Scores dead after worst earthquake in Nepal since 2015

Shock in Jajarkot in Karnali province about 300 miles west of Kathmandu caused at least 128 deaths and destroyed houses

Survivors are seen at a corridor of the Jajarkot district hospital in the aftermath of an earthquake Photograph: Balkumar Sharma/AFP/Getty Images

Guardian staff and agencies

Fri 3 Nov 2023 

At least 128 people have been killed and dozens injured after a strong earthquake struck western Nepal on Friday. Witnesses said houses in the area had collapsed and buildings were shaking hundreds of miles away.

The 5.6-magnitude quake hit the far west of the Himalayan country late Friday and was measured by the US Geological Survey at just 18 kilometres (11 miles) deep.

In Jajarkot district which is near the epicentre, 92 people were confirmed dead and another 55 injured, Nepal police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat said.

The quake killed at least 36 people in neighboring Rukum district, where numerous houses collapsed. At least 85 injured people had been taken to the local hospital, he said.

Troops were also clearing roads and mountain trails that were blocked by landslides triggered by the earthquake.

A doctor looks after a patient injured in an earthquake, evacuated from his village and brought to a hospital in Nepalgunj, Nepal. 

Photograph: Krishna Adikari/AP

“The remoteness of the districts makes it difficult for information to get through,” Karnali Province police spokesperson Gopal Chandra Bhattarai told the AFP news agency.


Bhattarai said Nepali security forces had been deployed extensively to assist with search and rescue operations.

“Some roads had been blocked by damage, but we are trying to reach the area through alternate routes,” he added.

The district hospital was packed with residents bringing in injured victims.

Ramidanda, where the epicentre lies, has not been reached by authorities yet.

Videos and photos posted on social media showed locals digging through rubble in the dark to pull survivors from the wreckage of collapsed homes and buildings.

Mud houses were flattened or damaged as survivors crouched outside for safety, as the sirens of emergency vehicles wailed.

Nepal’s prime minister Pushpa Kamal expressed “his deep sorrow over the human and physical damage caused by the earthquake”.

Nepal’s National Seismological Centre said the quake occurred at 11.47pm (18.02 GMT) in Jajarkot, a district of Karnali province. Jajarkot is about 500km (310 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu.

Buildings shook as far as away New Delhi, about 600km (375 miles) away, according to witnesses who spoke to Reuters. Videos on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, showed people running into the street as some buildings were evacuated.

Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report

Earthquake Leaves Trail Of Destruction In Nepal

Helicopters and ground troops rushed to help people hurt in a strong earthquake that shook northwestern Nepal districts just before midnight Friday, killing more than hundred people and injuring dozens more, officials said Saturday.


UPDATED: 04 NOV 2023 
1

Earthquake in northwestern Nepal | Photo: AP/PTI

This handout photo provided by Nepal Prime Minister's Office shows an earthquake-affected area in northwestern Nepal.

Nepal earthquake | Photo: PTI

Locals outside their houses after their collapse following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake, that killed at least 128 people and injured several others, in Nepal's Jajarkot.

Nepal earthquake | Photo: PTI

Damaged houses a day after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 128 people and injured several others, in Nepal's Jajarkot.

Nepal earthquake | Photo: PTI

Debris of the buildings a day after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 128 people and injured several others, in Nepal's Jajarkot.

Nepal earthquake | Photo: Sabin Dhamala via AP

This screen grab from video shows villagers stand in front of their damaged houses from last night earthquake in Jagarkot, Nepal.

Nepal earthquake | Photo: AP/Krishna Adikari

A doctor looks after a patient injured in an earthquake, evacuated from his village and brought to a hospital in Nepalgunj, Nepal.

Nepal earthquake | Photo: PTI

Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' during his visit at the earthquake site, in Jajarkot. At least 128 people were killed and several others injured.

Earthquake in Nepalgunj, Nepal | Photo: AP/PTI

People airlifted from an earthquake-affected area arrive in Nepalgunj, Nepal. A strong earthquake has shaken northwestern Nepal, and officials say more than 100 people are dead and dozens more injured as rescuers search mountain villages.

Deadly earthquakes in Nepal since 2015

Reuters

November 4, 2023

]A damaged building is seen after an earthquake in Jajarkot, Nepal, November 4, 2023. Prime Minister Office/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing Rights

Nov 4 (Reuters) - The Himalayan country of Nepal was hit by an earthquake on Friday in which 128 people were killed and dozens injured, with officials fearing the toll could rise.

The poor, mountainous nation wedged between Asian giants China and India has been hit by quakes often, with the deadliest recorded in 2015 when about 9,000 people were killed in two earthquakes.

Whole towns, centuries-old temples and other historic sites were reduced to rubble then, with more than 1 million houses destroyed, at a cost to the economy of $6 billion.

Below are details of Nepal’s deadly quakes since 2015.

NOV 3, 2023

At least 128 people were killed and dozens injured when a strong earthquake struck the western area of Jajarkot. Houses in the area collapsed and buildings as far away as capital New Delhi in neighbouring India shook. The German Research Centre for Geosciences measured the quake at magnitude 5.7, while the U.S. Geological Survey pegged it at 5.6.

OCT 3, 2023

Two earthquakes rocked western Nepal, injuring 17 people, damaging homes and triggering a landslide that blocked a major highway. The landslide after the quakes of magnitude 6.3 and 5.3 in the district of Bajhang, bordering India, blocked the road to the southern plains.

JAN 24, 2023

At least one person died and more than two dozen houses were damaged in a remote Nepalese district after an earthquake of magnitude 5.6. Tremors were felt as far away as New Delhi.

NOV 12, 2022

An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 struck Nepal, shaking houses in the Himalayan country and India.

NOV 9, 2022

An earthquake in western Nepal killed at least six villagers, four of them children, as the tremor destroyed mud and brick houses in remote communities living in the foothills of the Himalayas.

SEPT 16, 2020

An earthquake measuring magnitude 6 struck Nepal and tremors caused by the quake were felt in the capital, Kathmandu.

APRIL AND MAY 2015

The worst earthquake in Nepal's history struck at four minutes to midday on April 25. It measured magnitude 7.8 and was followed by a second tremor 17 days later, killing 9,000 people in total.

The previous deadliest earthquake to strike the country, in 1934, killed at least 8,519 in Nepal, as well as thousands more in India.


Compiled by YP Rajesh in New Delhi; Editing by Jamie Freed

US grant to Nepal puts spotlight on geopolitical rivalry with China

A plan for a $500 million grant has spurred China to warn the US against carrying out "coercive diplomacy" in Nepal. Meanwhile, protests have broken out over ratifying the proposal.


Protests erupted over the proposed infrastructure grant

Nepal is facing geopolitical pressure over whether to accept $500 million (€441 million) in Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant assistance from the United States.

Nepal and the United States signed an agreement on the MCC grant in September 2017 to upgrade the Himalayan nation's dilapidated road networks and build electric lines.

The agreement was supposed to be endorsed by Nepal's parliament by June 2019. However, it couldn't move forward due to differences within the then-ruling Nepal Communist Party (CPN), along with other political forces.

Meanwhile, the US has pressed Nepal to stick to the MCC agreement and ratify it through parliament, while China has publicly cautioned Washington to avoid "coercive diplomacy" in Nepal regarding the project.

US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu earlier this month had warned that the US could terminate the compact if Nepal's leadership failed to fulfill its own pledges to table and ratify accepting the grant by the end of February.

Watch video01:43 Nepal lawmakers mull US aid amid violent protests

Political divisions over US grant

Nepali political parties and citizens are deeply polarized over the project.

The ruling Nepali Congress — a liberal democratic party — has stood in favor of the assistance; while its leftist coalition partners— including CPN (Maoists) and CPN (Unified Socialists)— are against its outright endorsement.

They have dubbed the grant a part of the US Indo-Pacific strategy that aims to counter China in Asia.

Nevertheless, the Nepali Congress-led coalition government on Sunday tabled the MCC bill in the House of Representatives, amid chaotic protests held by supporters of left-wing parties outside the parliament building,

While tabling the bill, Gyanendra Karki, the Minister of Communication and Information Technology, appealed to all parties to endorse it, saying that Nepal itself had approached the US for the grant and that it was beneficial for Nepal's development and economy.

The House is set to discuss its content on Thursday. But it is unclear whether the bill will be endorsed or rejected.

Watch video 03:17 Nepali pioneer improves lives through internet access

US and China face-off in Nepal

The controversy over the MCC compact has dragged the US and China into a face-off in Nepal as their diplomats have indulged in verbal barbs.

US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu earlier this month warned that Washington will review its bilateral relations with Nepal in the event of its failure to ratify the compact by the February 28 deadline, according to The Kathmandu Post.

