Turmoil in Nepal

On May 4, Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal resigned his post in protest of the reinstatement of the army chief whom he had fired May 3.

Dahal was a leader of the Maoist rebels and held his post as prime minister as part of a power-sharing agreement after the Maoists won the most seats in the 2008 elections. The Maoists have been seeking the absorption of 20,000 of their forces into the Nepalese military. Nepal’s President Ram Baran Yadav belongs to the opposite political party and countermanded the firing of the general, reinstating him.

A coalition of 22 political parties in Parliament formed a new “national government” and on May 25 swore in the new prime minister, veteran Nepalese communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal.

The Department of State urges travelers to Nepal to be prepared to change their plans on short notice. With the political instability, there is the potential for demonstrations to be called without notice. Protestors have used violence. Curfews can be announced without notice.

A small Maoist subgroup continues to engage in extortion, abuse and threats of violence, particularly in rural areas. Violent actions by armed splinter groups in the Terai region along the southern border with India remain a concern.

Crime in the Kathmandu Valley, including violent crime and harassment of women, continues to rise. Police have reported robberies by armed gangs. Petty theft and muggings occur in popular tourist areas. Several tourists have had their belongings stolen from their rooms while they slept.

There has been an increase in fraudulent schemes, involving jewelry, antiquities or carpets, in which tourists are promised huge returns if they help establish shipping routes or business contacts in the US or other countries.