The Nepal Digest - Dec 21, 1994 (5 Push 2051 BkSm)

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The Nepal Digest Wednesday 21 Dec 94: Push 5 2051 BkSm Volume 34 Issue 12

To the Students: Good luck in the finals!
To everybody: Happy Holidays!

- TND Editorial Board

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********************************************************************** Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 17:00:31 -0500 (EST) From: Nirmal Ghimirez <NGH42799Q236@DAFFY.MILLERSV.EDU> To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: Think,write,listen----- write back,

Dear editor: It was nice tohear from many friends and their point of view. But many could not understand. Human is a thinking being said Descartes and he is very true. Sometimes one thinks deep sometimes shallow and somtimes it is only an impulsion of thinking. But it is nice when one can express his thoughts.So, TND has helped us a lot in getting thoughts and information across.And maybe some have created some impression from the writing itself. Einstein once said there is a difference in what one is and what other think him to be. I spoke out, it was my personal opinion. It was my voice.One of my friend wrote me not to speak for all TND members or assume that they share the same thought. So,I was not speaking for all, and I have not asssumed that we share the same point. I expressed my ideas and so did he,but donot suppose i wrote it in your behalf orfor all. Some other friend wrote that it was due to lack of exposure to sex which made me write this.Few asked me to accept it as the society is changing we must get used to it. Okay, here comes the point what I wanted to express.I am not denying sex. It is a great art,but one must have great self control to really understand this.Otherwise this art can be treated as trash which we do see in the society today.Abortion,rape are not these problems due to sex?

In my observation I see that people(according) to their culture get introduced to sexual topic at various ages. But the problem of today has been that many are obsessed by the feeling of having sex,as a result they even go to commit a murder for that or become wild . At this situation the art has become an insult and a murder and a social proble. However, I am not denying that one should not have sex but should have due respect for it as well.So,sex has a lot to do with self control. Today it has become a lust and a play just for pleasure. Since our society is not hedonistic(pleasure seeking) sex was not exposed much.It was not to stay away from it but to stay above it.Not to be a slave and be obsessed with it but to admire and respect it.I am not saying that this is right or wrong or that is good and this is bad.But this is for some of my friends who think our culture has blocked them from sexual information. It wanted to focus on a hiogher level of comcentration of intellect and not much on emotion. It did not want to go in search of sensual pleasure but is in search of eternal pleasure. However,sex is a part of life,and can be used or misused.

Now to many of my friends who asked me to change according to time. Seeing the time and degredation of a art like sex I spoke out.If you cannot play the game sex don't ruin it or humilate it. This made me think twice. And maybe instead of changing our method we can contribute to this huge problem.Maybe abstinence is the answer. I do not mean to say that become a bramacharya, but maybe one has to be more self disciplined and mature to deal with sex if one one's to respect it. So, maybe our culture is trying to say this and today the WEST seems to be in need of it.I started this topic because i thought that many were thjinking we are ignorant of sex or are conservatibve in nature. I think we came to the conclusion after analyzing it. Afterall we are human and not sex starved animal.So, I think our culture is not conservative butrationalist in this view. Again this is my personal view. it is nice to learn others point of view. Play with it but respect it but do not become obsessed or slave to it. Thanks. Nirmal

************************************************************** From: GP <a41590a@nucc.cc.nagoya-u.ac.jp> To: nepal@cs.niu.edu

Let me put some half-dozen reasons why the current government should/will contniue at least one year and not more than 1.5 years.

1. You are Nepali, you live in family, you have relatives, you want or need relative to do something done, whether your own father/mother or 7-puste nato...goru-becheko nato.......so you have feeling when the relative is on the post peon of custom office to Priminister, thus, you are proud of him to see him there and you will let him go unless you want your closer than him is ready to occupy that position. So, Koirala and relatives will support Mr. Koirala family relative Man Mohan Adhikary. Koirala and relative faction in NC wants Man-a than some other Ban-.... and by the time nepali fed up and time allows the Koirala faction will again try to integrated the disspiated/scrumbled prestige like King is gaining his prestige back. So, it will take atleast one year.

2. Nepali congress itself is in trouble and has many intra rivals to occupy the leading position and Mr. deupa cann't be satisfactory leader chosen, so to cool down this unsatisfaction and suspend further expansion of the crack they have only one chance is not to try for making govt. By the next years, these unsatisfied NC gurillas will be given right room in NC executive body and it will settledown, thus, they will drop the support to present government.

