Sad news from Nepal, where almost unnoticed by the western media,
the Maoist rebels ended their eight-month ceasfire with the
government last Wednesday.
After three rounds of talks between the Maoists
and the Nepali government, negotions finally collapsed. The sides remained deadlocked over Maoist
demands that elections be held for a constituent assembly which
would, in turn, draft a new constitution and decide the fate of the
Nepalese monarchy.
The government reportedly saw no grounds for the election of an
assembly and, while it was prepared to amend the existing consitution,
baulked at the idea of a completely new one. There's a fuller
analysis of the situation in this BBC
news story.
Over 7,000 people have already died in the seven-year insurgency
and the vital tourist industry has been hard hit by the violence, even though rebels have pledged not to deliberately attack
visitors and the major trekking areas appear to be relatively
safe.
New Deaths
Sadly fighting has already re-started with at least 16 people
being killed in recent days according to this
report and the government introducing a ban on public meetings in
certain areas.
Meanwhile, last Friday, a huge peace rally in Kathmandu with an
estimated 60,000 participants called for both sides to return to the
negotiating table. See this
story.
Safe For Trekkers?
As we've reported before, the Maoists so far have specifically
pledged not to attack trekkers and the main risk to travellers
appears to be from inadvertently getting caught up in fighting between
insurgents and the government forces. The main trekking areas like
Everest and Annapurna however appear to be relatively quiet.
There have been incidents of trekkers being asked for a 'tax' by
Maoists, with receipts even being handed out for confiscated cameras,
but as far as we're aware, no trekkers in popular areas have been
spefically targeted.
Should you go to Nepal? Obviously there are risks attached to
travelling in any unsettled area, however, up till now the country
seems to have been relatively safe.
The US State Department Nepal
page doesn't seem to have been updated since January, but advises
against trekking outside the Everest and Annapurna regions and
advises US citizens not to trek alone.
The UK
Foreign Office also advises vigilance and mentions the increasing
incidence in 'the number of cases of extortion by Maoists in
recent months.'
For an idea of what the Nepal media is reporting, see Nepal
News.com which carries extracts from Nepalese papers.