Strategic analyst Indra Adhikari told DW that the ongoing tension over the US assistance was a sign of how Chinese influence has increased in Nepali society.

China's footprint in Nepal has increased in recent years, especially after an Indian border blockade in 2015-2016, when Beijing had extended vital support, including petroleum goods and agreed to provide transit access to landlocked Nepal.

In the following year, Nepal joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In October 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state-visit to Nepal, in which the two countries elevated their bilateral relations to a "strategic partnership" and signed a slew of infrastructure-related deals, including a plan to build a trans-Himalayan railway line under the BRI framework.

Although a section of Nepali society has questioned the conditions and financial implications of BRI projects, many people in Nepal have been attracted by China's "charm offensive."

During the visit, President Xi also warned that "anyone attempting to split China will be crushed and any external force backing such attempts will be deemed by the Chinese people as pipe-dreaming," apparently referring to the protests and activities of the pro-Dalai Lama forces in Nepal.

Nepal shares a 1,400 kilometer-long Himalayan border with Tibet and hosts almost 20,000 Tibetan refugees.

Protest against foreign development aid

Time and again, the US has tried to clarify that the MCC compact was purely a development grant. However, rumors and disinformation have been circulated both online and offline about it.

There have been a number of videos on YouTube full of disinformation, calling the MCC an American ploy to "trap Nepal and encircle neighboring China."

Talking to DW, Maoist party whip Dev Gurung claimed that US troops could be deployed in Nepal if they became part of the MCC compact.

Meanwhile, social media has been used to denounce and vilify those who make or share independent views or stand in its favor.

Watch video 05:57 Protecting climate change aid in Nepal

Earlier, many leftist parties had called a national strike to protest the MCC deal, whereas violent protests erupted outside the parliament with police resorting to using tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse the crowds.

This is also not the first time that Nepal has faced controversy and politicization over external assistance or investment, mostly from the West.

In the early 1990s, the World Bank signed an agreement to build a 201-megawatt hydropower project and a 122 mile-access road in Nepal.

The World Bank in 1995 withdrew the $764-million deal following a heated political debate, and a request by the then-CPN-UML to the World Bank to withhold the project just ahead of the election in Nepal.

The World Bank didn't return and Nepal ended up facing more than two decades of electricity shortages.

Bikash Thapa, a journalist and writer, who has covered hydropower issues for more than two decades, told DW that the over-politicization of foreign grants and investments has eroded the prospects of foreign direct investment flow to the country, as well as "tarnished" the image of Nepali leadership.

Edited by: Leah Carter

Nepal Election 2022: Why Have The Maoists Failed To Deliver In Nepal?

The expectations raised by the Maoist revolution have failed to deliver good governance to the long-suffering people of Nepal. Personal ambitions have led to divisions within the rank and file. A look at the Left in Nepal.

Nepali Maoists supporters dance and wave flags during a victory celebration

 | Getty Images

Seema Guha
UPDATED: 22 NOV 2022

May 28, 2008, was a day to remember. Joyous crowds poured out onto the streets of the capital Kathmandu and other cities as well as the villages to greet the announcement in Parliament that the monarchy was abolished. The unpopular King Gyanendra was given 15 days to leave the royal palace. There was euphoria in the air as people looked forward to a better future with palace intrigues dead and buried. Hope was in the air.

After a gruelling decade of armed conflict (1996-2006), the Maoists finally succeeded in getting rid of the last king of the Shah dynasty that had ruled Nepal for over 200 years.

Two years earlier in 2006, the Maoists signed a peace agreement with the government and promised to renounce violence, lay down their arms and join the democratic process. That agreement led to the end of the armed confrontation between the Maoist rebels and government troops that had ravaged the country. Nepalese politics was poised to take a new turn. Expectations were high from the Maoists, with many believing that they were in a position to deliver a clean and efficient government far removed from the squabbling traditional politicians that played the power game to perfection.

The Maoists put Nepal on track to become a modern democracy with people’s representatives right down to the local level. The new Republican Constitution unveiled in 2015, was contested by tribal groups and the Indian-origin Madeshis who felt that they had been given a raw deal. Overall, however, there were many positives in the new Constitution, with the devolution of power to the provinces.

However, people were in for disappointment. Though the revolution succeeded in getting rid of the monarchy, the Maoists failed to deliver on governance. Instead, there was infighting, splits, and instability, when Nepal was in dire need of a government that worked to recover from 10 years of civil strife.

Earlier in 2015, Maoists helped KP Sharma Oli of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPM-UML) to become prime minister. But this was short-lived. The Maoists withdrew support and formed a government under Pushpa Kamal Dahal commonly known as Prachanda. That too did not last and the Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba became PM. Oli once again became PM in 2017 after the Communist Party of Nepal Maoist Centre, and the CPM-UML stitched up a solid pre-poll alliance. The unified Nepal Communist Party won a resounding victory with a two-thirds majority in parliament. But that did not last for a full term either. People realised that the Maoists were no different from the rest of the pack when it came to power politics.
Why have the Communists failed to deliver good governance in Nepal?

"The Left across the world have failed to deliver, and Nepal is no exception. The world has changed dramatically in the last few decades and the Left everywhere has been unable to cope with the transformation brought in by new technology and people’s rising expectations,’’ says Baburam Bhattarai, one of the prominent leaders of the Maoist insurrection together with Prachanda that brought the Nepal government to its knees. He is bang on. The old-style textbook Communism has not been able to deal with the sweeping changes that the world has undergone in the last couple of decades. He said that sustainable development, and environmental concerns, highlighted by climate change, are now major issues, and mass movements are springing up around these vital problems. Somehow the traditional Left has not been able to deliver on these concerns, according to Bhattarai. The Left needs to adapt to change.

"The Left has to change its strategy. The traditional kind of mobilisation no longer resonates with the masses. We need to adapt to the ground situation and opt for a Left which is more socialist and democratic. Liberal, progressive democracy is suited to the changing times," said Bhattarai. Having broken away from his former comrade in arms, he has his own party the Socialist Party of Nepal shaped to tackle the problems of today’s world. He is part of Sher Bahadur Deuba’s Nepali Congress alliance.

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"I am very proud that we succeeded in getting rid of the monarchy and making Nepal a Republic. But we failed in delivering a just economic, social, and cultural agenda to the people. Having opted for parliamentary democracy, we are facing the accompanying challenges. In a parliamentary democracy, capturing power and remaining in power is primary. Morality is forgotten as bickering happens sometimes for personal ambition, occasionally on ideological grounds. Splits follow and weaken the Left.’’

Yet, the Left continues to be popular among ordinary citizens despite various factions. Unlike in India where the Left has little impact on national politics, Nepal’s Communists are the movers and shakers of the nation’s political life. The two alliances fighting for power are led by Khadga Prasad Oli of the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, the current prime minister. The Deuba camp has left partners like Pushpa Kamal Dahal, as well as Prachanda’s former comrade in arms, Baburam Bhattarai. So, whichever alliance finally wins the elections, the Left representative will continue to be strong.

"Nepali politics has done okay if you consider the fact that democracy survives despite heart-stopping challenges such as the royal palace massacre, the Maoist insurgency, the 2015 blockade, and deep schisms within society,’’ says Kanak Mani Dixit, a journalist and civil liberties activist based in Kathmandu. "Today, Nepal has a federal structure and elected local governments. However, politics has failed to deliver in the sense that people remain poor while the politicians prosper, running a kleptocracy in cahoots with dalals and dons.’’

He was particularly scathing about prime minister Deuba and Prachanda who are today in an opportunistic alliance. "The Nepali Congress of Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML of Khadga Prasad Oli have become less connected to the people, but the most opportunistic and unprincipled politician of Nepal is Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda). The CPN-UML did a failed party unification with him, and Sher Bahadur Deuba has bounded over ideological differences to have a pre-election alliance with the very man who conducted selected killings of the Nepali Congress cadre during the conflict years. This is the level of unprincipled politics we are seeing in Nepal, and the weakening of Dahal and his Maoist cohort through the elections would be the best thing that could happen to Nepal. But that may be asking for too much."

The Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) was founded in 1949 with the aim of establishing a new people’s democracy. Class struggle, armed revolution, land reforms, and the dictatorship of the proletariat were part of the agenda. Abolishing the monarchy was always central of the Communists. The Naxalbari uprising of 1967 was a major event at that time. And Oli as a young man wanted to emulate Kanu Sanyal’s experiment in north Bengal, which was ruthlessly crushed by the Indian state. Various splits in the CPN ensured that Oli broke away.

