| Username |
Post |
| Biswo |
Posted
on 18-Jan-02 02:00 AM
After illegal sharing of public coffer by government officials, party netaas and
royalists, it seems, now the turn is of non-resident Nepalis.
Visa waivers, dual citizenship etc are on the line. Who cares about national
revenue?
Report from The Kathmandu Post:
----------------****************-------------------
The Finance Ministry is planning to introduce a provision of Non-Resident Nepalis in the upcoming budget, solving a long-standing problem of about 60,000 Nepalis, presently living in various parts of the United States and Canada.
This provision would also help thousands of Nepalis living in other parts of the world.
"I have made several provisions in the forthcoming budget including the visa waiver and the provision of Non-Resident Nepalis (NRN)," Finance Minister Dr. Ram Saran Mahat told The Kathmandu Post. Over the last decade, the Nepali Americans had tried vehemently for such arrangements, but in vain.
This new provision would allow Nepalis living abroad to come back to their homeland for a longer period after this provision of non-resident Nepalis is included in the budget in July. These Nepalis have been facing many hurdles as the Nepali law recognises them as foreigners once they acquire the citizenship of other countries.
Since a dual citizenship is allowed in the US and Canada, they need not relinquish Nepali citizenship while acquiring citizenship there. But Nepali law does not allow a dual citizenship. Nepali citizenship of such Nepali Americans is automatically terminated by the very time they get citizenship of another country. If they want to resume Nepali citizenship again, they will have to relinquish the citizenship elsewhere.
"We are Nepali Americans who have made significant contribution for the restoration of democracy in Nepal," said Khagendra Chettri through email. Chettri is a Nepali American practising law in the US for the last 15 years.
"We are treated as foreigners when we go back to Nepal," complains Chhetri. He told The Kathmandu Post that he and some of his friends have met all the post-democracy Prime Ministers - Girija Prasad Koirala, Manmohan Adhikari and Sher Bahadur Deuba and influential leaders like Madhav Kumar Nepal, but nothing has happened.
Out of the 60,000 Nepali Americans living in the US and Canada, about 10,000 have taken citizenship there, according to Dr. Shyam D. Karki, immediate past president of Association of Nepalis in the America (ANA). "And rest of the others will also get the citizenship sooner or later," Karki said via email.
Those living in the foreign countries say Nepal has been not able to tap a huge resource of these people.
Nepali lawyers practising here opine that the government should offer a package to such non-resident Nepalis who want to return to Nepal and invest. "A separate provision could be made in the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act 1992 or a separate Act could be made to bring this huge resources here," says Dr. Bharat Bahadur Karki, a corporate lawyer. "Investment of non-resident Nepalis would be more viable since the forces like Maoists may be comparatively lenient to them than the foreign investors."
Shyam Karki shows a long list that the nation could take benefit from if they are to be provided with a long-term visa, preferably for "ten years." At present, these Nepali Americans come to Nepal on a month-long visa and they have to renew it once it expires.
They also flay the legal provision that does not allow them to acquire immovable property here, like any other foreigners. Thus, they demand the right to own property in the country. If they government take a more liberal policy, many retired Nepali Americans are looking forward to do volunteer work in Nepal in their respective field of expertise, Karki further said.
Though the provision of NRN is a new concept in Nepal, similar practice is already in place in many other countries like India. Experts feel Nepali government can take a cue from the practices in India where the non-resident Indians contribute a lot in the overall development of the nation.
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| krishna |
Posted
on 18-Jan-02 11:26 AM
AHHH, THE IRONY! Maybe if Nepalis treated foreigners better, then NRNs would not mind being treated as foreigners when they go back "home".
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| sally |
Posted
on 18-Jan-02 04:17 PM
So ... what exactly is this all about? I'm confused by Kantipuronline's reporting of this. (Not a new phenomenon.) It reads:
"The new provision would .. also not terminate the Nepali citizenship of such citizens and would allow them to visit the country as its "pure" nationals do. Dr. Shyam D. Karki, immediate past president of Association of Nepalis in America (ANA), writes via e-mail, that around 10,000 out of 60,000 Nepalis have obtained dual citizenship in the US and Canada."
