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We won’t forget

It was 6 September, 2004. Gyanendra Khadka had just spoken at a gathering of teachers and guardians of a high school in Jyamire of Sindhupalchok. Four men in shorts approached him, tied his hands behind his back and led him away. “We’ll bring him back in a while,” they said, brandishing a pistol.
It was during [...]

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Travelblogue

For the past 20 years, as a media nomad, I have covered stories across the Asia-Pacific region. Lately, I’ve been roaming across Nepal and have by now visited most of the country’s 75 districts.
Earlier this year, during a three-month stint through the country with the screening of the documentary Frames of War, I started writing [...]

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A state of lawlessness

First posted on nepalitimes.com on 11 July, 2009
After traversing Nepal for more than two months, passing 40 districts, braving highway blockades, curfews and indefinite bandas we were stopped dead in our tracks outside Pokhara.
There was no way we could get past a barricade of rocks, logs and the burnt out hulk of a bus lying [...]

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- May: God bless you Portlander! Welcome home. And wish you all the best in your new adventure. I am sure that you will find it fulfilling in every way.
- Portlander: Nepali, USA – “I came to US to get my bachelor’s degree. I finished my schooling in 4 years with the help of scholarships and 3 on-campus job. I then started working in the US. It has been 9 years now”. Now I am going back home to get started on a new adventure. I had spent a couple of months in Nepal after three years ago when I came to get my work visa. I felt good about being back home. People complain that Nepali is polluted and all other things. I feel that people are they way they are because not everyone is educated. I was the same way before I came here in the US. Now I have learned better (may be) and need to take this learning back home and share. I am making my journey back with a hope I can do something. Create employment, educate the youths, build innovate and hard-working group to re-build Nepal, strengthen farming and healthcare, bring the correct and right technology…….I feel like I am jumping into unknown space...
- DeadNationalism: easy to put the blame on the leaders.. but we fail to realize that they are mere ‘actors’ of our collective attitude. nepal doens’t need a political revolution. a ‘cultural revolution’ (please disregard the Maoist connotation) is what we need. changes in the way we think and form opinions .. however trivial it may be. neither imported political doctrines nor ethnopolitics is the answer to our multi-faced turmoil. escape from this predicament lies in ourselves and ourselves only.
- PrashaN: All the well-educated people in Nepal should get into politics. I am not studying anything related to politics, as a matter of fact, it is accounting, but I wish to join Nepali politics. How bout you, Mr Dixit? PrashaN
- Sam: I am of the personal opinion that Nepalese do not have to go to overseas to find menial jobs. Nepal itself has great potential in many areas like tourism, construction, hydropower, construction, and many others. But we need to build basic facilities like water, electricity, good governance, security to attract investor from India and other countries. But the core of the issues is that our political leaders are not interested in creaing such enabling enviorment. They are only keen is minting money by hook or crook.
- Arjun Neupane: Its my personal request to Mr Kundan Dixit to be here in Singapore and write what the overseas nepalese thinks about their country, economy and the leaders. What is their optimism and patriotism. Whats their opinion and how does it matters to our nation. Is our very own future linked with the peace and prosperity of our nation? We just need your help to make our voices audible to the ordinary people that “we have a common dream as we are from the same nation. The agendas that matters will definitely matters us”. Hope to welcome you in singapore very soon. Thank You
- Sam: All of these stories speak of a simple truth. Nepalis, whatever they do and whereever they are, are very hard working people who are very loyal to whomever they work for. How nice would it be if someone could find a job that pays them Rs 10000 so people like Gita could stay home.
- Paul Pettigrew: You will be glad to hear that the Acid Survivors Trust International has set up an NGO Burn Violence Survivors Nepal to address the problem of domestic violence that results in the victim suffering severe burn or acid injuries. We are also delighted to note that on April 19, 2009 Nepal has finally followed the example of her neighbours, by enacting the Domestic Violence and Punishment Act 2065. However we are saddened that under the Law perpetrators will only be subject to up to four months of imprisonment and a fine of Rs6, 000 (about US$76). This is pretty pathetic as the original draft had been a six-month prison term, a fine of Rs25, 000, (aboutUS$325) or both. In India for example men who beat, threaten or even shout at their wives or live-in partners can be jailed for up to a year and fined 20,000 rupees (US$273).
