| Sajha.com Archives | |
| Username | Post |
| Biruwa | Posted
on 11-Feb-03 11:05 AM
See the story of extortion by maobadis at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2748603.stm |
| Biruwa | Posted
on 11-Feb-03 11:06 AM
news.bbc.co.uk |
| whine and chij | Posted
on 11-Feb-03 11:27 AM
well, according to this really pathetic article from the times, the maoists are rather polite in their extortion requests, and only ask for a "few" dollars per person. one of these days, some tourist is going to tell those thieves to go straight to hell and don't collect no $200. then we'll see just how honest the maoists were about not hurting tourists. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/09/travel/09rep.html |
| surya | Posted
on 11-Feb-03 11:28 AM
The article says, "Steve Berry, a director of tour operator Himalayan Kingdoms, told the BBC that his tour groups had been forced to donate cash to rebels on four occasions. On one of them he personally had to pay $1,500, he said. But Nepal's Director of Tourism, Subash Nirula, said he had received no recorded reports of such incidents." Yeah right! we have been hearing about how the Maoists extorted money from tourists all along. Nirula is obviously trying to salvage whatever there is left to salvage of the Nepali tourism industry. But the basic message that needs to be brought home is, there aren't going to be tourists with blood thirsty moaists roving the hills. Say as he may, BRB's platitudes about not hurting the tourists is a bunch of lies. As if he even has control of "his people." Interestingly enough there was an article int eh Washington Post yesterday about almost the same thing, except that it said the tourists had to pay "just a couple" of dollars." HA! either that shows the Post reporter is biased or just did not do the necessary homework. Regardless, I wish someone would do a report on how much money the Moaists are extorting from local villages, businesses, educational institutions and the like. They are determined to destroy the national adminstrative infrastructure and bankrupt the peopel to bakroll their war against the people of Nepal! (the ceasefire? yes, the ceasefire. The proof as they say, will be in the pudding.) |
| whine and chij | Posted
on 11-Feb-03 11:34 AM
i think you meant the phil shenon article in the ny times, not the wash post. |
| surya | Posted
on 11-Feb-03 11:42 AM
Yup! sorry about that. |
| suva chintak | Posted
on 11-Feb-03 01:41 PM
Expecting the Maoists comrades to be peaceable, law-abiding, and non-terrorizing is like expecting the tiger to go on a diet of green salads. Folks, wake up...it is an organization that was born in blood and gut, came of age in blood and gut, and they will continue to do so what ever the present rhetoric. A born carnivorous can never become a full vegetarian like us normal citizens...they just smell the blood everywhere!! Try to withhold the supply of meat and you will see what is really behind their ceasefire drama! |
| oys_chill | Posted
on 11-Feb-03 01:54 PM
YES YES YES, As long as there are "scare crows" in the field, they can never be vegetarians :) |
| sally | Posted
on 11-Feb-03 02:43 PM
Yeah, I saw the NY Times piece. "A few dollars" ... GEEEEEZ some of these writers are gullible. My guess is the writer was a freelancer, maybe someone living in KTM or on some short-term contract, but without much contact with non-English speaking Nepalis. What surprises me, though, is that he hadn't seen any of the accounts about things like the Makalu extortions ... so if he's living there, he's not paying attention, and if he's a reporter or travel writer who just went for a short time, he's not doing his homework. I don't remember the amount that was taken from the Makalu group (could do a Web search easily enough, though), but I do remember they reported being understandably anxious at being faced with kids carrying guns. But yes, I think the extortion victims said at the time that the kids with guns were polite. Maybe that's where he got that part. Just happened not to mention the other inconvenient details. Remember the OTHER NY Times piece, in late Dec/early Jan, where Prachanda's "real name" was given as Chabi Lal Dahal? The Post has actually done some pretty good reporting on Nepal (there was a good piece on Jan. 2 by John Lancaster, their chief S Asia correspondent) but my respect for the Times has really plummeted. |