Background Nepal’s new Constitution had just been endorsed by the Constituent Assembly, but Madhesi <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/un-centralising-the-federal-structure">activists</a> were not happy and there was violence in Tarai cities. Following the promulgation of the Constitution in 2015, the Tharuhat Struggle Committee (TSC) rejected the seven-province federalism model that placed Kailali and Kanchanpur in Far-west Province, demanding greater autonomy for their indigenous group in a separate Tharuhat Province.&nbsp; However, the Akhanda Sudur Paschim movement that had been demanding a separate Far-western state had been celebrating the passing of the new Constitution, leading to a confrontation between the two organisations.&nbsp; On 24 August 2015, armed supporters of the TSC <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2015/08/24/kailali-carnage/">confronted police in Tikapur</a> of Kailali district. Madhesi activists were reported to have instigated the indigenous Tharu community to join the Madhes Movement.&nbsp; Eight police officers were killed: lynched, knifed, or burnt alive. A two-year-old baby was also shot. Police filed charges in the Kailali District Court against 58 suspects, naming Resham Chaudhary, the district coordinator of the Tharuhat Struggle Committee, as the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2017/01/22/tikapur-finding/">mastermind behind the attacks</a>. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/tikapur-s-protracted-trauma">Tikapur’s protracted trauma</a>, Tufan Neupane  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230529120548_0c6976eb2e6b43f40a0dfcc835c28d72cab53f804840bf9c0900b34a2b2ba19a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230529120548_0c6976eb2e6b43f40a0dfcc835c28d72cab53f804840bf9c0900b34a2b2ba19a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1064" loading="lazy" alt="Resham Chaudhary"> <figcaption>Resham Chaudhary with wife Ranjita Shrestha, who is the Minister of Land Management and the chair of the Nagarik Unmukti Party.</figcaption> </figure>  What did the courts do? While still on the run, Resham Chaudhary ran for elections in 2017 as Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) and was elected to Parliament from Kailali-1. &nbsp; As MP, he turned himself in to police in February 2018, but was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment along with 11 others by the Kailali District Court and the High Court in 2019. On 17 May this year, the Supreme Court upheld the verdict of the two lower courts.&nbsp; Why was he released? On Nepal’s Republic Day on Monday, President Ram Chandra Paudel included Resham Chaudhary in his amnesty list on recommendation of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.&nbsp; Article 276 of Nepal’s constitution stipulates that the President may, in accordance with the law, grant pardons, suspend, commute or remit any sentence passed by any Court, judicial or quasi-judicial body or administrative authority or body. From behind bars, Chaudhary last year got his wife Ranjita Shrestha to form the Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP). Shrestha herself was elected to Parliament in the 2022 federal elections, and is Minister of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation. But she had not participated in Cabinet meetings.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/displacement-and-defiance/">Displacement and defiance</a>, Tom Robertson  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230529120548_eb2eee37cde4dc6626f7765be55322637668e28f6cdd1615da9d09ffac72f4b6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20230529120548_eb2eee37cde4dc6626f7765be55322637668e28f6cdd1615da9d09ffac72f4b6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1066" loading="lazy" alt="Resham Chaudhary"> </figure>  Although the NUP is a part of Prime Minister Dahal’s coalition government, it had made <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/government-of-the-leaders-for-the-leaders-by-the-leaders">Chaudhary’s release a primary agenda</a>, threatening to pull out of the coalition if that demand was not fulfilled.&nbsp; The coalition was looking fragile after the exit of the independent RSP, the fourth largest party in Parliament with i21 members.&nbsp; Chaudhary’s pardon will now ensure the the NUP remains in the coalition for the time being. But this is bound to have a ripple effect on other smaller parties in the coalition to use similar bargaining tactics to gain political leverage. The Dahal-led coalition government was pushing for Chaudhary’s inclusion in the President’s Republic Day amnesty list which also includes 482 others serving prison terms. Besides Chaudhary, 19 prisoners were also pardoned. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/atrocities-against-tharu-expressed-in-art/">Atrocities against Tharu expressed in art</a>, Sakina Abidi  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230529120548_572f971d19c8bd2edf1918dc64853f00ad7004673c83e694b54015770e133850.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20230529120548_572f971d19c8bd2edf1918dc64853f00ad7004673c83e694b54015770e133850" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1064" loading="lazy" alt="Resham Chaudhary NT"> </figure>  What is the fallout? The fallout of Resham Chaudhary’s release is sharply divided. Activists and members of the Tharu community, who have long demanded that the Tikapur protests be treated as a political movement and not criminal activity, have welcomed the government’s decision.&nbsp; Human rights activists and others say that his pardon undermines Nepal’s judiciary, encourages impunity and compounds the injustice to the victims and families of the 2015 killings.&nbsp; 'It is abundantly clear that the government, by disregarding the judgement of the court and infringing upon the judicial rights of victims, is institutionalising impunity, ignoring the spirit of the Constitution, and making a mockery out of the republic,’ read a statement put out by the Accountability Watch Committee (AWC). 'It is reprehensible that the government, which has a responsibility to protect the fundamental rights of the victims, has repeatedly sided with the perpetrator.' The opposition UML has been especially vocal, and has accused Dahal of pardoning a criminal solely to keep his shaky coalition intact.&nbsp; Resham Chaudhary’s release and the ongoing agitation in Kosi Province by activists who want Nepal’s easternmost province to be named after the Kirat ethnic group underscores the Constitution’s inability to address the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/ground-zero-kailali-nepal,2535">grievances and demands</a> for representation by Nepal’s ethnic groups.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/chitwan-s-bote-people-in-a-changing-world">Chitwan’s Bote people in a changing world</a>, Sravasti Ghosh Dastidar

Shristi Karki

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News

Who is Resham Chaudhary …

On 23 May, hundreds gathered at Kathmandu airport to greet Hari Budha Magar who created history as the world’s first double above-knee amputee to summit Everest, becoming an ultimate icon of hope and courage. “We made it!” Magar, 45, is said to have shouted as he made it to the summit of the world’s highest mountain at 3:10PM on 19 May. Magar posed for a photo sitting on the top holding his two prosthetic legs.&nbsp; Mt Everest, even in the most favorable of weather conditions, poses extreme challenges for the best of climbers. Till press time on Thursday, nearly 500 mountaineers had made it to the top, while 11 lost their lives on the mountain. Magar climbed with the help of fellow-Nepali high altitude guides in extreme weather, defying all the odds and breaking stereotypes. The former British Gurkha soldier has since received much praise from the world over for his exceptional achievement. After losing his legs in a mine explosion in Afghanistan in 2010, Magar fell into hopelessness before his ambitions for the great mountains reignited. Before long, he went paragliding, ventured onto tough roads cycling and skiing, and climbed mountains with his prosthetic legs. Eventually, he set his eyes on Everest. And led by former Chief Mountain Instructor at the British SAS commando unit, and world-renowned climber Krish Thapa, the team crossed the treacherous Khumbu Icefall paths from Base Camp to the South Col and onto the summit. ‘Congratulations, Hari Budha Magar. Unbelievable,’ wrote British actor Tom Hardy on his Instagram following the climb. Indeed, the publicity he has generated has now become an unprecedented source of inspiration, especially for individuals with disabilities, not just in Nepal but worldwide. Says Magar: “I am climbing Mt Everest to inspire people with disabilities, to show that we can achieve the same feats as able-bodied people.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230524140520_b2c0a8d9735e7c1be864f2f2c4e461bdcb8271ef541de2ced3fdde3fe1a859fd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20230524140520_b2c0a8d9735e7c1be864f2f2c4e461bdcb8271ef541de2ced3fdde3fe1a859fd" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1664" loading="lazy" alt="The pinnacle of determination and courage "> </figure>  Since the first successful ascent in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary, up until 2022 a total of 6,383 people have reached the summit. The proportion of individuals with physical disabilities is only 20, two of whom are Nepalis. Born in the secluded village of Mirul in Rolpa, Magar spend much of his life grazing cattle on a hilltop from where he would view Sisne Himal and Dhaulagiri every day, igniting in him an early fascination with mountains and a longing to climb them someday. In adherence to village tradition, his parents got him married at the age of 11 while Rolpa was in the war zone during the Maoist conflict. Magar had two distinct choices: either join the Maoist militia or the state military.&nbsp; Magar’s father charted a third route by sending him to Liwang municipality to complete his education. After completing school, Magar was among the few to be enrolled in the British Royal Gurkha Rifles in 1999. He served in the British Army for 15 years in five continents. In 2010, in Afghanistan's Helmand province he was on NATO patrol when he was hit by a roadside bomb. But the time he regained consciousness in hospital, both his legs had been amputated.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230524140516_95388e7493a3eda576e929cb19c77ab115ee1a990b9ed5a3dc81a9a78e1cd961.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230524140516_95388e7493a3eda576e929cb19c77ab115ee1a990b9ed5a3dc81a9a78e1cd961" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1366" loading="lazy" alt="The pinnacle of determination and courage "> </figure>  Coming to terms with his disability was an uphill challenge, the very thought of having to rely on someone else even for the simplest acts like eating, sleeping, and using the restroom had him depressed. He descended into alcoholism and despair. Magar got himself admitted to Rakshya Medical Rehabilitation Centre for rehabilitation, and soon discovered new possibilities with his prosthetic leg. He started finding solace in adventure, and started out by learning to paraglide. . “This restored hope in me that even a person with a disability can accomplish great things,” says Magar, who then turned to his childhood dream of mountaineering. He travelled around the world to build up his climbing skills and stamina, climbing Mount Blanc (4,810m), Kilimanjaro (5,895m), Cho Oyu (6,059m) and Mera Peak (6,476m), all of which were preparations for his ultimate goal, Mt Everest. By 2018, Magar was all prepared but Tourism Ministry imposed a ban on individuals with disabilities, citing safety concerns. Dissatisfied with this decision, Magar filed a writ petition in Nepal’s Supreme Court which ruled in his favour. Then the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the climb, and he used the time to prepare. Magar is now an icon of the triumph of the human spirit. He says: “Dreams and challenges may seem unattainable, but with the right mindset, everything is possible.” Adapted by Shrijan Pandey from the Nepali original published in <a href="http://himalkhabar.com/" target="_blank">himalkhabar.com</a>