First of all, I think what Karki said is that 10,000 people have obtained US or Canadian citizenship. NOT dual citizenship, which hasn't been an option.
But if the provision doesn't terminate citizenship, does that mean American citizens of Nepali origin will soon be able to have dual citizenship? Or is it a matter of not being charged visa fees anymore (as of July, I guess)?
Also, to come back "for a longer period" isn't the same as coming back to live. Is there some kind of limit? Would it be possible to own property? Does this change the law, or is it a change in the visa structure?
What's the deal here?
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| HahooGuru |
Posted
on 18-Jan-02 08:41 PM
KOL reports:
"We are Nepali Americans who have made significant contribution for the restoration of democracy in Nepal," said Khagendra Chettri through email. Chettri is a Nepali American practising law in the US for the last 15 years.
---
"BullShit" Khopadi of some Nepalis. Last time we were criticizing
one NEKA minister, who said "maile tauko futako demoncracy lyauna
lai, Asst. Minister khadai khanna... ". Mr. K. Chetri, now asking
for payments, and if its not payment whats this? Its just bullshit.
Why? Nepal can not have double standard with American and
non-American Nepalis. So, there will be millions of Prabasi
Nepalis around the world, specially in India? How are you going
to treat them? In Deharadun, in Darjeeling, in Bhutan in Burma
in Thailand? Chetri in hand claims that he fought for freedom in
Nepal, but, in other hand he wants special treatment to DOLLAR
walla Nepalis, who can not pay 2digit dollars as visa payment
"another cheap visitors in Nepal". Thats why all these things
are just hue and cry and BullShits.
-----
"We are treated as foreigners when we go back to Nepal," complains Chhetri. He told The Kathmandu Post that he and some of his friends have met all the post-democracy Prime Ministers - Girija Prasad Koirala, Manmohan Adhikari and Sher Bahadur Deuba and influential leaders like Madhav Kumar Nepal, but nothing has happened.
----------
There should be enough calculatioin of cost and benefit of allowing
doulbe citizenship, it should nto be just for emotional. If you can not
pay a few dollars to visit Nepal, who is going to pay the cost of keeping
your data base back in Nepal? The poors who pay MAAL POT, while
most of the peoples who went for Masters occuping jobs in Nepal
and getting salaries become clean? All these things should be computed
very well, get returned. Not only this, if they keep dual citizenship,
they, should pay tax for the income they have. Regularly. Finally,
the overestimation of 60,000 in line to Green Card or citizenship, how
many will really return Nepal? what will be their frequency?
My personal understanding with most of the upper class and upper
middle class Nepalis is to have dual citizenship is to get parental
property, remain valid candidate for the parental property
until their parents die and once parents die, divide it and sell
it then, vanish from one of the poorest country for better life
with the ANSA BANDA turned into BLACK DOLLARs and
sliped out of country via Hundi.
Sher Bahadur ji, kaha gaye ti TAX ka Funda? I think you have
some other priority based works, than this bullshit dual citizen
funda. Keep out of BS topic.
HahooGuru
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| Kuraute_narad |
Posted
on 19-Jan-02 12:04 AM
Great! Great !!
Hang on!
These are the same people who tried to evade tax when they were paid at least five times the standard government salaries while working in Nepal. Then they left country in the name of higher education, temporary job ($$ paid) or so on. There are bunch of other guys, but the larger proportion has come this way.
Fool! I say fool. They could not help sending money back to Nepal to errect a multi-story luxurious buildign at the center of the town so that they can show their poor relatives and friends - see I earned this much.
Once they accept the citizenship in US/Canada, they lose their right over their properties in Nepal. So far they are able to sell it prior to their new citizenship in these countries, they are so lucky. Otherwise they can't claim their properties in Nepal - ani yehi kura 'ghando' bhayo. HahooGuru, you have darted in the bull's eye.
These duel citizenship holders, if they have any other good intension to support their former country, why they cry for a couple of hundred dollars as visa fee to visit Nepal? Don't they spend 50 dollars a day per head ticket to visit Disney world with their kids? If they can pay the whole lot of air fare for themselves, why ............? why ................? why can't they pay the visa fee?
