<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161152/636d1f0f9c7e80680e0af445jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="384"/>Although Nepal’s airlines have weathered the pandemic and remained airworthy, there are concerns about whether Covid has removed forever the magic and the romance of flight. It is hard to believe that it was only a century ago that the first heavier-than-air humans defied gravity and took to the skies.And just look at how far we have come since then. Modern airliners offer the epitome of luxury and comfort: seats equipped with Shiatsu backside massage, high speed internet, and futsal on the upper deck. Meanwhile in Economy, eco-friendly airlines now offer free fully-biodegradable family-size barf bags.Modern aviation is governed by the Vienna Convention as well as by Newton’s Second Law of Thermodynamics which states that the most garrulous gentleman from the Subcontinent, with odoriferous socks and a sneezing fit, must occupy the seat next to you on the 16-hour flight to Chicago.On a red-eye to Europe, the bulkhead bassinet will invariably have a baby who wails non-stop right across the air space of all five ex-Soviet Central Asian republics.In these troubled times, we have to find ways to re-inject awe and wonder to the experience of flying, which is why we are chuffed to hear that Nepal’s brand new Minister of Vermiculture, Marxism and Space Cadets has tried to ensure just that with some bold decisions.One of the first things he announced after swearing himself in was that once-Royal Nepal Airlines has been granted an ICAO license to carry dangerous goods. (If you don’t believe me, google him.) I am not sure a national flag carrier should necessarily be proud that its aircraft now carry hazardous cargo. But, hey, it also shows that we are not a nation of cowards. Nims Dai Was Born In Nepal.The resumption of free beer service on the Delhi shuttle is another proud accomplishment that will restore RA to the glory days of the Dakota, when passengers were allowed to board with one goat each as carry-on luggage on flights from Bharatpur to Palungtar provided it did not exceed the dimensions of the overhead rack.In the Covid era, there are other steps the Civil Aviation Authoritarians of Nepal (CAAN’T) have taken to revive the sheer thrill of flying. Passengers are not allowed to use toilets even if the 14 minute fright from Simara has to circle for one hour to land in Kathmandu due to air traffic congestion. Imagine the sheer suspense and excitement!It has also introduced monkeys into the domestic terminal to remind passengers about the primates we are all descended from.By allowing wild boars and jackals to cross the runway at Nepalganj, airport management has added another magical dimension of mystique to the miracle of flight.And we have just heard that pilots are also doing their bit to re-introduce a sense of amazement and surprise to domestic aviation. Recently, they transported unsuspecting Janakpur-bound passengers to Pokhara instead.

