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Tourism
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Bush must recognise Maoist's
victory in Nepal: Carter
NCriticising the Bush Administration's policy not to
engage in parleys with the Maoists in Nepal, former US
President Jimmy Carter on Saturday said that if
Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) does well in the
Constituent Assembly, the US must recognise it.
He also said that the outcome of the elections would
"truly represent the aspirations of the people".
"The Carter Centre found that the majority of Nepali
voters participated in a remarkable and relatively
peaceful constituent assembly election on April 10,
2008. Preliminary reports indicate that the
administration of this election was well executed,
bearing testimony to the hard work of election officials
and the determination of Nepal's people to ensure that
their country continues on the path to sustainable peace
and democracy," the former US President said reading out
from a statement issued by the centre.
Carter further said that for Nepal it is essential "to
remain calm, to await final results, and where there are
disputes, to follow appropriate legal procedures."
He added that his centre would continue to observe the
district counting and national tabulation until they are
complete.
"We encourage all Nepalis to remain actively involved in
the drafting of the constitution to ensure that the
process is transparent, accountable and inclusive," .
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Key facts about Nepal, facing
historic vote
Nepalis vote in historic elections on Thursday, their
first in nine years, for an assembly meant to write a
new constitution and serve as a parliament.
Here are some key facts about Nepal:
* Mountainous Nepal, tucked in the Himalayas between
China and India, occupies an area of 147,000 sq km and
has a population of 26.4 million. It is home to eight of
the world's 14 highest mountains, including Mount
Everest.
* Nepal was the world's last Hindu kingdom, before
declaring itself officially secular in 2006. The king
was traditionally considered an incarnation of the god
Vishnu, one of the trinity of Hindu gods.
* But that reverence has been lost since King Gyanendra
grabbed power in early 2005. He was forced from power
after street protests the following year.
* Eighty percent of Nepalis are Hindus, with the rest
Buddhists, Muslims and Christians.
* Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries and its
economy depends on aid and tourism. Western aid
comprises more than 30 percent of the annual budget.
Nearly one third of its people still live on a daily
income of less than a dollar.
* More than 80 percent of the population earn their
livelihood from agriculture. Emerging from a decade-long
civil war, the economy grew by just 2.3 percent in the
fiscal year ending mid-July 2007, down from 3.1 percent
the year before.
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Backgrounder: Nepali Constituent
Assembly and CA elections
The Constituent Assembly (CA) of Nepal is the assembly
of people's representatives to make a new constitution.
CA elections are expected to consolidate the peace
process and pave the way for the institutionalization of
democracy in Nepal.
Drafting the new constitution is the main purpose of the
CA. Drafting of the new constitution will be followed by
a general election and the formation of a new cabinet.
The most important issue to be addressed through the CA
elections is the establishment of permanent peace and
stability in the country as well as the end of all kinds
of armed struggles.
International community hopes that Nepal will recover
its peace and stability through this election and move
towards sustainable development and prosperity through
the collective endeavors of to-be-elected members of the
CA.
The April 10 CA election which was initially slated for
June 20,2007 was postponed and rescheduled for Nov. 22
after the Election Commission asked for more time to
prepare the polls.
As per the agreement reached among Nepali political
parties, 240 CA members will be elected through the
first-past-the-post and335 CA members from the
proportional representational electoral system while
other 26 CA members would be nominated in the 601-member
Constituent Assembly.
The interim parliament of Nepal on Dec. 28, 2007
approved a bill for the third amendment to the interim
constitution to declare the country a federal democratic
republic.
It will be implemented by the first meeting of the
Constituent Assembly. The CA polls will be historic
polls in Nepal
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Former U.S. president to lead election observation delegation to
Nepal
Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter and his wife
Rosalynn, the founders of the Carter Center, are scheduled to arrive
in Kathmandu, leading an international election observation
delegation to Nepal next week.
According to the Carter Center, the Carter couple is expected to
arrive in Kathmandu on April 7.
Surakiart Sathirathai, former deputy Prime Minister of Thailand,
will co-lead the delegation of 60 observers representing more than
20 different nationalities deployed by the Center throughout Nepal.
While in Nepal, the delegation will meet the leaders of the
political parties, Election Commission officials and representatives
of domestic and international election observation missions, and
will monitor the Constituent Assembly elections on April 10
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Nepal Strike Ends as Government Accepts Madhesi Autonomy
Demand
Nepal's government accepted autonomy demands from ethnic
Madhesi groups in the Terai region under an accord that
ended 16 days of strikes and protests that paralyzed the
area bordering India and threatened to disrupt
elections.
Nepal will also ensure greater representation for
minorities in state institutions including the army and
ask the Election Commission to re-open nominations to
allow Madhesi parties to file applications for the April
10 ballot, the United Nations Mission in Nepal said on
its Web site.
``Let us work together to make the election happen,''
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said after signing
the accord yesterday in the capital, Kathmandu,
according to the UN. The vote will help resolve Nepal's
problems, he said.
