Many of you know that I served in the Peace Corps in Nepal. Currently, there is a civil war capped by the king taking authoritarian rule by sacking the parliment. The sh*t is hitting the fan but I thought I would let you read an email I received from a Nepali friend:
Anthony Sir, Greetings! I am safe here. I am so lucky in this strike and curfew. But in our nation’s life isn’t guaranteed. Our cruel king is sleeping joyfully in peoples blood. We are hoping the strike will make a new revolution in the nation and the criminal king will cease to be in Nepal.
Chilling.
5 Comments
I often feel terrible about being so unaware of what is happening in Nepal these days. Used to be that I was hearing and seeing things much more telling of what was happening that what I could even read in the papers in Nepal, or hear from the development community there.
I used to follow the bloggers, but most have taken up your friend’s attitude; however, varying on the blogger replace “King” with “the Maoists” or “the parties.” It doesn’t matter.
Scott recommends Samudaya.
Good link, Scott. The quoted email was the first overt email from my contact in Nepal really taking a stance. I was stunned at the strong language involved. It a tough world for divine personage in Nepal these days.
I’m amazed how much news I can get from US news services about Nepal. I read an article about it an decided to come here and see what Tony had to say.
Hmm. I really experienced the disconnect between news in print and news on the street while I was in Nepal. Neither are usually very “true”. I think most US news services get their reports about Nepal from the US embassy in Kathmandu. I mean, the BBC just has one guy there.
Come on, we all know that any news report is somehow biased. It is really the same sh*t, different day there. BBC does have a couple correspondents–one caucasion and some locals. Besides, what’s happening in Birganj, Nepalganj, Naraynghat or Rajbiraj? Are they really than unaffected by what’s going on?