The pinnacle of determination and courage

This has been a season of new records on Nepal’s Himalayan peaks, with more than 1,000 mountaineers attempting 25 peaks. Mt Everest alone has more than half those climbers, exceeding the pre-pandemic peak in 2019. High winds and early pre-monsoon blizzards are expected to hit the mountain this week, and climbers are scrambling to the summit before the season officially closes on 1 June. So far this year, at least 10 climbers have died on Mt Everest alone, but many records have also been broken, including some multiple times on successive days. Kami Rita Sherpa summited Mt Everest twice in one season, taking his total to 28 times. Kami Rita is once again ahead of Pasang Dawa Sherpa who had tied his record of climbing 27 times only 24 hours previously.  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230523150540_a3ec9f5f2680fa993f71e5257a10a5a98b20d151185ac41a755e6af3e93c60a5.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20230523150540_a3ec9f5f2680fa993f71e5257a10a5a98b20d151185ac41a755e6af3e93c60a5" data-rendition-name="original" width="1293" height="709" loading="lazy" alt="Kami Rita SHerpa"><figcaption>Kami Rita Sherpa</figcaption></figure>  More than 500 people have summited Mt Everest this season, and that is another record, but the climbers have spread themselves out to prevent a repeat of the notorious traffic jams that gave Himalayan climbing a bad reputation in 2018. This year is the 99th anniversary of the disappearance of Mallory and Irvine on the north ridge of Everest in 1924, and the 60th year of the first traverse of the world’s highest mountain up the West Ridge and down the South Col route by Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld of the 1963 Mt Everest expedition. Hornbein died earlier this month, only 16 days shy of the 60th anniversary of the historic climb. With the record numbers of climbers, there has also been the problem of waste. Although a Nepal Army expedition his season cleaned up some of the trash left by previous years’ expeditions, it represented a small proportion of the garbage. The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) requires each expedition group to deposit $4,000 which is refunded if everyone brings back at least 8kg of garbage even though an average climber leaves behind much more. “I believe that climbers who spend five to six weeks on an expedition produce more waste than that,” says Billi Bierling of the Himalayan Database. Human waste from Base Camp is supposed to be carried to a landfill in Gorakshep lower down the valley. Plans are underway to build a biogas plant generating methane gas from waste to heat base camp. Besides the race for records by Kami Rita and Pasang Dawa Sherpa, there were other records. Kilian Jornet, a Spanish ultra-runner who summited Everest twice in a week without supplemental oxygen in 2017, is back on Lhotse trying out a non-standard different route. The gender gap is closing on Mt Everest with more and more women attempting to summit each season. Nearly 7,000 different climbers have summited Mt Everest, and out of them 822 were women. Only nine of them have reached the top without bottled oxygen, compared to 154 men. This season, several women are attempting to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen. Among them is Nepali Dabuti Sherpa and if she succeeds, will be the first Nepali woman to have achieved this on the 45th anniversary of the first Everest ascent without bottled oxygen by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler in 1978. Another climber who made history this year was Hari Budha Magar, a double above-the-knee amputee who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan. After being discharged from the British Gurkha, Hari had been training to climb Mt Everest since 2017 with special gear. Magar is a climate champion and is raising funds 100 times more than the height of Mt Everest (£884,900) for charities that helped rehabilitate him.  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230523150540_44bb6ef305565b0ab5af3439c20e2efc5f7ef3239eb39dffab0f9cf0f52a9ded.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230523150540_44bb6ef305565b0ab5af3439c20e2efc5f7ef3239eb39dffab0f9cf0f52a9ded" data-rendition-name="original" width="1280" height="854" loading="lazy" alt="Hari Budha Magar"></figure>  Other notable climbs included Naila Kiani’s summit which made her the first Pakistani woman to get on top of five highest mountains, and compatriot Sajid Ali Sadpara, who was the first Pakistani to climb Everest without oxygen and plans to climb the remaining seven eight-thousanders. Vietnamese climber Nguyên Thi Thanh Nhā became the first Vietnamese woman to reach the Everest summit, and Xu Zhuoyuan, 16, became the youngest Chinese female climber to get to the top of the world’s highest mountain. Both climbs were made from the Nepal side, since there is only one national Chinese expedition from the north. There have been 10 deaths on Mt Everest from icefall collapse, exhaustion and high altitude cerebral edema. Although there have been seasons with more deaths (avalanches in 2014 and 2015 killed a total of 34 climbers) the average is four fatalities per season. Annapurna 1 recorded fatalities early in the season. An avalanche forced climbers off higher camps, three of them were reported missing, one Indian climber was miraculously rescued from a crevasse after three days. And Noel Hanna, a renowned Irish mountaineer died at Camp 4 the night after he summited the world’s tenth highest mountain. Several mountaineers who had reached the top were airlifted from high camps raising questions from purists whether theirs could be really called a ‘summit’. Mountaineers Jonathan Lamy from France and Pakistani Naila Kiani were caught in the middle of that debate. The Himalayan Database has introduced a new category of summits that indicates whether a climb was ‘aviation assisted’. On 3 May, Norwegian Kristen Harila, atop Cho Oyu, became the fastest woman to climb all 14 eight thousanders in a year. She had planned to break Nims Purja’s record of summiting all 14 peaks in six months and six days, but could not get a Chinese visa last autumn for Cho Oyu and Shishapangma. Harila now aims to climb all 8,000 mountains again, this time in four months, and is re-climbing the mountains all over again, summiting Lhotse and Everest in a record eight hours on Monday. Counting Shishapangma on 26 April and Cho Oyu on 3 May, Kristen has begun her 2023 ‘14 Peaks’ attempt in less than 6 months. She has already completed 4/14 peaks, climbing Makalu on 13 May and Kanchenjunga on 18 May in under 22 days. Her website allows her followers to track her rapidly progressing journey with an online GPS. “Since Nims (Nirmal Purja) climbed the 14 8,000ers in record time, there has been a shift in mountaineering,” says Billi Bierling talking about the athleticism and speed which is now sought in the high Himalayas. Harila’s record surpassed her female predecessors’ by years, one of them Austrian mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner who took 14 years to ascend all 14 8,000 peaks. Harila has climbed expedition style, while Kaltnebrunner is a true alpinist who climbs without supplementary oxygen and Sherpa and helicopter support. Alpine style climbing is what Polish climber Votyek Kurtyka describes as "meeting the mountain one-on-one" and is gradually being displaced by commercial military-style assaults on mountains. Experts say the style of climbing is more important than record-setting. With commercial expeditions, there were also reports of theft of oxygen cylinders, climbing equipment and food at higher camps, including the South Col this season. But there are still less-publicised alpine style climbs, including a new route on Kabru South (7,318m) by a team of Slovak and Solvenian climbers who got to the top of this side peak of Kangchenjunga without oxygen, Sherpas and setting up tent camps. On Dhaulagiri 1 Bartek Ziemski from Poland became the first person to complete a full ski descent of Dhaulagiri, the world’s seventh highest. Two Russian climbers also skied down Mt Everest, but it is not clear where they started and where they stopped. High winds are battering the mountains ahead of this week’s storms, and there will be many at base camps following the progress of the last summit teams.