3. The NC will not let UML-CP to hold the local election in next 2 years under their supervision, which NC clearly knows how to play fouls and use government resjources in the election, so, they just don't want to loose or feel scarce of resources. As many readers might know that the CDO and Police officer in every district have huge power to turn the coin up-side down, so in these 2 years UML govt. will try to replace by own cadets and it will affect to NC, therefore NC will pull its leg or ask for share in the government to stop such games.

4. Outside world don't want the dead word communist hang in this world, they think it as potasium cyanide, "rat rahe agrakh palahe", so such govt. may result communist parties in other countries to lead govt. They won't let them go in speed, and nepal without foreign loan cann't feed overcrowded salaryman, so they will say "sayonara", by them self, like Girija and associates. Man-a already told that
"Hami communist bhaye pani-nam-matra-ka hou- hami foren aid lina laj mandainou".

5. Nepali People will fed up with the continuation of the corruption, poverty, ................. in the country and opposition will start rallies..marches and killing murder and govt. ... will also kill peopels then ...............i don7t know....

6. Intra rivalism within the cemented UML-CP wall which will crack again with small vibration may be just a water pump because it has to pump from the tank having water at the bottom.... makes big sound thus the cemented crack cann't go further ahead. You need cement and huge scafolding or reinforcement to hold them together. Thus, the local(partial) factor of safety of the present govt. is just one, may fail any time before local election.i.e. within 1-1.5 years.

I want to say that the RPP will no make major role in failing this govt. because NC don't want to credit for pulling the present govt. But, next election is because of thoose 20 seats that RPP have.

Lets see.

These opinions are mine, you don't have to agree or disagree, but you can reco. better listing or reasoning.

Gyaneswor POKHAREL

Jai Desh Nepal.

******************************************************* Date: Sat, 17 Dec 1994 13:24:13 +0300 From: shrestha@joyl.joensuu.fi To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu Subject: Shubhakamana

"Wish you all a mary christmax and happy new year 1995" and have nice holidays. Raj

************************************************************************ Date: Sat, 17 Dec 1994 23:59:25 +1100 (EDT) From: Neeta Pokhrel <s931613@minyos.xx.rmit.EDU.AU> To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: re: shailendra shukla and a question for HARVARDITES!

(disclaimer: this is not the owner of this account posting.
It is a completely independent other person.
Totally devoid from and not possessing any qualities that may in any way relate or even identify me w/ said owner of said account)

For the Ivy Leaguers: Round about the end of 92, we Thakalis celebrated this festival that comes around evry twelve years. Anyway, there was this professor from Harvard there, and I *think* his name was Bill Wilmont. He was supposed to be writing a paper on Thakalis and this particular festival. Sure enough, midway through this year (and coincedences are funny things but thats another story...) i came across the Himalayan Research Journal (i think thts what it was called but i could be making it up) which had the name of the article and his name next to it. Now to compound this incredibly vague story, i cant remember what the article was called, and im not even really sure that was his name. All i know is that he's a professor at Harvard in the, uh, history department.. SO, i was basically wondering if anyone had heard of this guy or his article. By some miracle. so, okay, thanks, and you know.. have a good christmas and all.

oh hey and shukla..? I could sing out lots more scary words. You wanna play? huh? huh?

Later, Cushie.

**************************************************************** From: Shailesh R. Bhandari <sbhandar@garnet.acns.fsu.edu> Subject: Muktak To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Date: Sat, 17 Dec 1994 10:10:42 -0500 (EST)

BYATHA

                 Khusi huna napaaeko dherai din vai sakyo
                 Kinaki,
                 Manma gahiro byatha chha
                 Byatha tesai baljhieko haina,
                 Yasma euti nisturiko kthaa chha.

******************************************************************** Date: Sat, 17 Dec 1994 18:07:43 -0500 From: roshan@smurf.sol.uconn.edu (ROSHAN SHRESTHA) To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu Subject: Humor

A friend of mine sent me this.

Attached is some correspondence which actually occurred between a London hotel's staff and one of its guests. The London hotel involved submitted this to the Sunday Times. No name was mentioned.

