Editorials

1959: A multi-party constitution is adopted.
1960: King Mahendra is opposed to Prime Minister B.P. Koirala ‘Nepali Congress Party’ (NCP) and seizes control – suspending parliament, the constitution and party politics.
1972: King Mahendra dies and is succeeded by his son, Birendra.
1980: Popular agitation for reform results in King agreeing to allow direct election to national assembly on a non-party basis.
1985: Civil disobedience campaigns in favour of restoration of multi-party politics.

1990: Pro-democracy forces push for reform. King Birendra eventually agrees to new democratic constitution for the first time in 30 years.
1991: NCP wins first democratic elections. Girija Prasad Koirala becomes Prime Minister
1994: Vote of no confidence in Koirala’s government. New elections see formation of Communist government, subsequently dissolved.
1996: Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) attack rural police posts, heralding the beginning of a decade long bloody insurrection aimed at abolishing the monarchy and establishing a people’s republic.
1999: Birendra dissolves parliament.
2000: Koirala returns as Prime Minister, heading the ninth government in 10 years
2001 (June): King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and other close relatives killed by Crown Prince Dipendra, who also shoots himself. Prince Gyanendra crowned King after Dipendra dies of his injuries. Widespread uncertainty and social chaos exploited by Maoist insurgents, who step up their campaign. Prime Minister Koirala quits and is succeeded by Sher Bahadur Deuba.
2001 (Nov): 4 months old truce between Government and Maoists breaks down and peace talks fail. Maoists launch coordinated attacks on army and police posts. State of emergency declared, King Gyanendra orders army to crush the Maoist rebels.
2002 (May): Pro-democracy forces and government in political confrontation over renewal of state of emergency.
2002 (Oct): King puts off elections indefinitely and dismisses Deuba.
2003 (Jan): Rebels and government declare ceasefire.
2003 (May-June): King appoints Surya Bahadur Thapa, his personal choice, as new Premier.
2003 (Aug): Ceasefire agreement and peace talks collapse.
2004: Surya Bahadur Thapa quits as Prime Minister after weeks of protests. Gyanendra reappoints Deuba as Prime Minister Popular during under popular pro-democracy protests.
2005 (Feb): King declares state of emergency, dismisses government, and assumes direct power. Britain and India stopped all military aid to Nepal.

2006 (Apr – June): Weeks of popular pro-democracy strikes and protests force the King to reinstate Parliament – which promptly votes to curtail his political powers. For the first time in 3 years, the government and the Maoists initiate peace talks and agree the Maoists should be brought into an interim government
2006 (Nov): Ten years of Maoist insurgency come to an end as the government and Maoists sign a Peace Accord.
2007: Elections for constituent assembly first pushed back, then scrapped as Maoists quit interim government in an attempt to force the abolition of the monarchy. Parliament agrees as part of a peace deal designed to bring the Maoists back to the government.
2008 (Jan): Ethnic groups in the southern Terai region start violently demanding autonomy in a potential dangerous precedent.
2008 (Apr): Elections to the constituent assembly give the Maoists the largest bloc of seats but not an outright majority.
2008 (May): Nepal becomes a republic.
2009 (May): Prime Minister Prachanda resigns, stating an “unconstitutional and undemocratic” move by President Yadav in stopping the elected Maoist government from sacking the army chief. Veteran communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal is elected as the country’s new Prime Minister.
2010 (Jan)Nepal begins to reintegrate former child soldiers who have been held in camps since the signing of the peace agreement in 2006
2010 (May) - Governing coalition and Maoist opposition agree to extend deadline for drafting of new constitution to May 2011.
2010 (June) - PM Madhav Kumar Nepal resigns, following prolonged pressure on him from Maoists to step down.

Piercing for navel jewels, dainty eyebrow rings and chunky tongue studs, and piercing lips, tongues, nipples and genitalia, and tattooing of body parts – these are no longer limited to Western countries. The increasing popularity of piercing and tattooing has become a common phenomenon for the younger generation.

Piercing is a part of body modification, and piercing the ears and nose is not uncommon in our society. It has been in practice in a variety of forms throughout history. In recent years, along with tattooing, piercing different parts of the body other than the earlobes and nose has become more common with services to do so being available in Kathmandu.

While many of us would love to be able to hit the right notes in our attempts at singing, three-year-old Atithi Gautam KC will put us all to shame. This bundle of talent is able to hit the perfect notes, keep the beat and understand the melody. And this Atithi has started her ambitious journey into the world of music at such a tender age with the launch of her very own music album titled Atithi.

