From a Bloomberg news story... (sorry, no link)

Nepalese Businesses Call Strike Over Rebel Extortion
2007-03-19 21:21 (New York)

March 20 (Bloomberg) -- Nepal's business leaders called an
indefinite strike that will close hotels, banks and stores across
the country unless rebels stop a campaign of intimidation and
extortion.
Hundreds of business owners rallied in the capital,
Kathmandu, in protest yesterday after members of the Communist
Party of Nepal (Maoist) allegedly abducted and tortured a hotel
owner for refusing to pay a ``donation,'' Nepalnews.com reported.
The government has done nothing to ``curb such vicious
activities'' by Maoist cadres, the Internet Service Providers
Association said in a statement yesterday after cutting access to
the Internet for one hour, Nepalnews.com reported.
The Maoists signed a peace accord with the government in
November, ending a decade-long civil war that killed 13,000
people in the Himalayan kingdom. Business leaders say Maoist
members continue to extort money, even though the party is
joining an interim government. Dev Gurung, the deputy Maoist
leader in parliament, denied party cadres were involved in the
attack two days ago, Nepalnews.com reported.
The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and
Industries said the strike will end all commercial activities
across the country from today, including banks, transport and air
services, Nepalnews.com said.
The strike will continue until Prime Minister Girija Prasad
Koirala and the eight leading parties make a formal commitment to
tackling Maoist extortion and attacks on entrepreneurs, the
organization said, according to the report.
Tourism Affected
Tourists will be asked to leave their hotel rooms over the
next week and no further guests will be checked in from tomorrow
unless the government provides security assurances, Agence
France-Presse cited Prakash Shrestha, the president of Nepal's
Hotel Association as saying.
``There will be zero occupancy in all the leading hotels
unless the government addresses our demands,'' AFP cited him as
saying yesterday.
Hari Shrestha, owner of the Woodlands hotel in Kathmandu,
told reporters yesterday that Maoist members abducted him after
he refused to pay 10 million Nepalese rupees ($141,800) and
provide them with free rooms, AFP reported.
``When I said I could not meet those demands they abducted
me and severely beat me,'' AFP cited Shrestha as saying, adding
he was tied to a chair and blindfolded. ``I was scolded with hot
water and many people beat and kicked me.''
The Maoist-affiliated All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers
Union denied its members were involved in what it said was a
dispute between former workers and hotel management,
Nepalnews.com reported.
Mount Everest
Nepal, located between India and China, is one of the
world's poorest countries and depends on tourism for foreign
exchange. The country is home to Mount Everest, the world's
tallest peak, and attracts climbers and trekkers from around the
globe.
The Maoists, who follow the ideology of China's former
leader Mao Zedong, want Nepal's monarchy to be scrapped and
replaced with a Communist republic.
Elections are planned for June for an assembly that will
draw up a new constitution for the nation of 27 million people
and decide whether the country will become a republic.

bump

The "Maoist" revolution in Nepal, except perhaps in its very early days, was never about improving the lot of the people but all about enriching a few.

If you notice a few folk in the lower Solu Khumbu, say, who look particularly well dressed and fed - in contrast to the majority - they're "Maoists".

Since the truce and agreement to dilute the king's powers there is no longer any need for these people to raise cash for their, now redundant, revolution. Yet extortion is far worse now than 2-3 years ago when the revolutionaries might have had some claim to need cash for their campaign.

I applaud this stand taken by those in Nepal who properly appreciate the need to establish the rule of law in their wonderful country.

I left kathmandu today and while there was talk of strikes in Lukla the day before, nothing seemed to eventuate.

any recent news about the situation in nepal?

furia wrote:any recent news about the situation in nepal?

Well.... there's this:

Nepal Rebels Protest at Parliament for Monarchy to Be Scrapped
2007-05-13 23:15 (New York)


By Ed Johnson
May 14 (Bloomberg) -- Supporters of the Communist Party of
Nepal (Maoist) demonstrated outside Parliament yesterday to
demand the government scrap the monarchy and immediately declare
the Himalayan kingdom a republic.
The protests came as Maoist lawmakers registered a proposal
to amend the interim constitution to remove King Gyanendra from
power and not wait for elections to decide the issue,
Nepalnews.com reported.
The rebels, who follow the ideology of China's former
leader Mao Zedong, fought a decade-long civil war to overthrow
the monarchy. They signed a peace accord in November, returned
their fighters to barracks and formed an interim government with
seven other parties last month.
Puspa Kamal Dahal, the rebel leader also known as Prachanda,
earlier this month threatened to stage protests after the
Election Commission said it wouldn't meet a June timetable for
holding polls. The elections are for an assembly that will draw
up a new constitution and decide at its first meeting whether to
declare a republic.
``We have organized this program to pressure the government,
Parliament and party leaders to oust the king and go for a
republic immediately and declare a date for the constituent
assembly polls,'' Agence France-Presse cited Barsha Man Pun, a
Maoist official, as saying yesterday in the capital, Kathmandu,
as he handed a petition to parliamentary officials.

Rebel Protest

Thousands of rebel supporters encircled the Singha Durbar
area of the capital, which houses the prime minister's office,
Parliament and ministry buildings, the news agency said.
The Maoists also demanded its fighters be immediately
incorporated into a new national army, Nepalnews.com said.
Under the November peace agreement, more than 30,000 rebel
fighters have returned to seven main camps across the country
under United Nations supervision and handed over about 3,500
weapons. U.S. and UN officials have voiced concern that so few
weapons were handed in.
More than 13,000 people were killed in the civil war that
stifled Nepal's tourism-dependent economy. The peace accord
should allow Nepal's gross domestic product to increase by about
4 percent this year, the UN Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific said in a report last month.

furia wrote:any recent news about the situation in nepal?

And from Chinese news service Xinhua there is the following:

(XIN) Over dozen injured in bomb blast in central Nepal
2007-05-14 11:10 (New York)

KATHMANDU, May 14, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Over a dozen people were injured
in a bomb blast in Rautahat district in central Nepal Monday afternoon.

The blast occurred near the bus parking in Chandranigahpur, some 100 km south of
Kathmandu, at around 4:00 p.m. local time ( 1015 GMT), Nepal FM, a
Kathmandu-based independent radio reported.

A previously unknown outfit called "Terai Army" has claimed responsibility for
the blast, the radio said.

thanks for the information. it sounds very sad indeed, and not good idea to go there soon as i wanted ....

furia wrote:thanks for the information. it sounds very sad indeed, and not good idea to go there soon as i wanted ....

Strictly speaking, I don't know if this is an improvement over conditions over the recent past. Yes, its sad, but in comparison to say, Israel, where there is also a chance of encountering violence, maybe its not so bad. It is certainly possible that increased news of unrest, civil disturbances, etc., is a function of improved communications and news wire access.

yes, maybe.
unfortunately we never know the real situation anywhere- all the information about Israel is only showing their side, not the other side - not fair.