Political Unrest in Nepal?

Following some reports of unrest in soc.culture.nepal in the summer of 1994, I posted a request for how this could affect tourists, and received these responses. In fact the November elections were an interesting time in Nepal. Democracy prevailed, and the Communists took control of the parliament by a narrow margin. I was present for some of the Communist victory parades in Kathmandu and Patan, and had a number of interesting discussions with people about what this would mean for Nepal.

Responses have been slightly edited and identifying information has been deleted. I have added a note at the end on the Maoist situation since 2000 (my most recent visit to Nepal), which deserves attention. Fortunately, the political situation in 2006 seems to be improving again.

My Post

Rajendra P. Shrestha wrote:
AFP reports that the Nepalese army has been put on alert after the violence that marked the "Nepal Bandh" on Wednesday... More than 250 people were arrested during the protests. A three day "Nepal Bandh" has been called from July 24.
I was planning to spend several weeks in October-November trekking in Nepal this year, but recent political news has looked rather ominous. See also the Rajendra Shrestha's Nepal Home Page on the Web:
http://coos.dartmouth.edu/~rajendra/Nepal.html
for further details. If I read this right, the king has called for elections on November 13, which would seem to make this fall a dangerous period if the communist uprisings and general strikes continue.

I would be interested in independent opinions on this situation, and how other potential travellers to the region are reacting to these threats. Is this a particularly bad year to be considering travel to Nepal, or has this been an ongoing situation? I have not been following the politics of Nepal for long enough to predict the trend here. Is a communist revolution or civil war a possibility, and is the situation likely to get worse? Would it be wise to cancel travel plans in the region?

Responses

This is for Scott and others who are trying to travel and trek to Nepal in Oct and Nov this year, concerned with the political stability.

Oct - Nov is the best time to visit Nepal with the climate being as salubrious as can be, soft, dry, breezy, warm with kites in the sky and smiles in the face of farmers happy with the autumn harvest. The month is equivalent ot the Christian Christmas month of festivities and there is non-stop festivals in Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal.

Most people will not be participating in the political quarrels and with the army patrolling and the govt keenly aware what one bullet on a local can cost in tourism revenues, they will make sure, things do not get out of hand. you will be completely safe outside Kathmandu if you plan to do any treks and only nature, and the happy smiles of the local people will be there.

So with the news so far, you will be quite safe in nepal and things have not got out of hand but keep an eye on the nepal digest and scan for further development.

Don't get too concerned about the recent political termoil in Nepal. Unlike the US, Nepal is a civilized country - little is allowed to interrupt the quality of life. I have been in Nepal four times -- once in the middle of the earlier pro-democracy agitation (curfews, army in the streets, etc.) and have a daughter and granddaughter who live in Kathmandu. Life goes on - you have to be prepared to have your travel plans delayed by a day or two (or three or four) - but that is Nepal even in the best of circumstances.

Well, my wife and I are going to Nepal for three weeks in late October & early November, and are not changing our plans. This is our first trip to Asia, and Nepal is our only destination. We have wanted to go there for years, among other reasons because we want to visit various Buddhist sites around the K. valley, and we want to make contact with the Tibetan communities there. We can see no reason to feel threatened by the present situation, although we will obviously stay alert to the possibility of blundering into the middle of something. We will be staying outside of K. city in any case, where there presumably would be less activity. We have faith in the good will of the Nepali people, whatever their political stance, and since this is a strictly internal issue we don't feel we will be at risk of anything beyond minor inconvenience. Nepal is not, after all, the Middle East or Bosnia (or the U.S., for that matter). (This is not to belittle the significance of unfolding events in Nepal, or to disregard the potential for tragedy; we hope and pray for a speedy and peaceful solution to the present crisis.) Free advice: Relax & have a good journey!

Well we are Nepalese and we welcome you from heart.

Foreigners specially with distinct colors from those of Nepalese people are welcome in most of the activities except for the politics. We do not want foreigners to visit there and make statement, because that may serve the purpose of one section but could put others in trouble. For all the section of Nepalese, your visit will be welcomed. We will be delighted to have you there, see the beauty of nature and relax, take your time. No problem.