On Mt Everest’s 70th, records and fatalities

When Nepalis in the Gulf make it into conversation, the last thing that comes up may be about a pair of head-banging rock artists. Nepalis are better known for being hardworking construction workers, long-distance lorry drivers, or serving as security guards in the Gulf nation. But in Qatar’s underground rock and metal scene, you will find Ameet Kunwar rocking the drums and Satish Thapa Magar grooving the crowd with his bass and vocals, defying the stereotype of a Nepali in the Arabian desert. Winterburn, a hard rock band fronted by Gibson-endorsed guitarist and singer Naser Mestarihi, and the two Nepali musicians is the first and only rock band performing original music in Qatar. Having received much acclaim and international play for their singles, the trio has been labeled as the pioneers of the rock scene in the country by Musivv digital platform, Vents Magazine, and Fox Sports. Back home in Nepal, Satish was a digital marketing officer by day and performed music gigs by night. Yet, it was not enough to support his family. Three years ago, he left to work as an accountant in a bar in Qatar. Ameet migrated 14 months ago for similar reasons. “I missed the music I was really passionate about. I have been playing since I was 17,” says Satish, now 27. “So when I was introduced to the music circle here, I took the risk to quit my job and pursue music professionally.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230523080540_d1f4b64591dd70ec8cbf0de90da639c61821ae4b01caa8c893a034edfd3a9ade.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20230523080540_d1f4b64591dd70ec8cbf0de90da639c61821ae4b01caa8c893a034edfd3a9ade" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis rock in the desert"> </figure>  The duo plays in three bands in Qatar: Kathmandu Musical Band for the Nepali diaspora audience, Afterlife, a rock-cover band for the expatriate community here and Winterburn, an ambitious original rock music project. “The pay difference between Qatar and Nepal is huge, just two to three gigs a week can give us a good income,”adds Satish. “Even the entire band is not paid this much in Nepal.” However, being an independent rock musician in an expensive city like Qatar is not as glamorous as it sounds. Audiences prefer cover music and DJs compared to live, original music. But the band members are committed to keeping the spirit of real rock alive, even at the cost of losing lucrative performance offers. This means that more often than not, it is Naser’s local friends who make up most of the crowd. But it is hard to get the recognition the band deserves in Qatar. While Winterburn is gaining popularity, the music scene is still very challenging. “Since we are an original band, it is hard to earn money given we can’t perform original music every day,” says Ameet who has balanced his passion to supporting his family back home in Nepal.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230523080540_c3923b7a3fe3a280aa6cf7d575665051c53cd29f47a3b70a0e4ebac90ac8ab87.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230523080540_c3923b7a3fe3a280aa6cf7d575665051c53cd29f47a3b70a0e4ebac90ac8ab87" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="2000" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis rock in the desert"> <figcaption>Ameet Kunwar.</figcaption> </figure>  Satish and Ameet have been approached by multiple bars to sign contracts for a monthly income, which they have refused. The contract binds them to a single bar where the musical expectation is specific and leaves little room for self-expression and experimentation. Moreover, the market is saturated with Filipino bands, who often play covers for lower pay. And as a Nepali band, many here expect them to perform Bollywood hits. “It is especially hard being Nepali, and by extension South Asian, here. The music scene is perhaps the only place where we don’t have to worry about racism,” says Ameet. Nepalis are often branded as low-paid menial workers. People fail to recognise the Nepali identity beyond KFC counters and Talabat rides. When Satish and Ameet climb on stage, most are surprised they are Nepali. However, some sign them on just for the novelty of having a Nepali rock band. And it is the very rebellion in their musical expression that has given Satish and Ameet their identity as strugglers against stereotypes and racism.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230523080544_e348b02f332476fd9b6a95c264e1182908ded016fd795fca78ab4bf94e0f1ff8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20230523080544_e348b02f332476fd9b6a95c264e1182908ded016fd795fca78ab4bf94e0f1ff8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="2000" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis rock in the desert"> <figcaption>Satish Thapa Magar.</figcaption> </figure>  “When I am up there on stage, it doesn’t matter if I am a Nepali. It is cathartic to see music erase boundaries and pre-concepts,” adds Ameet. Despite facing some uncomfortable situations off the stage, the music community in Qatar at large respects the band for its talent. Satish and Ameet have come across many who have been amazed by the diversity of Nepali music, and that includes their lead Naser. “One thing about Nepalis is that they know their music,” says Naser who is fascinated with Nepali performers like Sabin Rai, Albatross, and other bands. “My bandmates are some of the best musicians in the world who come from Nepal’s rich musical scene. They deserve much more recognition.” At the end of the day, Winterburn just wants to make music and take its originals to as many people as possible. Members are working on their second album, II, to be released globally and a regional tour of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and eventually Nepal in the coming months. Adds frontman Naser Mestarihi: “I want to play where people understand and appreciate our music, and Nepal seems to be the best place for that.”

