Protests continue in Nepal
The following report on the political troubles in Nepal is from “The Advertiser” web site in Adelaide, South Australia. I include this because I travelled and trekked in Nepal in January of this year. To read my blog of my experiences in this beautiful yet troubled country go to the Archives section.
Fresh Protests in Nepal
FRESH pro-democracy protests broke out in Nepal today despite King Gyanendra’s call for elections in the Himalayan kingdom, as activists said he offered nothing new or substantive.
Groups of protesters took to the streets of Kathmandu hours after the king’s midnight message, chanting “Gyanendra, thief, quit the country” and “Down with autocracy, end police repression”.Riot police arrested about 20 demonstrators, but there was no violence.
Political parties leading the movement against the king were quick to reject his offer for elections, saying the monarch’s message would not defuse the fierce campaign in which four people have been killed and hundreds wounded in the past week alone.
The message was broadcast at the stroke of midnight, at the start of the Nepali Hindu New Year.
To read the rest of this article go to “The Advertiser” by clicking here.
Winds of Change in Nepal?
The following report was published in today’s South Australian newspaper “The Advertiser.”
King renews poll pledge
NEPAL’S embattled King Gyanendra vowed overnight to hold elections in his Himalayan kingdom but gave no firm dates and did not to go beyond previous promises to resolve a raging campaign against his rule.
Political parties leading the movement against the king were quick to reject his offer, suggesting the monarch’s message – broadcast at the stroke of midnight at the start of the Nepali Hindu New Year – was unlikely to defuse violent protests that have killed four people in the past week and wounded hundreds.
“It is our wish that in order to re-energise multi-party democracy there should not be any delay in reactivating all representative bodies through elections,” the king’s message said.
“May the efforts at ensuring sustainable peace and meaningful democracy in the interests of the nation and the people bear fruit during the new year.”
The message was largely a repeat of earlier promises to hold elections by April 2007.
For the full story in “The Advertiser” click here.
My hope for Nepal
I certainly hope that the winds of change are beginning to blow in Nepal. This beautiful country does not deserve to be swept up in more political turmoil. The people can ill afford a civil war. They have been on the brink of a complete breakdown of law and order now for so long, and so many people have died.
I visited Nepal in January of this year. For my experiences there go to the Archives section and read my blog.
Unrest in Nepal
It saddens me to hear or read about in the news of the current political turmoil in Nepal. There have been numerous protests, riots and even deaths in recent days. Country wide curfews have been put in place and these are severely damaging the economy of a country struggling to develop. The trouble is particularly damaging to the tourism industry which has been an integral part of its economy.
My Experiences in Nepal
I spent nearly four weeks in Nepal in January of this year. I was staggered by the amazing beauty of the country. Tourism has become the life blood of this emerging nation. It can ill afford such turmoil. I would dearly love to return to visit other parts of Nepal, but the current trouble discourages me from going. Other tourists must feel the same.
To read about my recent trip to Nepal, including trekking the Everest region of the Himalayas, go to the archives section of this blog.
Bangkok to Murray Bridge via Melbourne
Monday 23rd January 2006:
Just after midnight we boarded our Thai Airlines plane for the leg to Melbourne. Yet again we had a half hour wait before the plane taxied for take-off. I spent about the first hour of the journey talking to the girl next to me. She was a student from Kathmandu going to do business studies at university in Melbourne. She had previously studied in the USA but didn’t enjoy her time there.
Long flight to Melbourne
The nine hour flight was long and tedious. I tried to sleep but couldn’t get comfortable. I think I got about two hours sleep but it was very restless sleep. At one stage I tried to watch the latest “Wallace and Grommet†movie but couldn’t really concentrate on it. Every passenger had an individual screen on the back of the seat in front, with a remote control to choose from a wide range of programmes. I was too tired to even open my book, and besides, the lights were dimmed for most of the journey.
