KATHMANDU: After the 1950 Peace and Friendship Treaty that Nepal wants to scrap and the Integrated Mahakali Treaty for river-water sharing that Nepal’s parties say are against national interests, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal met his “Passport Gate” on Sunday, being forced to convene a late-night cabinet meeting and cancel a controversial new deal with India to print new Nepali passports.
Information and communications minister Shankar Pokhrel, who is also the spokesman of the coalition government, told waiting journalists at the end of the emergency meeting that the contract to Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India would be cancelled and the government would call for new bids following the advice of a parliamentary committee.
The passport debacle marks a blow against Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala, who is accused of “illegally” halting an earlier tender process to force the government into handing over the contract for printing 3 million Nepali passports to the Indian company. Koirala’s chances to assume her father Grija Prasad Koirala’s mantle as the leader of the Nepali Congress party will receive a serious setback with the passport climbdown.
It also shows up India’s Nepal policy in a poor light yet again. The passport contract was discussed by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna himself and the ministerial involvement, when it was common knowledge that a tender process was already in place, shows the Indian establishment’s chronic tendency to become dubiously involved in deals.
The Nepal government had floated a global tender and shortlisted four foreign companies to prin machine-readable passports. However, the tender process was stopped on the insistence of the Foreign Minister and given to the Indian state undertaking despite it quoting a higher rate and despite the Public Accounts Committee of parliament asking the government to follow the tender procedure.
The issue is now in court as well after two individuals filed public interest litigation applications separately. The Supreme Court will begin hearing them from Monday when it has asked the prime minister and foreign minister to appear before it.
The Maoists too have grabbed the opportunity to embarrass the prime minister and called a Nepal bandh Monday to protest against the deal with India. It was not known immediately whether they would still go ahead with the protest. The former guerrillas are also demanding the ouster of Nepal over the debacle.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Calif boy, 13, aims to be youngest on Everest
KATMANDU, Nepal — At age 13, Jordan Romero is headed to Mount Everest in an attempt to become the youngest person to scale the world's highest mountain — and complete his goal of climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents.
The teenager from Big Bear, California, was busy Saturday with his father Paul and stepmother Karen packing mountaineering gear and planning details of their expedition with three Sherpa guides who will accompany them.
The team leaves Katmandu, Nepal's capital, for China on Sunday and then will travel to the base camp on the Chinese side of the 29,035-foot (8,850-meter) mountain.
Jordan has already climbed the highest peaks on six other continents and hopes to reach Everest's summit in May.
"I just wanted to do something big, and this was something I wanted to do for myself. It was all about the experience and I just happen to be 13 at this time," Jordan told The Associated Press.
The record for the youngest climb of Everest is held by Temba Tsheri of Nepal, who reached the peak at age 16.
Jordan, who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa when he was 10 years old, says he was inspired by a painting in his school hallway of the seven continents' highest summits.
Everest, however, will be his first over 8,000 meters (26,240 feet).
"This will be a big leap, but we have been training for the altitude," he said.
His father and stepmother have also accompanied him on his previous climbs.
Jordan said he would not take any unnecessary risks and would turn around if they encounter problems like bad weather. He said he has read about past disasters on the mountain that have claimed many lives and has learned lessons from them.
"This may be the first of many attempts," he said. "It could take a couple of years, but I am determined to do it. If I don't reach the summit this time, I will try next time."
"I do feel ready," he said. "I feel very prepared emotionally, and definitely physically."
While he is acclimatizing at the base camp before the May push to the summit, Jordan plans to do his algebra homework, some book reports and write a journal about his experiences.
The teenager from Big Bear, California, was busy Saturday with his father Paul and stepmother Karen packing mountaineering gear and planning details of their expedition with three Sherpa guides who will accompany them.
The team leaves Katmandu, Nepal's capital, for China on Sunday and then will travel to the base camp on the Chinese side of the 29,035-foot (8,850-meter) mountain.
Jordan has already climbed the highest peaks on six other continents and hopes to reach Everest's summit in May.
"I just wanted to do something big, and this was something I wanted to do for myself. It was all about the experience and I just happen to be 13 at this time," Jordan told The Associated Press.
The record for the youngest climb of Everest is held by Temba Tsheri of Nepal, who reached the peak at age 16.
Jordan, who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa when he was 10 years old, says he was inspired by a painting in his school hallway of the seven continents' highest summits.
Everest, however, will be his first over 8,000 meters (26,240 feet).
"This will be a big leap, but we have been training for the altitude," he said.
His father and stepmother have also accompanied him on his previous climbs.
Jordan said he would not take any unnecessary risks and would turn around if they encounter problems like bad weather. He said he has read about past disasters on the mountain that have claimed many lives and has learned lessons from them.
"This may be the first of many attempts," he said. "It could take a couple of years, but I am determined to do it. If I don't reach the summit this time, I will try next time."
"I do feel ready," he said. "I feel very prepared emotionally, and definitely physically."
