China Censors Writers

After launching tens of thousands of netizens to flood the blogs on Tibet issue all over the world to assert that Tibet was, is and will always be China's, Beijing exercised censorship on their own columnist who called out the government to "allow more media freedom in covering the Tibet riots and to review its policy on Tibet" by firing a renowned Chinese columnist Zhang Ping.

I am reminded of all these angry netizens who cried foul about the news reports from CNN, BBC, and Fox News. Weren't they glad that there was actually someone, a Chinese with conscience, that they could fire? This renowned Chinese columnist Zhang Ping, I suspect, is not alone with such opinions that China should allow more media freedom and review its Tibet policy, among the Han Chinese, who mostly do not have the access like Zhang Ping's to voice such opinions.

It is ironic that those who accuse western media of being biased are doing exactly what they are denouncing: silencing the opposition by calling Zhang Ping a traitor and firing him. Those netizens' real agenda is to stop the western media from reporting the facts that they don't want the world to know. It is not the truth that the netizens care about. What frustrates the Chinese Communist Party hacks is the resistence of their propoganda, from conscientious reporters and columnists, like their very own Zhang Ping.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A renowned Chinese columnist has lost his job at a magazine over commentaries on unrest in Tibet which did not conform with the official line, a watchdog group and a source with knowledge of the dismissal said on Tuesday.

Zhang Ping, who writes under the pen name Chang Ping, was sacked as deputy chief editor of the Southern Metropolis Weekly magazine, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said.

The group said in an e-mail Zhang's departure was "because of his editorials about Tibet", including the controversial piece "How to find the truth about Lhasa?"
"We deplore this unfair removal of a well-known member of the liberal press," the statement said.

Zhang declined to comment when reached by telephone. The source, requesting anonymity, confirmed the sacking but declined to provide further details.

Violent anti-Chinese riots broke out in Tibet and Tibetan-populated areas in neighboring provinces in March, with mobs killing about 20 non-Tibetan civilians, the Chinese government says. The Tibetan government-in-exile puts the figure at more than 200, most victims of a subsequent crackdown.

The crackdown led to protests by exiled Tibetans around the world and a troubled international leg of the Olympic torch relay for the Beijing Games in August.

Zhang's articles were published mainly in his magazine's sister newspaper, the Southern Metropolis Daily, and called on the government to allow more media freedom in covering the Tibet riots and to review its policy on Tibet.

The commentaries drew an angry backlash from a large number of Internet users, who accused Zhang of being a traitor and downplaying the violence by Tibetans as well as the perceived anti-China bias of Western media.

(Reporting by Benjamin Kang Lim; Editing by Nick Macfie)

The Big Double Dynamic

The dust has settled on our election now. The votes are all, or mostly, counted and it looks like we can draw some conclusions beyond the obvious fact that the Maoists won a lot of seats. We can look at the dynamics of a successful grass-roots campaign, versus the inertia of the status quo as an opposing dynamic of its own. Both lead to a Maoist victory and both required each other’s presence to insure a Maoist victory.

The Maoist Dynamic

We’ve had a group that has coerced, preyed-upon, influenced and generally been seen on a day to day basis by villagers in all corners of Nepal during the last 10 years leading up to this recent election. Essentially, when one relates this 10 year siege to the state of mind of the average Nepali voter going to the polls for the first time, they have essentially survived, what rightly can be termed as the “Campaign from Hell.” Call it whatever you like, the Maoists were out in the villages for the last 10 years campaigning for eventual votes simply by their brutal presence. So, if we couple that with a populace that has no idea that voting is supposed to be a sacred, individual and private act; but instead lives in fear that a Maoist might be able to discern the voting choices of each individual, it is not hard to see how Prachanda and his goons triumphed. Even simpler, how would the Maoists retaliate towards villagers in the instance where an opposing candidate won, and wouldn’t such retaliation be on the mind of each voter as they entered the polling place? Simpler still, how does anyone win an election without a platform or set of initiatives? Go ask a Maoist. They seem to have figured it out: it seems to have a lot to do with satationing armed cadres at voting centers and beating up opposing candidates.

The Non-Dynamic Dynamic

Ego, hubris and just plain ineptitude categorized the second enabling dynamic in the Maoist’s victory. When, during the last decade, has Girija Koirala and his greedy congress given any serious attention, much less aid and governmental hope to rural citzens in Nepal? No, the government has focused, rather lazily, on maintaining its weak concensus among those in the Kathmandu valley. As evidenced by the polling numbers, the few UML and NC victories tallied came in districts either relatively close to Kathmandu or those whose “favorite son” politician came from the region. It is this ignorance of the needs of an entire country of voters that turned the populace away from Girija and the like. Would a rural voter, who may genuinely like, say, a UML candidate in his district risk voting for that candidate when there has probably been not one whimper of government attention—and more importantly—protection or even an adequate government presence to back up that vote? The Maoists have been out in the districts and the voter knows Maoists cadres can reward or make one pay for their choices on a daily basis.

A simple grasp of democracy would have told these government fools that one vote in Rukum carries the same weight as one vote in Kathmandu.

Compound this with the fact that Girija has avoided elections over the last decade, leaving voters confounded and open to manipulation due to their inexperience, and you have a government-created recipe for inaccurate voting and fraud. Crying after the deed is done about voter fraud and Maoist manipulation Mr. NC politician? Well, go cry in the mirror because you helped create this scenario through your ten years of arrogantly dismissing the electoral process.

Where does that leave us?

Maoists can’t govern. They don’t have a plan for governing. They only have an ideolgy—and a failed one at that. Prachanda is looking way past the actual significance of his victory and has his eyes on the prize of running the entire government as its Prime Minister. He and all Maoists still, unbashedly, proclaim Nepal will eventually become a Communist state. They’ll paint their shiny new car a nice Communist red and clean it every day. They’ll keep polishing this red finish and ignore the fact that the wheels are falling off. Excuse me, Mr. “Fierce One,” but can you describe your plan for national infrastructure repair and expansion over the next few years? You get my point.

This may just work in Nepal’s favor. Sometimes it takes a rat to remove a rat. Prachanda has done what no sane and rational political thinker has been able to do: Eliminate Girija’s grip on power and remove most of the festering, corrupt political minions from government. Ideally the Maoists are an interim step towards a healthy Nepal. They’ve done the dirty work. Next, when it becomes clear that the Maoists have no clear plan for governing, the will trip themselves up and be out of power. Blogdai gives them two years, at most, before they either dissolve or are forcefully removed . But, untortunately for now, we are stuck with them.

