Letters (Spotlight Weekly)

Call For Peace

Thank you very much for carrying the cover story on peace talks, a very burning issue "PEACE TALKS: Untying The Knots (SPOTLIGHT October 1)." Nepalese people are yearning for peace. The political top brass does not seem very serious about the issue. To avert public criticism, the leaders do say that they are doing homework for the peace talks and the peace process is going to begin soon. But the answer from the other side (the Maoists), does not indicate that they have really begun the peace process and that it is taking shape. The leaders, both in the government and outside the government, need to think really seriously about this situation. They might probably think that they are safe with the government security forces and are unharmed by the economic slow down, but they need to be clear that this conflict is a burning fire and which ultimately will burn the entire country if it is not brought under control immediately. Even the King should be clear about this and act 'constructively' as he said in one of the past interviews.

Sabin Shrestha
Kamal Pokhari

Informative Article

Your special report on the Girija Prasad Koirala's incident of defaming the court was very analytical "SUPREME COURT: Contempt of Court Vs Freedom of Expression (SPOTLIGHT October 1)." The court decision to order Koirala to present his clarification is no doubt an indication that the check and balance in the freedom of expression still exists. I personally feel that such a check and balance should exist in every sector and absolute freedom should not be given in any sector. This is because, I believe, such a practice of unchecked freedom of expression would lead only to an anarchic situation. Particularly, public figures such as the political leaders should always be answerable to what they say.

Dinesh Khadka
Samakhusi

Nepalese Tourism In Crisis

The economy of most developing countries largely depends on tourism. Among them Nepal is one. In Nepal, tourism has contributed 15% of total GDP, very high compared to other income sources excepting agriculture. It has also assisted in mitigating the employment crisis in our nation. So, it can be said that tourism is the main cornerstone of our country’s economy. But such a situation no more exists. The incessant tussle between the government and the NCP-Maoists has badly threatened the state of tourism in Nepal. The heydays in tourism are gone. The days when tourists used to travel and stay here for a long time and took back the eventful memories and inexplicable experiences as gift from here exists no more. They no more see Nepal as the country of Buddha and peace. Now, Nepal has changed its image, internationally, as the cradle of conflict. Therefore, the arrival number of tourist has shrunk these days. Everybody knows that tourism cannot flourish in the country when there is no peace, no political stability and no stable government. This can be seen if we compare the number of tourist arrivals in the fiscal year 1998/99 and after 2001, when the cases of violence and instability suddenly rose. The obvious cause of the decrement is activities like Nepal Bandh, economic blockade, bomb blasts in hotels and resorts and other similar incidents. The new strategy and implementation of tourist-promoting policies adopted by the government of Nepal, helped to revive the ailing tourism industry in fiscal year 2002/3 when the tourist arrival increased by 37% compared to the previous year. This satisfactory data made us expect better conditions in coming years. It is quite surprising that even in these adverse conditions, tourists do not hesitate to come over to Nepal. It is very inspiring to think what the situation of tourism would be if there had been peace and political stability. However, the uunfortunate assassination of 12 Nepalese in Iraq, once again put Nepalese tourism at stake. The vandalism and state of anarchy that occurred in Kathmandu following the Iraq incident once again led to the cancellation of booking of thousands of tourists. In the previous years, too, this kind of domestic violence has tarnished the image of Nepal in front of the tourists. Most of the countries have blacklisted Nepal as unsafe travel destination due to poor security. These days, even though it is supposed to be the top season for tourism, the situation does not look good. There is not much pressure in booking of air tickets like in previous years. On the contrary, even the already booked air tickets are being cancelled. This indicates that tourism in Nepal is really in crisis and if the government does not think about it seriously, Nepalese tourism could suffer an irreparable setback.

Bishad Piya
Buddha Air