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Domestic frights

<figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915118/636bb4b39c7e80680e07bbbajpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: MANISH PAUDEL</figcaption></figure>As a part of its gradual opening up after a six-month Covid-19 lockdown, Nepal’s Cabinet decided to allow <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/domestic-flights-may-resume-monday/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/domestic-flights-may-resume-monday/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600266251511000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGJIG9nDBs4bW9JXR4_uFyHLEQGiQ">domestic flights</a>, intercity buses, hotels and restaurants to reopen from Thursday.Trekking and mountaineering groups will also be allowed to take foreign clients up to the mountains from 17 October, government spokesperson and Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali told a briefing. The decisions were taken on Monday’s Cabinet meeting on the recommendation of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee (CCMC).The government had relaxed the lockdown from 13 September in Kathmandu Valley, allowing shops to reopen for limited times, and on certain days of the week. Public transport, taxis and private vehicles were also allowed on odd-even days. From 1 September, limited regular international flights were also allowed as long as the total number of arriving passengers daily did not exceed 800. Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Yogesh Bhattarai hinted last week that up to 3,000 passengers a day may soon be allowed to land.However, foreigners are still not allowed to travel to Nepal, and all passengers must have RT PCR negative reports done 72 hours before departure. Despite this, inbound passengers have complained about unnecessarily long waits at holding centres in Kathmandu on arrival.  The decision will come <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/survive-2020-revive-in-2021-and-thrive-in-2022/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/survive-2020-revive-in-2021-and-thrive-in-2022/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600266251511000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHecomLFWBg9jdpYxPyFNG_5_B-Nw">as welcome relief</a> to Nepal’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-airlines-may-merge-to-survive/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-airlines-may-merge-to-survive/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600266251511000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE0HskgPfc5-B4wGVmcFMMqYT4Dpw">domestic airlines</a> which have had most of their planes and helicopters grounded for the past six months. Hotels had been allowed to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-ends-covid-19-lockdown/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-ends-covid-19-lockdown/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600266251511000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFHIGxVjrnfIMp3TYLqg1-lILVcYA">reopen after 21 July</a>, but were <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-lockdown-2-0/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-lockdown-2-0/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600266251511000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFR9UvrEx3YKTVHF7fcksQzuktKmQ">closed again on 20 August</a> when Covid-19 cases began to rise. The relaxation of restrictions come even as the number of confirmed cases in Nepal has been rising at between 1,000-1,500 every day, with more than half of them in Kathmandu Valley. On Tuesday, there were 1,451 new cases nationwide, bringing the total to 56,778.Eleven more patients died from Covid-19 on 15 September, and the total now stands at 371. More than 40,000 have recovered, and there are 15,779 active cases of which 8,139 are symptomatic and are in hospital isolation wards. <figure><img width="1500" height="1001" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915118/636bb4b69c7e80680e07bbbbjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>Foreign Minister Gyawali said that although travel restrictions were being eased, planes, hotels and restaurants will have to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-airport-gets-facelift-during-lockdown/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-airport-gets-facelift-during-lockdown/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600266251512000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHeOo3tfJiHXGtElHKiuN4LNyaHwA">observe strict protocols</a> on separation and masks. Long-distance buses will only be allowed to carry half the number of passengers, and everyone has to follow the protocols. Domestic airlines will have to follow strict hygiene rules on check-in, ramp buses, and on-board aircraft.Hotels have had almost no income since March, and have laid off a quarter of their staff, with others taking pay cuts. Nearly 1.2 million tourists visited Nepal in 2019, and this year the government was promoting <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/didnt-visit-nepal-year-2020/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/didnt-visit-nepal-year-2020/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600266251512000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH_lgjTHwtKpwpLshuFtJwdzGyM0Q">Visit Nepal Year with a target of reaching 2 million. </a>Tourism brought in $700 million in 2018-19, and makes up 8% of Nepal’s GDP. Nearly half-a-million Nepalis are directly employed in the trekking and mountaineering sector, with 2 million others benefiting indirectly from tourism.The government was also beginning to feel the pinch from the drop in revenue from taxes on hotels, restaurants and also fees from trekking and climbing permits. Even prior to this announcement, two expeditions had been granted permission to climb in Nepal. One was a special permit for an <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepali-expedition-to-climb-baruntse/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepali-expedition-to-climb-baruntse/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600266251512000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGLxR2kzEL3BwokvKpwGL1lScXnWQ">all-Nepali expedition to Mt Baruntse</a> which has already left for base camp, and the other to a 15-member <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-allows-royal-himalayan-expedition/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-allows-royal-himalayan-expedition/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600266251512000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEBdOXQQrsChYhcxrayNahPzJXSTg">Bahraini military expedition to Mt Manaslu</a> that includes three Britons. The Bahrainis are arriving in Kathmandu on a charter flight on Wednesday.