Liken it to a screaming child on a holiday road trip that cries so loudly for Mommy and Daddy to let it drive the car that they eventually give in. Naturally, having no skill, the child drives the car over a cliff and the entire world sees that this child has no business being anywhere near and automobile. Same thing will happen if Prachanda gets behind the wheel at Singha Durbar. With a child driving, foreign aid will be drastically curtailed (even now the Asian Development Bank is delaying their $60 million aid package until this new government proves itself), and big governments will seek to change the situation. Even India is nervous. Unless he builds a concensus and allows for dissenting, non-communist, ideas and planning Prachanda’s government will collapse in short order.

Add that to the fact that the Young Communist League thugs are becoming bolder with this victory, infuriating villagers to the breaking point, and you have all the ingredients for a popular revolution.

Only this time it will be a REAL Jana Andolan.

-=blogdai

Blogdai Interviews Kadfly

Who is Kadfly you ask? None but a single young traveler who happened to be in Lhasa when the uprising began. Kadfly's photos were the first and most definitive account of events on the ground during that turbulent time. His reporting of the situation in Lhasa on his blog trumped any official Chinese attempts to stifle coverage. He's been hailed as brave, threatened, applauded and cursed simply for being willing to give as unbiased account of the Lhasa riots as he could. He speaks directly to blogdai below. -=BD

(Above)Police at the Lhasa riots. Photo by Kadfly, NOT the BBC, NOT Reuters, NOT CNN, and NOT The New York Times

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Hi Blogdai,

I forwarded your questions to my kadfly e-mail to verify my identity since I post about this e-mail address in this post (along with why I no longer have access to the photos on my SD card). It is also for my own purposes as I would like all blog-related correspondence to now go to this address. (Kadfly@gmail.com) If you need me to make a post or something on the blog to further verify my identity just let me know.

I will try my best to answer your questions below:

(blogdai questions in bold)Much has been made of the Riots in Lhasa. Both the Tibetan and Chinese versions differ significantly. What, from your first-hand observations, started the whole thing and what seemed to be the greatest instigating factor?

It seems the protests by the monks in the days leading up to the 14th led to a response by the Chinese and this response in turn led directly to the riots. The whole thing on the 14th really seemed to kick off with the blockading of the Ramoche Monastery: this seemed to infuriate ordinary Tibetans and the riot began minutes after the Chinese police were dropped off on Beijing Donglu to close the alley leading to the Temple.

Which media side seems to be the worst at fairly representing events as you witnessed them?

I haven't been that exposed to what the Chinese media is reporting, to be honest. But the photo cropping allegations (CNN and the trucks being stoned) and the use of pictures of police brutality from Nepal to illustrate stories about what was happening in Tibet does make me believe the Western media has not tried particularly hard to fairly represent the event. But as I said, I'm not aware of what the Chinese is doing so I cannot really compare the two. That said, I do hold the Western media to a higher standard than their Chinese counterparts, for obvious reasons :P.

Your photos have been picked up (uncredited) by the BBC, CNN and the front page of the New York Times. Some media renderings show only partial aspects of your photos which may imply a meaning that differed from the original photo. What is your opinion/experience with the Western media's use of your material and coverage of the events in Lhasa?

My main concern is how the Western media decided to completely ignore the violence of the protesters and concentrate on the resulting crackdown, which I actually had not witnessed. They used the police shields photo as a sign of Chinese strength, for example, without pointing out that seconds after the photo was taken the Chinese police actually fled for their lives.

As you may have observed, the Olympic torch relay has become a public relations disaster for the Beijing and International Olymice committees. Your coverage of events in Lhasa differed from the official Chinese version of events and may have been a significant catalyst in the torch demonstrations we see worldwide today. Did you ever have a sense of the importance your live coverage of the riots would carry in terms of world events today?

No, and I still don't think it has been very important, to be honest. I think all of this would have happened with or without our photos. Tibetans know this year is their chance to really force the issue.

There are many theories that ethnic Hans were just trying to work and make a living in Lhasa and that the real obstinance resided in the PCC and Chinese administration in Tibet. Do you think such a two-tiered Chinese presence exists in Lhasa?

I really don't think I am familiar enough with Lhasa or Tibet more generally to comment on this. But I think it is plausible: I met an ethnic Han person from Singapore who ran a coffee shop in Lhasa, for example, who I sincerely doubt is trying in any way to crush Tibetan independence. Similarly, I met an ethnic Han person from Hong Kong who was looking to start his own company in Lhasa who would regularly laugh at the official Chinese coverage of the riots.

Internet access was heavily scrutinized during the riots and the Chinese government has threatened to block all connections during the olympics. Did you feel watched or scrutinized during the times you posted to your blog from Lhasa?

At the Yak Hotel we first uploaded photos via the public internet room. A man (I think one of the managers of the hotel) came into this room mid-afternoon, yelled at the girls who worked there for letting us use the computers, and went to each computer and turned them off without saying a single word to any of us. But for some reason (they probably just forgot) they left private internet connections within rooms open so once we had a laptop we were again free to upload photos. As time went on I often felt like people might be listening to my cell phone or reading my blog postings and e-mails but I think this was paranoia more than anything. The internet police were definitely not trying very hard to shut down either internet connections or the cell phone network.

Tibet is scheduled to reopen May 1 to tourists. What will they find in Lhasa?

Some ruins, troops/police still in the streets but life as usual other than that is my guess. This has basically been the situation since March 18th, from what I hear.

Your blog received hundreds of postings during your stay in Lhasa. Many posters were angry pro-government supporters. Have you received any further or secondary contact from Chinese officials or supporters since your departure from Tibet?

No. All contact with those who read my blog who I do not know personally has been limited to the comments section with the exception of you and a few journalists.

Did you receive any other significant contacts, invitations or acknowledgements from your coverage?

Only from you :P. I will be receiving some portion of $2800 US from Reuters (a portion is going to our journalist contact who brought my blog to the attention of the major news agencies and negotiated on our behalf) which I will be donating and I have been interviewed by some media outlets.

How was the border crossing into Nepal? We understand security was stepped up significantly, is this true?

No, actually. Security may have been beefed up before the 20th or after (the day we arrived in Zhangmu) but crossing that particular day was extremely easy (and there were no extra officers than was necessary). Everyone in our group was hiding their memory cards and the such but it was completely unnecessary. The Chinese customs people appeared bored if anything and didn't even ask if we had come from Lhasa. It couldn't have been any more ordinary except for the journalists on the Nepalese side.

The world seemed quite taken by your coverage. Perhaps it was because you came off as a concerned traveler who was just caught up in the moment. Do you have any plans to re-visit Tibet? What, if anything, can you tell us about your immediate furture plans?

Yes, I would love to revisit Tibet. I don't have any plans at the moment but I know I will return. I will be finishing my trip in India and flying home at the end of the month.

