I myself reintroduce to you once more: my name is Connie Scheller and I reside in Mexico City. I am now in Kathmandu since last Sunday, 24th of June. I arrived at midday by Singapore Airlines. Since then, I have been working here in my twin Website with my partner, Rabindra Rayamajhi, of INSPIRATION Tours & Travel and INSPIRATION Treks & Expedition of Kathmandu, Nepal.

I started writing my so called emergency communication, Part 2, since Friday July 13th and I have been adding information the way I have been able to gather it and so to complete a full report of local facts and events to help you to send tourists to Nepal in the immediate future.

Everything is quiet here. No public or private disturbances. The new King, H. M. Gyanendra Bir Birkram Shah Dev has had His first royal speech last week and whatever He has said, it was peacefully received by the people of town.

Yesterday, there was a call for Strike by the Maoist insurgency and it was backed, also peacefully by the whole country. No riots, no bombings, no nothing at least in Kathmandu or Kathmandu Valley. As a reassurance act to support Maoists, traffic and pedestrians stopped 99% as only few bicycle-shaws, some police cars, one or two tuk-tuks and some people, including occasional tourists, were showing at the streets. I decided to go out and take some photographs of this rarely emptied City of Kathmandu. I was riding on top a rickshaw-bicycle for nearly 7 hours (from 9am to 3pm) without any disturbance for me and the only thing I got out of it besides wonderful pictures, was a nice suntanned skin in my face and arms that still I am enjoying, as Sun was shinning extraordinarily trans passing heavy white and dark clouds and weather was quite hot and humid, 32°C/88 F: Thamel, Durbar Marg, Narayanhiti Royal Palace, Durbar Square, New Road, Indra Chowk, Kanthipath (Old Kings Way), etcétera...

PHOTOS TAKEN AT KATHMANDU
DURING THE “STRIKE” CALLED BY MAOISTS
ON THURSDAY JULY 12TH, 2001.

Durbar Square Complex, Kathmandu, was empty.
Most people stayed at home to support the Strike called by Maoists.

Durbar Square Complex, Kathmandu.
Tourists were doing its normal round up of the complex without any disturbance than one of a Nepalese lady trying to sell them a craft.

Durbar Marg, main avenue of Kathmandu, with Royal Palace at far end.
Avenue was empty and same group of tourist I met at Durbar Square,
were now here, but this time barging for a Tibetan silk bag.

Durbar Marg, the main avenue of Kathmandu.
Same group of tourists I met at Durbar Square before.
As you can see, they were peacefully walking and captivating video in the empty City.

Main entrance of Royal Palace, facing Durbar Marg.
No special police or army was appointed at this main gate.
Even local people was allowed to stop here without any rush.

Photo taken from main entrance of the Royal Palace.
The white beautiful and old building at the end, was the former entrance to the Palace. Either there, no special police or army was posted
as I rode twice in front of such site to verify situation.

Durbar Marg Avenue. Photo shot from main gate of Royal Palace.

Durbar Marg Avenue. A Police Office in duty during the Strike.
Here, Police was like on holidays.

I returned to our Office of INSPIRATION at Battisputali Area, very close by to Pashupatinath Temple and Holy Bagmati River and, consequently, also close to Tribhuvan International Airport, in a completely sane and safe stage. For reaching up to here, I had to cross, almost, the whole City of Kathmandu.

While in my round during said Strike, I found that outside the Kumari Palace in Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, there was, though, a small crowd as a four-year-old Shakya girl has been enthroned on July 10th as the new living goddess “Kumari”. Her name is Preeti Shakya and she left her home at Itumbahal and moved to Kumari House at Hunumandhoka same day. Such Palace-House, will become her home until she reaches puberty and by which, she will become, again, a “mortal” being. The palenquin in which she was transported from her home town to the Palace House was still outside its main gate and faithful people was gathered, awaiting the moment they could see her for the first time showing from the window of her now new living quarters. During the Indrajatra Festival, just few days before Dasain (one of the biggest festivals based on lunar calendar that this year will hit in September) the new Kumari will be taken around on a chariot pulled by humans through the traditional route in the heart of the City of Kathmandu.

Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Kumari House.
The day of the Strike called by Maoists, a few devotees were standing at the
entrance gate, and at one side of the palenquin in where the new Kumari
was taken from her hometown to her new home.

Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Kumari House.
Same scene as above, but with a wider perspective.

As the above and hereunder parts to follow of this Emergency Communications tends to become quite long -though interesting and useful, I BEG YOU that after a first look to each of them in your computer, you, please, print it and read them at home, in seclusion and peace of mind as it will be very hard to concentrate in its contents if you read them during Office hours. Thank you.

THE UNTOLD STORY.
It was not until a few days ago I got to learn what the so called “Maoist Gang” is or are. I always thought they were a group of terrorists spooking and killing people at their wish and selection, within small, defenseless villages and remote towns of Nepal. But during the days ago I have been told in very serious rounds of talk with many and also serious people I know, that Maoists are an ultra left orientated –in mind and tendency- official political party with the name of “The Maoist Communist Party”, represented at Congress.

At least since/from the last six (06) years, this group locally and internationally referred as “terrorists”, have been operating in Nepal with effective military tactic, running around their ‘People’s War’ and being its most potent weapon in its arsenal, their uncanny grasp of Nepali political phsyche and their ability to express their way towards ‘perfection’, exploiting the victim’s hearts as such are the emptied petty cash holders plus those crossed by corruption: hypocrisy, treachery and betrayal. And so, in such a world of poverty ruled by corrupted, the Maoists have succeeded in their infiltration and support, convincing almost everyone: the people of the town first, and later the bi-parted section of the Nepalese Congress government (its internal own and half opposition –of the ruling Nepali Congress Party, with Mr. Girija Prasad Koirala as Prime Minister of Nepal), other political official parties, obviously, parliamentary communists and the ‘easy’ intellectuals that enjoy an exclusive insider deal with the members of the insurgency.