Nepal open for trekking from 17 October

<figure><img width="1274" height="843" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb4169c7e80680e07bb82jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Faced with criticism from migrant workers and Nepal’s embassies abroad for allowing only a limited daily quota of passengers to fly into Kathmandu, the government is letting airlines increase flights to meet passenger demand.Jobless Nepali workers stranded in Saudi Arabia for the past six months <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-in-saudi-arabia-stage-protest/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-in-saudi-arabia-stage-protest/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394566000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHVzQfNtiXa129YrpqmIHNtsHrcJg">demonstrated this week in their camps</a> demanding that they be allowed home. The quota for repatriation flights had come under fire for being inadequate, impractical and driving up airfares by up to five times.“As long as passengers have PCR negative reports, airlines will be allowed to conduct any number of flights, but the passengers will have to stay for two weeks in home quarantine,” Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Yogesh Bhattarai said in an interview on Thursday.On 1 September, the government had allowed 10 international airlines to restart limited regular flights as well as repatriation flights from the Gulf and Malaysia stipulating that only 500 passengers would be allowed daily because of physical separation requirements at the airport. It increased that number to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394566000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF0MjYgBmo206-6-6xETJ2KJm0rOg">800 this week. </a>Bhattarai said the daily quota for arriving passengers would now be raised up to 3,000.However, only Nepali passengers and representatives of embassies and international agencies and their families are allowed to fly to Kathmandu for the time being. No tourists are allowed, and there is still no decision on flights to and from Indian cities, where thousands of Nepalis are stranded, even though people can cross the land border from India.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlIxeirVfycMinister Bhattarai also did not explain why passengers arriving with PCR negative reports still had to spend six hours or more at holding centres in Kathmandu before being allowed to go home for self-isolation. 
Some 80,000 Nepali workers have flown back from the Gulf and Malaysia since <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/after-10-weeks-first-overseas-nepalis-repatriated/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/after-10-weeks-first-overseas-nepalis-repatriated/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394567000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEbXMiJZvQPYeNjvRSvmCKvD2Ad8g">repatriation flights began in mid-June</a>, but there are still about 100,000 workers waiting to return. Nepali workers who were on vacation when the lockdown went into effect are also waiting to fly out.  
In addition, there are also Nepalis in Europe, North America, Australia and Japan who are waiting for cheaper flights back.
The move follows heavy criticism that the government was not allowing <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/to-many-stranded-nepalis-not-enough-flights/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/to-many-stranded-nepalis-not-enough-flights/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394567000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGxrvrn8yga9TIHSOMFf4gArqrd7w">repatriation flights</a> even for Nepali workers whose employers were paying for fares, and for governments like the UAE and Kuwait which have offered to fly back Nepalis for free.
The government is also getting the Labour Ministry and embassies to strengthen coordination and expedite the repatriation of stranded workers who need support for their return using the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/brokers-going-for-broke/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/brokers-going-for-broke/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394567000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG7BGm87RU8uNuImfZSqxXgW0wifw">Foreign Employment Welfare Fund.</a>
Minister Bhattarai told a webinar organised by the Society of Economic Journalists of Nepal (SEJON) that the government was preparing to allow domestic flights from 1 October. The government has twice postponed the resumption of domestic flights after a surge in Covid-19 cases since mid-June.
Bhattarai also said the government was trying to promote domestic tourism to compensate for the lack of tourist arrivals. The government was thinking of announcing two-day weekends so Nepalis are encouraged to travel within the country, he added.

Nepal to lift quota on flights

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3ed9c7e80680e07bb72jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365"/><figcaption>Signs for seven provinces at Kathmandu airport. All photos: BIKRAM RAI</figcaption></figure>The jumbled up signs for seven provinces at Kathmandu airport is symbolic of the shambles things in Nepal are in. Nearly<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/24-march-24-august-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> half-a-year of lockdown later</a>, there are still 150,000 Nepali workers overseas waiting to return. Some of those who came back from India have now started going back because they could not find jobs.Although <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">limited scheduled flights</a> have started, returning Nepalis still have to inexplicably wait for up to 7 hours at holding centres even if they have PCR negative reports. Hygiene precautions at the airport are rudimentary.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3f19c7e80680e07bb73jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>As public pressure builds up, the government on Wednesday loosened up on some of the restrictions even though Kathmandu Valley is still recording a surge in cases. On Thursday there were new 572 coronavirus cases in the Valley, out of 1,246 for the rest of the country. Five more fatalities were recorded nationwide, three of them in Kathmandu Valley.After <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-lockdown-2-0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">three weeks of restrictions</a>, instead of bringing down the cases in Kathmandu Valley saw an increase – meaning the virus is spreading within families and communities. But economic desperation had increased public pressure to relax some of the rules.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/nepals-leaders-are-in-isolation/">Nepal's leaders are in isolation</a>, Editorial<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3f49c7e80680e07bb74jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">The government’s strategy seems to be to loosen up some more after 17 September, allow long-distance buses and domestic airlines to resume to allow people to go to their districts for the festival season. And if there is another spike, they may lock down the Valley again over Dasain, which this year is 23-28 October. If needed, officials have hinted they can then deploy the military at checkpoints so the Valley is isolated from the rest of the country.The new rules that went into effect on Thursday are so complicated that even police enforcing them are confused about what is allowed on which days.From Thursday, provision shops were allowed to be open from 5-11AM, and 5-7PM. Department stores, shopping malls and other shops can open Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Garment stores, furniture shops, and garages are open on other days of the week, while restaurants can provide takeaways from 12-7pm. Taxis and motorcycles are back on the roads. Bigger capacity buses are allowed, but there were few on the road Thursday because many preferred not to get on them.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/confusion-persists-about-lockdown-rules/">Confusion persists about lockdown rules</a>, Alisha Sijapati<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3f89c7e80680e07bb75jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">Detailed do’s and don’ts have also been issued, but somewhat ambiguously, the directive also states that ‘services similar to the above’ will also be allowed. Experts have also questioned how wise it is to limit opening time for shops because it could lead to overcrowding.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/24-march-24-august-2020/">24 March - 24 August</a>, Alisha Sijapati