Dear Maid, Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my bathroom since I have brought my own bath-sized Dial. Please remove the six unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest and another three in the shower soap dish. They are in my way.
Thank you,
S. Berman

Dear Room 635, I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you requested. The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind. This leaves only the 3 bars I left today which my instructions from the management is to leave 3 soaps daily. I hope this is satisfactory.
Kathy, Relief Maid

Dear Maid, I hope you are my regular maid. Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning the little bars of soap. When I got back to my room this evening I found you had added 3 little Camays to the shelf under my medicine cabinet. I am going to be here in the hotel for two weeks and have brought my own bath-size Dial so I won't need those 6 little Camays which are on the shelf. They are in my way when shaving, brushing teeth, etc. Please remove them.
S. Berman

Dear Mr. Berman, My day off was last Wed. so the relief maid left 3 hotel soaps which we are instructed by the management. I took the 6 soaps which were in your way on the shelf and put them in the soap dish where your Dial was. I put the Dial in the medicine cabinet for your convenience. I didn't remove the 3 complimentary soaps which are always placed inside the medicine cabinet for all new check-ins and which you did not object to when you checked in last Monday. Please let me know if I can of further assistance.
Your regular maid, Dotty

Dear Mr. Berman, The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this A.M. that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid service. I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any future complaints please contact me so I can give it my personal attention. Call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM.
                       Thank you.
                       Elaine Carmen
                       Housekeeper

Dear Miss Carmen, It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel for business at 745 AM and don't get back before 530 or 6PM. That's the reason I called Mr. Kensedder last night. You were already off duty. I only asked Mr. Kensedder if he could do anything about those little bars of soap. The new maid you assigned me must have thought I was a new check-in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel soap in my medicine cabinet along with her regular delivery of 3 bars on the bath-room shelf. In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24 little bars of soap. Why are you doing this to me?
S. Berman

Dear Mr. Berman, Your maid, Kathy, has been instructed to stop delivering soap to your room and remove the extra soaps. If I can be of further assistance, please call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM.
                          Thank you,
                          Elaine Carmen,
                          Housekeeper

Dear Mr. Kensedder, My bath-size Dial is missing. Every bar of soap was taken from my room including my own bath-size Dial. I came in late last night and had to call the bellhop to bring me 4 little Cashmere Bouquets.
S. Berman

Dear Mr. Berman, I have informed our housekeeper, Elaine Carmen, of your soap problem. I cannot understand why there was no soap in your room since our maids are instructed to leave 3 bars of soap each time they service a room. The situation will be rectified immediately. Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience.
Martin L. Kensedder Assistant Manager

Dear Mrs. Carmen, Who the hell left 54 little bars of Camay in my room? I came in last night and found 54 little bars of soap. I don't want 54 little bars of Camay. I want my one damn bar of bath-size Dial. Do you realize I have 54 bars of soap in here. All I want is my bath size Dial. Please give me back my bath-size Dial.
S. Berman

Dear Mr. Berman, You complained of too much soap in your room so I had them removed. Then you complained to Mr. Kensedder that all your soap was missing so I personally returned them. The 24 Camays which had been taken and the 3 Camays you are supposed to receive daily (sic). I don't know anything about the 4 Cashmere Bouquets. Obviously your maid, Kathy, did not know I had returned your soaps so she also brought 24 Camays plus the 3 daily Camays. I don't know where you got the idea this hotel issues bath-size Dial. I was able to locate some bath-size Ivory which I left in your room
Elaine Carmen Housekeeper

Dear Mrs. Carmen, Just a short note to bring you up-to-date on my latest soap inventory. As of today I possess:

On shelf under medicine cabinet - 18 Camay in 4 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2. On Kleenex dispenser - 11 Camay in 2 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 3. On bedroom dresser - 1 stack of 3 Cashmere Bouquet, 1 stack of 4 hotel-size Ivory, and 8 Camay in 2 stacks of 4. Inside medicine cabinet - 14 Camay in 3 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2. In shower soap dish - 6 Camay, very moist. On northeast corner of tub - 1 Cashmere Bouquet, slightly used. On northwest corner of tub - 6 Camays in 2 stacks of 3.

Please ask Kathy when she services my room to make sure the stacks are neatly piled and dusted. Also, please advise her that stacks of more than 4 have a tendency to tip. May I suggest that my bedroom window sill is not in use and will make an excellent spot for future soap deliveries. One more item, I have purchased another bar of bath-sized Dial which I am keeping in the hotel vault in order to avoid further misunderstandings.
S. Berman

********************************************************************** Date: Sun, 18 DEC 94 12:53:07 GMT From: WAGLE@VAX.LSE.AC.UK To: nepal <nepal@cs.niu.edu> Subject: Our Place in World Events.