Good, bad, indifferent or otherwise, is there anything you would like to add?

Not at the moment, but feel free to ask more if you need to.

Hope this helps,

Kadfly

Blogdai's Endorsement for Prime Minister

Well we did it. We actually held a kind of, sort of, election. All in all, it was a brave effort. Hats off to the average, and especially rural, citizen for braving all manner of obstruction and intimidation to cast a vote.

(Above) Bhoj Raj Pokherel, Election Commission guru smiles

while man on left tries to figure out Nepali ballot

system.

Girija tried to avoid elections and was successful for 10 years, Ian Martin tried to bungle the security, the YCL tried to kill them, Madhav Kumar Nepal tried to cheat them, but in the end, elections were held; and one man, kept his cool and pulled off what was thought to be impossible: Any kind of National initiative.

Who was this man that, for at least one day got all Nepali's to think about their country all at once? It was blogdai's nominee for the next Prime Minister of Nepal:

Bhoj Raj Pokherel

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Pokherel has suffered long with this election process. blogdai remembers last September when our man pleaded with Girija for the proper materials, training and funding to pull off the scheduled November election. He chastened the political parties for their ineptness and disregard for the preparations necessary. Alas, those elections never happened, but Pokherel held his head high.

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This time around, thanks to international pressure, Pokherel had all the endorsements he needed. Still, it was a daunting task. Prepare all precints for voting, print the necessary papers, establish voting and campaigning guidelines, and provide for the security of voters. As far as we know, he did it all.

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When was the last time (ever?) that we witness a Nepali politician actually get his hands dirty and solve a problem on a national level?

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On the other hand....

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----60 precincts are petitioning for a revote for various claims of unfairness and more will follow.

----Attacks and widespread intimidation were reported at many precincts.

----Strong Maoist showings are already being contested by the major parties.

He did his job successfully: a rarity in Nepali politics, and for that, he should be congratulated.

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Election Hangover

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It looks like the Maoists won 11 of 21 Constituent Assembly (CA) seats. Considering that they've claimed outright that they will keep going until a Communist state is established, we should all fear that this Maoist victory will embolden Maoist politicians to be bullies in parliament; and, worse, embolden YCL thugs in the countryside.

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The Nepali Constitution does not specify the exact power exchange or balance between parliament and the Constituent assembly. Look for seasoned politician to manipulate the CA agenda. We've already heard Girija say that the first duty of the CA is to vote the monarchy out. WHOA! Look who's setting the CA agenda and the result already?

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Beware of the follow up. International observers are cooing over the success of the polls. They'll all go home and get job promotions, fine. But, the devil is in the details. Re-votes and disputed counts will keep us busy for months. Plus, who will insure that the CA does not succumb to the same cronyism and corruption that has infected parliament. And, biggest of all, what will insure that there will be regular periodic elections after this one? Everyone knows the government was pressured into holding these elections. Will the world community be around to pressure them in the future?

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Prime Minister Pokherel would solve these problems in a heartbeat, I betcha.

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-=blogdai

Another Slap in China's Face

Japan says no to Chinese torch guards

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will not allow the squad of Chinese flame guards to intervene with the Beijing Olympic torch's progress when it arrives in a Japanese city this month, the national police head was quoted as saying on Friday.

"We should not violate the principle that the Japanese police will firmly maintain security," Kyodo news agency quoted Shinya Izumi, head of the National Public Safety Commission, as saying.

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Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said Australia, not China, would be the one to provide security for the flame when it comes to his country. (More...)

This unprecedented "flame protection squad" consisting of some 70 members of China's People's Armed Police, is described as "a phalanx of large and physically fit Chinese men in blue-and-white track suits...trotting besides the torch along its ambitious global torch route and turned off the flame several times in Paris earlier this week".

So this is the way China answers to the global protests toward its poor human rights record and its violent crackdown on Tibet. Money has been poured into this Chinese Olympic propaganda but the world is not fooled. Japan and Australia have stood up to China's ridiculous scheme of "flame protection squad". This is the start of a global movement in accord against China's violation of human rights: the violent crackdown on Tibet, the brutal persecution of Fa lung Gong members, and the bloody slaughter of students on the Tienanmen Square. China government has blood all over their hands and the world is demanding China to stop!

Bravery and Elegance

"So well planned. So well thought out." - CBS News

"A stunningly bold protest for the world to see." - CBS News

"Tremendous amount of skill. Obviously it's a dangerous operation." - Golden Gate Bridge Manager

"Oh, this is unbelievable! I just can't believe this!" - Tourist from Indiana

"We are in solidarity with the Tibetan people." - Laurel Sutherlin, one of the three heroes

Thank you, Laurel Sutherlin, Duane Martinez, and Hannah Strange. We are with you. We are with the Tibetan people. China is at odds with the rest of the world for its oppression of the peaceful Tibetan people for nearly 60 years. Time to come clean, China!

Click picture to see the CBS video

Salute Protester Heroes

(Click the above to see the 2 CNN videos back to back. Awesome!)

(Video: Work destroyed. Heroes arrested. The message is out!)

Thank you! Golden Gate Bridge Three Heroes! You have brought the attention to the entire world!

The heart-wrenching daily reports on Tibetans' risking their lives to have their voice heard.

The condemnation from all over the world on China's crackdown on Tibet.

The dilemma why the Chinese People's Liberation Army has used weapons on the peaceful Tibetans since 1950.

The ardent protests against China's crackdown on Tibet in every major city in the world.

The Chinese Communist Party's hacks rear their ugly heads and flood blogs with half-truth and outright lies.

But the truth can not be silenced.

The Western world continues trying, in all earnest, to show China that human rights need to be respected and Tibetans are entitled to their opinions. Passionate bloggers all over the world rigorously debate with the CCP hacks and only find that they are not sincere, not logical, and they do not hesitate resorting to name calling.

These are the typical hacks' rhetorics:
-Tibet was, is and always will be China's.
-Why is US invading Iraq?
-Tibet is China's internal affair, mind your own business at home.
-How about the US Civil war? You didn't allow division, did you?
-How about US invaded American Indians?
-Tibetans are well treated with financial and educational opportunity better than the Han Chinese.
-Tibetans are taking vacations on the beach.
-Tibetans steal.

Conclusion of their excuses: How dare the Tibetans! How dare the Western world! How dare anyone think differently from the China stinky oligarchy!

It comes down to this moment of the heroes climbing on the Golden Gate Bridge to raise banners drawing attention to China's crackdown on Tibet.