Lockdown eased in Kathmandu

<img width="1355" height="814" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141112/636ba7359c7e80680e07376bjpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Nepali Times: What is the collateral damage to Nepal’s airline industry from the lockdown? Birendra Basnet: We are down to zero. The worry is how can we take off again and reach the heights we had attained. For every one of the past five months we have earned no revenue, but we still have expenses in operations, insurance, loan repayments, salaries. We are losing up to Rs100 million a month, whereas as in an average month we were earning Rs500 million. The loss to our airline alone since the lockdown is Rs3 billion. The government says the lockdown needs to be extended to stop a surge in infections. But the aviation and tourism sector has warned of an agitation if flights are not restarted. Why? Restaurants and hotels were allowed to open after August 1 to spur business. In fact, all over the world, hotels and restaurants have been open under strict guidelines. We think airlines and hotels should be allowed to restart under the same protocols. We have to learn to live with this virus, keeping the economy turning while adopting safe practices. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/nepals-airlines-can-take-off-again/" target="_blank" style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal's airlines can take off again</a>, Birendra B Basney <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-to-open-regular-flights-from-1-september/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal to open regular flights from 1 September</a> <img width="1500" height="727" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141112/636ba7389c7e80680e07376cjpeg.jpg" alt="">Even if the government allows flights to restart, it doesn’t look like there will be too many passengers.That is our problem. If there are few passengers, we will reduce our fares or reduce flights. Neighbouring India has allowed domestic flights. Allowing flights makes it possible for essential travel. There are many countries with Covid-19 where the economy is on track. We have to learn to minimise the risk, and resume flights. Workers have lost jobs, their savings, how long can we go on like this? Flights have to restart.But how will you manage fares if there are very few passengers?Fares are a part of a company’s overall business strategy. Fuel prices have gone down, so fares will go down. Supply-demand principles could push fares down further. And there is an upper limit for fares set by the government. We have to hold out till February 2021, when the Covid-19 crisis is supposed to ease. It’s up to the government, but it doesn’t seem to be able to come up with a coherent plan. At Buddha Air, we will do what we have to do to hold out for another six months to support our 1,100 employees.How are you managing salaries and keeping your fleet airworthy?Of course, there will be problem because our income is zero. We could have told our employees, this is a crisis we can’t pay you. But we could not morally leave those who have worked for Buddha Air for 23 years in a lurch like that.The government wants to scrap the two-tier fares where foreigners paid more than Nepalis. How will that affect you?This policy has been around for 50 years. The dollar fares allow us to subsidise fares for Nepali passengers. If we scrap the two tier fares, a Nepali passenger paying Rs3,000 for a ticket will have to pay Rs5,000. So fares for Nepalis will go up. <img width="1000" height="742" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141112/636ba73b9c7e80680e07376djpeg.jpg" alt="">How will the crisis affect your plans to serve remote airfields with STOL aircraft?We have evaluated the STOL performance of 18-seater Textron Aviation aircraft. We will conduct test flights even if the lockdown continues, and if the planes are suitable for our terrain we will operate them. We see demand and a business potential in flying these planes to remote areas. How long will it take Nepal’s aviation sector to recover from this pandemic?It will depend on the government’s strategy and performance. The international travel industry expects tourism to grow by 145% by 2021 winter compared to last winter because of suppressed demand. Nepal could also see a rebound in tourism. We have to start planning for that, and assure visitors that Nepal is a safe destination. At Buddha Air we have been ready since April to restart safe flying adopting safety protocols, we have carried out rehearsals. We are ready.Interview conducted by Raju Baskota.

