808 with this breaking news from thenorthern frontier:

Timeless newsIlegal Aliens To BeDeportedKERUNG: Two Capucin monks who entered Nepalon tourist visas and have overstayed in the kingdomhave been apprehended by the Royal Immigrationand Naturalisation Service and will soon be deportedto the Tyrolean Alps.

Their application for political asylum in Nepalhave been rejected because the Immigration Court isnot convinced that the hermits will face seriousreligious persecution from a rival sect if they are senthome. The brothers have decided to appeal theverdict, during which time they will be kept underlock and key.

And then, this editorial from the Gorkhaprattle:

Conquer now,rule laterContinuing the blitzkrieg into Kumaon, our gallantforces have routed the British at Nalapani. This isindeed heartening news, even though ColKirkpatrick of the East India Company, Pvt Ltd inCalcutta has, predictably, pooh-poohed it in aninterview with Larry King. Reports reaching herefrom the front say a fierce battle had raged for daysand the enemy was finally obliged to flee with its tailbetween its legs, although the exact position of itstail has not yet been independently verified atpresstime. The question that must be asked is this:now that Nepal stretches from Tista to Sutlej whatare we going to do with it? Readers are asked tosubmit their suggestions by Friday, and the author ofthe best essay will be asked to run this country sincethe present rulers don�t seem to have a clue.

saved up for their future,” says 25-year-old Pramila Mandal fromSiraha, whose husband, apoliceman, was killed by Maoists.

Lily now considers her crusadeagainst widow discrimination herlife’s mission. She says: “All we wantto do is to spread self-reliance andhope so that single women canhelp themselves and theirfamilies.” t

(Naresh Newar)

Lily of the ValleyLily of the Valley