My tears of awe, respect, joy and admiration burst out for these heroes. Thank you heroes for risking your lives to carry out such a beautiful, well-planned action. From the design of the banner sizes and materials, the calculation of the wind speed, the physical training of climbing on the Golden Bridge Cables, the timing, and the well-articulated interview you gave to the reporter. You have done such a wonderful job. Your brave action goes down in history as credit for the eventual Tibetan freedom. You will be forever celebrated as the Golden Gate Bridge Three. You shocked China. You awed the world. Thank you. You are beautiful.

About the Golden Gate Bridge Three heroes:
"The three who ascended the cables are all experienced mountain climbers."
"Ginger Cassady, spokeswoman for the group, identified the climbers as Duane Martinez and Laurel Sutherlin, both men of Sausalito, and Hannah Strange, from Oakland. She said the protest, which began about 10 a.m., was timed so it didn't disrupt the morning commute."

Blogdai's Big Election Primer

I'm beginning to think the Maoists and Party politicos agreed to hold Constituent Assembly (CA) elections simply because--in the back of all their minds--they feel confident they can manipulate voters, polling places and results to their individual liking.

Well, after almost 10 years of dodging the issue, it looks like our boys in Parliament may just hold their Constituent Assembly (CA) election.

One wonders why now and why it took so long. blogdai opines that the disappearance of any form of National election over the last decade in a supposedly democratic Nepal was the result of too much citizen apathy, which gave Girija and his goons a free ride on the table of corruption. We didn't really care and the politicians were not about to offer any encouragement. So what if voting in a free election is the single most important duty of any citizen in a democracy.

Surprisingly, the international community and all its minions finally got something right. The reason Girija is holding elections is that everyone from Mukherjee to Jimmy Carter is telling him that he and his government are worthless if they don't pull this off. So, after years of pressure finally coming to a head, we may, just may get CA elections.

But that's where the trouble starts.....

---Madhav Khumar Nepal and his cronies are already manipulating the process in some districts by offering (unspecified) benefits to those who vote UML.

---Never to be outdone, Prachanda and his thug wing: The Young Communist League (YCL) are beating up UML cadres and disrupting legitimate political rallies. Prachanda himself says that he will be the leader of Nepal regardless of the outcome of the election. Great.

---Ian Martin, always eager to prove his relevance, maddeningly says that the security situation is good and that the Army, the one group capable of keeping order at the polls, is not necessary for security. Ian will not be able to pathetically beg for his job like he did a few months ago if he is found to be responsible for the almost inevitable security problems that will arise during this election.

--- Madhesis--ever in India's pocket--have already started their new disruptive agitation. They seem to be losing passion and steam this round: New Delhi must be very disappointed.

Post Election Scenarios

blogdai can almost guarantee that these elections will be disputed. Everyone that doesn't win something will bitch about it. That's Nepal. That's what happens when you don't know about the give and take of democracy. That's what happens when the only way you know to get social results is to take to the streets in protest: Thanks yet again, Girija Babu.

And take to the streets they will. First, Prachanda will rally, riot or whatever claiming he and his goons rightfully won the day. Then, student cadres of the NC and UML will take to the streets claiming YCL thugs intimidated voters and the whole election is a fraud. Finally, let's not forget that the Tibetans have promised to start their anti-China agitations up again the day after elections. A nasty time, that, as the Olympic torch will be passing through Delhi and supposedly crossing everest a few weeks after.

Can we even be assured of any kind of accuracy in these elections? In Kathmandu, mock elections were held in woefully inadequate numbers; and what did we learn from such exercises? We learned that a majority of those wishing to cast their first ballot in years were not able to comprehend either the choices or the mechanics of casting a vote. How representative of the will of the people this election will be!

This leaves cadres, politicos and party operatives to cast or help cast votes. With only a token presence of election monitors from the world community (do you think any one of them will observe a polling site in Rolpa?) there is nothing that will substantively check widespread voter coercion and electoral fraud.

Messy old democracy getting it's wings? Don't fool yourself, we're far from that.

-=blogdai

Internal Affairs

Nepali police defending Chinese sovereignty in Nepal.

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Take a good look citizens of Nepal. You don't have to look far, it's right in your backyard.

Watch the Tibetans.

There's violence in the streets of Kathmandu. Fifty years of repression and unequal treatment has come to a head and more violence will be on the way.

There is no sinister Maoist force holding a gun to the heads of these people; no trumped-up sense of revolution being brokered by career politicians trying to save their wealth.

No, these are real people who have had enough.

What blogdai wants you to see is how people unite under adversity and begin to take charge of their own lives and futures.

Go ahead, take a good look.

Many Tibetans in Nepal have become quite wealthy. They are often astute and cunning traders and can generally run circles around their Nepali competitors in the restaurant and small hotel industry. The just WANT it more than the rest of us.

But there you see them, rich and poor, taking to the streets in protest of China's infantile and punitive policies that fail to recognize either Tibetan culture or Tibetan identity. They have much to lose as Nepal, for the most part, has been good to them.

When we see the anguished faces of those Tibetans, it is clear that they are each at a stage where personal heartache and a relentless lack of humanity become such a burden that one is compelled to act, even at great risk, above and beyond the preservation and maintenance of daily personal needs.

It is a desperate plea for self-determination. It is the real road towards autonomy and ultimately democracy.

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If we in Nepal had a government that actually understood the nature of democracy, we would support these Tibetans in their struggle.

But what have we instead? During the demonstrations, Chinese representatives had a complete free-hand in imposing their will on our hapless and totally-for-sale politicians. They threatened to cut off the Chinese bribe machine. They made our democratic politicians swear that there would be no "anti-Chinese" activity on Nepali soil. Our government, through its weakness, is standing aside and allowing a repressive regime to run its affairs in our country. How courageous! How democratic!

Excuse me? Isn't Nepal still a sovereign nation? Am I to understand that we are now supposed to repress free speech spoken against another nation on our soil? So now, whenever a stupid Indian actress says anything bad about Nepal and we riot in the streets are we guilty of "anti-Indian" activities? I get it. I can come to Nepal from any country in the world and totally trash the political and cultural fabric of the nation and it's ok as long as I don't say anything bad about my own country in the process. Fun!

I guess Nepali democracy involves just sitting around until another country tells you what to do.

-=blogdai

(If you are interested in helping Nepal's Tibetan community and can devote on-the-ground time towards their assistance, contact blogdai at blogdai@nepalimail.com)

Madesis: A Larger Issue

Madhesi woman looking towards India for instructions on what to do next.

When the April elections do not occur, Girija will blame the Madhesi conflict. Consider Sher Bahadur Deuba in the past. He blames Maoists, students, royalists and just about everyone but SPA everytime the government bungles an election attempt. Take his utterances as a barometer of parliamentary philosophy: you can always point the finger at some other group to cover for your incompetence.