For the ordinary people of Nepal, it does not matter which alliance gets to rule. What is needed is governance. It is time for the Left to change with the times or perish.

Nepal's economy hammered by power outages

Nepal relies heavily on electricity imported from India, where generation is running low amid one of the worst power crises in years.

The power outages come at a time when Nepal is already grappling with the problem

 of depleting foreign exchange reserves

Nepal's industrial sector has been hit hard by power cuts in recent weeks, with many small, medium as well as large firms forced to shut down operations due to a lack of electricity.

The Himalayan nation relies heavily on energy imported from India, especially during the summer months.

But power generation in India has been running low as it faces one of the worst power crises in years, resulting in little electricity left for export to Nepal.

The Asian giant, which shares a long land border with Nepal, has itself faced power blackouts amid high demand, due to the hottest pre-summer months in decades, industrial activity and supply bottlenecks due to shortages of coal, which produces as much as 70% of its electricity.

Heavy dependence on Indian electricity

Pre-summer inventories at Indian thermal power plants have fallen to one of the lowest levels in recent years, forcing the Indian government to reverse its course on overseas coal purchases and arrange supplies by accelerating imports.

But imports have become pricier since the start of the year as coal spot prices shot up after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine at the end of February. 

"We import 30-40% of our electricity needs from India during the dry season," Suresh Bahadur Bhattarai, spokesperson for the Nepal Electricity Authority, told DW.

"Now, due to severe shortages of coal supplies and higher domestic demand, India itself is facing a power crisis. So we could import only a quarter of our demand."

Many Nepali firms have been forced to cut back or stop production due to the power cuts

Bhattarai stressed that power cuts will likely remain in place for a few more weeks, before the onset of the monsoon season, which officials hope will bring enough rain to up the water level in Nepal's rivers and boost hydropower generation.

Electricity generation in Nepal is largely based on its run-of-the river type hydro projects, which are intermittent energy producers that generate more power when seasonal river flows are high and less during the dry summer months. 

Gokarna Awasthi, director general of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), an umbrella organization of more than 900 private sector companies, said that the industrial sector is suffering because of the problems.

"Industries are not able to operate at their full capacity in the absence of electricity," he said. "They are using diesel generators to try to fill the supply gaps."

Nepal bans many imports to save foreign reserves

The power outages come at a time when Nepal is already grappling with the problem of depleting foreign exchange reserves.

Nepal recently banned imports of cars, alcohol, tobacco and other luxury items and shortened its work week to help conserve its foreign currency reserves.

The ban, in effect until the end of the fiscal year in mid-July, also forbids imports of toys, playing cards and diamonds.

The main sources of foreign currency for Nepal — which has few exports and imports almost everything from abroad — are tourism, remittances from overseas workers and foreign aid.

The number of visitors plunged after the onset of the COVID pandemic, while remittances — which account for around 60% of the nation's foreign exchange reserves — also dropped as Nepali workers abroad had to return home during the global health crisis.

This hit Nepal's $36 billion (€34.69 billion) economy hard, leaving many of the country's 29 million citizens facing hardship.

Although there was a recovery in foreign arrivals in the first quarter of 2022, Russia's war against Ukraine has put an end to the flow of tourists from those two countries, while contributing to a rise in prices of everything from edible oils and food to air fares.  

Shortened work week to save fuel

The price rises and the soaring import bill have adversely affected the trade deficit and the value of the nation's currency, prompting fears that it could lead to a balance of payments crisis, which occurs when a nation is unable to pay for its imports or service its foreign debt payments.

The trade deficit expanded 34.5% year-on-year to 1.16 trillion Nepali rupees ($9.5 billion, €8.8 billion) in the first eight months of the fiscal year as import costs surged.

The tourism sector, an important contributor to Nepal's forex reservers, was battered by the pandemic

Nepal's gross foreign exchange reserves fell to $9.75 billion as of mid-February, down 17% from mid-July last year when its financial year started, Reuters reported. The current reserves are estimated to be enough to support imports for about six months.

To ease pressure on foreign reserves, the government has also reduced the work week from five-and-a-half days to five dazs as part of its efforts to reduce fuel consumption, as rising crude oil prices add to pressure on Nepal's foreign reserves.

Nandini Lahe-Thapa, director of the Nepal Tourism Board, told DW that the decision is a "fantastically promising step" for the promotion of domestic tourism.

"We were pushing to have a two-day weekend not only for the promotion of tourism, but also for the mental health and leisure of workers," she said, adding that domestic tourism proved to be vital for the survival of the entire tourism and hospitality sector during the pandemic.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru

Colin Smith, maths teacher who became an authority on the butterflies of Nepal – obituary


Telegraph Obituaries
Wed, 8 November 2023

Colin Smith in 2021 - nepalitimes

Colin Smith, who has died aged 87, travelled to Nepal aged 29 to teach mathematics, science and English and stayed on to become an authority on the country’s butterflies.

Nepal is one of the best places in the world to see butterflies. Of the 17,500 or so known species, 660 are found in Nepal, of which 20 of are on the endangered list. Smith dedicated more than 50 years to their study, publishing numerous research papers and several books and becoming known by locals as “Putali Baje” (“Butterfly Grandpa”).

Colin Philip Smith was born on November 24 1936 in Highgate, north London, to Ebenezer Smith and Rose, née Boosey. As a boy he often visited an uncle whose collection of butterflies and moths sparked an interest which he pursued during school holidays at Boy Scout summer camps.

Smith's 1995 book


After taking a BSc in mathematics at Imperial College London, followed by an MSc at University College, he became a teacher, and in 1966 volunteered to serve with the United Mission to Nepal (UMN), a venture involving a number of Christian groups. “I was told that alongside teaching, I needed to have a hobby, too,” he recalled. “I told them that I collected butterflies.” The UMN suggested he should make a collection from Nepal to bring back home.

Instead he decided to stay, and while teaching at a school in Pokhara he met Dorothy Merow, a fellow teacher who had started a small natural history museum and who persuaded him to collect butterflies for it.

After seven years’ teaching Smith decided to devote himself full-time to butterflies. His rare visits to England thereafter included a trip in 1976 to the Saruman Museum (aka the National Butterfly Museum) to learn the latest techniques for handling specimens.

Lepidoptera of Nepal was published in 2010

Back in Nepal, he started writing for local natural history journals and in 1989 published his first major study, Butterflies of Nepal (Central Himalaya). His initial goal was to collect specimens of all the 660 species of butterflies found in Nepal with a view to publishing a comprehensive checklist; later, however, he turned to capturing butterflies with a digital camera. His Illustrated Checklist of Nepal’s Butterflies was published in 1995.

In the early 2000s Smith began working mostly on Nepal’s far more numerous moth species, travelling round the county with a fluorescent bulb and a white sheet, collecting specimens for Kathmandu University. Other publications include Lepidoptera of Nepal (2010) and A Photographic Pocket Guide to Butterflies of Nepal, In Natural Habitat (2011).

For many years Smith lived with the family of a Nepali fellow lepidopterist near Pokhara, but in 1995 he bought a small plot of land nearby and built himself a tiny one-room cottage. Last year he was reported to be living on a British pension of £175 a month along with an elderly allowance of 4,000 Nepalese rupees (around £24.50). “I was maybe the richest man in Pokhara in my prime,” he reflected, “But now I’m probably the poorest.”

Smith's 1997 book

In 1995 he made the first of several attempts to be granted Nepalese citizenship, but it was only in 2019, after friends organised a petition, and after Smith had been ill for several years, that the government finally responded, and he became the third foreigner, after Sir Edmund Hillary and Toni Hagen (the first foreigner to travel throughout Nepal), to be granted honorary citizenship.”

Nepal is now struggling with the social and environmental costs of mass tourism, but in an interview last year Smith recalled that when he first arrived, there were “hardly any roads, let alone vehicles. Only one foreigner had a bicycle.”

Other than a brother living in New Zealand, Smith had no other close relatives. His wish was to have his ashes scattered on the Seti River that flows down from the Annapurna mountains.

Colin Smith, born November 24 1936, died November 4 2023

China holds sway in Nepal as rival communist factions create crisis
By Gopal Sharma and Rupam Jain 

© Reuters/POOL FILE PHOTO: 

China's President Xi shakes hands with Nepal's PM Oli in Kathmandu

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Alarmed that a political crisis in Nepal could endanger China's strategic interests and Belt and Road projects, a Chinese Communist Party emissary has held days of talks to try to stop the Himalayan country's ruling communist party from tearing itself apart.

The crisis erupted on Dec. 20 when Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, decided he could no longer work with rival factions within his Nepal Communist Party (NCP), which was formed in 2018 to unite the Marxist-Leninist and main Maoist parties following their success in elections in late 2017.