Even if there is political chaos, city centres are often touched but not for long. But you do not go to Nepal to see cities, but to go for hiking, see the cultural sites, and to learn our society. You might go to the rural areas where most of the people won't be even asking you why you are there. Whatever, is your color, you are "bideshi" (meaning foreigner). They will be with you.

As somebody has written, Nepal is not Bosnia or Rwanda. Nepal is Nepal. The peace loving nation and peace loving people.

Do not get any doubts. Sometimes it is even good for one to know how our politics is run. I am sure, you will find a difference, yet enjoy it. That is also an experience. And everybody knows you cannot buy experience, you have to earn it.

I'm also planning on spending several weeks in Nepal this fall (9/22-11/18) and intend to do the Annapurna circuit. This'll be my first trip to Nepal, but I have extensive experience living in Korea, a country known to the US media for political turmoil and demonstrations. I was in fact there during 1987, when the pro-democracy demonstrations were probably the #1 story here as well. Despite the sense one might have had from abroad that the country was falling apart, Seoul (yes, even Seoul) was relatively peaceful--well, no more frenetic than it always is).

If you did not actively seek out areas where the demonstrations were going on, you could have remained oblivious to the whole thing. I would imagine Nepal is the same way. Kathmandu might be a little problematic in some spots, but I'll bet that everywhere else it'll be business as usual. A Nepalese friend I spoke to thought that this interpretation was probably correct. So, I'm just going to take my chances. Actually I'm kind of pleased (well, that's probably the wrong word): the political excitement means that this should be an extremely interesting time to visit the country and there'll probably be fewer tourists than usual.

This response is somewhat anecdotal (and certainly dated--conditions may have changed) but for what it's worth:

I was in Kathmandu in the fall of 1972 for Peace Corps training, during a period of student demonstrations. I remember walking down Asan Tole in the midst of a small riot; it was serious enough that the police were swinging clubs. But I and the other Americans I was with were either ignored or laughed at by the participants in the disturbance.

I imagine what's going on now is somewhat more serious, but my guess is that the essential point is still the same--Nepali affairs don't involve outside visitors unless those visitors are dumb enough to get involved. Go ahead with your trekking plans. Boy, I sure would.

I spent a few weeks in Katmandu in 1990 during democracy demonstrations and the odd riot. They had a couple of days when all the shops were supposed to close in protest, but it was pretty half-hearted. The army were wandering about all over town wearing flak jackets and carrying clubs, but mostly they were either lounging about looking bored or driving up and down in trucks. They certainly weren't hassling anyone and there was no apparent tension.

I haven't been following it recently in the news but I'd be very surprised indeed if it wasn't dead (?) easy to stay out of trouble.

In 1990 I was just ending a trek when the king declared "democracy". In Charikot, on the road to Jiri (starting point for Everest trek if you dont fly to Lukla) there was some excitement. Mostly waving of banners and handing out of leaflets with hammer and sickle on them.

Other people I met were stranded and had to walk a few extra days because transportation to Kathmandu was shut down. No busses.

How much effect is this likely to have on outsiders?

It can get a little inconvenient in Kathmandu. Especially when there are general curfews. I was lucky and missed those. But tourists were confined to their hotels for a few days at a time.

The day I left there were large demonstrations. I later read in the news that several policemen, thought to have been particularly brutal during the Panchyat regime, were murdered by the crowds. Several buildings were burned. Some time after my plane left, the airport was closed for a few days.

One of the charms of Nepal is learning to relax and let go of your schedule. A big hailstorm can ruin your plans to walk to a particular destination by a given time. Now political unrest can be added to the list of outside factors that may "ruin" your plans. But "reality" goes on...

a large drop in tourism would be devastating to Nepal's economy
it would be in all parties interest to minimize the impact on outsiders

Yes, but the "economy" does not effect that many people, as the vast majority of people do not participate.