One Madhes? What does it mean really? Do the Madhesis think they can go it alone as an autonomous region? There is NO group in Nepal that would take such a stand simply because a government is not funtioning--Nepalis just generally don't care enough about government to jeopardize their daily lives by proclaiming independence and issuing demands.

What can it mean then? blogdai thinks the Madhesis have some powerful friends as motivators. Never one to dismiss a conspiracy, blogdai has noticed an upswing in Madhesi agitation and demands since Constituency Elections started to be taken (relatively) seriously by the government.

Hmmm. blogdai smells a rat. Let's digress, shall we? Constituent Assembly elections, if they are successful, are a sure path towards greater national unity and independent government thought. Hmmm again. Who, as we've mentioned many times in the past, would cringe at the thought of an independent-thinking Nepal? Who would much rather see an unstable Nepal and who has the ability to instigate instability through indirect support of the Madhesi movement?

That's right, children, India!

The bottom line is: the Madhesi movement has probably received some big promises from big brother in New Delhi. No tribal or ethnic group in Nepal would be this bold otherwise.

India's former tool of the trade: The Maoists are now untouchables on the world stage and Prachanda has shot his babbling mouth off one too many times against the Indian government; so now, blogdai believes, Delhi is chipping away at our southern border through the agitating Madhesis. Their demands are impossible and one can only see a desire for confusion and chaos in their dealings with the government. If you are seeking a representative voice, why ask for postponement of an election process that would give you that voice?

From nepalnews.com:

It is learnt that though the government and the UDMF were close to striking a deal today morning following discussions that started from yesterday at 9 pm and went till the wee hours of the morning, it couldn’t happen because the latter started shifting the goalpost from greater autonomy by declaring entire Madhesh as “one state” to further amendments in the interim constitution and postponing the election in a way that they would be able to take part in it.

If the Madhesis were serious about National unity and fixing not only their own problems, but those of Nepal as a whole, they wouldn't be striking out in their own Quixotic direction. If they don't want to be a part of Nepal, what do they want to be a part of?

Think it over

-=blogdai

The Big Column

Lots of backed-up stuff here at blogdai. Our security system check -n- purge is complete. Now, back to the fun stuff. Trouble is, we've got so much of it, we don't know where to begin. So, after much debate among our writing staff, we'll just sum up the ideas. -=bd

Boyz in the Hood

Home boys clock-wise from left: Baby "Notice -Me-Makune"; Jess stoopid Dr. P Maoibadi; Baby Babbling Mao; Stale Prince "Do Nuffin" Girija; Massa "G" Hisself; CE (cancel elections) Deuba G.

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Tired of all of them. blogdai is sick of these thugs running their mouths off in the wrong direction. Deuba doubts everything and quits at the first sign of anxiety; Makune spills the beans on every plan with his impecably bad political timing; The bozo Mao-brothers throw wrenches into every positive development; even King G. can't seem to run his own coup.

Sweep em' away. Any Nepali, repeat ANY Nepali could do a better job governing the country.

Girija Shows His Hand

Yes, Jana Andolan was designed to "restore democracy" to Nepal. What a laughable farce. A few years down the road and what does the old man want to do before he keels over dead? Discretely pass the Prime Ministership over, without an election or public input, to party gal and daughter Sujata. (We predicted it here 2 years ago!) Anyway, long live the spirit of Jana Andolan: where the people's voices are heard by not listening to them at all!

Watch the old man finally give up his long career in crooked politics shortly. He's done. Nona Koirala, the only brain and advisor in the family, is dead and ol' babu just doesn't give a shit anymore. Let's hope he gets out quickly, before he can do any more damage.

Sujata Days

Fashion memo to Sujata: Never allow yourself to be photographed with a hangover.

Her time has come all right. blogdai hated to be right with this prediction but it looks like Sujata Koirala will inherit the Prime Ministership.

blogdai knew it was in the works a few months ago when Suji went on her comical "book promotion" tour of India. She was apparently hawking a Girija biography, but blogdai knows she was making the political rounds in Delhi and shoring up her support and connections.

Pathetic. Apparently there was no real interest in a Girija biography in India. blogdai can only surmise at the possible titles for such a tome:

-Girija Koirala: "A life in the Cookie Jar."

-Koirala: "I am not my brother's (legacy) keeper."

-Girija Koirala: "I made millions in politics and so can you!"

-"Making Autocracy look Democratic:" The Girija Koirala story.

and so on...

Super Maoist and Babu Boy

Little Babu continues to rant. Calling Sujata's rise a prelude to a "democratic coup," whatever that means. No matter, Babu Ram just loves to hear himself talk, it makes him feel smart. Forget the fact that he makes absolutely NO sense. Sense or sanity has never been a prerequisite for Maoist leadership.

And Dear Leader Prachanda. Now he's threatening (again) to re-start his full scale revolution if CA elections are "manipulated." We've seen this pattern before. If he can't coerce the results because the RNA is guarding the polls, he'll claim manipulation. So what. let him go.

If the Maoists had any kind of large scale ability they would have made their move on government by now. Their voice is becoming more marginalzed by the day and Nepali's are sick and tired of the YCL. Stick a fork in him, he's done.

-=blogdai

News Flash

BANESHWOR: A much anticipated strike against spiking petroleum prices fizzled today after just a few moments as protesters ran out of fuel to light incendiary devices and old tires.

It seems that none of the protesters in the crowd could afford enough petroleum to keep the whole mess ablaze.

It was reported that much confusion and, eventually, silence ensued as the mob pondered what to do next.

Deep thought continued until, at last, the protesters settled on an old favorite and began again; STOP THE KING'S REGRESSION AND RESTORE PARLIAMENT IMMEDIATELY, was the new chant as the happy, renewed scrum made its way through the streets.

-=blogdai

Dumb, Dangerous and Determined

Who's the bigger fool? Prachanda and his strict adherence to a failed ideology or we Nepalis who allow him all the room and permission he needs to take over the country?

Prachanda sees CA elections as an impending Maoist "final victory" and is training his cadres, for whatever misguided reason, for the elections. blogdai's guess, and this is what we've been saying since 2003, is that the only reason Maoists even CARE about a CA election is because they feel they can influence the result in remote areas and gain a majority by coercion.

I also don't understand why no one has really picked-up on blogdai's almost constant assertions that the Maoists never intended to work with a democratic government. They only use Koirala and his moronic apes as a learning device for a probable Communist takeover. Prachanda is playing out the old axiom of "keep your friends close, your enemies closer" to a tee.