I POV is that once you accept the citizenship in another country, you are no more Nepali. Your technically a foreigner to Nepal, absolutely foreigner. No duel citizenship, you have to decide which way to go. No comments if any one chooses to be American or remain to be Nepali, but whatever passport who carry, you have to be faithful to the country that issues your passport. It clearly says " .............. is a citizen of ............... Please provide ..... any support ............ "
Ki kura kaso ho? Maile kuro nabujheko ho ki, dherai bujheko ho?
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| sunakhari |
Posted
on 20-Jan-02 09:45 AM
HAHOO:
""BullShit" Khopadi of some Nepalis. Last time we were criticizing
one NEKA minister, who said "maile tauko futako demoncracy lyauna
lai, Asst. Minister khadai khanna... ". Mr. K. Chetri, now asking
for payments, and if its not payment whats this? Its just bullshit.
Why? Nepal can not have double standard with American and
non-American Nepalis. So, there will be millions of Prabasi
Nepalis around the world, specially in India? How are you going
to treat them? In Deharadun, in Darjeeling, in Bhutan in Burma
in Thailand? Chetri in hand claims that he fought for freedom in
Nepal, but, in other hand he wants special treatment to DOLLAR
walla Nepalis, who can not pay 2digit dollars as visa payment
"another cheap visitors in Nepal". Thats why all these things
are just hue and cry and BullShits. "
INTERESTING, VERY VERY INTERESING!!
So if I'm reading this right, then only American/Canadian (Nepali) citizens would be getting dual citizenships or some kind of royal treatment because they would be/have been helping along every movement with their $$$? hmmmmmmm. Lucky for them that the value of the rupiya keeps dropping and quite unlucky for those in Burma, India and Bhutan because I think many many of them have contributed to the culture and education of our now Nepal.
But then MONEY TALKS...
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| Durcheruwa |
Posted
on 20-Jan-02 01:17 PM
well forget about dual citizenship in Nepal. It's not going to happen. They are not going to have any law which allows only those live in North America or Europe to have dual citizenship. What they are going to do with Nepali taking Indian Citizenship? If the dual citizenship law is implemented across everybody, then guess what is going to happen? Nepal's population from 22 million will jump to may be 44 million???? "Akaash ko faal ankha tari maar"
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| krishna |
Posted
on 22-Jan-02 05:18 PM
This issue reminds me of a Nepal Supreme Court case back in 1995 or 1996, in which some Japanese women married to Nepali men before 1994 sued to be exempted from the 1994 immigration law requiring foreign spouses of Nepalis to buy a non-tourist visa for US$20/month. The women won, and the court ruled that only women married to Nepalis before 1994 were exempted from paying the fee. (Back then, month visa fees were: tourist=$30, non-tourist=$20, journalist=$10). NOTE TO CUIRE IN-LAWS: GET PRESS CREDENTIALS BEFORE HEADING TO NEPAL NEXT TIME.
As usual, the courts tend to address only the specific question(s) put to them. Rather than argue for the broader rights of ALL foreigners married to Nepalis, the Japanese women plaintiffs hid behind the privilege of Nepali males and asked that only they not be disadvantaged. I understand that foreign males (and their offspring) married to Nepali females were and are still SOL. Maybe the immigration rules have softened since then, however.
So, here we have a minority group (Nepalis staying in the US & Mexico--err, I mean Canada) being singled out for special consideration. While a ruling in their favor sure would make it easier to live/work in "phoren" and retire back in the Motherland, I'm not sure that it would address the broader needs of all Nepalis abroad. That being said, I'd like to send a thulo namaskar to all my jhaneys back in the department of irritation.
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 23-Jan-02 11:00 PM
Krishnaji:
I think we need to give free residency permit to the foreigners who wants to stay
in Nepal after they marry a Nepalese, regardless of whether they marry a Nepali
man or woman.
But I am definitely against providing this select group of people (Nepali living in
first world countries) an opportunity of dual citizenship. It is not necessary now.
Time to be sensible, and give up this principle of 'greed is creed' for a lot of Nepali.
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