“Domestic flights need to resume so the economy can take off”

Fenerbahçe Beko won the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague finals in Abu Dhabi, held 23-25 May, defeating Monaco 81-70 in the final. Olympiacos, who defeated Panathinaikos 97-93, finished the series in third place. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the final match, Nigel Hayes-Davis from Fenerbahçe Beko, received a prize of 1,000,000 Miles&amp;Smiles from Turkish Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer Ahmet Olmuştur. The carrier has been the title sponsor of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, a top tier tournament, since 2010.

Turkish Basketball

In the black and white photograph, General Wangdu smiles broadly in front of the dusty cactus garden in Kathmandu’s Annapurna Hotel. With an ill-fitting jacket and shaggy hair he looks benign enough, but this was the last leader of the Tibetan freedom fighters who led the resistance against the Chinese from their remote mountain hideouts in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/comings-and-goings-in-mustang">Mustang</a>. Five months later, Wangdu was dead. Snapped in March 1974, I had only recently arrived in Nepal. How did I meet this legendary fighter? Possibly with his devoted camp follower, Lynne Klapecki, and probably in the Om Restaurant near Freak Street which was the preferred <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/hippie-trail-nostalgia-in-kathmandu">hippie hang-out</a>. Om Lobsang and his brother Yeshe were <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/earthquake-brings-back-memories-of-camps-for-tibetan-refugees">refugees from East Tibet </a>whose cafe offered a friendly welcome and<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/momo-loco"> the best momos</a> - they became my in-laws after I married their eldest brother Tenzin, but that was a decade later.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1583" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Photo: LISA CHOEGYAL</figcaption> </figure>  Wangdu’s English was enthusiastically rudimentary, but even riding around town with him on the back of an aging <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kathmandu-s-new-motorbike-museum">motorbike</a>, he was a commanding presence. Always flanked by armed outriders, impressive scars marked his forearms and a pistol hung from the cord around his neck. A charismatic guerrilla leader, Wangdu was celebrated by his followers for his tough commitment and respected for his measured pragmatism. He seemed so young to have shouldered such a responsibility of command, leading hundreds of hardened <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/50-years-after-the%20raid-into-Tibet,1012#google_vignette">Khampa combatants </a>through what had been a particularly <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/heavy-snowfall-over-nepal-himalaya">brutal winter in Mustang</a>, the last bastion to hold out against the Chinese invasion of their Tibetan homeland.&nbsp; The freedom fighters of Tibet, known as the Chushi-Gangdruk, had emerged to resist the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/territorialism">Chinese takeover</a> of Tibet during the 1950s. Estimated to be 80,000-strong at the time of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/what-or-who-after-the-dalai-lama">the Dalai Lama</a>’s final escape to India in 1959, the sheer number of Chinese deployed into Tibet eventually forced the Chushi-Gangdruk to retreat to Mustang, From this high Himalayan stronghold, they continued cross-border raids on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) throughout the 1960s.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1114" height="676" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Guerrillas known as the Chushi-Gangdruk emerged to resist the Chinese annexation of Tibet during the 1950s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>  Their Kathmandu base was a small discreet lodge in a back lane near Rani Pokhari. Sipping sweet tea from a blue mug with a chipped lid, I sat bemused in a corner of the Mustang Hotel room whilst Wangdu and his cohorts received a battered brown suitcase from their CIA connection, a tousle-haired American in a leather jacket. Heaved onto the dingy bedspread that covered the thin mattress, it was clicked open to reveal piles of neatly stacked dollar bills.&nbsp; I cannot think why Wangdu allowed me to witness this handover but I was clearly no threat, a newly arrived world traveller with no understanding of the stakes nor any Nepali or <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/tibetan-music-in-nepals-sacred-valley">Tibetan language</a>. Despite armed guards in the corridor,Wangdu radiated confidence and bravado, and there was a practiced familiarity to the tense transaction. This deadly dance for many years had been funded by the Americans, tolerated by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-kingdom-within-a-republic">Mustang’s residents</a>, and permitted by King Mahendra and the Nepali authorities who it suited to turn a blind eye.