News from Nepal

By: Allan Woods Quebec Bureau, Published on Thu Oct 16 2014 MONTREAL―It is a photograph, taken in early October, that shows excitement, vitality and well-being. Six Canadians gathered in Kathmandu, Nepal, ready to begin the journey of a lifetime near the top of the world. On the far left is the group’s local guide, Kusang Sherpa, dressed in a blue vest that bears the logo of Terra Ultima, the Montreal tour company that had arranged the trek through Nepal’s famed Annapurna region. On the far right is Sylvie Marois, a 54-year-old veteran of the outdoors as well as an instructor in adventure tourism, which included training in avalanche safety. In the photo, which was posted on Facebook but has since been removed, Marois, too, is wearing a black shirt with the red logo of the Canadian outfitter.

The death toll in Nepal's Himalayas from a blizzard and multiple avalanches rose to at least 27 Thursday, with about 70 people still missing. Those missing are believed to be near the Annapurna trail, a route located about 100 miles northwest of the capital of Katmandu, where October is peak trekking season because of the favorable weather. Officials are worried the death toll could rise after a massive snowstorm Tuesday left hikers stranded. Search teams rescued dozens of foreign hikers from different parts of the Manang district Thursday, according to a news release from the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal.  That follows news that more than 60 trekkers, including Nepali support staff, were rescued from the adjacent Mustang region Wednesday.

Written by Yubaraj Ghimire | Maoist chief Prachanda swallowed his pride when he gave up his earlier claim to permanent leadership of the High Level Political Committee (HLPC), accepting that its stewardship would be transferred to other parties on rotation. But even in retreat, he inflicted a blow on the leadership of the governing coalition — the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN- UML) — by securing major concessions, like the transfer of public property under the possession of Maoist cadres since the insurgency to their names. As per the five-point agreement signed between the chiefs of the three parties — the NC, UML and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) — last Wednesday, the state will also pay two lakh rupees in “compensation” to the families of Maoists and pro-Madhes activists killed or wounded.

Actress Joanna Lumley yesterday urged Nepal to ban a ‘festival of slaughter’ in which up to 250,000 terrified animals are killed. They are held in a giant open-air pen where their heads are hacked off in full view of each other. The victims include buffalo, goats, chickens and pigs. Some have their legs severed before they are decapitated. The festival is held every five years to honour Hindu goddess Gadhimai and takes place at the end of November.  Millions cross the border from India to circumvent laws against animal sacrifice in their own country.

KATHMANDU (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - More than two weeks after a Nepalese hunger striker died, his frozen corpse still lies unclaimed in a hospital morgue - a grim reminder of the desperate struggle for justice by the families of victims of the decade-long civil war.     Nanda Prasad Adhikari, 56, and his wife Ganga Maya had been on hunger strike for 11 months, demanding a formal investigation of the death of their teenage son in 2004, a time when conflict raged in the impoverished Himalayan nation.     Adhikari died in a Kathmandu hospital on Sept. 22, while 54-year-old Maya, still on hunger strike, is "stable but critical" in the hospital's intensive care unit, doctors say. "The tragic outcome of the protest by Nanda Prasad Adhikari shows the desperation of the demands for justice by victims of the conflict in Nepal," Rory Mungoven, Asia-Pacific head of the UN Human Rights office, said after Adhikari's death.

Kathmandu: Though some substantive achievement has been made in the region for overall development of children, compared with developed nations, South Asia needs to do more, Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said here. The prime minister made the observation during his meeting here Thursday with the newly appointed Unicef Ambassador for nutrition in South Asia and Bollywood superstar, producer and director, Aamir Khan. Congratulating Aamir on his new responsibility, Koirala said South Asia was thoroughly backward in socio-economic development and involvement of such a renowned celebrity like Aamir in the field of curbing malnutrition in the region would make a difference.