Melbourne Airport
The flight was very smooth except for about twenty minutes just north of Djakarta. I was watching the progress of the plane on the monitor and was disappointed that it was very cloudy over Murray Bridge as we came over. On arrival at Melbourne I knew I had a tight schedule to get through immigration and customs before making the connecting flight to Adelaide. The plane was late arriving, progress through baggage collection was slow but customs only took about three minutes. I then made my way to the domestic terminal and checked in my luggage for Adelaide. In the end I had a wait of about twenty minutes before boarding the plane for the last leg of my journey of adventure. The plane to Adelaide was only half full so when everyone was on board the pilot announced we were leaving a few minutes early.
Melbourne to Adelaide
The flight to Adelaide was very good. I had a window seat and made the most of it as the cloud had largely dissipated. On the way I observed the massive bushfires in the Grampians. The Coorong looked beautiful from the air. I was able to pick out many landmarks in the Adelaide Hills and in the city. On the downside the last ten minutes of the flight were extremely painful. I had an acute pain in my left ear as we landed.
Home at last
It was great to be greeted by Corinne in the airport terminal. I think I talked all the way home and most of the evening. I had so much to share with her. Interestingly, I was able to stay up until normal bed time here at home despite having had so little sleep over the previous 48 hours. It was exciting showing Corinne all of the shopping I had done overseas. She was really delighted with the topaz stone and the batik pictures.
The end of an adventure
So the adventure has ended. What wonderful experiences I have had over the previous month. What amazing memories I will keep forever. I will have fun with all of the wonderful photographs I have taken, sharing them with family and friends.
Kathmandu to Bangkok
Sunday 22nd January 2006.
I had a somewhat restless night which didn’t auger well for the tiring trip home. I showered and dressed ready for my last breakfast in Nepal – for this trip at least. After breakfast I settled my hotel account and did my final packing. At about 10am I went down to the jewellery shop near the hotel lobby. I bought a beautiful blue topaz stone for Corinne. This will be a 35th wedding anniversary present.
Waiting in Kathmandu Airport
I was able to watch some of the cricket from Sydney before the driver came to take me to the airport. Ananta came briefly to say farewell. My passage through the airport didn’t take very long so I had over an hour to wait for boarding. During the wait in the lounge I did some reading. During the time here I have almost finished reading Sean Dooley’s book “The Big Twitch.†Sean, who is from Melbourne, took a year off work to break the unofficial Australian bird watching record. He set out to be the first to see over 700 different species of birds in Australia in one calendar year. He actually saw 703; the previous total was 633 species. I remember reading of his regular updates on Birding-Aus reports on the internet during his quest. The book has been very entertaining.
Another frisking
When we eventually boarded the plane – after yet another frisking on the tarmac – there was another half hour wait before takeoff. I didn’t quite understand what the pilot announced as a reason. Anyway, whatever the reason the flight to Bangkok was very smooth and uneventful. I managed to read a little more of my book and also get a short nap.
Bangkok Airport
Our plane was about half an hour late getting into Bangkok. By the time we had left the plane, completed the long hike through the terminal and been processed through immigration, it was after seven o’clock, Thailand time. I found an internet café in the transit lounge and sent a short email to Corinne, Rose and Simon.
Long wait in the transit lounge
I still had about five hours to wait in the transit lounge before my flight. This is not the most exciting place to spend five hours. There were only about seven or eight duty free shops there with little of interest to me. At about 9pm I had a chicken burger, not knowing when they would serve meals on the flight to Melbourne. At this stage I didn’t feel like reading. I was fascinated watching the monitors showing flights details of planes boarding at this airport. At one stage I counted at least 16 different cities around the world listed as destinations for planes from Bangkok. Some of these included Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka, Los Angeles, Dubai, Kulkata (Calcutta), Frankfurt, London, Moscow and the list goes on.
Long journey ahead
Just after 11pm I went through security and then waited in the check-in lounge. I tried to read but tiredness hindered my concentration. I still had a nine hours flight to Melbourne, then two hours in Melbourne and then another hour flight to Adelaide plus an hour drive home to Murray Bridge. It was going to be a long journey.