The story of 45-year-old Ajabun Nesha Dewan drew the attention of the media and women’s rights activists when she returned to Kathmandu, Nepal from the Saudi city of Hofuf early this year. She had sustained spinal injuries and was suffering immense mental trauma after being thrown out of a second floor window by her landlady. She had gone to Saudi Arabia in the hope of a better life when her neighbour, a manpower company agent, promised her a job as a caretaker with a handsome salary.

Horrifying stories of life-threatening abuses against Nepali women migrant workers (NWMW) draw our quick attention whenever they pop up in the media. Undoubtedly, it is not safe for NWMW to seek foreign employment, particularly in the Gulf countries, as there have been numerous cases of physical exploitation and other abuse.

More than 100,000 NWMW are estimated to be currently working in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman in the Gulf. Given the reality of more than 800 Nepali hopefuls leaving the country for foreign employment every single day, the time is running out to take decisive steps towards protecting vulnerable women from possible exploitation.

A study commissioned by the department of foreign employment and undertaken by Nepal Development Study Corporation has reported that remittance contributes about one-fifth of Nepal’s gross domestic product, second only to the agriculture sector which chips in 32 per cent even with the engagement of three-quarters of the national population. The study has rightly suggested to the government to develop a special policy for women migrant workers to protect them from being exploited in the destination countries.

Yet the government seems to be exclusively concerned about generating more revenue from the lucrative foreign employment sector. For instance, the government raked in 1.13 billion rupees (US$15 million) from passport fees and airport taxes from migrant workers alone in the fiscal year 2008/09.

The work-related migration option not only provides employment opportunities even to otherwise unemployed women but also promotes their economic independence and helps enhance their social status, whose resultant contribution to sustaining families and providing safety nets back home has been enormous. The lifting of restrictions on women seeking foreign employment by the Foreign Employment Act 2007 has hence been a welcome move. But it will only be meaningful when efforts are made to ensure that the sought-after employment milieu is safe.

According to an estimate, more than 90 per cent of the Nepali migrant workers are employed in the informal sector, characterised by lack of any form of social protection. This makes them even more vulnerable to all sorts of exploitation by employers, agents or third parties on foreign soil. Experts have acknowledged that a significant number of people reach their foreign job destinations through illegal channels. Adversaries such as low pay, poor working conditions, document confiscation and physical abuse are common things for these workers who are “trafficked” without formal government-level agreements between the countries involved.

Citing a report published on May 26, 2010 in a Saudi daily Arab News, Human Rights Watch issued a press statement in New York in early June urging Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to jointly investigate the abuse and illicit trafficking of Nepali domestic workers. It was reported in the News that Nepali workers who agree to work in Kuwait are instead trafficked to Saudi Arabia against their will and abandoned there without any legal status. It is reported that there are currently 50,000 Nepali domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.

Government officials pass the blame to the 700-plus manpower companies operating in Nepal by pointing to their inability to promote the skills possessed by Nepali women and get them jobs in preferable labour destinations. For instance, even with the tremendous possibility of Nepali women being hired as domestic helpers, caregivers and staff nurses by Japanese employers, manpower agencies have not been able to exploit this opportunity. There also exists possibilities for Nepali aspirants as trainee workers in Japan.

Prompted by the numerous cases of women being abused and an increase in suicides among Nepali women workers in Lebanon, the government last year banned women from going there to work. As a right step towards finding a lasting solution to these issues and safeguarding the rights and welfare of 20,000 plus NWMW already employed in Lebanon, Nepal and Lebanon agreed to regularise the labour migration process on the sidelines of the 99th session of the International Labour Conference held in Geneva recently (June 2-18). It was decided that the Nepal government would prepare a draft memorandum of understanding and forward it to the Lebanese government for consideration and processing.

Given the official poverty incidence level of more than 32 per cent and unemployment surpassing 42 per cent, it would be absurd to expect that the daily exodus of 800 plus young people will start to decline anytime soon. But that does not justify the government’s gesture of hastily exploring new destinations to add to the list of 108 countries. Rather, it should focus on making the existing destinations safer for Nepali migrant workers.

Negotiating bilateral agreements with the destination countries in line with globally-recognised rights of working migrant women should be at the top of the government’s list of things to do. Empowering Nepali missions and consulates to take decisive steps towards upholding the rights of Nepali workers, instead of merely coordinating deportation of alleged workers or transportation of coffins of fellow country people, is another important task to be accomplished. That should be followed by revisiting national laws, policies and monitoring mechanisms in order to make them more effective in upholding the rights of migrant workers.