So evident is this that the biggest election saboteur of all, Sher Bahadur Deuba, now says that if a good and credible election is not held, Nepal is in for a world of hurt under Maoist/Communist leadership. blogdai agrees, although Deuba is largely responsible for the lack of elections and needs to be slapped silly and put out of government immediately.

In a perfect world, blogdai would have Prachanda and the Maoists destroyed: violently and permanently. However, in the UN world of which Nepal is a part and people like Ian Martin have influence, appeasement and accommodation rule the day. So, under such a scenario, the only way to save Nepal from certain, repressive, Communist rule would be:

SEND INTERNATIONAL MONITORS INTO NEPAL FOR CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS IMMEDIATELY. GIVE THEM POWER TO NULLIFY ANY VOTING RESULTS THAT APPEAR COERCED. BAN MAOIST PRESENCE AND INFLUENCE FROM ALL POLLING STATIONS.

You hear that Ian the Meek? Do something useful for once and save a country, will you?


-=blogdai

The Summit of Class

Sad day here at the offices of blogdai.

Sir Edmund Hillary, first to ascend Everest with His lifelong friend Tenzing Norgay, died today.

I think it was his time.

The last I saw of Sir Ed, he was in Kathmandu making an appearance at the Marshyangdi Hotel. He looked frail and moved slow; but his love for Nepal and the Sherpa people was always evident.

He was class. He was a pioneer. Yes, perhaps the whole "Everest experience" was becoming too cheepened for him--he spent his last years lamenting the commercialization of the ascent, the ridiculous tricks and stunts performed from its summit, and the increasing disregard for the environment and people of the Khumbu by money-engorged adventure tourists bent on nothing more than having the best story to tell at the first cocktail party they find on their return home.

Imagine what the ascent must have been like in his time. Good, credible experts were dead certain that the human body would "explode" at altitudes above 20,000 feet. Mallory had mysteriously failed from the North. There was no sophisticated gear and only an unreliable, primitive oxygen delivery system that, we understand, Sir Ed shunned until it was absolutely necessary. Standing on top, in typical Kiwi modesty and understatement, he looked at Norgay and calmly said: "It looks like we've knocked the bastard off." (Or thereabouts)

Contrast that with today where we have, what amounts to, spoiled brats with latte's and internet connections all the way from Gorak Shep to base camp. Don't get blogdai wrong here, you can still die on Everest and it's a very dangerous mountain sure, but it's power is diminished when you have a stud Sherpa hauling your ass up the Hillary Step on the back of a short rope.

I understand from the climbing community that Everest ascents are becoming a bit of a Tiffany joke. Throw enough money at the expedition and you get your summit. blogdai has no respect for such disrespect of culture and nature. Idiots with money and their Gore-Tex boldly going where every rich man has now gone before.

blogdai friend, two time summiteer of Everest, and a Kiwi, Jamie McGuinness shares Sir Ed's anguish over what has become a cheap carnival on Everest. In the space of one year, Jamie supervised an Indian girl as far as possible up Everest so she wouldn't lose face in her petty little village; and photographed the French touching down, illegally, via hellicopter, on Everest's summit.

Forget these idiots, and I'm sorry for dwelling so long on them. Let's look at the positive. Let's celebrate the life of a real explorer and a real human. Sir Ed never once waivered from his commitment and support of Nepal.

Hillary schools are a beacon of efficiency and offer one of the highest standards of mass education in Nepal. The Sherpa people--most people in the Khumbu--are among the most prosperous in Nepal due to the efforts of Sir Ed's Himalayan Trust. Whenever you are in Kathmandu, give a visit to their offices in Dilli Bazaar. Stop in, say hi to Ang Rita Sherpa, if he's there, and leave a donation. The money will not be wasted. If you can't do that, look up or mail a donation, on Sir Ed's behalf to:

Himalayan Trust

P.O. Box 224

Kathmandu, Nepal

email: himalaya@trust.mos.com.np

Rest in peace Edmond Hillary. You were and are one of a kind.

-=blogdai

Blogdai's 3rd Anniversary

Well we've made it through yet another year. Funny, but if you see, scan and analyze events in Nepal as much as blogdai, you would know that events begin to show a pattern of repetitive predictability. Some of the most predictable are:

--Girija or someone in government promising some event will happen "soon" or "in a few days," which blogdai always interperets to mean: "no way in hell will this ever be accomplished."

--Some screaming little boy YCL cadre will kill or beat up some politico out in the field and Prachanda will assure everyone that "they will be disciplined." blogdai interperets this to mean: "As long as they beat people up, we will be taken seriously, so no change in that regard, thanks for the publicity."

--"High Level" or "All Party" meetings will either end without addressing one single issue or not be held in the first place.

--Prachanda will threaten to "return to the streets" if government doesn't act on some Maoist friendly issue. When they finally do act, Prachanda throws obstacles in the way.

--If anything is ever agreed upon in any "meeting" it inevitably takes the form of either Royal ridicule and censure; or the enactment of reams of meaningless clauses designed simply to insure the future stalemates that perpetuate this government's culture of ineptitude.

--Hours will be spent haggling over Nepal's status as a Republic without anyone being able to adequately define the concept.

SO, ol' blogdai is feeling wistfully wishful on this our 3rd anniversay. I wish we had a clean canvass on which a new political landscape might be conceived. To this end, blogdai's fancy drifts towards a simplification, and end to this mess.

Let's all make big wishes and blow out the candles on blogdai's cake: candles that have been burning for far too long:

Candle #1: Ian Martin: Gave relevance to a rabble of a Maoist movement simply by recognizing them as a legitimate group. As the voice of the UN in Nepal, this boosted Prachanda's stature exponentially. Clinging to his hopeless cantonment policy. (Are there any Maoists still living in these?) Complete lack of knowledge and preparation showed during his ridiculous attempt to "count" Maoists and their weapons. You can't do anything on such a wide national level given Nepal's geography, Ian. Much less count on "good faith" from a bunch of murderous disparate gangs. Amazingly pathetic round of begging to keep his job in Nepal last month. Ian visited Girija, Makhune, even Prachanda in an attempt to plead for more time for his UNMIN. He got it, but his time is about up here on blogdai. So, Ian, we officially BLOW YOU OUT........

Candle #2: Girija Prassad Koirala. We've said it all here about the obfuscating old man. What occurs now to blogdai is the tragic loss of Nepal's potential in the world during the last 10 years under Girija. He chooses to be an imperious rock and obstacle to change. Think of the innovation, progress and growth that more than probably would have blessed Nepal had virtually anyone else been at the helm of government. He's as autocratic as any dictator. He won't hold elections, he won't tolerate dissent and he only appoints family members and cronies to political positions. No use giving him a crown, he'd just sell it off to the highest bidder in India like he has with everything else he's touched. Well now, you old reprobate fossil, we here at blogdai officially BLOW YOU OUT.....

