Nepal suffers once again

Apparently most shops in the capital stayed shut and the normally busy streets were quiet. On the eve of the planned disruption the Nepalese army had raided a rebel camp in the Rolpa district, killing at least 38 rebels and losing a few of their own soldiers in the process.

These latest incidents can only compound difficulties for the beleagured Nepali tourist industry, which had been making a slow and painstaking recovery until rebels broke their ceasefire on August 27th. Although the Maoist rebels have never yet been known to harm tourists in their struggle against the county’s constitutional monarchy, the renewed instability and violence in the country has sadly already had an impact on tourism, with many travellers cancelling their plans to visit.