Nepalis rock in the desert

Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record last week when he climbed the world’s highest mountain for the 27th time, keeping ahead of compatriot Pasang Dawa Sherpa who had tied his 26th climb earlier this season. Kami Rita <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/i-can-do-it-25-times">has been climbing Mt Everest </a>every year since the first time he helped an international expedition get to the summit in 1994, sometimes reaching the top twice in the same season. The only years he could not climb were in 2014 and 2015 because of deadly avalanches, and in 2020 due to the pandemic. But Kami Rita says with characteristic understatement that for him it has never been about the record. It is just another job that requires him to guide expeditions to the top, and it is a job he does well. “Had I been chasing records, I could have summited many more times,” says Kami Rita, who has turned back several times from near the summit because he had to rescue foreign climbers, or blizzards. “I have seen first hand how unpredictable and unforgiving the mountain can be.’ Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/if-the-ice-is-gone-we-are-done">“If the ice is gone, we are done”</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230521040552_8387b98b50704cf7ed76007be3d6e6ad3b27c6ade00288923033cf6dd3670434.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20230521040552_8387b98b50704cf7ed76007be3d6e6ad3b27c6ade00288923033cf6dd3670434" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1354" loading="lazy" alt="Kami Rita Sherpa NT"> </figure>  He was at Base Camp in 2014 preparing for a live telecast with his brother for a National Geographic expedition when an avalanche slammed into the Khumbu Icefall, killing 16 Sherpas, many of whom he knew.&nbsp; A year later, 19 climbers and Sherpas lost their lives when an <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/big-drops-in-Everest-bookings-affect-livelihoods-of-Nepali-high-altitude-guides,2048">avalanche triggered by the 2015 earthquake</a> destroyed Base Camp. Then the Covid-19 pandemic halted all expeditions, depriving many guides and porters of income. Throughout all this, Kami Rita has remained in Nepal, declining job offers from overseas. “For me, there is nothing more meaningful than serving my community and people,” he says matter-of-factly. "The younger generation is aware of the dangers and some have given up working on the mountains. But if we Sherpas were not here, there would be no mountaineering.” Many, including previous summit record holders like Apa Sherpa, have migrated abroad. A new generation of Sherpas are now scientists, climatologists, businessmen, or airline pilots, and their success has been made possible because of the sacrifices of their parents. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/khumbu-wants-its-share">Khumbu wants its share</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230521040552_c0c351ab9fe199499a4698b6f56a9cee2fdfa61b825593ece63bfe72aa2c5ffb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20230521040552_c0c351ab9fe199499a4698b6f56a9cee2fdfa61b825593ece63bfe72aa2c5ffb" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" alt="Kami Rita Sherpa NT"> </figure>  For Kami Rita, it looks like his family’s involvement in mountaineering may end with him. His son Lhakpa Tenzing is studying tourism as an undergrad and has no desire to follow in his father’s footsteps. His daughter Pasang Dolma is pursuing a computer science degree. “I worked hard all my life so they got a good education, even though mountaineering is an unpredictable business with seasonal income,” he says. “I have made sure that they have opportunities I never got.” <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/where-have-all-the-guides-gone">Expedition guides </a>are now increasingly being replaced by ethnic groups from lower valleys, as younger Sherpas move on to other jobs. Kami Rita says younger Nepalis from other ethnicities should have access to rock and ice climbing training so that they can take over.&nbsp; Born and raised in the Khumbu, Kami Rita attended school in Thame, one of many established by New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary, who along with Tenzing Norgay became the first to climb Mt Everest 70 years ago. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/letters-from-everest-base-camp-1-vfqcer0e">Letters from Everest Base Camp 1</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230521040552_41b36f9ee594f1ec5ecdfce673d21472c3a32738085784d5f1c1f088d01d0e33.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20230521040552_41b36f9ee594f1ec5ecdfce673d21472c3a32738085784d5f1c1f088d01d0e33" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" alt="Kami Rita Sherpa NT"> <figcaption>Kami Rita with his family.</figcaption> </figure>  Kami Rita’s own father went to Darjeeling with Tenzing Norgay, and one of his two brothers Lhakpa Rita Sherpa was a climbing guide himself before he went on to become the first Nepali to climb the Seven Summits. Mountains was all that his family knew, so it was no surprise that Kami Rita followed in their footsteps. “I wasn’t able to get much of an education, and working for expeditions would earn me much more money,” says Kami Rita, who became a porter at just 12. His only regret is that the Nepal government has never really helped the Sherpas of Khumbu. He cites the example of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/everest-trail-repaired-during-pandemic">Ang Rita Sherpa</a> who climbed Everest 10 times without oxygen but never got the support due to him. “If someone like Ang Rita does not get respect, what hope is there for the rest of us?” says Kami Rita. “The sad truth is that we have always thought of the nation first, but the nation has not shown us the same consideration.” Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/why-are-sherpas-always-happy">Why are Sherpas always happy?</a>, Tom Robertson

“Without Sherpas, there is no mountaineering”

Three people who had gone yarsagumba picking in Darchula were <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/abnormal-rise-in-monsoon-lightning-in-nepal">struck by lightning</a> on Saturday evening. The injured were airlifted to hospital by the Army. On Monday, a family of four was injured when lightning struck them as they slept in their home in Dailekh. Lightning mostly occurs high above the earth’s surface and is harmless, but cloud-to-ground strikes— which make for around 10% of all lightning— can be lethal. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Authority (NDRRMA), there have been 45 lightning strikes just in the last 30 days which killed five and injured 42, and also killed 142 livestock. Lightning strikes are more frequent during the current pre-monsoon season in Nepal and also spark forest fires. Nine people have died from lightning strikes in 2023, four in March, three in April, and so far two in May. 80 people have been injured. “Lightning strikes are becoming more frequent and violent,” says climate expert Ngamindra Dahal, adding that there are more casualties because of greater human mobility. &nbsp; In the last 10 years, lightning accounted for the third-highest number of deaths due to disasters with 905 fatalities, ranking after the 2015 earthquakes and landslides. And yet, there is little awareness or preparedness. Now, studies have linked the increase in intensity and frequency of thunderstorms to climate change induced convection systems. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/lightning-kills-more-people-than-floods-in-nepal/" target="_blank">Lightning kills more people than floods in Nepal</a>, Sonia Awale  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230519040516_59c980a8f0df43561046c4fd631daaac623d3f1d973f2f3acb12cc366fe842a0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20230519040516_59c980a8f0df43561046c4fd631daaac623d3f1d973f2f3acb12cc366fe842a0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1750" height="1355" loading="lazy" alt="Lightning map"> </figure>  “These changes in climate and weather dynamics make a case for the change in frequency and intensity of lightning strikes being climate change-driven,” adds Dahal. Nepal’s mountains have always been vulnerable to cloudbursts and lightning strikes, with districts like Makwanpur and Tanahu being the most vulnerable. But lightning is a natural disaster that can be prevented in cost-effective manner, at least its impacts, says Dahal. It can be as simple as local governments marking off areas with frequent cloudbursts and putting out information about when the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-if-it-roars-go-indoors,529">public needs to avoid the areas</a>. Another option is to set up public shelters made up of lightning arresters, especially near picnic zones, or areas where farmers take their<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/lightning-kills-500-sheep-in-western-nepal"> livestock</a> to graze. For its part, the NDRRMA on its website allows people to parse which lightning strikes are dangerous by counting from 1 to 30. If thunder sounds within 30 seconds of a lightning flash, seek shelter immediately for at least half an hour as those are closer to the ground, and thus more dangerous. “Our research has so far mostly been limited to keeping records of death and injuries, and not so much looking into evolving climate and weather dynamics or the increasing intensity and coverage of lightning strikes,” says Dahal. “But we can give early warning based on Doppler radar mapping for location of possible lightning storms.” &nbsp;&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/lightning-strikes-killing-people-in-Nepal,2940" target="_blank">Forecast: more thunderstorms</a>, Om Astha Rai