With two years of his term to run, Oli dissolved parliament and called for fresh elections in a move that foreign diplomats say caught China by surprise and plunged the impoverished nation of 30 million people into uncertainty.

Seven ministers quit Oli's government, and anger over the descent into political infighting at a time when the economy is reeling from the coronavirus sparked protests at which effigies of the prime minister were burnt.

Within days, Beijing dispatched to Kathmandu Guo Yezhou, a vice-minister in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) International Liaison Department, which manages relationships with foreign political parties of all hues, both in power and opposition.

"It is evident that China is angered by Oli's abrupt move amid a pandemic ... they are clearly concerned about the massive investments they have pledged," said a senior European diplomat.

"They are shocked as to how Oli could make a bold political move without prior consultations," said the diplomat, requesting anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Oli has recommended an election be held in two phases in April and May, but what happens next could be in the lap of the Supreme Court, as his opponents have challenged the dissolution of parliament as unconstitutional. A hearing will resume in January.

SPEAKING TO ALL SIDES

Guo has held separate meetings with Oli, and rivals in the communist party to get their sides of the story, as well as leaders of the main opposition party and other politicians.

Commenting on the delegation's visit to Kathmandu, China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China hoped "all the various parties in Nepal can put national interest and the overall situation first, and proceed from there, while properly handling internal differences and working towards political stability and the country's development."

Madhav Kumar Nepal, a former prime minister and one of the main critics of Oli within the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), was high on Guo's dance card, and Ram Karki, the NCP's deputy chief of the foreign affairs attended their meeting.

"They want to listen more than they speak. They wanted to know the reason leading to the split in the party," Karki said of the Chinese delegation.

"China always wants stability in Nepal. Since the CCP has a fraternal relationship with the NCP, they are concerned about the present situation. Certainly, they tried to know whether there is any possibility of uniting the party," Karki said.

Guo also held talks with the opposition Nepali Congress Party leader and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

"Irrespective of any change in Nepal, China wants to continue its relationship with all political parties and its economic cooperation including the Trans-Himalayan Multi Dimensional Connectivity Network,” Dinesh Bhattarai, a Deuba aide present at the meeting, told Reuters.

The network - involving the construction of ports, roads, railways, aviation and communications - was agreed during a visit by China's President Xi Jinping to Nepal in October 2019. And the multi-billion dollar investment in infrastructure could be a godsend for Nepal's ailing economy.

INFLUENCE ON DISPLAY

Still, some foreign diplomats in Kathmandu viewed Guo's mission as a brazen demonstration of China's growing influence over Nepal's internal affairs.

"Why would a country rush a delegation to a neighbouring nation amid a pandemic? It's rather obvious they control the internal politics of Nepal as they want to expand investments in near future," a senior Western diplomat said.

An Asian diplomat struck a similar note.

"They have been buying land and investing in large-scale infrastructure projects by keeping a tight control on the ruling party and the opposition," said the Asian diplomat.

"A lot is at stake for Beijing," he said.

Sandwiched between India and China, Nepal's tilt into China's orbit is a growing concern for India.

Oli has raised border disputes between Nepal and India at a time when India is already dealing with the worst tensions in decades along sections of its long frontier with China in the Himalayas.

"India has its own history of interference in Nepal but has taken a back seat this time, leaving China more exposed to a growing feeling of resentment among Nepalis," said Constantino Xavier, an analyst at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress, an independent think thank in New Delhi.

Feyzi Ismail, a researcher at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, suspected China could be disappointed if it maintains backing for Oli in the hope of restoring political stability.

"Protests against Oli's authoritarianism, his clamping down on civil liberties are likely to intensify," said Ismail.

(Reporting by Rupam Jain in Mumbai; Additional reporting by Gabriel Crossley in Beijing; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

This is how Chinese criminal empire spread in Nepal

Krishna Timalsina
July 28, 2022

LONG READ

KATHMANDU: A team of police deployed from the District Police Office Rupandehi raided a suspicious call center in Tilottama-2 Janakinagar on July 24.

The call center named Blue Sky Business Solutions was found involved in fraud business.

Police raided the call center and nabbed a Chinese national, the accused of the crime, an Indian national, and 258 Nepali youths being used in the fraud business.

According to the police, thousands of Indian citizens including Nepalis have been cheated by this call center.

The police informed that the gang had been running a fraud business for months sending messages through social media saying that they have won a lottery, hacking other people’s social networks including Facebook, and asking for a certain amount of money to collect lottery tickets and goods.

The police are now investigating using the details they got from the laptop, desktop, CPU, mobile, pen drive, various hard disks, iPad, etc. recovered from this call center. Chief of Area Police Office, Butwal DSP Thug Bahadur KC shared that the recovered goods and gadgets have been sent to the forensic lab for investigation.

After the arrested Indian citizen Niranjan Kumar stated that their head office is in China and they also have call centers in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan, the police raided a call center run by another Chinese citizen in Gairigaon, Tinkune, Kathmandu.

Those Chinese citizens who have been living and working illegally in Nepal for a long time were producing and selling liquor called ‘Chinese millet local liquor’ in that inn without government permission.

The main planner of this call center running under the name of Sky World Service Pvt Ltd was also Chinese. Kathmandu police have detained 41 people including one Chinese citizen from the call center. It has been found that this gang gives loans through various mobile wallets and takes all the details from banking to three generations of borrowers.

It has been found that this group, which gives a maximum loan of 20,000 for a day, charges interest up to 5,000. For debt collection and fraud, the gang used ‘honey trap’ girls in Kathmandu.

A Chinese gang that used technology in Nepal to cheat millions through Nepali youths was also arrested on the dam side of Pokhara on June 30. Two Chinese men and one woman were operating this call center through a company called New Diamond Technology.

The frauds had used the citizenship of Suman Tamang of Kakani-7 of Nuwakot to run this company. The police seized Rs 4,597, 180 along with 89 Nepalis who had been used in their (Chinese) fraudulent business.

The Chinese, who came to Pokhara on a visit visa, had been cheating Nepalis in the name of a software company by renting a flat in Bajra Inn Hotel on the dam side for 6 months.

Series of Chinese nationals’ crimes in Nepal

The police arrested 22 Chinese including 10 men and 12 women from Budhanilkanth in Kathmandu on April 25. They came to Nepal as tourists and were involved in illegal work.

According to the Department of Immigration, the Chinese who have overstayed their visas and are involved in activities such as online gambling are now in jail.

Soon after, on June 7, Nagadhunga police arrested 4 Chinese and one Nepali driver with 38.9 million rupees procured through an unknown source. According to the police, 4 Chinese tourists, including 50-year-old Chinese citizen Aung Jai King, were returning to Kathmandu with undisclosed money collected from a call center and an online gambling house operating outside the valley in a vehicle numbered BAB 5710.

The Department of Money Laundering has confirmed that the source of the money recovered from them has not been disclosed.

Similarly, on February 13, Chinese citizen Zhang Li was arrested at Tribhuvan International Airport with 4.840 kg gold. A 36-year-old man with passport number EJ 0248131, who came to Nepal as a tourist, Li was arrested while checking near the airport customs office arrival tunnel gate.

On October 29, 2021, Sankhuwasabha police arrested Wu Ching Ling, a resident of Sichuan, China and Zhang Fuhen, a resident of Shandong, were arrested with a tool to mold Rudraksha in various shapes.

It has been confirmed that they had been cheating the people and selling them the artificial one-faced or multi-faced Rudraksha the business of creating one-faced or multi-faced Rudraksha for a long time.

37 people, including Chinese nationals, were arrested from the Mid-Baneswor area of ​​Kathmandu on February 22. According to the Kathmandu police, they were involved in online illegal transactions, call bypass and gambling.

Later on the same day, the police raided a building in Sanothimi, Bhaktapur. At that time, 81 people including Chinese nationals were arrested. They were also involved in online fraud and call bypass business.

Similarly, on 7 July 2021, a team deployed from the Metropolitan Police Complex Teku and Lainchaur recovered the remains of endangered wild animals from a hotel run by Chinese nationals in Jyatha Galli, Kathmandu. Four more Chinese nationals arranging gambling there were also arrested at that time.

Staying in the hotel as tourists, they had 2 electric tables used to play gambling, 410 pieces of plastic balls called ‘mahjong’ in Chinese.

Police recovered Rs 889,155 in cash, 7 mobile phones from different companies, 1 piece of tiger skin, 1 piece of cow skin, 1 piece of a skin-like object, 20 pieces of the shell-like object, 900 pieces of Bodhichitta, 20 kg of rudraksha from there.

