2015 Off the Wall Newsletter 9 December edition

 

Another year comes to an end in Nepal and another crisis continues. Many people outside Nepal have little idea what is going on between India and Nepal and don’t really understand the politics. As an outsider I’m the last person to try to make any sense out of the situation ... but here goes! First the introductions -

Meet the Neighbour!

Prime Minister Modi

Narendra Damodardas Modi is the 15th and current Prime Minister of India, in office since 26^th May 2014. Modi is the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. For several years prior to Modi’s unexpected and convincing win at the elections the ruling party was the Congress Party.

And his Neighbours

Then we have our recently elected Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, and President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

Prime Minister of Nepal Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli

Both the President and the Prime Minister are from the Communist Party, the Congress party is in opposition.

In August 2014 our neighbour popped round for a cup of chi, on touching down in Nepal on Monday 3^rd August, the PM of India made it clear that India expected Nepal to draft an ‘inclusive’ Constitution. "I request all political stakeholders to draft the Constitution by early next year as committed through consensus, which will reflect aspirations of all communities, including Madhesis, Pahadis (ethnic groups from the Nepal/Indian border, the

Nepal's President Bidhya Devi Bhandari

Terai region of Nepal) and Maoists ... failing to do so can cause difficulties to Nepal and your difficulty despite our expertise to help you in this field is a matter of sadness," Modi said.

He stayed for a couple of days and after he left the Times of India reported ‘Flagging off the Delhi-Kathmandu bus service, Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed more than 10 agreements with Nepal on Tuesday, showing that India is prepared to go the extra mile for its neighbours’. [Times of India 26^th Nov 2014]

Moving onto the Earthquake

Many of the main roads routes in Nepal suffered as a result of the earthquake

As a result of the April and May 2015 earthquakes Nepal was pledged billions of dollars in foreign aid. It suddenly dawned on the Nepal Government that it did not have the robust and transparent policies to allow it access that money. Consequently the Constitution was promulgated and elections were held in line with the Constitution to form a new government. As a result of the elections all the senior government posts went to members of the Communist Party, including that of the President with the Congress Party having no claim to any of the senior positions. A new Reconstruction Committee was announced and the Congress Party aimed to take control over that but all moves to elect a Congress Chairman were blocked.

By August 2015 the implications of the Constitution were beginning to sink in and the Madhesis ethnic group from the Terai region of Nepal felt that they were being disadvantaged and marginalised by the plans to redefine the districts to form a federal state. In amongst this simplistic overview they also felt that the north, south, hill people and lowland people divide put them at the feet of the ruling ‘hill’ ethnic groups who would always out number them in the new arrangements. They demanded a Madhesis State, that would basically form the border with India, and that inter-cast marriages would not marginalise the women and the children of mixed marriages.

Other Human Rights issues highlighted in the Constitution

The border with India has always been porous with people from both sides moving back and forth, marrying and basically occupying a great swath of land along the border line. To aggravate the situation still more the new constitution  states that if a Nepali woman marries a non Nepali man then the children from that relationship would not get Nepali citizenship, however, if a Nepalese man married a foreign woman then those children would get Nepali citizenship. Obviously this clause would have a greater impact on the Terai people than possibly any other ethnic group in Nepal.

Violent Clashes

Police and terai Madhesis residents in a face off

Sadly this all became a violent dispute in August with many Madhesis people taking to the streets in protest. At some point the Armed Police Force (APF) stepped in and injuries and deaths occurred, with the local people declaring that the APF were using un-necessary power and force to try to control the situation. The bar had just been raised.

Along with the violence, roads were blocked, vehicles were torched and the flow of goods was initially reduced resulting in gradual shortages occurring in Kathmandu and other smaller towns in Nepal.

Petrol tankers waiting to cross into Nepal from India

Nepal is a landlocked country however it does have ‘dry docks’ along the border with India. These dry docks are the rail head terminals for all the cargo rail lines from Kolkata into Nepal.  India has never blocked these and goods have been regularly delivered into these docks on the Nepal side of the border. The crux of the matter is that the fuel tankers travel by road and without diesel or petrol the trucks in Nepal are unable to deliver the much needed goods and essential supplies into the interior.

To this point it seemed a straight forward dispute between the Terai people and the Government but this is where politics rears its ugly head.