While he is acclimatizing at the base camp before the May push to the summit, Jordan plans to do his algebra homework, some book reports and write a journal about his experiences.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Apa Sherpa to Climb Everest for 20th Time
Popularly known as "Super Sherpa," Nepali hero Apa is back in Nepal to climb the mountain, also known as Everest, from Nepali side, but this time he is not climbing to the top of the world to keep world record and fame.
"I am climbing Everest 20th time not for personal name and fame, " said Apa in an interview with Xinhua on Tuesday.
"The major reason that I'm summitting Everest this time is to raise global awareness about the impact of climate change over Himalayas," said Apa who is summitting Everest as a Climbing Leader of Eco Everest Expedition 2010.
After successfully leading two sessions of Eco Everest Expedition held in 2008 and 2009 respectively, Apa is again leading Eco Everest Expedition 2010 for the third time with the noble reason of cleaning up garbage on Mt. Everest. This is the third time Asian Trekking in Nepal is launching Eco Everest Expedition.
After summitting the Everest 16 times in May 2007, Apa is leading Eco Everest Expedition till the date to clean garbage left by previous expeditions.
"New expedition teams are much aware and they don't leave any garbage they bring with them," he added.
"This time I'm climbing Everest for the shake of my country. Since, Himalayas are melting day by day due to global warming and climate change, it's time to save our Himalayas," he added.
According to Apa, as snow-clad white mountains are melting due to climate change, parts of the white mountains have turned into dark rocks.
"Appearance of dark rocks over white mountains have made mountaineers' way to Everest much tougher to conquer their destination," said Apa, comparing the past and present of Everest.
Apa first reached the summit of Mt. Everest on May 10, 1990 with a New Zealand team led by climber Peter Hillary, son of Edmund Hillary.
Before leaving Nepali capital Kathmandu for the Eco Everest Expedition on Tuesday, Apa said that the expedition may take two months. But the team is hoping to return by May 29 to mark the International Everest Day.
Meanwhile, the Eco Everest Expedition 2010 once again focuses on climbing in an eco-sensitive manner, bringing old garbage, and all human waste produced on the mountain down to base camp for proper disposal.
The expedition will also be using the highly successful alternative energy solutions like the parabolic solar cookers and the SteriPENs for water purification.
"In 2008 expedition the Eco Everest Expedition team brought down 965 kg of garbage including 65 kg of human waste.
In 2009, the team brought down 6,000 kg of garbage under the " Cash for Trash" program which included 700 kg of wreckage of an Italian Army helicopter crashed between Camp I and II during the Italian Everest Expedition in 1973," Apa told Xinhua.
Moreover, Eco Everest Expedition 2010 team plans to collect and bring down 6,000 kg of garbage from Camp II and below under the " Cash for Trash" program.
Similarly, the expedition aims to bring down 1,000 kg of garbage from above Camp II under the "Cleaning up Everest" program. Cleaning the trails at 6,500-meter and above will need a special team of 10 Sherpas who will dig out frozen garbage as well as clear up garbage found on the route.
The collected garbage will be ferried down to Base Camp where it will be sorted into biodegradable and burnable which will be handed over to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee for proper disposal, according to Apa.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Cheesemaking in Nepal: Dairy farmers at the top of the world
François Driard says he found Nepal perfect but for one thing: cheesemaking. So he founded the first and only French cheese farm at the top of the world.
It is 5 a.m. and François Driard is awake to handmilk his herd of Fresians. This, however, is no regular dairy farmer. Perched on the brink of the Shivapuri National Park, where the Katmandu Valley becomes Himalayan foothills, is Nepal’s first and only French cheese farm.
Mr. Driard settled in Nepal after working in 30 countries in three years as a wandering journalist. “Nepal was perfect for me: beautiful mountains, beautiful women, beautiful climate – but no cheese.... I knew I had to do something about this.”
Cheese production was introduced to Nepal in 1952, as part of a Swiss-backed initiative, but only processed kinds were readily available.
Having realized his calling, Driard traveled to his native Alps to learn the traditional art of making Tomme de Savoie, a semi-soft cow cheese, and on his return in 2007 he and three Nepali partners founded the Himalayan French Cheese Company.
Farming in Nepal, which is a Hindu state, has presented some unique problems. It is illegal to put down ill and injured cows, and he has lost several sheep and goats to a mountain leopard.
Driard admits some difficulty persuading the locals, who first described his Tomme as “rotten foreigner’s cheese,” to try his product but he swiftly proved a big hit with the luxury hotels and ex-pats in Katmandu. In Nepal the average wage is $200 per year, and at $20 per kilogram (about 35 ounces), Driard’s cheese is aimed exclusively at the luxury market.
Driard admits some difficulty persuading the locals, who first described his Tomme as “rotten foreigner’s cheese,” to try his product but he swiftly proved a big hit with the luxury hotels and ex-pats in Katmandu. In Nepal the average wage is $200 per year, and at $20 per kilogram (about 35 ounces), Driard’s cheese is aimed exclusively at the luxury market.
But for the newly minted cheese farmer this is only the beginning of his gastronomic revolution. From the success of his current farm, Driard is preparing a move to a larger one where he can work on more French delicacies. He plans to introduce several new cheeses, pork sausages, Breton cider, and pâté de foie gras – if the leopards don’t get him, that is.
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