According to the police, 2 passports, 35 ATM cards of different banks in China, 250 voucher sheets (written), 68 voucher sheets (unwritten), 2 items that looked like tiger teeth, 2 sharp iron knives, and 1 sharp iron sword were also found there.

On May 9, 2019, 49-year-old Wang Chun Yan was arrested at Tribhuvan International Airport with Rs 100,000, US$ 13,000 and INR 8,000 while he was about to leave for China.

On July 30, 2021, Kathmandu Police arrested 56-year-old Shi Jhiwi from Jiangsu Province, China, from Thamel while producing alcohol illegally. Those Chinese nationals who came to Nepal on a tourist visa were running Home Sweet Smell Hotel and Restaurant Pvt Ltd by renting the house of Chinta Lama in Thamel.

On 20 September 2017, police arrested Chinese citizen Li Wan with 50,000 US dollars in Rasuwa. Likewise, earlier, a Chinese citizen Wang Chung was arrested from Timure in Rasuwa with 18,432 US dollars on 20 January 2017.

Those Chinese citizens who have been living and working illegally in Nepal for a long time were producing and selling liquor called ‘Chinese millet local liquor’ in that inn without government permission.

Similarly, a team of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Police, with the help of a special team of the Chinese police, arrested 122 Chinese citizens from 9 different houses in Kathmandu on December 26, 2020.

They were arrested with the help of a special team of the Chinese police on the basis of information that Chinese citizens were cheating Chinese nationals through cybercrime from Nepal.

747 cell phones, 331 laptops, 98 CPUs, 99 monitors, 22 pen drives, 327 SIM cards and 67 passports were recovered from 9 houses in Tarakeshwar, Manmaiju, Maharajganj, and Budhanilkantha then.

As the Chinese security officers took away all the equipment seized from the arrested Chinese nationals, the Nepal police did not find any trace of the Chinese fraud.

Nepal police had handed them over to the Chinese officials after the Ministry of Public Security of China made a written request to return all those devices. At that time, around 230 Chinese security personnel had come to Kathmandu with weapons in two planes of China Southern and China Eastern to pick up the Chinese involved in the online fraud.

According to the police, these Chinese entered Nepal after China launched an operation against its citizens in Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Laos. Therefore, Chinese security officials came to Kathmandu with a special plane to pick them up.

Likewise, Sohrakhutte police arrested two Chinese nationals on May 30, 2020, for teasing, cheating and abusing Nepali girls in Dhalku, Thamel. They had been living in the Thamel area for a long time as tourists.

According to the police, the Chinese men ran a business of tempting the Nepali girl in many ways and trafficking them to China where they (the girls) would be used as domestic slaves.

On January 3, 2021, Chinese citizens Li Weiping and Li Xiangjiang were kidnapped while staying in a hotel in Gaushala, Kathmandu. Wu Chaw and Zhang Wei, Chinese citizens who came to Nepal as tourists, put them in a taxi and took them to Marminga in Sindhupalchok.

After a week, Nepal Police rescued the kidnapped Chinese from Sindhupalchowk.

On March 13, 2020, a Chinese team armed with swords and homemade weapons suddenly attacked a Nepali taxi driver in Jyatha Galli in Thamel, Kathmandu. After Thamel merchants and bankers retaliated against the Chinese, the police arrested Wang Yun Feng, a Chinese merchant who led the Chinese crowd.

On August 8, 2076, 2 Chinese citizens who were going to Istanbul by Turkish Airlines were arrested on charges of theft inside the ship.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of police arrested 13 doctors working at Apollo International Clinic in Thamel, China Great Wall Health Center in Bouddha, China People’s Hospital and China Dental Hospital on 28 February 2018. They were doing medical work in Nepal charging expensive service charges and without legal permission.

Similarly, on August 25, 2019, Nepal Police arrested five Chinese nationals who were illegally withdrawing money from ATMs.

Metropolitan Police Complex Kathmandu arrested 4 Chinese nationals who were staying at Maya Manohar Hotel on Durbarmarg along with one person who had withdrawn money from the ATM of Nabil Bank on Durbarmarg in the middle of the night.

The police recovered 1.26 million Nepali rupees and more than 9000 US dollars from them.

From dollar smuggling to human trafficking

On 20 September 2017, police arrested Chinese citizen Li Wan with 50,000 US dollars in Rasuwa. Likewise, earlier, a Chinese citizen Wang Chung was arrested from Timure in Rasuwa with 18,432 US dollars on 20 January 2017.

Similarly, a Chinese woman named Yan Kun Duan was arrested on September 29, 2017, while trying to go to Bhutan from Nepal with 46,480 US dollars. On June 15, 2015, Chinese woman Yang Hong was arrested at the airport along with 98,500 dollars.

On 14 January 2017, three Chinese people who were going to Rasuwa with 260,000 US Dollars, 180,000 Euros, and some Australian Dollars were arrested in Nagadhunga. Earlier, On Yi Wang, a Chinese citizen was arrested at Kathmandu airport with 74 thousand US dollars, 76 thousand Euros, and 48 thousand Swiss francs on 27 August 2015.

Looking at the data of the Nepal Police, it has been found that the Chinese were initially involved in illegal dollar transactions by smuggling gold and red sandalwood. The police had increased their surveillance on the Chinese after arresting Kovin Li, a Chinese national with 40,000 US dollars from Bhaktapur, for the first time, on 4 October 2010.

Later, in the same month, the police arrested three Chinese from Swayambhu in Kathmandu with three hundred thousand US dollars. Then, in December 2011, another Chinese was arrested for smuggling dollars to the Tatopani border. Police recovered 97,223 dollars from him in Jagati, Bhaktapur.

Similarly, on 30 August 13, 2019, the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police issued a notice in this regard.

The notice stated that Nepali girls were trafficked by Chinese nationals in the form of brides. After a long investigation, the police concluded that under the pretext of marriage Nepali girls were being trafficked. Four victim girls were rescued from Chinese marriage bureaus operating in various places in Kathmandu.

6 Chinese human traffickers were also arrested in this connection. It was found that they cheated Nepali girls of 20 lakhs by showing them the temptation to get married to a Chinese young man and to go to China easily. The gang of Chinese youths choosing Nepali girls at the Marriage Bureau office and taking Nepali girls to China by making marriage registration papers at the district administration office is inactive due to the coronavirus epidemic.

Nepal is becoming a transit for smuggling

According to the police, the Chinese have now made Nepal a transit point for wildlife smuggling.

There is a record that the police also seized 162 kg of pangolin from the Chinese who brought it to Nepal from the Congo, Africa via Turkey.

According to the police report, on 29 January 2018, Chinese citizens Que Xiorong and Que Liba O were arrested at the Kathmandu airport with the pangolin. Soon after, on 21 August 2018, the police caught three Chinese people in a hotel in Thamel with a sea horse and a tiger skin. The owner of the Kathmandu One Hotel was the Chinese citizen Chen Kang.

According to the police, the presence of Chinese in the crime network of Nepal was very little till 2004. There was no need to monitor activities other than the Free Tibet Movement. But now the Chinese are spreading the net illegal activities everywhere. They have become a headache for the police.

The Chinese are at the forefront of smuggling yarsagumba, sunakhari, tiger bones and various herbs. In addition, the Chinese have expanded their crime network in the medical sector in Nepal.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of police arrested 13 doctors working at Apollo International Clinic in Thamel, China Great Wall Health Center in Bouddha, China People’s Hospital and China Dental Hospital on 28 February 2018. They were doing medical work in Nepal charging expensive service charges and without legal permission.

According to the police, even now, some Chinese are involved in the business of operating similar hospitals by pretending to be Nepalis.

The Chinese even beat up the police

The activities of the Chinese were not limited to illegal trade. At a time when the whole world was in shock due to Corona, on 8 May 2020, the Chinese staged a gherao in front of the gate of the main administrative body Singha Durbar with the demand to be allowed to return home and beat up some policemen.

DSP Hari Bahadur Basnet of Metropolitan Police Circle, Singha Durbar and a female police officer were injured when 33 Chinese nationals who gathered in the restricted area pelted stones at police.

Soon after, on 10 March 2022, a 28-year-old Chinese citizen named Chong Zhenjian, who was doing suspicious activities in the northern area of ​​Sankhuwasabha, was arrested. He was running illegal trade from the restricted area of ​​Kimathanka, the border crossing between Nepal and China.

The details are the evidence to reveal the level of a criminal network that Chinese citizens are spreading in Nepal.

Chinese networks have spread everywhere from gold, dollars, wildlife parts, herbal smuggling, hacking, human kidnapping, attempted murder, human trafficking, drug trafficking, online fraud, gambling and game centers and illegal medical practices.