Trucks carrying essential supplies waiting to enter Nepal

Local community leaders and political leaders along the border and at the border crossing points closed the official customs posts in an attempt to reduce the tension and wilful damage and deaths that were occurring. This spread to the next level of administration up and so on until it reached the top of both the Indian and Nepalese political institutions. So to this point India had not ‘officially’ blockaded the border and goods were getting into Nepal as normal, the blockade comes from the fact that the tankers are not being allowed to cross thus basically blocking the onward movements of goods.

Trucks carrying essential supplies into Nepal held up at a border crossing point due to lack of fuel within Nepal

On the 3rd October Nepal turned to the UN over the alleged obstruction of key border trade points with India that resulted in acute shortages of essential goods and it appealed to the international community to ensure that the landlocked country’s freedom of transit was not curtailed. Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over the obstruction of essential supplies and the difficulties resulting from it. [The Tribune Nov 24^th 2015]

The Political Intrigue

The proposed new federal states of Nepaldd caption

The Congress Party in India and in Nepal have both been relegated to the ranks of the opposition party sat on the side lines of government. This is the first time that this has happened over the last few decades for more than a short term in the recent history of both governments. Both Modi’s opponents in India and the Congress opponents in Nepal are rumoured to be using this situation to try to over-throw their respective governments. In the Nepal mix, of course, you have to add the Madhesis issues. As far as the human rights and woman rights issues are concerned these can be attended to quickly, virtually by the relevant signatures, however, the redefining of the administration zones, of which it is proposed that there should be seven is totally unworkable without one side or another backing down or at least moderating their stance.

The Terai groups are demanding that the two areas basically running along the border will become Madhesis Zones. The problem lies in the fact that with the close association and ties to India any future stand-off between the two countries could weaken the integrity and security of either nation. If the Madhesis continue to stand for their disagreements to be a 100 percent resolved then this situation could go on for a very long time, however, if all parties are prepared to meet somewhere in the middle then an end to the situation could soon be reached. At the moment no-one is prepared to back down. 

In the mean-time

In the mean time, political leaders and security forces are turning a blind eye to many issues including the

Linimg up for fuel in Kathmandu

rapidly developing ‘black market’ trade. On the surface nothing appears to be changing but in reality there is fuel getting into Nepal evident by the number of cars increasingly taking to the streets. This fuel is obviously more expensive but people are able to acquire black market supplies in certain towns across the country however, they are being more considerate as to how they use their vehicles. Despite the ‘blockade’ the Nepal Government is allowing this black market trade to develop basically making the statement to India ‘You can’t break us’. Goods will eventually get back on the shelves albeit more expensively priced as the fuel to transport them from the ‘dry docks’ although is more expensive becomes more available .. but people who can, will pay.

However, you can rest assured that many political leaders and community leaders are making a small (or not so small) fortune out of the black market trade and this will certainly not help to lubricate the mechanism to sort the disputes out. Even if the situation was resolved within the next week or so it will take a few months for life to return to anything like normal.

Women queuing for cooking gas in Kathmandu

With over 3million people living in Kathmandu the pressure on gas supplies is critical, without gas not only domestic homes but schools, hotels and other food businesses are reduced to using firewood and this again causes pollution and environmental problems.

Lives have to carry on even if it means using wood and cooking in makeshift kitchens

India has always maintained that it is not party to the disruption of essential goods to Nepal, however on the 4^th October the Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae, was reported ‘as having assured him [Nepal PM] about easing the supply situation from today’, according to state-run Nepal Television. If India has, as it states, no involvement in the border blockage then how can it assure anyone about easing the situation?

Cooking in the space available on wood fires

The supply chain was disrupted approximately 5 months ago. This has now resulted in a humanitarian issue which is aggravated by the onset of winter and low temperatures. For people still living in buildings damaged by the earthquake this is now extremely serious with reports coming in of people dying from hypothermia and exposure.

There is very limited ‘official’ petrol for private vehicles and only available after spending many hours in line. What is available on the black market is very expensive, diesel is also on quota for commercial vehicles so limited public transport and reduced domestic air services are being implemented. There is little fuel for generators consequently hospitals and other essential services are reducing their services.

Children can’t necessarily get to school as school buses can’t run and schools can’t provide hot food as there is no cooking gas. There are very few raw materials getting through thus factories are shutting down. Private houses, hotels and other establishment have had to resort to cooking on wood fires in the open.

Locally grown vegetables can’t get transported into the Kathmandu Valley and tourists ‘perceive’ they are trapped in Kathmandu with transport services being expensive to arrange. It is believed that India is creating pressure though this blockade to bring Nepal in line as a Client State.