Everything points people from Nepal are tired of corrupted elements in key posts in the country. Nationals, country’s wide, have pledged for reforms and end to corruption without any effective response.

Instead, the calamity has increased in unprecedented manner, leaving a terrible dent in the national economy. It has not only sincere efforts towards development that are frustrated but also it has been plunging the entire country into an abysmal ditch. Intimidating news of corruption get headlined, locally, almost daily.

As a consequence, Maoists’ movement has started in the province to where funded aid amounts donated by agencies or monies from official budgets very often reaches the targeted area either belatedly or never at all, discouraging the population up to unlimited levels.

Getting embraced by such blanketed flag of discouragement, it is why from not a long ago, Maoists have taken the law by their own hands, in a scheduled pattern, executing corrupted people, specially at the province’s towns where less control is prevailing.

And an unusual fact occurring within Nepalese behavior: Many women have spontaneously joined the insurgency.

I have been told, also, by many, Maoists have filled a “Black List” and in it, corrupted people to be executed is contained... and that persons listed have been, by them, noticed ahead of their execution.

In other words, the Maoist insurgency is not a guerrilla group but an Execution (Death) Squadron, but such a name, ‘Execution Squad’ cannot be mentioned in any local press report or news media coverage as, perhaps, if so, at least Nepalese editorials and news radio and television stations might be inquired and punished by the ones in power as such name, ‘Execution Squad’ would then, bluntly, expose the scandalous situation of corruption in Nepal and would, consequently, also and finally, signal-out the corrupted ones in all cases.

In regards to the many policemen that have been assassinated, I can add that those components that have been or are battered by the ‘rebels’, are no other than the result of the betrayal of top politicians to their own people and, they, policemen, now stand alone between Maoist republic and multiparty partied

democracy, who keep on throwing the helpless police to the hungered tigers (Maoists) and to the angered people of town within a hopeless gesture of (corrupted ones) self defense. Many killed policemen are just victims as they have been defending corrupted Heads and/or corrupted subordinates too at their own Police Post.

In respect international newscasters are spreading news in a spectacular Opus Magnum but negative way to sell them easier, this is no a new issue either. Most probably those broadcasters and paper media are fed by local news and that is why, perhaps, it does not hit the core of realities.

As a result, any out eruption can be understand, qualified, quantified and balanced by the out round of our huge world, besides the fact that such news, I can assure you, are also without telling the balance existing within “insecurity” and “security” in Kathmandu City, Kathmandu Valley and main important turistical sites in Nepal.

I am not a political person. I work for the travel business only. But if I do not let you know all about it you will never understand situation.

If you do not understand situation, you, as a travel agent will not send us tourists or you, himself as a tourist, will not visit Nepal...

And I am able to tell you now these things and could tell you more about other subjects as I have been returning to Nepal around 35-37 times in my life, and because just, during a year time up today (2000-2001) I have been here almost two months in total, split during May, August/September and October 2000, plus two weeks in February this year. As per this trip, today July 20th, I have been already here for more than 20 days plus more to complete 31, being these last 19 days, crucial after curfew was uplifted and that same days that Nepal has been bombed around the world with bad news of the Maoists as terrorists, being such a fact a disturbed way to disclose reality.

But, I want to continue a bit further with the explanation about the Maoists and as of what I have concluded as my own appreciation, being such, by no means, a hint about my approval or disapproval of the Maoists’ actions as I just want to become an exponent of current situation of security or insecurity for tourists coming into Nepal and that is:

That the Maoists are now a kind of Death or Assault Squadron, like legendary Robin Hood was helping the poor and protecting them from the corrupted rulers, or as the so popular personage, “Zorro” is doing in the movie-pictures: killing the bad and protecting the good ones... Or, as Clint Eastwood did at the famous ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’, or as the real and also feared Death Squadron roaming in Brazil was doing, not so long ago, executing the corrupted and drug traders of their fabelas.

As support of my exposition I want to render you examples of reports picked from local news media:

On July 2, news under “Maoists destroy police post”, it was written that at Tikapur/Lalbojhi-5 Village Development Committee in Kalilah District bordering the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh, India... ‘A group of 50-60 rebels attacked the post first and vandalized it with the help of the locals...

A report on July 10th from Jajarkot: “Maoists release forest officer”: ‘Underground Maoist rebels, on Tuesday, released District Forest Officer Ram Jeevan Khadka, one of the two persons abducted from the District Forest Office (DFO) last week. Ranger Ram Chandra Chaudhary of the DFO, however, is still in Maoist captivity. The rebels handed over officer Khadka in presence of officiating chief of the DFO, Ekraj Dahal, and another forest guard, at Bhunthan village of the Khalanga VDC (Village Development Committee), the district headquarters. After his release from Maoist abduction, Khadka said the rebels treated him well. Both of them were abducted from their residence on charges of having illicit relations with a woman hired for domestic help’.

Another news a day before the last Strike was called (July 12th) said that a man in a village that had kill several people and was outside jail without any punishment, was executed by Maoists.

With Connie Scheller in Nepal

Rabindra Rayamajhi
INSPIRATION Tours & Travel,
INSPIRATION Treks & Expedition, Kathmandu, Nepal.
E-mail: itandt@htp.com.np  and itandt@ccsl.com.np 
Website: www.inspiration.com.np 

Connie Scheller
CONNIE SCHELLER EXPEDITIONS, S.A. de C.V.
E-mail: scheller@prodigy.net.mx 
Website: www.inspiration.com.np/connieschellerexpeditions