According to the police, the presence of Chinese in the crime network of Nepal was very little till 2004. There was no need to monitor activities other than the Free Tibet Movement. But now the Chinese are spreading the net illegal activities everywhere. They have become a headache for the police.

The police have handed over all those arrested to the Chinese government except those involved in serious crimes.

How Development Failures Fuel Labour Exodus in Nepal



Vidhu Prakash Kayastha
September 2nd, 2024

LSE


As outward labour migration increases steadily in Nepal, Vidhu Prakash Kayashta looks at the various factors that have led to this exodus, and discusses why and how this trend will continue unless there are radical changes in the entire system — from political will to education and skills development programmes.

Nepal faces a severe unemployment crisis, leading many young workers to migrate abroad for better opportunities. The economy, heavily reliant on low-productivity agriculture, struggles with limited growth and failed diversification in manufacturing and services. The crisis is exacerbated by a mismatch between graduate skills and the needs of the labour market alongside an outdated education system. As a result, the youth are confronted with high unemployment and underemployment.

Many migrate to countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Korea for higher wages and better work conditions. While remittances from migrant workers supports Nepal’s economy, they also highlight domestic job market deficiencies, and bring social and psychological challenges in its wake. Comprehensive reforms are needed, including modernising education, improving infrastructure, creating jobs and fostering entrepreneurship to build a more resilient economy and address these systemic issues.

Shadows of Migration

In the quiet, almost eerie calm of Nepal’s Terai region, abandoned villages paint a poignant picture of a larger issue. These once-bustling communities now lie empty, a stark reminder of the growing trend of absenteeism in the country. ‘Absent population’ refers to those counted in the Census but not present in Nepal at the time of data collection. This absence is a powerful indicator of the economic hardships pushing many Nepalis to seek better prospects beyond their homeland.

The economic struggle is particularly evident among the youth. In recent years, the youth unemployment rate — reflecting the percentage of individuals aged 15–24 who are jobless but actively seeking employment — has been a critical metric of the country’s economic challenges (Table 1). For instance, in 2022, the youth unemployment rate stood at 20.52 per cent, showing a slight improvement from the previous year’s rate of 22.75 per cent; however, this was an incremental drop from 2020, which saw a rate of 23.80 per cent. The trend of increasing youth unemployment rates was evident even earlier, with 2019 recording a rate of 19.88 per cent, only marginally higher than in 2018.





Table 1: Unemployment in Nepal 2018–22 based on data from Macrotrends; © Author.



Impact of Absenteeism

The 2021 Census Report, the 12th since Nepal’s first Census in 1911, provides essential demographic data for planning and policy by the government. As of 2021, Nepal’s population is 29,192,480, reflecting a 10.18 per cent increase since 2011. However, the annual growth rate has slowed to 0.93 per cent, the lowest in 80 years, due to declining fertility rates, rising migration and urbanisation.

Migration has surged, with 2,169,478 Nepalis living abroad, significantly contributing to remittances, which constitute about 30 per cent of the Gross Domestic product (GDP). Between 2011–21, the number of Nepalis living abroad increased by 269,098, or 14.01 per cent. Female migration has risen from 12.36 per cent to 17.83 per cent of the overseas population, while the percentage of males has decreased from 87.64 per cent to 82.17 per cent. The number of males living abroad increased by 6.01 per cent, while females increased by 7.98 per cent.

The high rate of absenteeism of Nepalese workers serves as a stark indicator of the dire conditions prompting their departure. Everyone who leaves in search of better prospects reflects the economic shortcomings at home. This exodus not only reveals the depth of Nepal’s economic struggles but also underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to address the underlying issues.

Simultaneously, Nepal’s net migration rate, which tracks the number of people moving in and out of the country per 1,000 population, reflects a similar story of economic desperation. In 2024, the net migration rate dropped to 4.144 per 1,000, a significant 18.26 per cent decrease from the previous year. This followed a 16.47 per cent increase in 2023, when the rate had been 5.070 per 1,000. The migration rate has been climbing steadily since 2021, which saw a rate of 3.636 per 1,000 — a 24.52 per cent rise from 2020. In 2022, the migration rate had surged to 4.353 per 1,000, a notable 19.72 per cent increase from 2021.

These statistics and trends not only highlight the pressing economic issues facing Nepal but also underscore the larger narrative of a nation grappling with the challenges of providing opportunities and stability for its people. The empty villages and the rising net migration rate are emblematic of a broader socio-economic struggle that continues to drive many Nepalis to seek a better life elsewhere.

Economic Challenges

Nepal’s economic environment is marked by slow growth, high unemployment and widespread underemployment. The scarcity of job opportunities perpetuates a cycle of poverty and restricts economic mobility. This situation is particularly disheartening for the youth, who face limited job prospects and are increasingly drawn to foreign labour markets in search of better opportunities.

Dependence on Remittances

In response to the sluggish domestic economy, remittances from abroad have become a crucial support system for many Nepali families. Workers in countries like Qatar, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia send essential funds back home, underscoring the deficiencies of Nepal’s domestic job market. While these remittances offer temporary relief, they highlight a more profound issue: the country’s inability to generate sufficient employment opportunities and sustain its population.

Political Instability and Corruption

Political instability and corruption have further destabilised the economy. Frequent changes in government and pervasive corruption erode public trust and obstruct effective policy implementation. The lack of consistent economic strategies and stable governance undermines long-term planning and investment, stifling growth and opportunity.

The trend of young people leaving the country for employment opportunities is growing. In the fiscal year 2013–14, the number of youths seeking jobs abroad first surpassed 500,000 in a single year. However, it is important to factor in the impact of the Covid–19 pandemic, which has influenced these figures. According to the Foreign Employment Board, over 600,000 individuals sought jobs overseas in the year following the pandemic, with that number rising to more than 750,000 in the most recent fiscal year. Currently, it is estimated that more than 7 million young people have been living abroad for over five years which, along with other absentee population, represents about 23 per cent of the country’s total population.

As evident in Table 2 below, the highest number of labour approvals was in Kartik (mid-October to mid- November) with 78,370; the lowest number of labour approvals was in Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May) with 54,457.





Table 2: Labour Approvals per month in 2080 Bikram Sambat (April 2022 – March 2023), not available for Asoj (mid-September to mid-October 2022); data based on myRepublica © Author.



Way Forward

Substantial reform is necessary to tackle Nepal’s economic and demographic challenges. Enhanced data collection can provide better insights into absenteeism and its causes. Strengthening support systems for both resident and non-resident populations, along with promoting sustainable economic development, are crucial steps. By focusing on job creation, better living conditions and addressing the root causes of migration, Nepal can strive towards a more resilient and equitable economy.

The 23 per cent absentee rate highlighted by the Census 2021 serves as a crucial reflection of Nepal’s economic and social landscape. Addressing this issue is vital for effective governance and sustainable development. By enhancing data collection, providing support to all Nepalis regardless of where they are and promoting robust economic growth, Nepal can work towards a more equitable and prosperous future for its people.

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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent the views of the ‘South Asia @ LSE’ blog, the LSE South Asia Centre or the London School of Economics and Political Science. Please click here for our Comments Policy.

This blogpost may not be reposted by anyone without prior written consent of LSE South Asia Centre; please e-mail southasia@lse.ac.uk for permission.

Banner image © Rohan Reddy, Boudhanath Sadak, Kathmandu, 2018, Unsplash.

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About the author

Vidhu Prakash Kayastha
Dr Vidhu Prakash Kayastha holds a PhD in Journalism and Mass Communication, and is a journalist, writer and media educator in Kathmandu. He contributes articles in English and Nepali, and writes in Nepalbhasa.

Nepal calls on Russia not to deploy its Gurkhas in Ukraine war
Shweta Sharma
Tue, 5 December 2023


Nepal has called on Russia to stop sending its Gurkha soldiers to fight on the frontline in Ukraine after a series of losses sparked anger back home.

The Nepali government said six soldiers serving in the Russian military have died in Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine since February 2022, Nepali prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said.

"The government of Nepal has requested the Russian government to immediately return their bodies and pay compensation to their families," the foreign ministry said late on Monday.

Nepal’s foreign ministry said that diplomatic efforts were underway for the release of one Nepali soldier from the Ukrainian army following his capture while fighting in the Russian army, the statement added.

The Gurkhas have long been known for their bravery and fighting skills on the battlefield, serving in the British and Indian armies under an agreement between the three countries since the independence of India in 1947.

The Himalayan state, which is wedged between India and China, has no such agreement with Russia.

Between 150 and 200 Nepalis are believed to have been working as mercenaries in the Russian army since the start of the war, said Milan Raj Tuladhar, Nepal‘s ambassador to Moscow, according to The Kathmandu Post.

