The soldiers that stay in Nepal are not the famed Gurhka Rifles - far from it
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Craig Ferguson, Jul 20, 2004; 11:49 a.m.
Why does everyone seem to be so paranoid about kidnapping?
Sure, a few people have been kidnapped in Iraq. But Nepal is not Iraq.
The Maoists believe that they can take power and form a govt shaped in their eyes. But they know that to get international legitimacy they cannot attack foreigners. And they haven't. 8 years worth of insurgency, and there are ZERO foreign casualties. They haven't even tried.
By all means, take as many precautions as you can. But kidnapping is the least of your worries.
Just don't get trapped in a Maoist controlled village when the Nepalese govt decide to attack it.
BTW- I don't agree with nor support the Maoists - if they take power it will be the death of a beautiful country.
RM L., Jul 20, 2004; 01:16 p.m.
abduction doesn't just happen in Iraq. It happens in many parts of the world: Colombia, Chad, Phillipines, India, Northern Africa, Chechnya, even in China, to just name a few that made the news in the past few years. Mostly it's for ransom, not to make a political point. Abduction is a real threat for those who seek the more violent and dangerous areas of this planet, and fact is that governments (either the local government or your own) often can't and won't do much to get you free again. The ransom sum can be an enormous amount of money, which the family will have to cough up. It's better to prepare for such an emergency than to live the rest of your life with the repercussions (bankruptcy being just one).
Lucas Griego, Jul 20, 2004; 01:19 p.m.
"Just don't get trapped in a Maoist controlled village when the Nepalese govt decide to attack it."
I think you have it backwards there. The rebels have basically had free run of the country. They have outgunned and outsmarted the government troops in almost every skirmish they've had. They have not dealt lightly with the police either - wiping out entire police battalions.
Tom, I would think you need to do quite a bit more research than just asking here on Photo.net. They basically have a civil war on their hands - not something to take lightly.
Someone above posted that they don't have any record in taking hostages - not westerners but there have been plenty of Nepalese hostages that have been executed - a reason to worry. Though I don't think it's becoming a hostage you have to worry about it's getting caught up in a firefight between gov. troops and rebels or a bomb blast. Shrapnel and stray bullet don't distinguish between Nepalese and non-Nepalese. If their gov. soldiers have the same lax standards as when I was there this an all too real possibility. The soldiers that stay in Nepal are not the famed Gurhka Rifles - far from it. Most seem to be hustling for the black market at every turn. In a fire fight they would not hesitate to cut you down and then blame it on the rebels. I am sure of it. They certainly are very heavy handed in the western districts. Many districts had a 9p.m. curfew that truck loads of soldiers savagely enforced. Something most tourists never see in Tamel.
The rebels killed no less than 3 mayors in Dhangadi this year alone. The last by an exploding booby trap. These kinds of explosives do not discriminate between westerner and Nepali either.
As for their (the current Gov.) running of the country.. they can't possibly do any worse than the inept and corrupt leaders they have now. There is no 'military solution' for the current gov. The Maosim twist can't be any good though either. Nepal is one of those countries that is some kind of Shrangi-La for Westerners but the average Nepali lives in grinding poverty. If you could have a dime for every western hippy (deoapshaoaesst ) running around with a rasta tam and higher than a kite on local dope in Nepal I could support the entire country and then some. To truly see westerners make (taaa$sses) out of themselves stroll through Thamel.
In the last 3 years I have spent quite a bit of time in NPA (New Peoples Army) and Abu Sayef territory in the southern Phillipines. Maragusan, Zamboanga and General Santos City. I found that clear from being a cohesive rebel group - there were many different factions with much infighting and I spent a huge amount of time waiting around to get through NPA areas under the control of a different group than the one I had arrived with. After one or two very scarey encounters with MINLF (Morro Islamic Liberation Front) - 16 year old kids with automatic weapons and doped up on 'shabu' I ditched the idea of a story on them all together. No one gave a flwkk about whether you were Western in the sense that they would be worried of international intervention - many are very fatalistic and don't figure they are going to come out on top anyhow - I don't think the Maoist rebels are terribly different in that respect. I was there when when the US sent in troops to the south and the rebels simply blended back into the population no sweat.
If you were to even get in with Maoist backed rebel group in Nepal (which I imagine will be extremely difficult) it will take you a real ton of time to earn their trust and come away with any decent footage. A major problem will be language. The other major problem will be avoiding food poisoning. If your squirtin' your insides out you can't be shooting. In Nepal the sanitation standards are some of the lowest in the world - and I am not talking Kathmandu and the trekking towns. I live in Asia so I know the score and we're not exactly the most hygenic here in China - but Nepal is really bad. As for language there are so many different ethincities in Nepal - and more friggin dialects than you can shake a stick at.
You will definitely want a man on the ground there. A local who can act as a fixer. I was there before the Maoist starting making the international news - and there were some regions heading into western Nepal where we kept getting yanked off buses by soldiers. They were not very keen to see me running around with so much camera gear. They gave my fixer a very hard way to go and we ended up paying out every now and then to avoid further hassle. There were two instances where we simply were not allowed to proceed any further. We got turned back and not a taxi or vehicle for miles around - it was a long !@#!! walk I can tell you.
If you do meet up with rebels expect to pay 'tax' they ask it of the locals and you will be expected to contribute. You will hardly be in the position to refuse. Also be forewarned if you end up in village with rebels in it and the government shows that village will very quickly become a battle ground.
While the rebels operate to some degree in all of Nepals 75 districts there stronghold is in the west. The roads are a nightmare. Medical attention is on a local level only and in most villages there is no electricity.
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Xantun bro/miss??.....please make some homework to the highlights drawn for you for your references....
Since your task is only about the diffrentciate between the cultures
then the matters about security, tech advice, custom and visa etcs is
not the issue here.
Nevertheless tourist had to be thought and avdise about the respect
of the Nepali customs in dress and behavior.Men should always
wear a shirt.Avoid outward display of physical affection.Ask
permission to the locals about photography sesion and abode poeple`s
right to privacy.Avoid supports to beggar, dont barter for food and
lodging, respect holy places and palaces compound and rituals plus
the most importantly is to encourage the young Nepalis to be proud
of their very own beautiful culture!!
Nepal is here to change you, not for you to change Nepal!
hajur....hopes their vacation has a great impact on the natural
environment and the peoples culture who live off its resources
enormously!!
Last edited: 06-Apr-08 02:27 PM