People often link the importanace of an event to the magnitude of its coverage in international media. Nepal elected a communist party to govern her last month. While 'Newsweek' and 'Time' devote an entire issue to any US election, One of Nepal's historic events went virtually uncovered in the International Press. One of the world's leading newsmagazines, "The Economist", gave the Nepal story a quarter of a page in the voluminous, 168 page long weekly issue of 3rd December. Even worse, It appeared to me, a little humourous piece pasted as an "entertainment value" on an otherwise dull Asia page. It was more keen to emphasize Adhikari's return from the palace in a Benz limo saying,
"Somewhere on the way, He had trimmed his bushy beard into a neat goatee" rather than analyse some hard policy issues. Trivial as it may seem and is, when the former leader of 2m Singaporeans, Lee Kuan Yew said, "Our girls are smarter than boys", It made a front page item, not only in the infamous tabloids but also in the prestigious British broadsheets like The Independent and The Guardian. Across the Atlantic, peole like Rush Limbaugh spend 10 minutes of the American prime time ridiculing Hillary's changing hairstyles and arguing whether the First Lady's decision to cover the White House master bed with a red bedsheet is sinister. Even the BBC's nine o'clock news, dissapointing an everyday viewer like myself, chooses to report on spotting the confidante of Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, smiling for the first time, while there are so many pressing issues to cover all over. And nobody, yes nobody, would give a damn about our country unless Princess Di visits a Limbu village in Terathum and opens a health post (which she had) or Fergie intimately befriends a Sherpa guide (which she did). I've always believed that, although a poor country, we are fairly important. Kingdom of Nepal has 20m citizens and there are 36m million in the world who speak our national language. As demographers would agree, that's a fairly sizable human resource. We have lovely mountains in Khumbu and some Gurkhas in England's Winchester barracks. More importantly, we still have the district of Mustang, Incase the Pentagon wishes to reconsider its proposal of setting up an air base there to the utmost "delight" of ManMohan's marxist government. The issue had first come up when BP Koirala was the Premier and if China grows militarily as rapidly as it's growing economically, Mr Clinton might be better off staking a claim to our underpopulated district. We yield, We get some green bucks. We don't, He will send Jimmy Carter to Ktm. assuming that even Jimmy's mathematics fails to please former Nepal Bank employee and now our defense man, Madhav Kumar Nepal, then he will send in the Bombers anyway to safeguard that "Western interest"! Whatever the fantasy, I have no reason to explain why the world press is so apathetic towards us except, perhaps, that in any country, It is macro economicsthat matters, not petty politics. Too bad then, Nobody would be loving us for quite sometime.

S Wagle London School of Economics.

********************************************************************** Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 22:24:29 -0500 To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: Parliament in Session : Speaker election on the 17th From: rana@violet.ccit.arizona.edu (VIVEK S. RANA)

Kathmandu :

Acting speaker Bal Bahadur Rai read the Official letter from H.M King Birendra declaring open the first session of the Parliament ("sansad").

RPP party appoints Lokendra Bahadur Chand as the leader of the parliamentary Board.

G.P. Koirala said that his party will only support the UML government if they adopt a similar economical policy. He also said that UML should be held responsibe for the nine deaths so far caused after the UML government has been in power.

As in the Parliament now :
How sits where ...

                                      Royal Throne
                                       -------------
            PM CHAIRMAN
       M.M Adhikhari Deputy Charman

UML MPS NC MP's

Madhav BhartM .... Sher B. GirijaP KhumBdr Shailaja Nepal Adhikahri Deupa Koirala Khadha Acharya

........................... Bijaya Chakra Jay P...........
Gachedar Bastola Anand

        See How Girija is safeguarded from outside
          attack even in the parliament He is using BG CB JPA KH and even
        SBD to shield him for possible attack.

********************************************************** Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 22:27:03 -0500 From: rshresth@black.clarku.edu (RaJesh B. Shrestha) To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: Parliament in Session : Speaker election on the 17th

Cross-posted from SCN:
---------------------

In a previous article, rana@violet.ccit.arizona.edu (VIVEK S. RANA) wrote:
>
> G.P. Koirala said that his party will only support the UML government
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Amulya's Question: Hey we all know that Girija likes to think he is the congress party and the Parliament. But, hey, he lost the election because the country does not think so and he even the election to the post of opposition leader. Is not Sher Bahadur Deopa be the official, responsible, leader of the Opposition who is supposed to make policy statements such as the above. Is the not Girija contravening Parliamentary norms.

As for all of us who were relieved that at least leadership in congress has passed on to the second generation with the election of Sher Deopa, i think our optimism is too premature. I think the old guard will continue to make enough mischief. In fact some of us even want them too. Swarnim Wagle was wondering why the Iron Man Ganesh man was keeping quiet and wondered if the silence was bought. Well let us have all the Ganesh Man and Krishna Bhattarai and Girija making their pronouncements and we will be sure they will be further and further alienated from the Nepali public. If one electio is not enough, wait till the next one and the Congress will show a historic decline in influence since its peak days of 1959-60s.