Candle #3: Prachanda, head of Nepal's Maoist rabble. Has never once offered either a compromising position or the hope that he would want anything less than absolute communist domination of Nepal since he joined the interim government. Always threatens and always speaks in moronic hyperbole. Relations improving with the U.S. he says? What were you smoking, Fierce One? Said ambassador Nancy Powell. He's a fool and a thug and his time has passed. So, Dumb One, you are now officially BLOWN OUT.....

Ah, that felt good. blogdai, ever the optimist, still clings to the notion that wishes do come true.

-=blogdai

Turning the "Table"

Ok, blogdai has to get this off the brain once and for all. I don't know how long, politicians, pundits and media people have been using the political term to "table" in the exact opposite meaning from which the term was derived. Stop it already. It makes us all look like third-world goons. Just this week Mercantile published:

The government has tabled a motion in the parliament seeking amendment in the interim constitution to incorporate a new timeline for constituent assembly polls.

Look, by definition, to "table" a motion means to cease discussion and end further debate on an issue.

In Nepal, we seem to think it means something like dropping an idea on the table like a plate of dhal bhat so that we can adopt it.

If you want to be treated like a legitimate media or political entity in a democracy, get your terms right.

Well, that was a relief to finally get all my cards on the table. I hearby table this discussion.

-=blogdai

"Decisive" meeting this Friday?

Don't count on it. Our bungling boys of bereft babbling plan on a "decisive" meeting in Baluwater to resolve a year's worth of compound ineptness. ENOUGH already. Not only will nothing be accomplished, there most probably will not even be agreement on the topics of discussion.

This is the easiest prediction blogdai has ever made: Tomorrow's meeting will

END INCONCLUSIVELY for the average citizen desperate for leadership.

Nothing of any significance or relevance in rebuilding Nepal or caring for its people will be on the agenda. Looking at the tentative list of topics, one sees selfish, greedy and completely out of touch political posturing. It's like fighting over the deck chairs on the Titanic. Among the worthless issues for which only these clueless baboons would care if there were "decisive" action are:

1. Adding additional constituent assembly "seats" in order to accommodate proportional representation. Meaningless since elections will be postponed as long as Girija and the NC run the show. Plus, the Little Elf, Madhav Khumar Nepal has already made it his most recent shout for relevance that proportional representation would divide the country into ethnic factions. Maybe to you, Elf, but did you ever think that real, elected proportional representation might just give the Madhesis and other groups legitimate faith in the electoral system and a renewed willingness to play by the rules? Probably not, since you can't see beyond the politics of greed and self-interest.

2. Maoists demanding more important seats in congress plus a bunch of high-profile portfolios like Home, Finance and Defence along with a Deputy Prime Ministership. Basically, they are asking for the entire government of Nepal. It'll never happen. Watch Prachanda walk out and threaten a new agitation. How long are we going to nurse-maid these terrorist bums? They are a cancer to Nepal and bent on nothing short of complete communist, ideologically uncompromising rule. Thank Ian Martin for keeping them relevant this long. Wipe them out says blogdai; do it now.

3. Merger of the NA and the Maoists PLA. Laughably pathetic. Do you think the army just concluded its arms-shopping visit to India so that they could supply their future Maoist "comrades in arms" with some shiny new guns? Not a chance. That meeting in Delhi was tellling. The NA is pissed, fed-up and seeking more arms to kick some Maoist ass. Hey, we're all tired of this charade. Lock and load fellas.

blogdai is impressed with either the political stamina or outright apathy of the average Nepali, I can't tell which. How long are we going to let this continue? New leaders are everywhere. Do you need a revolution road map or something?

Get to work and get rid of these bums now. If you don't you have no right pretending to be a sovereign nation.

-=blogdai

Nepal Blogs: What's the Point?

The point is, information and ideas are spread where none had been spread before.

We see echos of our thoughts in the words of Nepal's journalists and politicians. The simple fact that there exists a body of Nepal bloggers out there gives support to all with like minded opinions and provides good argument towards those who consistently miss the point. (Do you hear me, main stream media?) AP, UPI, Reuters, Bloomberg and virtually all other relevant wire services research and check their stories by accessing related blogs.

Every thought, every word, every argument a Nepal blog puts out can be picked up by anyone in the world curious enough to Google: "Nepal blog."

Don't discount one word of what we do here at blogdai and at other sites. WE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Over the past 2 years, blogdai's columns and comments have drawn personal e-mails from the U.S. embassy in Nepal, the Nepal Royal Palace (through I.P. back search), the U.S. State Department, the BBC, The Economist, those phony idiots at the International Crisis Group, The World Bank, the Gates Foundation, and a few cryptic messages from individuals claiming to be from various levels of Nepal's Maoist heirarchy.

blogdai (and blogdai's friendly rival: Dinesh Wagle) account for roughly 30% of all web-search traffic hits seeking Nepali chat, politics and current events. (blogrankings.com; Technorati; blogshares compiled data with a few others).

Nepal blogs are playing a large role in opening up discourse, freeing the Nepali mind to openly criticize, and introducing, if not educating Nepalis to world opinion about their country and its political status.

This is particularly important in Nepal where politicians, Kings and Maoists had, for years, relied on an insular cloak of national isolation to enact and realize policies and practices that were contrary to acceptable world norms and human rights standards.

If it were not for the issues addressed here at blogdai, I am sure some individuals in Nepal's political arena would feel hard pressed to break what would be perceived as new ideological ground. We open doors here. We introduce and discuss ideas. Politicians (trust me) read blogdai and our arguments help to inform their opinions. Outside of direct political intervention, what more could the average blog reader and poster do that could be of more value?

So, hold your head high, regulars, anons and general posters. Your words are read by more people than you realize.

Keep it comming and keep it relevant.

-=blogdai

They Don't Know How to Govern, Period.

They don't know how to lead, and they don't want to be put under pressure. They just want to return to the days when all they had to do was sit in their chairs and pretend to be important.

Their country is burning and they can't even sit down and discuss issuse that will determine their own political fates.

They have no idea what they are doing and never have.

In times of political crises like we see in Nepal today, real leaders sit down, lock the doors, and find a compromised solution to save their country. They do no take "recess" and they do not give up after one hour of mindless chit chat.