The Himalayan nation's general election, the first since
a November 2006 peace accord ended a decade-long
communist insurgency, was delayed last year because of
disputes among the seven parties in Nepal's interim
government. The Madhesi threatened new disruptions
before the April ballot when they refused to register to
participate and vowed to block campaigning in Terai
unless their demands were met.
Sixteen days of unrest in the region forced businesses
to close and shut highways, resulting in food and fuel
shortages in Kathmandu. At least five people were killed
during the protests in Terai, which is home to about
half of Nepal's population, produces much of its food
and is a key trade route to India.
Democratic Structure
The accord has a provision to declare an autonomous
Madhesi region in Nepal under a federal democratic
structure, the Press Trust of India reported. The states
will have autonomous rights without compromising the
sovereignty and national integrity of the country, it
cited the accord as saying.
The number of regions granted autonomy and the power
they will have will be decided after the election by the
new National Assembly, the British Broadcasting Corp.
reported without saying where it obtained the
information.
More ..........
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US, India hail Nepali gov't-UDMF pact
The United States and India have welcomed the pact
signed between the Nepali government and the agitating
United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) on Thursday.
The U.S. embassy in Nepali capital Kathmandu Thursday
issued a press release saying that the United States
welcomed the decision by the UDMF to sign a political
agreement with the Nepali government.
"We expect this agreement will lead the UDMF parties to
end their Terai bandh (general strike) with immediate
effect and will pave the way for the three parties to
participate fully in the upcoming Constituent Assembly
election on April 10. We expect further that both sides
will fulfill the terms of the agreement," the statement
said.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu Thursday also released a
statement saying that India welcomed the agreement. "It
is our hope that all parties would honor and implement
this agreement and their previous understandings," the
statement said.
A meeting of the Nepali cabinet Thursday evening have
endorsed the eight-point agreement signed with the UDMF.
The Nepali government and the agitating UDMF Thursday
afternoon inked an eight-point agreement in capital
Kathmandu. UDMF hence called off its 16-day agitation
since Feb. 13 after the signing of the pact.
More ..........
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Student, 20, says she plans to
conquer Mount Everest with parents, brothers.
A 20-year-old Ontario woman says she and her family will
attempt to scale Mount Everest together, which could
make her the youngest Canadian to reach the fabled
summit.
Laura Mallory says her mother Barbara, 56, father Dan,
56, and older brothers Adam, 25, and Alan, 23, will join
her on the expedition, currently planned for April.
Members of her family have climbed five of the so-called
Seven Summits - the highest mountains on each continent.
Mallory, a student at London's Fanshawe College and the
University of Western Ontario's nursing program, says
Everest and Antarctica's Mount Vinson remain on the
list.
She successfully climbed Russia's Mount Elbrus and Mount
Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2006.
Everest will be the first peak the family from Barrie,
Ont., will attempt together.
"We live in a world where people aren't as active as
they used to be," Mallory said in a release.
"For me, it's important for people to know that they can
accomplish things at any age. It doesn't matter what you
look like or how old you are or anything like that.
Nothing is impossible."
Each family member has reached the summit of a mountain
exceeding 18,000 feet, according to the family's
website.
The Everest expedition will cost about $167,000 and take
more than 60 days to complete. However, the family is
sponsored by several businesses in Barrie and individual
donors.
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Nepali living goddess retires
early .
An 11-year-old girl revered as a living goddess in Nepal
has retired early less than a year after she sparked
controversy by breaking tradition and traveling
overseas, officials said Monday.
Sajani Shakya was considered among the top three of
Nepal's several "kumaris," or living goddesses.
Jaiprasad Regmi, chief of the government trust that
manages the affairs of the living goddesses, said Sajani
is to be replaced because she had "come of age" and said
the decision had nothing to do with last year's row.
"We have begun the process of searching for a new kumari,"
he said.
Sajani was temporarily stripped of her revered status
last July when she traveled to the United States to
promote a documentary about Nepal's centuries-old
tradition of living goddesses
More........
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Tourist arrival in Nepal records
seven year high in 2007
With signing of the peace agreement between the
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the government,
tourist arrival to the country in 2007 was recorded all
time high since 2000.
According to a press release issued by Nepal Tourism
Board NTB) on Wednesday, the arrival figure of
international tourists entering the country using air
route recorded a 27.1-percent growth over 2006. The
total number of tourist arrival in 2007 reached 360,350
compared to 283,516 in previous year.
One of the main reasons for the inspiring growth is the
ongoing peace process and political stability in the
county. Another reason is the good air connection with
many destinations ushered in by the operation of nine
new international airlines to Nepal in 2007, the NTB
said.
"2008 seems to be very promising year for Nepalese
travel trade as more new airlines are coming and
existing airlines are also extending their flight
frequency to Nepal," the NTB press release added.
Meanwhile, December 2007 registered a growth of 13
percent in international tourist arrival to Nepal by air
route as compared to the same month last year.
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Nepal 'not just for backpackers'
Nepal, in south Asia, is not simply a destination for
backpackers, as luxury accommodation and amenities start
to spring up across the country
An article in the Express suggests that, although Nepal
has been the preserve of backpackers for decades, it is
now courting the more lucrative end of the tourist
market, with plush hotels offering striking views of the
Himalayan mountains.