> See How Girija is safeguarded from outside
> attack even in the parliament He is using BG CB JPA KH and even
> SBD to shield him for possible attack.

How insightful, Vivek, and all the respectable Parliametarians in the immediate orbit of Girija are reknown for their willingness to use strong-arm methods in their political career. Just for example, Khum Bahadur Khadka is accused of killing a few UML activists in Dang during his elections, too. I think Girija is accusing the UML of murdering NC activist to head off the govt charges into the NC violence and killing during the elections, something even the international observers agreed, so that his "hanumans" may be protected. Whatever his politics, Girija fights for his loyal soldiers even at the expense of the country's interests. Let us wish him good luck.

Amulya Tuladhar

*********************************************************** Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 22:28:28 -0500 From: rshresth@black.clarku.edu (RaJesh B. Shrestha) To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: Is Trekking alone in Nepal safe?

Cross-posted from SCN:
---------------------

In article <D0rL5s.8DG@uwindsor.ca>, Bocska Steve <bocska@server.uwindsor.ca> wrote:
>In preparation of my impending trip to Nepal, I've been doing a great
>deal of reading. One of the things that seems to come up occassionally
>is the (rare) violence that sometimes happens against lone trekkers.
>
>As I really wasn't planning on going with anyone, and didn't think I'd
>require a guide/porter (I was just going to do a 'tea house' trek), I was
>wondering if I should reconsider my plans.
>

Hello. I just returned from a 6 week trip to Nepal, including 30 days of trekking in the Everest and Annapurna regions. I think it is the best thing I ever did. The trip went perfectly. My impression is that as far as crime goes, Nepal is the safest place I have ever been, certainly far safer than the US. This is true both of Khathmandu and the more rural areas where you would trek. The only place where I saw a warning about crime was for the forest north of Ghorepani, where some robberies had occurred at some time. I met a number of people who were trekking alone in Nepal, and none had any problems.

After some indecision, I hired a guide/porter from an agency in Kathmandu, and am glad I did because he added a lot to the experience, and it was nice to carry less weight, especially in the Everest region. The Nepali people are wonderful, and if you can afford a guide, it is a great opportunity to get to know one. I would not consider this to be a necessity, however, if one really must limit the cost, or doesn't like being around people. On your own, you will spend less than $10 a day, but with a guide, expect to spend $20 - $30. Hiring one independently is less expensive, but riskier, than hiring one through a trekking agency. A trekking agency or guide can also free you from such troubles as getting permits and plane tickets.

Physical safety is another question. The trails can be somewhat dangerous in places, especially if there is ice. At times it was nice to have someone to give me a hand in difficult places. However, a little extra care would have sufficed if I were alone. I would not recommend crossing a major pass alone if there is ice or snow. It is hard to walk 15 minutes on the popular routes without finding another tourist, so most of the time, you don't have to worry much about being alone anyway.

Scott

************************************************************ Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 22:29:44 -0500 From: rshresth@black.clarku.edu (RaJesh B. Shrestha) To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: RABIES shots needed in Nepal????

Cross-posted from SCN:
---------------------

In article <3cpc1f$s82$1@perth.dialix.oz.au>, John Neville <neville@perth.DIALix.oz.au> wrote:
>Paul R. Lachapelle (plachape@moose.uvm.edu) wrote:

>: I'll be in Nepal from Jan thru May of 95 and will be in and around
>: Kathmandu and the Namche Bazarr area - My question -
>: - Do people recommend getting pre-exposure shots for RABIES?

This is a rather personal decision. The risk is very low, but if you get it and cannot find treatment, you die. I just returned from Nepal, and received vaccinations for Typhoid, Meningitis, Hepatitis A, and rabies. If you decide to get the rabies series, you must begin early, since the immune globin for hepatitis interferes with antibody production. Personally, I would not get the rabies series again to visit Kathmandu or the Namche Bazaar areas, since there are very few dogs around Namche Bazaar or the rest of the Everest region, and Kathmandu is well enough connected to the rest of civilization that getting a rabies shot should not be too big a problem if bitten there. (It could cost quite a bit). Kathmandu has plenty of dogs, but they are generally pretty mellow. Dogs are plentiful in the Annapurna region, but I didn't find any that were threatening.

********************************************************** Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 22:30:48 -0500 From: rshresth@black.clarku.edu (RaJesh B. Shrestha) To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: RABIES shots needed in Nepal????