Thunderstruck in Nepal

Near Pimbahal Pokhari in Patan is a vast courtyard lined with historic Newa houses. At the centre is the two-tiered pagoda of Ratneswar Mahadev.&nbsp; The original carvings on the windows, doors, cornices date back at least to the 14th century. However, radio-carbon analysis of a sample taken from the western doorframe of the temple suggests a date somewhere between 1020 and 1210 CE, making the 8m-tall temple one of the oldest tiered structures in Kathmandu Valley. Sixteen beautifully carved wooden struts support the temple roofs, and most of these were stolen in the 1970s and 1980s, along with the other wooden carvings of the temple. The struts depicted the distinctively stylised and elongated figures of Salabhanjika: standing full breasted slender figures, with wide hips and crossed legs, holding a tree branch with one hand. They stood above the yaksas, their male counterparts, who are by contrast stout and unrefined.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714054_8367e31a8ae034d0f61889f1cb360d696f2c0229b98f4c2ddda0e4423eca6c1b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2023051714054_8367e31a8ae034d0f61889f1cb360d696f2c0229b98f4c2ddda0e4423eca6c1b" data-rendition-name="original" width="3259" height="4888" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  By the 1980s, the temple had further deteriorated, the roof had collapsed and all but two of the temple’s original primary struts had been stolen. Those only survived because one was buried in debris inside and another was taken by a sympathetic neighbour for safekeeping, and both are currently on display at the Patan Museum. One of the stolen struts was finally returned to Patan this week from Australia’s Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) where it was located in 2001, almost 50 years after it was stolen.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714054_1229837934f7f8770a9da7281b640b5172b35912cedfddf20be3bfecf3869bdd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2023051714054_1229837934f7f8770a9da7281b640b5172b35912cedfddf20be3bfecf3869bdd" data-rendition-name="original" width="3259" height="4888" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  AGNSW Director Michael Brand formally handed over the strut to Heramba Raj Rajopadhyay, the head priest of the Ratneswar Temple on 16 May 2023. In attendance were Australia’s Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts (see interview, below) and Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City Chiri Babu Maharjan. Watts said at the ceremony: “In 1975, thieves took it, illegally removed it. A collector acquired it, treasured it. When he died, he donated it. It sat in an Australian art gallery, which exhibited it, honoured it. People came to see it, were moved by its elegance and craft. But it didn’t belong there either – that wasn’t its home.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714054_8e1507cca47cdba601fa25db3cfd484c6f0cc6a0436094d36dbc8adccf335d2a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2023051714054_8e1507cca47cdba601fa25db3cfd484c6f0cc6a0436094d36dbc8adccf335d2a" data-rendition-name="original" width="2859" height="4288" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  Thousands of stone, metal and wooden heritage have been stolen from the Kathmandu Valley since the 1970s and, as with many of these artefacts, how this particular strut was smuggled out of the country remains a mystery.&nbsp; What is known is that in the intervening years, the strut changed hands until it reached Alex Biancardi, an Australian-British collector of Asian art. Coming from an old family from Alexandria in Egypt, Biancardi arrived in Australia in 1947 after a stint in the air force, where he became a textile trader. He returned to France in 1962 but would frequently revisited Australia. He died in November 1998, bequeathing much of his collections to the AGNSW, including the Ratneswar strut in 2000. In 2001, scholar Mary Slusser informed the gallery that she had taken photographs of the struts in 1969 before they were stolen. The gallery began its own research to find out more about where it came from, but because of the turmoil in Nepal after the royal massacre could not return it.&nbsp; Brand first visited Nepal with his brother in 1973 when he was only 15 and met architectural conservator John Sanday who was then leading restoration work on the Hanuman Dhoka.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/remembering-nepals-lost-and-the-found">Remembering Nepal's lost and the found</a>, Ashish Dhakal He told Nepali Times: “Nepal changed my life, and ultimately led to me studying the art of South Asia before becoming a curator, and then an art museum director.”&nbsp; Brand would then later join the J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles in 2005 as its director. In 2010, the Getty was under extreme pressure from the Italian and Greek governments to return Italian, Greek and Etruscan antiquities.&nbsp; Getty returned 45 artefacts to Italy, signing an agreement for cultural exchange, which allowed for the museum to borrow on long-term loan other objects.&nbsp; So, when heard about the Ratneswar strut at the AGNSW, Brand was already experienced in working through these issues and realising what the best approach would be. “The number one goal for me to protect artefacts from looting no matter where it stays,” he says.&nbsp; Back in Nepal, restoration of the temple began in earnest in 1992 by the KVPT and World Monuments Fund (WMF). Replicas of the stolen struts were designed based on Slusser's photographs and the caretaker's memories by Indra Kaji Shilpakar in 1998.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714054_1179ac406a52a64d07796476b00bc0310ae9522cd11ab9cb6f8c2cae1a123c32.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2023051714054_1179ac406a52a64d07796476b00bc0310ae9522cd11ab9cb6f8c2cae1a123c32" data-rendition-name="original" width="2933" height="4399" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  But immediately after the first restoration, one of the strut reproductions and the toran were stolen, with the most recent theft 10 years ago. Slusser then wrote: ‘Attempts to steal the modern reproductions from the temple made it clear that the (AGNSW) strut had best be left on loan to Australia.’&nbsp; Between 2001 and 2006, the Gallery and the KVPT investigated options for returning the sculpture and agreed that, for safekeeping, the Gallery would retain custody of the strut. Roshan Mishra of Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign notes that Slusser however did not have the authority on where the strut should stay, that say belonged to the community of Sulima. On a visit to the AGNSW in 2019, Mishra found that the gallery displayed the strut, specifying that it was originally from the Ratneswar temple in Patan, which he says was unusual for galleries and museums to do.&nbsp; The discussions between the gallery and Nepal government were once again hampered by the 2015. But the strut was formally deaccessioned by the gallery in 2022, and the governor of New South Wales signed off on the return.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714054_0e8bd039620dfb76662ed1dc1d9ef189cbe47aa278fdbb58544c22bb035369ff.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="2023051714054_0e8bd039620dfb76662ed1dc1d9ef189cbe47aa278fdbb58544c22bb035369ff" data-rendition-name="original" width="3071" height="4606" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  Brand adds that the return and his trip to Nepal are important to build a relation with curators, scholars, the Department of Archaeology, the ministries, the community in Nepal and Australia. “Nepal is fortunate to have such fantastic culture that people are interested in,” he says. Two other struts from the Ratneswar Temple have since been located by Lost Arts of Nepal: one in the collection of Chino Roncoroni, and other with Theresa McCullough in London. The return of the strut is among the many stolen cultural heritage returned in recent years from museums, galleries and collections abroad. On 11 May 2023, the American Homeland Security Investigations handed over to the Embassy of Nepal in DC 40 artefacts, including 39 engraved and painted wooden panels and a carved wooden shrine dated to the 19th-20th century. Earlier, stone statues of Uma Mahesvara, Chaturmukh Shivlinga, Nagaraja, Padmanpani and Shakyamuni Buddha were repatriated and wooden statues of Nritya Devi and standing stone statue of Lord Buddha. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Read on: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/faith-stolen-lost-in-nepal-found-in-america?fbclid=IwAR339kc1dVacPz-FtNvJMdX7wBCk68KWkYD9EYasJsPphlbsQdwG-cfMkSg">Faith Stolen: Lost in Nepal, found in America</a> <h2>"The joy of returning it to the place it belongs"</h2> Australia’s Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts attended the historic handing over of the stolen strut from Patan’s Sulima Ratneswar temple on 16 May. He spoke to Nepali Times after the ceremony. Excerpts:  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714058_031d022cf7263778751f47e9e3fdee9583729390136a17354b103d83df40f521.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="2023051714058_031d022cf7263778751f47e9e3fdee9583729390136a17354b103d83df40f521" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1066" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> <figcaption>The Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affiars Hon Tim Watts, MP, in conversation with Mayor of Lalitpur Chiri Babu Maharjan at the handing over ceremony for the Ratneshwar Mahadev strut on Tuesday. Photo: TIM WATTS MP/FACEBOOK</figcaption> </figure>  Nepali Times: How did you come to find out about the strut and why did you want to visit Nepal for its return?&nbsp; Tim Watts: As the Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign affairs, we often say that Australia’s foreign policy begins with our identity. Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world: half of Australians are either born overseas or have a parent born overseas. This connects us with every corner of the world which can look at Australia and see it reflected. We can look into ourselves and understand the world better. The Nepali Australian community is the fastest growing in Australia, with about 130,000 Australians having Nepali ancestry. I was interested in the Australia-Nepal relations in that context. I understand the deep importance of faith and culture for our diaspora community, and maintaining that connection with their country of origin. I became aware through the Embassy of Nepal of the discussions between the AGNSW, the Department of Archaeology in Nepal (DoA), and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation about the investigation into the provenance of this tudal (strut) from the Ratneswar temple, and its potential repatriation. And I thought this was enormously praiseworthy of the gallery and this was a model of the ethical practice in international obligations and wanted to show my support. The credit here goes to the AGNSW because they were the ones, when made aware of the potential problematic provenance of the tudal, engaged in the investigation, worked with the authorities in Nepal, and arranged for the repatriation. And my presence here is to throw the spotlight on [the repatriation] as the best practice and saying that the Australian government supports and endorses it. What can be the process for this best practice? Each artefact will have its own cultural context, its own history and present-day circumstance that will impact what the best practice is for it. Its safety is an important consideration, the changing cultural contexts of governments on both sides matter as well. There is not only one appropriate response. The momentum we have been seeing around the world for governments recognising where it is best to repatriate is a really positive thing that we want to show our support for.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230517140516_f801b6b3dc2661f380f13fa6b23c378cf737753d0f5956c5206b31689e4b1f8e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20230517140516_f801b6b3dc2661f380f13fa6b23c378cf737753d0f5956c5206b31689e4b1f8e" data-rendition-name="original" width="4888" height="3259" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  Like Australia, Nepal is also a multilingual and multicultural country. How does it feel to witness the handing over? I found it to be enormously meaningful and a moving celebration, for a number of reasons. Firstly, being there on the ground, it was really clear how much this tudal meant to the local community, to see the joy of returning it to the place it belongs to them. It was not just a historical artefact but a living expression of culture. It was also meaningful to me as a representative of the Australian government that puts our identity at the heart of our foreign policy. I know how meaningful acts like this are to our Australian Nepalis. I had a number of meetings with the Nepali communities in Australia before I came here. The word that this happening had gone around, and people were really proud that Australia was the kind of country that returned cultural artefacts and didn’t unjustly hold on to them. Obviously, there are many cultural contexts of removal, et cetera, and it’s difficult to generalise. But in this particular instance, the best practice was to return it and I was proud to have been part of that. I was aware of an increasing number of artefacts returning to Nepal in particular, largely from the US, and I think that the momentum behind the returns is a really positive thing. That is part of why we were very keen on holding a public celebration of this repatriation, to draw attention to this as a model of the best ethical practice and international cooperation. It is important to us Australians to see that we not just repatriate the artefact but we model to the world on how we do this. A reason behind this is that many Australian cultural artefacts are held in institutions away from Australia, and more egregiously the remains of Indigenous Australians held in academic and cultural institutions. We have often sought the return of these to Australia because they are incredibly meaningful to Indigenous Australians who have a profound connection with the place and country they come from and it is enormously distressing for them when they are removed from the country. What does the repatriation of this strut from Ratneswar mean to the Australia-Nepal relations? There was intense cooperation between the Nepali and Australian governments, the embassy, and the DoA. I think that as a multicultural country, Australia has a lot of experience in the importance of cultural heritage to our diaspora communities. There is this phenomenon where the further you are from your mother country, the more intensely you value, celebrate and want to preserve that culture. As such, this is doubly meaningful for the Nepali-Australian community because it validates and supports their cultural practices and connects them to Nepal, and also gives them pride in their Australian identity – that they are a member of the country that does the right thing with respect to cultural artefacts. There is nothing more Australian than celebrating our multicultural identity. Read more: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-nepali-antiquities-got-to-chicago-museum">How Nepali antiquities got to Chicago museum</a>, Alisha Sijapati