- May: Nepal’s “donors” instead of lavishing millions in foreign “aid” that goes back to consultants from their own countries should earmark catalytic assistance to people like Nilam and bypass Nepal’s corrupt bureaucracy. M
- radhika: Ramro Kaam! all the best!
- JA: great article, but he published the exact same story last may, with same content but slightly different wording, also in nepali times. why is this published twice? http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue/2009/05/08/Nation/15931
- Ken: That’s the spirit of nationalism. We should first help our own kin rather than be anywhere else.
- Sarad Pradhan: It is a good blow to our own so called women activities who prefer to go to abroad to attend meeting or conference rather than working for needy women. She is a role model, a real hero in true sense, a woman substance and a woman who inspires others to follow. Thanks Kunda Dai for such an informative article.
- Kamal: How true that one person make more of a difference than an entire government machinery! Nilam is proof of this. Let’s all pool our resources and get her a maternity ambulance. Maybe NT could start a collection campaign. If it can help save the life even one Nepali woman, it will be worth it. Kamal Upadhya
- Aakar: Nice Story…Best of luck Nilam. Keep up the good work. I belive we need more Nilams.
- Anonymous: Brilliant, great work. This is change as it should be. You choose a path and you travel on it, regardless of what the world says. It is about your right to choose and to live that choice. The wrong is in not being true to yourself.
- Anonymous: Translating Nepali is tough. But, I find this quite an outrage. The comparison of people who died a horrible death in an unnecessary war that ultimately – more than war – cost peace for generations to come. The changing of the course of history. These incidents have been highlighted and continue to be highlighted, unlike the impression that the gentleman above seeks to give. People understand the pain and hence the outrage. As much as communists like to portray themselves as victims, it is important to call them at their game and expose the fact that they were the perpetrators of injustice and crime. Where was the need to start a campaign of murder and looting when there was already a party of communists – advocating that stance. When there were already a change in process of completion. When these same people had the right and the opportunity to start their politics. Do you start killing people, policeman or otherwise just because you disagree with...
- Blatant_Journalism: Poor Dorambe? http://www.phalano.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/conflict-i n-nepal-42.jpg http://amnesty-nepal.de/uploads/images/ai%20Bodies.jpg ———– यी पनि साधारण नेपाली नै थिए ! निसस्त्र यिनीहरुलाईपनि पछाड़ीबाट हात बाधेर कंचेटमा गोला दाखिएको थियो मानव अधिकारमा प्रवल बिस्वास राख्ने प्रजातांत्रिक सरकारको सिक्यूरिटी फ़ोर्सहरुले ! फरक येती हो यिनिहरुलाई संबिधान सभा, गणतंत्र, संघियेताको माग गरे बापत हात बांधेर गंगालाल र धर्म भक्तलाइ जस्तै गोली ठोकिएको थियो ! फरक येती हो यी दोरम्बाका साधारण नेपालीको बाऊ-बाजेलाइ काठमांडूका राणा साहेब ज्यूहरुलाई र ठकुरी हजूरहरुलाइ श्री कृष्णको गोपिनीले पाऊ-दासी बने झै “सरकार-सरकार-महाराज-महाराज-प्रभु-प्रभु” भनेर कर्म-काण्ड र पिण्ड दानको मन्त्र थोतने मौक़ा दैबले दियेन ! यिनको पनि परिवार र बालबच्चा होला नि हगी ? यिनको बाल-बच्चाको शिक्षा-दिक्क्षाकोलागी कसैले pitch-in किन गरोस ? यिनको पसीना गनाउने परिवार सदस्यहरुलाइ embrace कसैले किन गरोस — छि गनाउछ John Hoppkins मेडिकल स्कुलबाट आक्सीजन माक्स झिकाउनु...
- jange: The Maoists are not the hypocrites. They are clear about what they wish to achieve and how they wish to achieve it. The hypocrites are people who, like the NT, welcome the fruits of Maoist violence as worthwhile and who regard them as, to quote NT, “the only party representing change” and at the same time try to suggest that violence such as this murder is wrong (but without actually saying so explicitly). As stated before, it is like enjoying the money from a bank robbery and regretting that the furmiture got damaged in the robbery.
- Feedback: Agree absolutely with Luba there. The Maoists are not interested in a functioning democracy and aren’t the least bit interested in a functioning justice system. They are not interested in a functioning parliament. Their only goal is exercising the absolute power. To achieve that, they will temporarily play the “democracy game” but for them it will always be only a stepping stone to their true goal. Do not be fooled. Do not trust them. Establish the law and enforce it, regardless of any membership or affiliation to which ever party. No exemptions. Without it Nepal will suffer for a long time to come. Without it, people can’t heal.

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