Cross-posted from SCN:
---------------------

In article <3cpc1f$s82$1@perth.DIALix.oz.au>, neville@perth.DIALix.oz.au
(John Neville) wrote:

> Paul R. Lachapelle (plachape@moose.uvm.edu) wrote:
> : I'll be in Nepal from Jan thru May of 95 and will be in and around
> : Kathmandu and the Namche Bazarr area - My question -
> : - Do people recommend getting pre-exposure shots for RABIES?
> > I would put this as a low priority. Personally I would consider anti
> > meningitis and hepatitis before above.

Agreed. I speak as one who was nipped by a dog near Manang two months ago. Rabies is endemic in Nepal, but is not present up in the mountains--or so everyone I spoke to agreed. Be more concerned about tetanus and the possibility of infection from a bite. Even if you do have pre-exposure vaccines, you'd need post-exposure shots as well. Much better, if you can, is to keep an eye on the dog itself (or have someone you can contact do it for you)--if the dog proves to be fine after 7-10 days dispense with the shot. If you get bitten by a dog in Kathmandu or the Terai that then runs away I would *definitely* get post-exposure inoculation immediately, but the odds of this happening are not great enough, IMHO, to make the fairly expensive pre-exposure vaccine worthwhile.

Stephen

****************************************************** Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 22:33:31 -0500 To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: Nepal India relationship From: sshakya@lynx.dac.neu.edu (Sunil Shakya)

With the left government in power a shift in foreign policy looks probable. Manmohanji has reiterated that our foreign plicy will be based on the policies of NAM. Recent remarks by some left leaders regarding illegal immegrants may be popular within some parts of the country or some ethinic groups. But this has all sorts of pitfalls if it is not handled thoughtfully and with caution.

Manmohanji's reiterating our belief in NAM is very well and good but geography makes that a questionable basis for our foreign policy. Significant percentage of our trade flows in and out of the South. Moreover the basic necessities like salt, kerocene, and oil come from India. The only seaport is Calcutta, thus our hands are tied. Yes Nepal is tilted and it is tilted towards the South.

It is evident that after 40 years Nepal has matured as a sovereign nation and the special relatioship Indian officials keep harping about needs reexamination. The 1950 Nepal India trade treaty may be outdated and may need some serious review.

Nationalistic fervor may make good internal politics but may be detrimental to our national economy. The blockade imposed on us by India during 1988 is still fresh in our minds and I hope we do not make the same mistakes again.

India is a bully and acts like one sometimes. But our situation does not allow us to be belligerent. Nor do we appreciate our leaders who cannot do some hard bargaining and negotiations. So the talks initiated by Manmohanji's visit may be fruitful, but a wrong choice of words and attitude may turn out to be a faux pas we could ill afford.

On one hand we have the concept of free markets which erases national boundaries. Then there is the growing friction between ethnic groups regarding their identies and tradtional values. These two principles are bound to collide and seeking a balance within these theories will be the challenge national leaders will have to grapple with as we come to the end of the millennium.

Mahendra Cambridge

********************************************************************** Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 22:37:29 -0500 To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: Nepal India relationship From: atuladhar@vax.clarku.edu

In a previous article, sshakya@lynx.dac.neu.edu (Sunil Shakya) wrote:
>With the left government in power a shift in foreign policy looks
>probable. Manmohanji has reiterated that our foreign plicy will be
>based on the policies of NAM. Recent remarks by some left leaders
>regarding illegal immegrants may be popular within some parts of the
>country or some ethinic groups. But this has all sorts of pitfalls if
>it is not handled thoughtfully and with caution.
>
>Mahendra Cambridge
+=================================

Congratulations, Mahendra, for a very finely written piece on Nepal-India relationship, the choices and hazards the UML and the country face in dealing with India. I agree with 95% of your characterizations.

What I disagree is that there is any danger to Nepal presently. There are too many safeguards against that.

1. There would be no such thing as "UML foreign policy" even if it is the Deputy Prime Minister who is the Foreign Minister. The allocation of Deputy or is it the Prime Minister for the Foreign Ministry portfolia is only a sign of respect for foreign relations which is 90% relations with India, so India must be happy with this small but symbolic homage of a small nation to its big-brotherhood.

There can be no "UML foreign policy" because any significant policy will be
"UML-NC" otherwise, it won't pass and the govt will fall like a deck of cards overnight. Hey, if India can engineer the downfall of the deeply entrenched Panche with the oil blocade and some democractic rhetoric in the INdian Parliament, engineering the downfall of UML govt given iits Parliamentary seats is a small matter.