Ashish Dhakal

Australian gallery returns stolen strut to Nepal

Former Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi had been on the run ever since he was named as one of high ranking officials involved in a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/rot-at-the-top">fake refugee scandal</a>. After being MIA for 10 days, he was finally arrested on Sunday evening. Rayamajhi is a former Maoist guerrilla commander who defected to the UML, and served in the K P Oli government after 2018. Warrants for his and his son’s arrest were issued on 3 May. His son was detained the same day, but Rayamajhi reportedly fled to India and was finally arrested in Kathmandu.&nbsp; He is the highest ranking former government official to go down in a scandal that has so far snared another former home minister from the Nepali Congress (NC), Bal Krishna Khand, government secretaries, middlemen and masterminds of a scheme to send hundreds of Nepalis pretending to be Bhutanese refugees to the United States. The story came out after <a href="https://ekantipur.com/news/2023/03/27/167988439341418193.html">an expose in Kantipur</a> in March in which Nepalis who had paid up to Rs5 million to recruiters to take them to the US as refugees from Bhutan lodged complaints against them. They had paid to have falsified documents to be on a list of Bhutanese refugees who were supposed to be resettled in the US, even though the relocation scheme had been closed since 2016. On 10 May, former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand was arrested from Kathmandu after being implicated in the scam. Bal Krishna Khand’s wife Manju, who is also an MP, has also been incriminated, and is said to be on the run.&nbsp; MP Arzu Rana Deuba, the wife of NC leader and five-time prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has also been accused of accepting a kickback from the fake refugees on the basis of an audio recording made by one of the recruiters. Rana for her part strongly denied the accusations on the floor of Parliament, calling for an investigation into the audio, which she maintains is fake.&nbsp; As the police investigation continues, top leaders from the NC, UML, and Maoist Center have met to discuss developments amid growing demands from within their own parties for an unhindered inquiry into the scam, and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Social media is rife with accusations that the three main parties are trying to brush the dirt under the carpet.&nbsp; The leaders of the three parties have publicly called for an objective and thorough investigation, even though Deuba is said to be the most worried -- keeping tabs on the police inquiry over his concerns that his wife will be embroiled in the investigation. The snowballing scandal and its international repercusiions appears to have spooked the government, and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal summooned Kathmandu-based diplomats to Singha Darbar on Monday to put forth his government's commitment to pursue the guilty. &nbsp; Earlier on Monday, former minister and Nepal’s ambassador to India Nilamber Acharya, former head of the CIAA (the anti-corruption watchdog) Surya Nath Upadhyay, as well as independent lawmaker Amaresh Kumar Singh and RSP MP Swarnim Wagle spoke about the scandal and its implications for Nepali politics and the country's standing on the global stage during a program organised by the Tanka Prasad Acharya Foundation in Patan (pictured, below).  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051509050_d49c69d980f713d03af4c535a32e53afc620ac54c042be101dd1a1790c4f32b0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2023051509050_d49c69d980f713d03af4c535a32e53afc620ac54c042be101dd1a1790c4f32b0" data-rendition-name="original" width="3072" height="2048" loading="lazy" alt="Corruption panel"> <figcaption>Photos: GOPEN RAI</figcaption> </figure>  Speaking at the event, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/india-nepal-ties-must-move-beyond-1950-treaty">Nilamber Acharya</a> said the scandal has put the spotlight on Nepal’s governance failure and a decline of its political mechanisms, adding that corruption, not ideology, unites leaders making it easier for parties with fundamentally opposing principles to come together in governments. He stressed that crime is on the rise because powerful figures commit them, and even more powerful figures shield criminals. “The world is watching Nepal,” warned Acharya. “And it is up to us which side we choose to stand on: whether we establish Nepal as a country of corruption, or emerge from this as a nation that holds the corrupt to account.” Meanwhile, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=10283">Surya Nath Upadhyay</a> praised Nepal Police for their independent investigation so far without giving in to pressure, adding that there have been attempts to whitewash it by people in power even as they publicly call for a thorough inquiry. Upadhyay was chief commissioner of the CIAA from 2001 to 2006, and during his tenure cracked down on many corrupt government officials. In 2002, the CIAA under his leadership busted 22 high-ranking officials of the revenue department for corruption. In 2006, the CIAA charged five former ministers as well as secretaries of the government, and police personnel for amassing illegal wealth and property. What is needed now, Upadhyay added, is for the public to be the watchdogs and see the investigation through. “If the media, civil society, and law enforcement lose steam, all of the progress we have already made will evaporate, and people will eventually forget,” said Upadhyay. “We need to make an example out of every perpetrator involved in this crime.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051509054_3d6f09aab22c983819927a83dbd04bf3378f523eacc69215df8aa15890d1f167.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="2023051509054_3d6f09aab22c983819927a83dbd04bf3378f523eacc69215df8aa15890d1f167" data-rendition-name="original" width="3072" height="2048" loading="lazy" alt="Nilamber Acharya"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051509058_71bb5e740023e2d793be2dcad01e49769b7e5b0e21fc5464628f914cee52e7f6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="2023051509058_71bb5e740023e2d793be2dcad01e49769b7e5b0e21fc5464628f914cee52e7f6" data-rendition-name="original" width="3073" height="2048" loading="lazy" alt="Surya Nath Upadhyay"> </figure>  Swarnim Wagle, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/in-with-the-new-out-with-the-old">the newest RSP lawmaker in Parliament</a> after he won the by-election from Tanahu in April, spoke about the size and severity of the scandal, the changing nature of corruption, and the need for institutional reform: “This has been a simultaneous overlapping of crimes: fraud, corruption, human trafficking, transnational organised crime, and sedition.”&nbsp; Wagle also noted how corruption has evolved with the sophistication of the economy, moving from cash transactions to shares, gold and jewels and to the point that even public figures known for being corrupt could openly challenge the authorities to prove their crimes in an absence of traceable corruption. Wagle added that impunity has aided and abetted many corrupt officials.&nbsp; “There has been a meticulous legalisation of corruption through amendments in Parliament. So we seem to be creating a corruption-friendly regime,” said Wagle. “Our legal system needs to be able to catch up to those who are corrupt.” The fact that officials from all major parties were involved in the refugee fraud meant that there was “all-party corruption” in Nepal, lawmaker <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=13098">Amresh Kumar Singh </a>who was formerly with the NC and ran as an independent during federal elections last November. Most recently, Singh disrobed in Parliament last week in protest over being denied time on the floor to speak about the scandal.&nbsp; Singh warned that the police have so far only caught the “small fish” of the refugee scam, cautioning that it would be foolish to believe otherwise even as former home ministers are arrested. “This scandal is merely a mirror that has reflected how Nepal is run on patronage by political brokers, reaching the most influential of ministries,” continued Singh. “Nepal is not a democracy, it is a particracy. And corruption supersedes even political parties.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051509058_1b3a30577fd72a2fea627df2e667593a5a0a5e324796ba3cd229afaba4515eaf.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="2023051509058_1b3a30577fd72a2fea627df2e667593a5a0a5e324796ba3cd229afaba4515eaf" data-rendition-name="original" width="3071" height="2048" loading="lazy" alt="Swarnim Wagle"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051509058_597f098672a1d9ad83974ff68d78aa21d83473e9f7c63189edac995cd20fe0f0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="2023051509058_597f098672a1d9ad83974ff68d78aa21d83473e9f7c63189edac995cd20fe0f0" data-rendition-name="original" width="3113" height="2048" loading="lazy" alt="Amresh Kumar Singh"> </figure>  Singh added that this scandal marked a political turning point in Nepal and that the future and leadership of the three major political parties are at stake.&nbsp; The four speakers also discussed what the scandal meant for Nepal’s position on the global stage. “Not only political parties, Nepal’s credibility globally, and the people’s faith in the country are at stake,” said Singh.&nbsp; Wagle also spoke to the implications that the scandal could have for the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/migration-not-a-wish-but-necessity-for-nepalis">Nepali diaspora across the world</a>. “Nepal is not isolated anymore, and this scandal will impact the dignity and self-respect of the millions of Nepalis who have either temporarily or permanently migrated outside Nepal,” he said. Globally, geopolitically, and diplomatically, Nepal has historically been on the receiving end, as such the country’s development, economy and global standing is likely to suffer irreparable damage, Upadhyay explained.&nbsp; Meanwhile, Nilamber Acharya noted that there was no reason for Nepal and Nepalis to be embarrassed as long as investigation is moving along in the right direction. The media was also effectively playing a check and balance role in exposing wrongdoing. Said Acharya: “It is not yet time for us to hang our heads in shame on the global stage, as long as we ensure that the corrupt are held to account and justice is served.”