By : Bhawana Upadhyay, The Kathmandu Post | Photo : The Kathmandu Post 

Over tea a few days back, a Nepali friend asked me if I “ate dal bhat with my hand” and I had to pause to think about it – no, not usually, just when I want to impress my Nepali friends and family, or I don’t want to stand out like a floundering white whale in a sea of colorful fish – that is the real truth of the matter!

Introspection on the way we eat is just as interesting as what we eat, I’ve decided. For example, the home pack system is just a joy and makes me giggle every time I ask for it, as I am always amazed by the creative ways that tandoori or whatnot is delivered. For example, how the ketchup is somehow captured into a tiny tin foil envelope and then spurts all over the place when opened at home.

Over tea a few days back, a Nepali friend asked me if I "ate dal bhat with my hand" and I had to pause to think about it – no, not usually, just when I want to impress my Nepali friends and family, or I don't want to stand out like a floundering white whale in a sea of colorful fish – that is the real truth of the matter!

Introspection on the way we eat is just as interesting as what we eat, I've decided. For example, the home pack system is just a joy and makes me giggle every time I ask for it, as I am always amazed by the creative ways that tandoori or whatnot is delivered. For example, how the ketchup is somehow captured into a tiny tin foil envelope and then spurts all over the place when opened at home.

It's these little oddities (like never really knowing what kind of home packing system one will get: Old newspaper, recycled beer bottles, etc.) that make life a bit more interesting for a kuire in Nepal. Mastering the "right-handed dual finger-spoon" is another.

I should have paid more attention back in the States on that one, where at Rass Kassas Ethiopian there was never a spoon nor fork in sight. Before moving to downtown Boulder Colorado, Rass Kassas Restaurant overlooked the Rocky Flats Nuclear Waste Dump just outside of town, and it was there I learned the joy of eating with one's fingers. There, one was reminded that the world was wider then McDonalds, and also facing imminent disaster - simultaneously.

I felt this way the last time I stopped at Samir's Dal Bhat Shack along the East-West highway just outside of Itahari, as silverware was also lacking, and the view afforded was one of a huge burnt-out and rusting bus, smashed back several meters from the front and left on its battered side along the road. The Dal there is disappointingly thin, but rice refills on the tin plate are ever forthcoming. The same tap out front is used for dishwashing, hand washing, and teeth washing, and made me realize this is something you can't find in America anymore: The pure rawness of life, death, and the overall muck of it all.

That is unless you are in the Gulf of Mexico at the moment, where by the way, a good Cajun shrimp boil is also eaten with one's fingers, but I doubt any Louisianan can find shrimp there to peel today. The muck in America is much different then the muck in Nepal...

Yet for Western individuals, everything is sanitized. Meals are wrapped neatly in Styrofoam or specially molded plastic containers for those "to go" orders – all printed nicely in full color – Tomato Ketchup, Spicy Mustard, Chicken Nuggets, Big Gulp, Handi-Wipe. Finger foods in America are not really messy at all: Hamburgers, pizza, hot dogs, French fries and sandwiches are about as messy as it gets. Small children are severely scolded when they play with their food, squishing it between tiny fingers, or if they spill milk on the floor. Yet Big Oil is barely slapped on the wrist after unleashing millions of gallons all over the coasts.

Sorry – I just can't get the Gulf of Mexico out of my head – even as I consider how intimate eating with one's hands is, where you can feel the grain and the heat of the stew, and touch the very substance that gives you life. I can't help but to think how in my home culture, folks distance themselves from all that is good and sustaining, even if that substance is something as tiny as healthy bacteria.

Take my mother for example. She was the queen of home cleaning products when I was growing up, and to this day, I have to stop myself from reaching for a specialized household disinfectant whenever I see a smattering of sauce on a counter top. As a child, toilet tanks were scrubbed white and then dyed blue with something resembling aromatic acid designed to kill anything even remotely organic. Floors were mopped constantly with Spic and Span® cleaner – yet had to be – as no one took off their dirty shoes or muddy boots while indoors.

And outside, looming in the distance, we could see the piping from a Union Carbide plant, which must have supplied Mom in part with her cleaning essentials, indirectly via bottles and spray cans of whatever the hell she would dump on anything that looked like dirt. Would Mom have changed her cleaning habits back then if she had known that the same ingredients that she was using to kill germs in the kitchen had killed thousands in Bhopal?

I bet it's these same distances: The distance between your fingers and your rice bowl, and the distance between your beefsteak and your fork, which are determining the course of humanity. On one hand the distance is zero, where some cultures have its proverbial fingers on the pulse of all that seeds life, and on the other hand, there is a gap as wide as the vast oceans currently filling with toxins from a rogue culture ignorant of others.

But you tell me, how do you eat these days?

By: HEROJIG