I think we can be sure that NC will never UML to go that whole hog in alienating India that the country cannot recuperate, it may,however, let it slide just a little bit to communicate with the Nepali electorate that only they can do business with India.

2. I also highly doubt that UML leadership will do anything rash as to alienate India too much. There is not much public bargain space with India but there is quite a bit of private bargain space with India. Withdrawal of Bimal Prasad is a private demand that India can accept withour losing much face and yet a small message UML can send to the electorate, especially the rabid, anti-Indian, urban Nepal intellectuals who define Nepali national identity as
"anti-Indianness". But demanding public revision of the 1950 Treaty is downright suicidal, no matter how inequitious that relationship is to Nepal and ho matter how deeply the Nepali people feel slighted by the Treaty.

And some of the key demands of Nepal as regards are controversial and questionable as to whether they are of real benefit to Nepal. Take the demand for regulated borders. This Nepali demand has a lot of political mileage because, Kathmanduites see a lot of "foreign" looking people, unjustly derogated as
"Marsiyas" taking over the semi-skilled job market in the Valley from vegetable vending, construction, to carpentry, plumbing, electronnic, jewellery, etc. Thiis is a tangible visual issue that elicits much of the anti-Indian hostility, as well as the success of many very very Nepali Marwari brothers, who are again vilified as non-national business.

What is often lost in this politico-ethnic hostility is that many of the socalled foreigners are bona-fide nepali citizens who of of TErai are just taking advantage of the road networks and market difference in price of goods and labour to make a buck. , Hounding them is prejudicial to the logic of nation-building and is really a counterproductive ethnic legitimization of hill Hindu ethnic groups from Prithvi Narayan Shah that saw the Terai Nepali, the Valley Newars, and the mongoloid Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups of eastern and central hills (Rais, Limbus, Tamangs) as second-rate citizens. Naturally this is the historical context, that is behind the political move to assert ethnic identity in the Nepali nationhood whether it is the Sadbhavan of the Terai, the Mankah khala for the Newars of Kathmandu, the Limbuwan of the Eastern Hills, the Tamu_dhi of Gurungs etc.

Second, without free, unregulated access to Indian borders, Nepal would not have survived as a economic-politic unit. There is growing evidence that Nepal started to fail as an ecological self-contained unit within the present borders even as early as Prithvi naryan's so-called unification.

Father Stiller's book on the House of Gurkhas and Mahesh Chandra Regmi's books on Economic History of Nepal and Pier's Blaikie's Nepal in Crises are just some of the salient references that make the claim that with the surplus extraction from a poor subsistence hill agricultural economy to maintain the institutions of the state, first the expanding army of P.N. Shah, (in fact, Stiller argues that it was the inability to maintain supply lines and local support of Amar Singh's expansionist army that limited Nepal's expansion to the West of Kangra and Sutlej), then the bureaucracy of revenue collection, and then the ostentious consumption of Ranas to build Stucco palaces.

All of these caused people to move to Indian borders in greater & greater numbers to supplement their food and income from what is essentially an Indian economy. By the time Nepal fought with the East Indian in early nineteenth century, there were NEPALESE serving with the British India to fight against nepal, a fact that has come to light with the expiry of the law of Statutes that rendered secret all the communications of the British Resident in Nepal and the Vicerory of Indian on Nepal, and which has been unearthed by Rishikesh Shah for his books on political history. Were these nepali mercenaries of the East-Indian anti-national? Hogwash, they were just trying toearn their keep when their own govt exploited them too much.

Even now we have estimates from 2-6 million Nepalese earning their economy to support the hill economcy because they own less than 1 hectare of land while the 10% that control 60% of Nepali land populate the dominant elite of nepal in education, political parties, professional ciricles. We all shake our heads when we hear of the 100,000 or more Nepali sisters forced into prostitutions by their own trusted villagers, or when Nepali athletes disappear into the clandestine job market of Japan.

In Nepali Terai, wealthy landlords are complaining that field labour during peak agricultural seasons are hard to find because they go Punjab to make more money, so we have these wealthy landlords selling their big land holdings to buy small land holdings in Kathmandu because the rate of return here is higher, thus reinforcing the decline of agriculture in Nepal and increasing congestion and real estate inflation in Nepal.

For all these nepalese, on open border is a must if Nepal is to continue to survive because all the development dollars that come in are snatched by all the articulate, politically connected, educated rural elite that run catchy NGOS such as WE, Leaders, INHURED, etc. There is just not much left to trickle down.

