NTB’s Denial

This is with reference to Letter to the Editor with the heading "Unwanted Behaviour Of A Cashier" published in The Rising Nepal, October 7, 2001.

The writer of the said letter. Kristofer, J. Olsen of the United States, has written that he "experienced humiliation that no tourist ought to have endured during his recent visit to the Visa Section of the Nepal Tourism Board."The letter goes on to describe vividly his "uncomfortable snag at the cashier’s counter as he was paying visa renewal fees.

It is not the Nepal Tourism Board that handles Visa but the Visa section at the Department of Immigration. The Visa Section of the Department of Immigration and the Nepal Tourism Board are located in the same building, Tourist Service Centre at Brikuti Mandap. Hence Mr. Olsen may have been confused.

However, what is surprising is that The Rising Nepal, Nepal’s national daily newspaper, has published the letter with incorrect information not only misleading its readers and tourists, but also tranishing the professional image of Nepal Tourism Board. Nepal’s leading daily newspaper should check the basic facts before publishing anything and everything. This is the least that is expected of a national daily of The Rising Nepal’s repute.

Aditya Baral
Manager-PR & Publicity
Nepal Tourism Board
Kathmandu