“We are sending those who come [in] contact [with us] back to Nepal, telling them about the high risks associated with joining the Russian army,” Mr Tuladhar said.

The ambassador said that young Nepalis are being lured to fight in the war with attractive financial offers, and are effectively being trafficked into Russia.

“We have been sending back at least one Nepali national a day. They were all brought to Russia to serve in the army,” he said.

“If the individual does not possess a Nepali passport, we issue a travel document and send him back to Nepal.”

Nepal’s foreign ministry has urged its citizens not to join the army of any third country outside of its existing international agreements, and demanded Moscow return its nationals.

The bodies of two Nepali soldiers, Rupak Karki and Sandip Thapaliya, have already been buried after they were killed around mid-July this year while others are still in the mortuary, the report said.

It comes as Mr Putin has set his sights on boosting his ground troops capacity in Ukraine and signed a decree last week to increase recruitment by nearly 170,000 to reach a total of 1.32 million, as Russia suffers record losses in its 22-month-long war.

Russia’s campaign to attract more voluntary recruits has included advertisements promising cash bonuses, cold calls to eligible men by recruiters, and partnerships with universities and social service agencies to attract students and the unemployed across Russia.

Nepal police arrest 10 for smuggling Gurkhas to fight for Russia in Ukraine


Shweta Sharma
Wed, 6 December 2023 a


Nepal police have arrested 10 people for allegedly sending unemployed youths to Russia for illegal recruitment into Vladimir Putin’s army, amid Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

Kathmandu police said the suspects were charging up to $9,000 (£7,143) per person to traffic them to Russia on tourist visas and have them embedded in the Russian army.

The arrests are part of a police campaign to discourage vulnerable men from fighting on the front lines.

Nepal has been compelled to consolidate its diplomatic efforts following the deaths of at least six of its soldiers serving in the Russian military in Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine since February 2022. One Nepali soldier was captured by the Ukrainian army.

It prompted Nepal to call on Russia to stop sending its Gurkha soldiers to fight on the frontlines in Ukraine after a series of losses sparked anger among the families as they waited for the return of the last remains of slain combatants.

Kathmandu district police chief Bhupendra Khatri said: “We are discussing with the government lawyers about the case and will produce them to the court,” Mr Khatri said.

The men were being smuggled into Russia through the UAE, he said. “It is a case of human smuggling ... organised crime,” he added.

Scores of Nepali men have been drawn into the Russia-Ukraine war with mercenaries believed to be fighting on both sides. The young generation from the poor Himalayan nation are being lured into foreign countries for the prospect of a better future and a contract worth about $750 (£595) per month for fighting in the war.

In May, Mr Putin announced that foreigners who serve a year in the Russian military would have the process of their full Russian citizenship expedited.

Hundreds of Nepali soldiers are believed to be fighting on the front lines unofficially. But Nepal’s ambassador to Russia, Milan Raj Tuladhar, puts a conservative number between 150 and 200 of his country’s people embedded in the Russian army since the start of the war.

The country, which has a long tradition of serving in the foreign military, has no agreement with Russia for officially allowing youths to be employed in their army, unlike with the British and Indian armies.

The Nepali government has urged its people to not fight in the war and prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said he is aware of people fighting in the conflict.

Nepal’s foreign ministry said diplomatic efforts were underway for the release of a Nepali soldier from Ukraine’s army following his capture while fighting on behalf of Russia.

"The government of Nepal has requested the Russian government to immediately return their bodies and pay compensation to their families," the foreign ministry said late on Monday.

Nepal air crash: Indian passenger's video caught plane's last moments

Zoya Mateen - BBC News, Delhi
Mon, January 16, 2023 

Sonu Jaiswal, who livestreamed from the plane seconds before it crashed

In the hours after Nepal's deadliest plane crash for 30 years, a video went viral in India - it showed one of the victims, Sonu Jaiswal, livestreaming from the plane just seconds before the crash.

He was part of a group of four friends from Ghazipur in India who were visiting Nepal, and were on the flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara.

In the footage, Pokhara airport's surroundings are visible from the doomed plane as it comes into land, those on board unaware they are just moments from death.

None of the 72 people on board are believed to have survived the crash.

The video shows the plane gliding gently over the honeycombs of buildings dotting brown-green fields, before the man filming it turns the camera around and smiles.

He then turns it around again to show other passengers in the aircraft.

The following details could be distressing to some readers.

Moments pass, then there's a deafening crash.

Within seconds huge flames and smoke fill the screen as the camera keeps recording. What sounds like the screeching of an engine is audible, as well as breaking glass and then screams before the video ends.

Friends and family members of Sonu Jaiswal told reporters that they had watched the video on his Facebook account, confirming its authenticity.

"Sonu did the [livestream] when the plane crashed in a gorge near the Seti River," Mukesh Kashyap, Jaiswal's friend, told reporters.

Local journalist Shashikant Tiwari told the BBC that Kashyap showed him the video on Jaiswal's Facebook profile, which is set to private.

Hundreds of rescuers were sent to the site of the crash

It is not clear how Jaiswal accessed the internet to stream from the plane.

Abhishek Pratap Shah, a former lawmaker in Nepal, told Indian news channel NDTV that rescuers had recovered the phone on which the video was found from the plane's wreckage.

"It [the video clip] was sent by one of my friends, who received it from a police officer. It is a real record," Mr Shah told NDTV.

Officials in Nepal have not confirmed his claim or commented on the footage, which could help crash investigators in their work.

But for the loved ones of the four men - Jaiswal, Abhishek Kushwaha, Anil Rajbhar and Vishal Sharma - none of this matters. They say they are "too shattered" to care.

"The pain is hard to explain," said Chandrabhan Maurya, the brother of Abhishek Kushwaha.

"The government needs to help us as much as they can. We want the bodies of our loved ones to be returned to us."

Co-pilot's husband also died in plane crash 16 years ago

Authorities in Ghazipur in northern Uttar Pradesh state said they are in touch with the four families and the Indian embassy in Kathmandu to offer any possible help.

"We have also told the families that if they want to travel to Kathmandu, we will make all the arrangements for them," district magistrate Aryaka Akhauri told reporters.

Several villagers remembered the four men as "kind, fun-loving souls". They said they were devastated by the tragedy that had struck their otherwise quiet lives.

Some of them also joined protests, demanding compensation for the families.

The families of the Indian victims have asked for compensation from the government

The four men, all thought to be in their 20s or early 30s, had been friends for many years, and often spent time together.

Locals say they had gone to Nepal on 13 January to visit the Pashupatinath temple, a grand shrine on the outskirts of Kathmandu which is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

The trip was reportedly Jaiswal's idea - a father of three, he wanted to pray at the temple for another son.

After visiting the temple, the friends set off on Sunday to Pokhara - a picturesque tourist town nestled near the Annapurna mountain range - to paraglide. They planned to return to Kathmandu.

"But fate had something else in store for him," an unnamed relative of Jaiswal's told news agency PTI.

The four men were among five Indians on board. Officials said 53 of the passengers were Nepalese, along with four Russians and two Koreans. Others on board are reported to have included one passenger each from the UK, Australia, Argentina and France.

On Monday, social media in India was awash with images from the crash site and of the video shot by Jaiswal.

Jaiswal's father, Rajendra Prasad Jaiswal, said he could not bear to watch the clip himself. "I have only heard about it from Sonu's friends. Our lives have come crashing down."

While groups of mourners stood around the neighbourhood in disbelief, Anil Rajbhar's father stayed away.

His son had left for Nepal on 13 January without informing his family. While his father was busy in the family's fields, Anil quietly packed his bags and left with his friends, neighbours said.

His father is still in disbelief at the news.

Additional reporting by Shashikant Tiwari in Uttar Pradesh

EXPLAINER: Why did Nepal plane crash in fair weather?


Rescuers scour the crash site in the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara, Nepal, Monday, Jan.16, 2023. Nepal began a national day of mourning Monday as rescue workers resumed the search for six missing people a day after a plane to a tourist town crashed into a gorge while attempting to land at a newly opened airport, killing at least 66 of the 72 people aboard in the country's deadliest airplane accident in three decades.(AP Photo/Yunish Gurung)

DAVID RISING
Mon, January 16, 2023

BANGKOK (AP) — Yeti Airlines flight 691 crashed Sunday just before landing in Nepal's tourist city of Pokhara, the gateway to a popular hiking area in the Himalayas, after a 27-minute trip from Kathmandu.

At least 69 of the 72 people aboard have been confirmed dead.

Pilots say Nepal can be a challenging place to fly, but conditions at the time of the crash were good, with low wind, clear skies and temperatures well above freezing. So what might have caused the crash of the ATR 72 aircraft?