In some ways, India is SUBSIDISING the political and economic power of the dominant elite. Look how vexed we are that
"just" 85,000 Nepali are booted from Bhutan plains to East nepal, How would we handle if 6 million Nepalese returned home and demanded their fair share of development dollars, or the pre-development dollar currency: land ownership?

Why we would have a Croatia and Rwanda in no time. Yes let the dominant Nepali elite, congress, communist and panches, both rural and urban, not forget that they are being subsidized by India
"allowing" for all the poor and hungry to make a buck in India without upsetting the cart in Nepal.

Amulya Tuladhar Clark University>

********************************************************************* Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 22:39:02 -0500 To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: Dual citizenship From: atuladhar@vax.clarku.edu

In a previous article, seth@elvis.umd.umich.edu (harvinder seth) wrote:
>I was wondering if the Nepal government allows for dual citizenship. I mean
>to say if I am a nepali citizen and also would like to have a american
>citizenship at the same time.... Is that legal
========== No, it is not legal.

You have to give up one or other.

What most people in a situation as yours do is to opt a green card so he/she can all the benefits of US life except vote, heck, 40% of red-blooded,american-born citizens rarely vote, and access to certain federal jobs, which is notorious for being ill-paid repository for the less than the brightest, which are always handsomely rewarded bya the private sector.

Such a green card holder can own all the property in Nepal which can appreciate faster than any thing on Dow Jones and recently even vote in Nepal.

Hope this helps amulya

**************************************************************** Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 22:42:13 -0500 From: rshresth@black.clarku.edu (RaJesh B. Shrestha) To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: New Planning Commission Members

Professor Mangal Siddhi Manandhar, Geographer, is Vice-Chairman replacing Hari Sharan Mahat, an economist

Professor Kailash Nath Pyakurel, Rural Sociologist and Agriculturist, replacing Dr. Ram Prakash Yadav, a Cornell agricultural economist.

Both Manandhar and Pyakurel are "communist" (the label preferred in Nepal is
"progressive" intellectuals who earned their doctorate in United States of America, Manandhar in Texas, I think, and Pyakurel, from University of Wisconsin, Madison, I am sure.

It looks like the old British Oxbridge no longer contributes future leaders of Nepal, or am I wrong?
:) Just kidding Amulya

********************************************************************** Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 15:24:29 -0500 To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: New Planning Commission Members From: irc_rj@vax.clarku.edu

Amulya, As far as I know, The "Old British Oxbridge" has never ever produced any leader in Nepal with the exception of Pashupati SJB Rana who took a second in PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) from Oxford's New College in 1963. I think Rana is the only Nepali to have attended Oxbridge full time before 1988 and we know the mark the ONLY Oxbridge product has made in Nepal's history. So It's not that they "nolonger" produce any leaders but watch out for the 16 Nepalese who have either already graduated or are in the process of graduating from Oxbridge since 1992. Yeah, I know you are only "kidding" - I am myself neither an Oxbridge product nor their most loyal fan! It would be great if you could post he list of all the members of the new Planning Commission, if you have, that is. The former Chairman is not Hari sharan Mahat but Dr Ram Sharan mahat, now MP from Nuwakot.

S Wagle.

********************************************************* From: Kabi Raj Khanal <Kabi.Khanal@anu.edu.au> Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 13:43:59 +1100 To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu Subject: Who is responsible?

There was some controversy over the tragic death of UML leaders Madan Bhandari and J Ashrit, last year. UML was not satisfied with the enquire made by the `Anil Aayog' formed by GPK govt. Later in line with the UML demand, another `Aayog' was formed on the chairmanship of currently serving judge of the supreme court (I forgot the name of hon. judge). The basis for such a demand (to form another Aayog) from UML was that (according to UML) the NC was behind the conspiracy (of those deaths), and GPK was accused as the architecht of the conspiracy.

Now this Aayog has already submitted its report to the king saying that there was no conspiracy behind those deaths other than the 'carelessness' of the driver A Lama. The report is now sent back to the cabinet.

When UML was organising the violent protest claiming NC, particularly GPK is responsible for those deaths, more than a dozen of people were killed. Now, as the whole basis of the allegation and that of the movement proved as baseless; who is responsible for those killings of innocent people, and unrest created by the movement?
Is it the way of doing responsible, realistic/pragmatic politics to made such serious allegations (but entirely baseless) against some one?
---------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest information is based on the BBC news (Nepali service), background information and the comments are mine.

kabi.khanal@anu.edu.au
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