Yet another meeting has ended "inconclusively" today:

Top level meeting ends inconclusively

A top level meeting of the seven parties held at Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar Monday morning ended without taking any concrete decision.
During the meeting that ended within an hour the top leaders discussed about announcing a fresh date for constituent assembly election and implementing the proposals passed by the special session of the interim parliament, among others issues.
Although the meeting was expected to make headway in building some kind of political compromise, the Nepali Congress and the Maoists stuck to their respective positions.
However, the meeting was significant on one aspect as the leaders agreed to continue the ongoing dialogue for forging a consensus on holding the election by April next year while keeping the seven party unity intact.
At the meeting the Maoist leaders proposed a review of all past agreements and move forward with a new understanding.
The meeting came ahead of the regular winter session of the interim parliament that begins at 3 pm today. nepalnews.com ag Nov 19 07

People of Nepal: Get these idiots out of Singha Durbar NOW, while you still have a country.

-=blogdai

Stupid Political Quote of the Day

Blogdai gets tired of giving Maoists attention. They don't deserve it. But I get equally tired from hearing blabbering Maoist leaders say things that make no sense. Prachanda has been spouting this quote for a while and it's time we called him out on it:

"Holding constituent assembly elections is impossible without announcing republic first."


So, if we follow all definitions of "Republic," Prachanda is saying that we cannot establish an elected representative government until we agree to call ourselves an elected representative government.

Who cares what it is called. Suppose Prachanda demanded we call ourselves a banana sandwich and said elections are impossible until we do so. Same damn thing.

Look, the terms Republic, Democracy, Feudal Fiefdom, Indentured Servitude, whatever, are terms used to describe political and social systems. They describe. You do not need to label your intended political system choice ahead of time as some sort of permission to hold elections.

If he's trying to imply that a Republic is a form of proportional representation and that some groups in Nepal are not proportionally represented, then, for God's sake, have a constiuent assembly election and let each of these groups stand or fall on their own merit to the electorate.

Let's do whatever the momentum of the populace tells us to do. Right now that momentum says to hold elections. If, through these elections we decide that we want to label what we've done a Republic, then good. Don't hold up these precious elections because some confused moron terrorist doesn't realize he's put the cart before the horse.

In any event, Nepal must evolve into whatever form of government an active citizenry decides. The key is participation. Elections are the single greatest means of getting people interested in changing their government. Perhaps a Republic will emerge from this process.... perhaps a banana sandwich.

-=blogdai

Clear-Eyed and Unbiased

(We need more articles like this. Tobias Denskus is clearly an insider among Nepal's international foreign aid set; yet he breaks up the boys club of aid excess and ineptitude and screams that the aid emporer has no clothes. God, if we could assemble a think tank of individuals such as Mr. Denskus, solid action stemming from the identification of actual issues might, miraculously, be the new standard for aid in Nepal. -=blogdai)

After five decades of ‘development’ and ten years of violent conflict, Kathmandu has remained in a ‘bubble of innocence’, as one donor representative described the state of mind in a city that seems remarkably far away from ‘underdevelopment’, ‘poverty’ or ‘war’. When the people formed a democracy movement last year and demonstrated on the streets, few conflict advisers and inhabitants of the bubble were able to predict the political changes that were about to happen.

- By Tobias Denskus


One recent report on a conference in Brussels organised by a northern NGO and interestingly entitled ‘Nepal: Looking beyond Kathmandu-Challenges and Opportunities for peacebuilding from below’, had a cover page with pictures from Nepal (rural women with children–unrelated to the conflict and the conference) and a second page with pictures from the conference venue of a nondescript board-room-style meeting room, handsome European women and men and artefacts such as a data projector and video-conferencing equipment.

The French philosopher Marc Augé coined the expression of ‘non-places’ for such spaces without history or individual meaning that only exist to enable commercial interactions. In the globalised aid world such places exist in Brussels - or in the well-known hotels and resorts in and around Kathmandu where workshops are usually conducted. As long as such exchanges shape the debate about post-conflict societies, real social change for the majority of Nepalis seems further away than any election dates, a new constitution or accountable services in rural areas.

After five decades of ‘development’ and ten years of violent conflict, Kathmandu has remained in a ‘bubble of innocence’, as one donor representative described the state of mind in a city that seems remarkably far away from ‘underdevelopment’, ‘poverty’ or ‘war’. When the people formed a democracy movement last year and demonstrated on the streets, few conflict advisers and inhabitants of the bubble were able to predict the political changes that were about to happen. But they quickly shared their relief that the promising signs of the Maoist party joining ‘mainstream politics’, a forthcoming constituent assembly, and parliamentary elections would put Nepal back on the ‘road to development’.

Some donors were relieved that they could now continue with work they had planned before the violent conflict, and that the small Nepali elite in Kathmandu seemed to be willing to address the ‘root causes’ that have kept Nepal in ‘poverty’ for the past 55 years. A bright ‘post-conflict’ mirage was visible and donor amnesia quickly replaced reflective practice. Aid specialists from other post-war ‘non-places’ quickly arrived in Kathmandu to share their approaches, always stressing that they needed to be tailored to Nepal, of course.

‘Arms management’, ‘security sector reforms’, ‘transitional justice’ – the Fall 2007 collection arrived in Kathmandu straight from the peacebuilding catwalks in Europe without looking outside the ‘bubble’, or searching for stories in the remote villages of Nepal, asking local people about the future direction of their country. A former ‘conflict adviser’ of a European donor observes:

‘When I first attended the meetings of the conflict advisors’ group I was surprised to find them talking over simple and conservative conflict analyses and I immediately started to wonder whether these guys [all but one were men at that time] should know these things by now and before coming to Kathmandu’.

If I look at the amount of reports, briefings and notes that arrive in my email inbox, I find that a lot of the insights are not rooted in local realties or have emerged from interactions other than bringing a few people together for a workshop with flipcharts and red plastic chairs. Harmonising discourses and approaches may be in vogue in today’s ‘Aidland’, but, as this donor went on to comment, donor co-ordination in the peacebuilding community of Kathmandu seemed somewhat over-enthusiastic: ‘We had 400 meetings after the February 1 coup of the King in 2005. I knew more about what the Japanese and Americans were doing than about our projects in the field.’ The professional life-world in Kathmandu was also matched by the sheltered private lifestyle of most international inhabitants of ‘Aidland’, because the Maoist violence never reached the Kathmandu Valley.

‘Peacebuilding’ is almost always linked to issues of ‘governmentality’ – making ‘chaotic’ and ‘unsafe’ places fit for (neo)liberal democracy. Nepal is doomed to be a success-story of how a violent conflict can be transformed through peaceful, democratic means and adoption of the latest fashion in ‘peace-building’ and the international spectators in form of UNMIN staff or EU election observers have eagerly arrived in the ‘stadium’ in Kathmandu. Neither critical voices nor lessons learned from the failed development of Nepal, nor indeed the history of failed ‘peacebuilding’ interventions elsewhere, will enter the narrative of ‘success’.