DID THE PLANE STALL?

A dramatic video shot on a smartphone from the ground shows the last moments before the plane crashed in a gorge about 1.6 kilometers (a mile) from newly opened Pokhara International Airport. The aircraft's nose is noticeably high before the left wing suddenly drops and the plane falls out of sight of the video, indicating a likely stall, said Amit Singh, an experienced pilot and founder of India's Safety Matters Foundation.

“If you see the trajectory of the aircraft, the aircraft's nose goes up, and the nose up would be associated with a reduction in speed,” he told The Associated Press. “When they have stalls, typically one wing goes down and wings are basically generating the lift. So as the air flow reduces, the lift generated is not enough to sustain the aircraft in flight and the wing drops and the aircraft nosedives.”

Professor Ron Bartsch, an aviation safety expert and founder of Australia's Avlaw Aviation Consulting, told Sydney's Channel 9 that he also thought the plane appears to have gone into a stall. Its proximity to the ground possibly made it look to the pilots like their speed was greater than it was, he said.

“I'd suggest that the aircraft has entered into an aerodynamic stall,” he said after reviewing the video just before the crash. “Possibly pilot error.”

Yeti Airlines spokesman Pemba Sherpa said the cause of the crash was under investigation.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AIRCRAFT

The ATR-72 was introduced in the late 1980s as a French and Italian joint venture and even though it has been involved in several deadly accidents over the years, several due to icing issues, it generally has a “very good track record,” Bartsch said.

Searchers recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder on Monday from the scene of the crash, but it will not be until they are analyzed carefully that investigators know for sure what happened.

“Human factors will be an element that the investigators will have a look at to see whether or not there's been proper training," Bartsch said. "But normally aircraft don't just fall out of the sky, particularly modern aircraft.”

It is possible that some sort of technical failure with the aircraft's instruments gave bad data to the pilots, but even then it is possible to recover from a stall, Singh said.

“The pilots should be trained to handle technical failures,” he said.

Singh noted that Nepal's aviation industry has a poor track record for safety and training despite its “challenging airports and conditions.” Even though it has been improving, he noted its planes are banned from flying into European airspace.

A pilot who routinely flies an ATR-72-500 plane from India to Nepal said the region’s topography, with its mountain peaks and narrow valleys, raises the risk of accidents and sometimes requires pilots to fly by sight rather than relying on instruments.

The pilot, who works for a private Indian airline and didn’t want to be identified due to company policy, called ATR-72-500 an “unforgiving aircraft” if the pilot isn’t highly skilled and familiar with the region’s terrain and wind speed.

ATR said Sunday on Twitter that its specialists were “fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer” and that its “first thoughts are with all the individuals affected by this.”

The company did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.

CONCERNS ABOUT THE NEW AIRPORT

Home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, Nepal has a history of air crashes. According to the Safety Matters Foundation's data, there have been 42 fatal plane crashes in Nepal since 1946.

The country’s “hostile topography” and “diverse weather patterns” were the major challenges, according to a 2019 safety report from Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, also resulting in a “number of accidents” to small aircraft. The report said such accidents happened at airports that had short strips of runway for takeoff and landing and most were due to pilot error.

The airport in Pokhara, a popular tourist destination as the gateway to the Annapurna mountain range, sits at an elevation of some 820 meters (2,700 feet).

Ahead of the airport's opening two weeks ago, some had expressed concern that the number of birds in the area — due to the habitat provided by two rivers as well as a landfill near the airport — could make it additionally hazardous.

At the airport's official opening, the city's mayor said work to mitigate the effect of the landfill had been completed, according to local media reports, but it was not clear specifically what measures were undertaken.

If the aircraft had suffered a bird strike as it was coming in to land, it is possible this would have prompted the pilots to discontinue their approach and go around again, which also could have led to a stall, Singh said.

“A high thrust setting can lead to a stall,” he said. “Go-arounds are most often mishandled by crew ... so again the issue is, how did the pilot cope with the failure?"

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Associated Press writer Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Nepal crash: Dozens killed as plane crashes near Pokhara airport

Video from the ground appears to show the plane moments before it crashed

By Aoife Walsh
BBC News Published 1 day ago

Dozens of people have been killed after a plane with 72 people on board crashed near an airport in central Nepal.

The Yeti Airlines flight from Kathmandu to the tourist town of Pokhara crashed on landing before catching fire.

Videos posted on social media show an aircraft flying low over a populated area before banking sharply.

At least 68 people are confirmed to have died, officials said. Several critically injured survivors were taken to hospital, unconfirmed reports said.

Local resident Divya Dhakal told the BBC how she rushed to the crash site after seeing the aircraft plunge from the sky shortly after 11:00am local time (05:15 GMT).

"By the time I was there the crash site was already crowded. There was huge smoke coming from the flames of the plane. And then helicopters came over in no time," she said.

"The pilot tried his best to not hit civilisation or any home," she added. "There was a small space right beside the Seti River and the flight hit the ground in that small space."

The flight set out with 68 passengers on board, including at least 15 foreign nationals, and four crew members.

According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, the 15-year-old twin-engine ATR 72 stopped transmitting position data at 05:05 GMT and the last signal from the aircraft was received at 05:12.

Hundreds of Nepalese soldiers were involved in the operation at the crash site in the gorge of the Seti, just one and a half kilometres from the airport.

The search operation has been suspended for the day, officials say.

Video taken where the plane came down showed thick billowing black smoke and burning debris.

"We expect to recover more bodies," an army spokesman told Reuters, saying the plane "has broken into pieces".

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called an emergency meeting of his cabinet and urged state agencies to work on rescue operations. A panel to investigate the cause of the crash has been set up.

Of the passengers, 53 are said to be Nepalese. There were five Indian, four Russians and two Koreans on the plane. There was also one passenger each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France among others.

Aviation accidents are not uncommon in Nepal, often due to its remote runways and sudden weather changes that can make for hazardous conditions.

A Tara Air plane crashed in May 2022 in the northern Nepalese district of Mustang, killing 22 people.

In early 2018, 51 people were killed when a US-Bangla flight travelling from Dhaka in Bangladesh caught fire as it landed in Kathmandu.

The European Union has banned Nepalese airlines from its airspace over concerns about training and maintenance standards in the country's aviation industry.

Video shows passenger plane that crashed in Nepal flying low over a populated area before spinning sharply. At least 68 reported killed.

Bethany Dawson

Sun, January 15, 2023

At least 68 people have died after a plane crashed near an airport in central Nepal, according to reports.

The Yeti Airlines flight from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu crashed on landing, with videos on social media showing the aircraft spinning sharply just before it hit the 
ground. A loud explosion can be heard, as it goes out of view.
Rescue teams work to retrieve bodies at the crash site of an aircraft carrying 72 people in Pokhara in western Nepal January 15, 2023.Bijay Neupane/Handout via REUTERS

72 people were on board the flight, including 68 passengers. 68 bodies have been recovered so far.—Aerowanderer (@aerowanderer) January 15, 2023

"We have sent 31 bodies to the hospital and are still taking out 33 bodies from the gorge," police official Ajay K.C told Reuters.

The plane's wreckage is sited between two hills near the Pokhara airport, making it difficult for rescue workers to reach, Reuters reports.

A general view of people gathered after the plane crash in Pokhara, Nepal January 15, 2023 in this picture obtained from social media Naresh Giri/via REUTERS

Local resident Arun Tamu told the news site that half of the aircraft was on a hillside, whilst the other had fallen into the gorge of a river.

—Aishwarya Paliwal (@AishPaliwal) January 15, 2023

Scores killed worst Nepal air crash in 30 years

Sun, January 15, 2023

STORY: Scores of people were killed on Sunday when a plane crashed in Nepal.

The Yeti Airlines domestic flight was carrying 72 people from the capital Kathmandu when it went down in Pokhara in clear weather, according to officials from Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority.

Footage shows rescuers scouring the wreckage and scorched earth around the site.

Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, said it was a "tragic" incident and that he'd be calling an emergency cabinet meeting, with an ongoing investigation into the cause.

A Yeti Airlines spokesman confirmed those aboard the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft included two infants and four crew members.

It was also carrying international passengers including five Indians, four Russians and one Irish, two South Koreans, one Australian, one French and one Argentine national.

Deadly air incidents are common in Nepal, which has small airports in mountainous terrain where weather conditions can change quickly.

And the European Union has banned Nepali airlines from its airspace since 2013, citing safety concerns.

The Sunday crash is Nepal's worst since 1992, the Aviation Safety Network database showed, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A300 crashed into a hillside upon approach to Kathmandu, killing all 167 people on board.