In a Federal Kleptocratic Republic of Nepal

Kevin Casas-Zamora, PhD, is the Secretary General of <a href="https://www.idea.int/">International IDEA</a>, the Stockholm-based intergovernmental organisation supporting democracy worldwide. He used to be Costa Rica’s Second Vice President and Minister of National Planning and National Coordinator of the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report. Nepali Times caught up with Casas-Zamora during his visit to Kathmandu this week. Excerpts: Nepali Times: In your recent op-ed for The New York Times, you wrote about democracy in Latin America and anti-corruption populism. You noted that the collapse of party systems would lead to an emergence of outsiders who would accelerate the erosion of democracy. How similar is this scenario to other parts of the world, like Nepal? Casas-Zamora: It would be very presumptuous of me to start babbling about Nepali politics, but we are seeing a global trend towards the dissolution of the mechanisms that society had created to aggregate social preferences, social demands, like political parties. Latin America might be a particularly acute example, but it is certainly not unique. The World Values Survey covering 80 countries showed the people’s trust in political parties was in the single digits. This is particularly damaging, because one of the big problems that democracy has globally is that democratic communities are being torn apart. Polarisation is on the rise pretty much everywhere. Disinformation on social media is one of the key centrifugal forces. Inequality is another, and it weakens democratic communities. When political parties are weakened and party systems become fragmented, it becomes very difficult to govern, to build majorities, to implement any kind of agenda. In the end, what do you reap out of that is dissatisfaction. We are seeing a growing gap between growing social expectations, growing social demands and the inability of democratic institutions to respond to those demands. It is in that gap that monsters are growing. And it is in that gap that populism finds fertile ground. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/multimedia/journalism-is-the-frontline-of-democracy">"Journalism is the frontline of democracy"</a> When IDEA was established in 1995, there was euphoria about democracy, the Soviet Union had just collapsed, and many thought it was the end of history. Things did not turn out that way. Is there a design defect in the democratic project itself that allows this algorithm-driven populism to gain foothold? It is an interesting question, and I don’t think so is the answer. The normative case for democracy continues to be very strong. It is the only system that treats people according to their human dignity and respects their agency. That’s not a small thing. But beyond the purely normative argument, there is a very practical one, which is that democracy resolves in an elegant way, something authoritarian systems have great problems resolving: the issue of succession. Democratic systems also have the ability to self-correct. This is really the essence. And this is where the real value of democracy in practice lies. The pandemic proved very telling in that respect. Three years ago a lot of people blamed the faulty performance of democracy and the messiness. And sure enough there were democracies that performed very poorly, others that did better. But there was this sense that well, democracies are not up to the task, when it comes to a very acute crisis. They’re not efficient enough to respond to the problem, whereas in China, they are very efficient and they do what needs to be done. Well it turns out the performance of democracies with regards to the pandemic is looking much better than it did three years ago. And the performance of China with regard to the pandemic is not looking nearly as good. That’s down to the ability of democracies to self-correct. If you live in a democracy, and you don’t like the policies that are being enacted in four or five years, you’re going to have a chance to throw the rascals out. You may or may not succeed, but you have that chance. Living under an authoritarian system is like playing the roulette. You might be very lucky, and end up with Lee Kuan Yew and you do great. But you might not be so lucky and end up with Idi Amin. Still, we need to rethink democracy for a new time. If you take the basic design of democratic institutions, the emergence of political parties about 100 years ago, it hasn’t changed much for the past two centuries. You have this dissonance between the speed and the scale of social change over the past century, and the relative lack of institutional innovation in democracy over the same period. It is time to rethink representative institutions. One concrete example could be citizens assemblies, selected randomly that are given the task and the information to study an important problem for society and then they are expected to make recommendations, which are then taken up by the political system. They've used it for abortion in Ireland, in France for environmental issues, and that is the kind of innovation that needs to happen. It’s a time for institutional innovation and for political reform. And if we do that, if we take those serious issues seriously, a democracy has a strong case to make for itself. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/populism-vs-pluralism">Populism vs pluralism</a> How does IDEA’s membership model work? What if a democratic member country goes rogue and elects a despot? It’s an issue that we’re grappling with. Backsliding was not a thing back in 1995, the assumption was that the good times would last forever. That is perhaps the biggest mistake that was made: the notion that this was a linear process. Well, there’s no such a thing in human affairs as a linear process other than ageing. Even in the best of circumstances it is a case of two steps forward one step back, which may also be the case for Nepal. That’s the way most democratic transitions work. Where the performance of our own member states is less than adequate in terms of adherence to democratic values that we put in place, we establish a process of dialogue with the country in question. IDEA offers some support to the country. But ultimately, it’s up to the country to put that action plan in place. We are having that discussion at the moment and it’s a complicated one, because to be very honest, and this is something that I’ve seen at just about any intergovernmental organisation, member states are loath to pass judgment on other member states. But we have to face up to the fact that democratic practices can really break down in some of our member states in gradual ways, or in abrupt ways. Our statutes have a clause that allows for a country to be suspended. It has never been used but what we are trying to put in place a due process so that this doesn’t come out of nowhere, but then there are certain steps that are followed before we get there. And hopefully, we’ll never get there.  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230511120516_7f285d81d83e28712661031f739209b5f73d4e2a63620a50f68e0401fa68453d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20230511120516_7f285d81d83e28712661031f739209b5f73d4e2a63620a50f68e0401fa68453d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="667" loading="lazy" alt="Kevin Casas-Zamora"></figure>  In many democratic Asian countries, there is disillusionment with poor governance and lack of delivery. We look enviously at China or Singapore and the Asian tiger economies. Even in Nepal there are many who say we have tried it for 30 years and democracy is not delivering. Evidence tends to show that in the long run, democracies perform better. Of course, you may say that in the long run, we’re all dead. Most authoritarian systems are not like China or Singapore, the average is much lower. But while you can accept the proposition that on average democracies do better than autocracies when it comes to economic performance and development, China and Singapore are a big distortion. At the same time, we have to admit that in vast swaths of the world the pressure for development forces governments to adopt certain practices of democracy that are less than liberal. There is a lot of lecturing going around. When I travel I sense an increasing impatience when Western countries talk about democracy. A lot of folks in places like India, South Africa, in parts of Latin America roll their eyes. And this has become very evident in the context of the war in Ukraine. The West is baffled that much of the rest of the world is not seeing the war in Ukraine as part of this huge struggle against authoritarianism. Well no: that’s not the way it’s perceived. So, a little more sensitivity to the pressures for development that countries find themselves under is called for. We owe it to ourselves to have a truly global conversation about what democracy means in different places. We might not be talking about the same thing. So a little more humility, and more sensitivity is called for. A truly global and respectful conversation about the meaning of democracy can agree on certain, common denominators as the core tenets of democracy. But beyond that, there’s a lot of flexibility. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/asia-s-new-cold-war">Asia's new Cold War</a> Where does the media fit into this? The Erdogans, Orbáns, Dutertes, Bukeles of the world are united by a desire to weaken any kind of check on executive power. And that means weakening the independent judiciary, press freedom, the ability of civil society to self-organise and demand things, and to hold people in power to account. They are weakening autonomous electoral authorities. And this thing comes in different sequences in different places, but the result is always the same. Some governments start out going after the press before they go after the judiciary, some do it the other way round. But in the end, the result is the same. The press is one of the scapegoats. I remember when I was an active politician, you lived in fear of the press, and that is the way it should be. That is the single most important check on your power. There is a reason why wannabe-autocrats go after the press, or buy them off. The more sophisticated among them buy the media off, others go after journalists. According to our measurements, one of the aspects of democracy that is most acutely under siege is freedom of the press. Out of 18 Latin American countries over the past decade, press freedom has decreased in 15 of them. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-death-of-democracy">The death of democracy</a>, Aditya Adhikari