Many of the demonstrators feel they have nothing to lose.

The population of Nepal has been doubling every 20 years or so. Another way to look at this is to realize that half the population must be under 20 years old. The demonstrations are mostly made up of young people who have far more anger and energy than maturity and experience.

Also their idea about what democracy should look like may be a little hard to deliver instantly.

If you are afraid of being killed or wounded I would not cancel your trip. I suspect that you would be safer in Kathmandu at the height of demonstrations (assuming you do not participate) than you would be staying at home in the US.

If you are afraid of being inconvenienced by curfews, delays and shutdowns I think you have a point. Those things could happen if the present trends continue.

I can't post easily these days, so I'll reply in e-mail. I'm not especially worried about the unrest, though I will keep an ear to the news. What goes on in Kathmandu often doesn't affect the hills, or doesn't get there until much later. There were nation-wide teacher strikes in 1980 but they were over in Kathmandu before the news that they had started got to the far west. Much of what we're seeing from here as "national" politics in Nepal are just their equivalent of "inside the Beltway" issues--a big deal in the capital, but not so out in the country.

We're still planning for our trip this fall.

Nepalis are pretty mellow and their last (mini-)revolution (about five years back) was fairly bloodless - not quite as clean as the Philippine overthrow of Marcos, but still quite mellow, given the gravity of the issues involved. Also foreigners (well, white foreigners) are seen as being outside the issues. Hospitality is still very much a Nepali virtue; guests would not be brought into these "family" issues.

Granted, I speak Nepali, so I think I could talk my way out of any nasty situation that came up. But then I was in Sri Lanka in the summer of 1983 and their nation-wide riots (very nasty and bloody ones) completely spoiled our vacation, so I'm not keen on getting in the middle of any national unrest. Still, even in Sri Lanka, where Sinhalese were pulling Tamils out of their cars and beating them to death (a la Reginald Denny, but far far worse and more widespread), foreigners were left alone. In fact, lots of Tamils were coming to tourist areas specifically because they did not believe the government would commit atrocities with foreign observers around.

See what other people think; keep an eye on the news.

I have similar plans to your own, and concomitant concerns. I cannot add much to your post except that I would greatly appreciate you forwarding any useful comments or perhaps posting a summary of any.

Good luck with your own travel plans.

I spent 3 years in Nepal with the Peace Corps (from 2/89-5/92) and witnessed the revolution and its aftermath. My general impression is that you should be fine if you stay away from demonstrations, spend most of your time away from cities, and keep informed through radio Nepal's English news and English speaking Nepali shopkeepers and hotel managers.

The demonstrations can become very dangerous, especially when they get near government offices and the palace - stay away from them. Demonstrations are frequently held on "Nepal Bandh" days when political groups call for a nation-wide stop to work, business, and transportation. Predicting when these will happen is somewhat difficult, but the word about them gets out pretty fast - you'll have to have a flexible travel schedule if one of these gets called for the day you're supposed to be at the airport. There were a few days in the aftermath of the revolution when tourists were walking from Thamel to the airport - which is a long, but perhaps appropriate end to a trekking adventure. Be prepared for delays.

I would hate to see you miss and opportunity to get to Nepal. Chances are that the elections will go very smoothly and tourists wont even be disturbed. If I had the chance to go back to Nepal this fall I'd go for sure. Try contacting the state department, USAID, or, better yet, the Nepal desk at Peace Corps (1-800-424-8580) if you'd like more information on how political developments are affecting expatriates.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!!

Update

In the new millenium, Nepal's political problems have come to a head. The new king has much opposition, and Maoists have been fighting for control of the country. This has caused a serious disruption in parts of the country, and has had a devastating effect on tourism, Nepal's key business. Fortunately, the situation appears to be brightening in 2006, with the conflict possibly coming to a resolution, at least in the areas where tourists are most affected. My guide Lal, who operates a trekking agency (managed now by his son, who was 8 on my first visit) says that security is much better now and tourism is on the rise.