The 1bn US $ impact of the strikes over the Constitution is 'worse than earthquakes'

Over-crowded buses carry the additional risk of accidents

In Kathmandu, there are now over mile-long queues for petrol twisting through the streets and blocking the roads.

John Augsburger, Oxfam’s humanitarian program director in Nepal, said: “The fuel crisis is narrowing the window we have to reach communities before the cold winter sets in. Temperatures frequently drop below zero in mountainous Nepal and this is going to take its toll on earthquake survivors – particularly the elderly, pregnant women and children.”

People are regularly risking their lives going about their daily duties. In recent days the lack of fuel has forced buses to carry more passengers than their capacity, [over and above what we normally see sitting on the roof of busses] Considering the current situation bus operators feel they cannot force the bus drivers to follow the law of carrying passengers according to the seat numbers. The Police also turn a blind eye to the safety issues based on the fact that people need to get about the valley, and beyond. This is leading to a greater number of accidents.

Nepal is a resilient country and its people will survive. As of the 20^th December there is no appreciable improvement in the situation, although the black market economy is developing!

At the time of completing this newsletter, it is rumoured that the Madhesis blockade has now been curtailed with their leaders being in Kathmandu to meet with the appropriate government officials in a bid to resolve the situation. The only issues now are related to those surrounding the ‘mafia’ leaders who it is alleged are continuing to control the situation for their own personal financial benefit.

It has also just been rumoured that the new Tibet/Nepal crossing point will be via Ruswa (Langtang area), as a result of the severe damage to the border point at Kodari and other local issues. The road to Shabrubesi from Kathmandu will be up-graded.

On a positive note ‘every cloud has a silver lining’. With the reduction of traffic the Valley pollution levels have dropped, cars pooling has brought neighbours together and groups of socially minded young people are reaching out to the elderly and to those in need, not only in the valley but far beyond, as ever.. it’s only the negativity that makes the news.  

And now for something completely different!

Kathmandu

International

Mountain

Film

Festival

 The 13^th edition kimff, 2015, closed its doors with the final screening ‘Tiger for Breakfast’, the Russian film portraying the life of Boris Lissanevitch. Despite the hardship facing Nepal over the last 12 months the kimff Organising Committee felt that the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival is an important event in the social calendar and therefore believed that it was crucial to maintain a focus for film buffs on the developing genre of independent film trends.

The opening film ‘Bhagyale Bachekaharu’ (Nepal Earthquake; Heroes, Survivors) was followed by the screening of more than 80 films from 25 countries between the 10^th to 14^th December. The spectrum of films included documentaries, fiction, adventure cinema, experimental shorts, anthropological narratives and animation from the international scene and specifically in the Nepal Panorama section, from the heart of the Himalaya. In the presence of filmmakers, film enthusiasts, critics, scholars, journalists, artists and mountaineers, the festival included discussion forums, guest lectures, and exhibitions of books, photos and installation art projects. 

Basanta Thapa warming the audience up before the 'Mountain Quiz' 2015

The kimff 2015 jury members were British climber and journalist Ed Douglas, Korean Professor of Media Studies Eun Young Kim, award winning Indian film editor Namrata Rao and senior film critic Premendra Nath Mazumdar. Their job was to judge the best top three films in the international competition and the top documentary film and fiction film in the Nepal Panorama selection.

Maryam Cheema and Ramyata Limbu

There was also the Audience Choice Award. The top three prizes US$ 1500, US$ 1000, US$ 500 for the international competitions were sponsored by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (TAAN) and Thamserku Trekking respectively while Nepal Film Development Board and the Jane Goodall Foundation respectively sponsored cash prizes of Rs. 50,000/- NRs each for best fiction film and documentary in Nepal Panorama. The ICIMOD sponsored prize of US 1000 was awarded to the best film focusing on mountain development issues. This year’s events also include the popular quiz ‘Know Your Himal’ hosted by Nepali Times Editor Kunda Dixit, a photo exhibition by Indian mountaineer and photographer Abhijeet Singh, a panel discussion on ‘Trends in South Asian Independent Cinema’ with panellists Min Bham, Namrata Rao, Premendra Nath Mazumdar, Tsering Rhitar Sherpa all moderated by Anup Subedi. The screening of the Discovery Channel film ‘Sherpa’ was as expected very popular and resulted in two showings. After the first screening on Sunday 13^th December there was a panel discussion with audience interaction. The panel consisted of Gobinda Bahadur Karkee, Director General of the Department of Tourism, Ed Douglas, UK journalist and mountaineer, Ang Tshering Sherpa, President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association and Lakpha Sherpa representing the Nepal Guides Association, Deepak Thapa was the moderator. Unfortunately due to a tight time schedule and some rather long presentations from the panel members the audience had little time to respond to the issues raised in the film. Sadly an opportunity to ask some deep searching questions was missed!