After ten years of political unrest and civil war
between Maoist insurgents and the state, Nepal's
parliament is now examining the possibility of becoming
a republic and has witnessed a period of co-operation
between factions since a peace process was enacted last
year.
Nepal is hoping that peace will draw travellers back to
the nation and is promoting the hospitality of the
Nepalese people, the seven Unesco World Heritage sites
in the Kathmandu valley, its spectacular temples,
bustling towns and cities, and colourful festivals.
The state of Nepal is a landlocked nation between China
and India that has a particularly diverse range of
terrain, from eight of the ten highest mountains in the
world to the humid Terrai in the south. Home to Mount
Everest, Nepal attracts thousands of adventurers each
year.
As always, travel insurance is a must for any budding
backpacker or luxury holidaymaker.
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Nepal renames key airport
Nepal has renamed the airport that serves as the
gateway to Mount Everest after late pioneer climbers
Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, the country’s tourism
minister said on Monday. “The Lukla airport will now be
known as the Tenzing-Hillary Airport. The cabinet
approved the renaming of the airport on Sunday,” Tourism
Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung told AFP. Set up with help
from Hillary’s Himalayan Trust in 1964, Lukla airport,
140 kilometres northeast of Kathmandu, is one of the
busiest in the country during the spring and autumn
trekking and mountaineering seasons.
“A part of the trail to reach the Everest Base Camp will
also be named as Tenzing-Hillary route,” the minister
said.
Hillary, the modest New Zealand beekeeper who shot to
global fame as the first person to climb Mount Everest,
died last month, aged 88.
Hillary and Norgay made history in May 1953 when they
reached the summit of the 8,848-metre (29,028-foot)
peak.
More.....
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Everest expedition in Hillary's
memory
The first expedition to the world's highest peak
in memory of the man who conquered it first will kick
off from Nepal in April led by a 24-year-old Sherpa
whose father and grandfather were close associates of
Edmund Hillary.
Twenty-four-year-old Dawa Steven Sherpa, whose
grandfather Konchok Chumbi Sherpa accompanied the New
Zealander around the world in the 50's when the Everest
hero was trying to prove the yeti existed, and whose
father was in the first batch of students who passed out
of the school Hillary founded in Khumjung in the Everest
region, planned the Eco Everest Expedition 2008 that
kicks off from Kathmandu on April 6. The first Hillary
memorial expedition comes close on the heels of Nepal's
government on Sunday renaming the Lukla Airport in the
north as the Tenzing-Hillary Airport.
"If I say Everest, everybody listens," Dawa said,
announcing the attempt to summit the peak to draw
attention to the danger of "mountain tsunami" in the
Himalayan ranges. Global warming has endangered about
200 glacial lakes in the mountains. They could burst any
time, unleashing avalanches with the power to wipe out
buildings, power stations and entire villages.
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TRC issuance procedure to be simple,
practical
TRC issuance procedure to be simple, practical In a
bid to collect suggestions and ideas from the member
agencies about the implementation of Trekking
Registration Certificate (TRC), Trekking Agents
Association of Nepal (TAAN) organized an interaction
programme in Kathmandu on July 24, 2006. TAAN officials
and member agents were unanimous regarding the procedure
of the implementation of TRC. They emphasized the need
to adopt a simplified procedure for the issuance of TRC.
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Nepal's Buddhist Circuit promoted in
Bangkok
The Nepal promotion programme concluded successfully
in Thailand after China by organising Press and Tour
Operators Meet in Bangkok on 7th July 2006. The Ministry
of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation/Government of
Nepal in cooperation with Nepal Tourism Board organized
the event in Bangkok where over 90 tour operators, top
media and friends of Nepal attended the function.
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UN Secretary General Welcomes
Political Agreement in Nepal, Offers Assistance
KU.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says he and the U.N.
Mission in Nepal are ready to provide any help necessary
ahead of Nepal's Constituent Assembly election next
year.
In a statement issued Wednesday by his spokesperson, Mr.
Ban welcomed the recent decision by Nepal's former
communist rebels to rejoin the interim government.
He also said he is pleased to learn that politicians
have reached agreement on key issues of the nation's
peace process, which paves the way for a new Constituent
Assembly to be elected by mid-April.
The assembly's first move will likely be to declare
Nepal a republic, abolishing the centuries-old monarchy.
The Maoists ended the political stalemate on Sunday,
signing a 23-point agreement with the country's six
other political parties.
The Maoists had quit the government in September, after
demanding election reform and an immediate end to the
monarchy.
Political leaders also agreed to changes in the election
process.
Under the plan, voters will elect 240 assembly members
directly and 335 other candidates based on proportional
representation, with parties receiving seats based in
proportion to the number of votes they win.
Some 13,000 Nepalese died during the country's 10-year
civil war. The settlement between Maoist rebels and the
government followed mass protests that forced Nepal's
King Gyanendra to end an unpopular dictatorship.
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