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I am Dechen Doma Sherpa, originally from Solu Khumbu and residing in Kapan, Kathmandu. In spite of being a citizen of Nepal, I was harassed at the Tribhuvan International Airport by a corrupt and irresponsible government official with the last name Basnet who questioned my nationality. "You are Sherpa, so how can you prove that you are a Nepali citizen?" he asked. Even though I had my passport and citizenship, he said I needed some more documents to prove that I was a Nepali citizen. To get me through the checking he asked me for Rs 150,000. Because I didn't have the money to pay him, he cited the lack of enough documents and sent me home. The official however did tell me to go to the CDO Office the next day to get all the required documents and even offered to come along. He accompanied me to the office where he consoled me that he would help me get all the necessary documents. After gathering the documents, he said that it would still be difficult for me to leave the country as the Maoist government had tightened some rules and I would have to pay money at the airport. In the end he talked me into paying Rs 100,000 to get me through the checking and I was finally able to board the flight.