“Democracy gives you a chance to throw rascals out”

Background Following the 1989 census in Bhutan, the Druk regime began a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/gross-national-reconciliation-in-bhutan">systematic crackdown</a> on its Nepali-speaking Lhotsampa people, who made up one-sixth of the country’s original population. By 1992, some 100,000 Bhutan nationals had been driven across India to UNHCR-run camps in eastern Nepal. Starting 2007, about 90,000 were resettled in the United States, with smaller numbers going to <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Bhutanese-refugees-in-united-kingdom-find-stability,1585" target="_blank">the UK</a>, Canada, Norway, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=15045#.W2gmdmaB1TY" target="_blank">the Netherlands</a>, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17868#.Wk3SKlWWbIU" target="_blank">New Zealand</a> and Australia. The process was supervised by the International Organisation of Migration (<a href="https://www.iom.int/" target="_blank">IOM</a>). Some <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/family-separation-bhutan-style" target="_blank">6,000 refugees, mostly elderly, remain</a> in Nepal. Breaking the News&nbsp; On 27 March, investigative reporter Devendra Bhattarai of Kantipur <a href="https://ekantipur.com/news/2023/03/27/167988439341418193.html">broke the story </a>that linked Nepal’s bureaucrats and politicians in a scam to provide false papers to Nepalis pretending to be Bhutanese so they could migrate to the United States. The US is a much sought-after destination for economic migrants, and many Nepalis in the past have also applied for political asylum in the West, faking persecution by the Maoists or the state during the conflict. Cast of Characters More stories came out of fake refugees who had paid up to Rs 5million each to middlemen from Jhapa to take them to the United States. Two of the agents were caught by police, and spilled the beans, implicating Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Ram Bahadur Thapa (Badal), both Maoist leaders who had defected to the UML. Thapa was Home Minister in the K P Oli government in 2018, and set up a task force led by his security adviser to get the paperwork done for the refugees.&nbsp; One of the middlemen threatened to self-immolate if his deposition implicating other top political figures was not recorded. Police Chief Dan Bahadur Karki’s investigation of the mobile phone data of the recruiters pointed the finger at the wives of former NC Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand.&nbsp; The middlemen had already paid “higher-ups” to facilitate necessary documentation for nearly 900 fake refugees. Khand had by then become home minister in the Deuba government in 2021, and the recording of an audio leak pointed at the involvement of NC leaders Arzu Deuba and Manju Khand.&nbsp; The task force was formed in 2020 by the KP Oli government headed by Bal Krishna Panthi, then joint secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, to gather information on refugees from Bhutan who were left out of the refugee registration process for various reasons. Keshav Dulal, personal adviser to former Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala, and Sanu Bhandari, both thought to be the original masterminds, are said to have got access to a proposal written by Panthi in 2021 that included a list of refugees, during the tenure of Khand as home minister with the help of then home secretary Tek Narayan Pandey.&nbsp; The group is then believed to have added bona fide Nepalis to the list as well, creating false Bhutanese identities and documents after demanding money from their victims multiple times, and promising to settle them in the US.&nbsp; More than 100 Nepalis who were defrauded have filed complaints with Nepal Police since 2022 after their complaints were not heard in 2021 due to political pressure. But the fake refugees themselves broke the law by illegally impersonating refugees.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230511080540_49f58d3347c5b92b161206a7bc9d61bc2aaf0e96383c599be5aa9e7680801b85.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20230511080540_49f58d3347c5b92b161206a7bc9d61bc2aaf0e96383c599be5aa9e7680801b85" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1366" loading="lazy" alt="Fake Bhutanese refugees"> </figure>  The Story So Far Nepal Police on Wednesday arrested Khand, and were said to be on the lookout for his wife, as well as Rayamajhi and Thapa. Later on Wednesday, Rayamajhi sent a sick note to Parliament to explain his abscence.&nbsp; Keshav Dulal and Sanu Bhandari have also been detained. Sagar Rai, former ward chair in a village in Jhapa’s Pathani village, is also being investigated for facilitating the payment to the bureaucrats.&nbsp; Indrajit Rai, the security adviser to former Home Minister Thapa has been arrested, but his son Neeraj Rai is on the run. Rayamajhi’s son, Sandeep, however, has been arrested. Former Home Secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, who served under Khand, has also been arrested while another former secretary Prem Kumar Rai, who is also said to be involved, currently heads the Centre for the Investigation for the Abuse of Authority (CIAA).&nbsp; Now What? Although top leaders across party lines have called for “thorough and objective” investigation into the scandal, it has not stopped them from desperately meeting one another. KP Oli of the opposition UML has met his arch enemies in the governing coalition, Deuba and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the Maoists. He has also met Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha. The UML only suspended Rayamajhi as party secretary after news of Khand's arrest on Wednesday. There is widespread concern that the three top men will try to sacrifice some scapegoats in order to protect their spouses or close comrades. There is also speculation that Home Minister Shrestha has not interfered with the investigation because NC, UML and Maoist leaders who defected from his party have so far been implicated.&nbsp; Nepalis will have to wait if this scam goes further up the chain of command, and what role Deuba will play to protect his wife.&nbsp; Arzu Deuba herself has forcefully denied involvement in the floor of the House and lodged a complaint at the cyber bureau, calling the leaked audio a smear.&nbsp; &nbsp;Nepal’s Image The media exposé and subsequent police investigation have shown that their check and balance role and independence are intact. However, the scandal has confirmed what most Nepalis already knew, that their government is rotten to the core. The federal legislature, controlled by the three main parties, has tried to obstruct debate on the scandal, leading an independent MP to disrobe on the floor of the House in protest this week.&nbsp; Nepal’s international image has been seriously dented. Its moral high ground on the Bhutan refugee question has been undermined. Nepal’s model historical role to let in persecuted peoples from Tibet, Bhutan, the Rohingya, Somalia, or Afghanistan has now been besmirched. The Nepali passport will now be scrutinised even more minutely. But more than anything else, the scandal exposes the desperation of Nepalis to vote with their feet, and offers devastating proof that Nepal has been run by the same crooks for the past 35 years.&nbsp; In the near future, it will be worth noting how this controversy will affect the Bhutanese refugees who remain in Nepal, along with the lives of those who have been resettled across the world. It also remains to be seen how this will affect Nepal's global standing, diplomacy, and its bilateral relationship with the US.