Winners' Prizes 2015 kimff

Two films were particularly popular with the audience and consequently kimff provided a second screening of ‘Castaway Man’, the story of Prof. Dor Bahdur Bista, Nepal’s ‘Father of Anthropology’ and ‘Sherpa’ the story of the avalanche on Everest in 2014. The WWF film ‘The Ghost of the Mountains’ which explored the snow leopard tagging project in the Kanchenjunga region was also a popular attraction

This was possibly the best ever edition of kimff with many films having capacity audience attendance. The winning films for 2015 were, in the International Competition, first place went to ‘Tashi and the Monk’, a portrait of a monk and his relationship with his young charges, second place to ‘Jurek’, Jerzy Kukuczka the mountaineer, the man behind the myth and third place to ‘Shepherd’s Song’, a family suffering from a genetic sight disorder has to make a life changing decision. 

‘Passion for Life’ the story of two climbers retracing the routes pioneered by Stanislawski in the Polish Tatra Mountains got a special mention from the judges. The Nepal Panorama prize went to ‘Kamaro’, the story of a family of bonded labourers from the Sinja Valley with ‘Heaven is Black’ getting a special mention from the judges. The ICIMOD Award went to ‘Serdhak’, the trials and tribulations of a family living in Mustang. However, ‘Bhagyale Bachekaharu’ (Nepal Earthquake; Heroes, Survivors) won both the Audience and overall Winners Award.

Other snippets

With the present fuel problems, including aviation fuel domestic flights have been hard hit with steep price increases. Tumlintar tickets now cost 170 US $ for foreigners and 7900/-NRs for Nepalese travellers single journey. As a result many locals can’t afford the flights so the companies are saying ‘No passengers, cut services’, it’s a vicious circle. I just hope when all this gets sorted out then prices will go back to normal.

Trekking Peak permits – these were handed to the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) in the mid 1970s so that income could be generated to fund the NMA services. The Government for various reasons decided to claw the permits back earlier this year on the understanding that on the receipt of appropriate planning and budgets from the NMA all services would be financially covered by the Government. The NMA felt this would stifle their ability to control their own finances and therefore challenged the Government’s wisdom in this matter in court. In the beginning of December the Trekking Peak Permits were returned to the NMA and I have been assured by the NMA that services will continue as before.

The exchange rate – as always at this time of year there is a subtle movement in the rate, at the moment it has dropped to 153/- NRs to the sterling pound.

Weather – we are now well into winter, December is always considered to be the coldest month in Nepal, before ‘climate change’ became an issue. Certainly over the last few days the average temperature has dropped with a low temperature in Kathmandu being around -2°C rising to around 15° in the sun and out of the wind.

Load Shedding – this has been an annual event for many years now. Despite the fact that Nepal is one of the world’s greatest producers of fresh water, even more so now in times of global warming, it is still not able to produce sufficient electricity to meet the nation’s needs. This results in electricity being cut off to all sections of the community in rota. However, under the present conditions with the restricted supply of cooking gas many households are turning to the use of rice cookers and other electrical appliance, this puts increased pressure on the local transformers which cannot cope. Consequently for much of the 110 hours a week (58 hours without power) during which time households are supplied with power it is restricted. Once we get towards the monsoon time hopefully electricity will become more plentiful.

Christmas is not generally celebrated here but there are plenty of Christmas decorations up in hotels and the larger shops just to make us feel at home. However Father Christmas and Rudolf in Christmas lights across the top of a lodge in Namche Bazaar does seem a bit incongruous, but, as we say, it’s the thought that counts!

Another year is coming to a close and for Nepal I don't think we'll be too sad to see the end of 2015 and to welcome in 2016.

 It has obviously been a very difficult year for so many people who continue to struggle against the impact of the earthquake, political disturbances and a failing recovery program.
I hope 2016 brings you all greater security, health, wealth and happiness. And on that note I’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and so many grateful thanks to all of you that have supported our Earthquake fund.