Tuesday, May 04, 2004

Dear Prudence

This Advice is current for Tuesday, 4 May 2004, EST

Australians are advised to defer non-essential travel to Nepal in view of the intensity of the ongoing Maoist insurgency and its spread across Nepal. A ceasefire between the government and Maoist insurgents has broken down and there are large scale violent clashes occurring between government forces and Maoists. There has been an escalation in the number of indiscriminate bomb attacks by Maoists, including in Thamel, the main tourist centre in Katmandu. Foreign tourists were injured when a bomb exploded in western Nepal. Strikes or bandhs, bans on gatherings and curfews are being imposed in Katmandu and other cities and towns at short notice. Security personnel have been authorised to shoot at people breaking curfews. --Australian Gov. Travel Warning



At least 30 people killed after bus rolls off mountain highway in Nepal

A bus skidded off a mountain highway Saturday, killing at least 30 people in central Nepal, police said. Another two dozen passengers were injured in the accident, which happened near Dhaireni village, about 250 kilometres west of the capital, Katmandu.

Initial rescue efforts were delayed as Nepalese soldiers sent to the crash site were attacked by communist rebels who detonated a bomb, police said. No one was injured. Police officials said rescuers have recovered 29 bodies from the site, and one more passenger later died in a hospital. An initial investigation indicated faulty wheels may have caused the accident, adding that the probe is continuing. The bus driver, who survived, fled the scene.

Accidents are common on Nepal's poorly maintained highways. The Siddhartha highway, where the accident occurred, passes through mountainous areas with hairpin turns, and is often hit by landslides.
--Nepal Post (1 May 2004)



We are due to board our bus in the lowlands tomorrow morning, for the long road trip up through the mountains to Pokhara. The road passes through mountainous areas with hairpin turns, and is often hit by landslides.

At this point, a prudent traveller would probably alter course, and set sail for fairer lands with fewer Maoist insurgents and less hairpin turns... I never had much time for prudence...

(Stress is one of the leading causes of anxiety disorders, which affect millions worldwide. To avoid causing any stress to my readers, let me now set your mind at ease: Everything turns out fine. Blair and I have a great time in Nepal. The bus trip is decidedly uneventful (except for a few crazy chickens loose onboard), and the hairpin corners navigated skillfully. Blair and I never actually encounter any Maosits in Nepal, and the only influence they have on our trip is to organise large-scale strikes, which force us to spend two extra days in a mountain paradise, playing cards and eating deep-fried Mars Bars.)

Posted by Andrew Wallace @ 7:56 AM