&nbsp; But Mahendra died in 1972, and times were changing. Richard Nixon’s ping-pong diplomacy thawed the cold war and signalled a fresh entente with China. Nepal’s yet-to-be-crowned <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/if-birendra-was-alive-nepal-could-still-be-a-monarchy">King Birendra </a>was under pressure to curb the irritating incursions against the PLA launched from the Nepali territory of Mustang. Keen to appease his northern neighbour, on several occasions the King summoned Wangdu for peace talks but, despite increasingly overwhelming odds, Wangdu refused to surrender.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb" data-rendition-name="original" width="1055" height="885" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>General Wangdu flanked by two Tibetan resistance fighters in Mustang in the 1970s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31" data-rendition-name="original" width="1044" height="792" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>King Birendra with General Wangdu (right in dark glasses) taken in 1974 possibly in Mustang after one of their few attempts at negotiation. Photo courtesy: RAJRNDRA KUNWAR</figcaption> </figure>  While I naively rode pillion around Kathmandu in the spring sunshine, Wangdu was in the midst of what turned out to be his final round of negotiations with the Nepal government. Refusing to cease hostilities with the Chinese, Wangdu must have suspected the cost of his decision, making his cheerful smile in the photograph all the more poignant and brave. It was only much later that I appreciated the significance of the moment. Wangdu had been sent to replace the first resistance leader in Mustang, Baba Gen Yeshe, a much derided corrupt character who stole money meant for his troops and exploited fleeing refugees by seizing their treasures. Baba Gen Yeshe never forgave Wangdu,and sought revenge in May 1974 by betraying him and his commanders to the Nepal authorities. Renewed Chinese incursions from the north, active PLA collusion with the Nepali forces under the new King, and treachery from within the Chushi-Gangdrukranks combined to seal their fate.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1400" height="769" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>British television journalists George Patterson and Adrian Cowell embedded themselves with Khampa guerrillas and accompanied them from Tsum Valley on a cross border raid on a Chinese Army convoy in 1964. Photo: ESSAYS ON NEPAL / SAM COWAN</figcaption> </figure>  Mikel Dunham, renowned author of Buddha’s Warriors, writes: ‘It is possible that Wangdu was waiting for some cue from the Dalai Lama’s government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India. It is equally possible – during that last, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/the-human-cost-of-nepal-s-yarsa-gold-rush?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR31-Cqw8oyIwMPzf_35e4Skr0ululJvLf3_vDkzHn-AYG2h8uPw2rqqErg_aem_tGVn5coY1-jA7fze_xqhew">desolate winter </a>– that he made the decision to go out in glory rather than admit defeat. Over the last fifteen years, Wangdu had experienced Tibet’s organized resistance being squeezed and shoved around by every conceivable outside force.&nbsp; First they had been pushed out of their own country by the PLA; then they had been refused sanction while on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/nepal-india-trans-boundary-bonds?fbclid=IwAR0PpJ5zUEbwdug3g_U3ar6FUugngRY0S8Tl2v_7wqzrsHmXWcXsKjvL4t4">Indian soil</a>; then they were abandoned by the Americans because, apparently, Nixon wanted to make friends with Wangdu’s mortal enemies, the communists; then they had been betrayed by the vampiric Baba Gen Yeshe – a Tibetan and, even worse, a fellow Khampa; and now, finally Wangdu’s army was being evicted by the Nepalis. One thing was certain: Wangdu was a warrior. To imagine Wangdu simply giving up and settling down in the pacific squalor of a <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/elderly-left-in-bhutan-refugee-camp">refugee camp </a>was unthinkable.’  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49.jpg" data-media-id="editor_20" data-image-id="2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="746" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>The much derided Baba Gen Yeshe, the first Tibetan resistance leader in Mustang, who betrayed Wangdu for personal gain. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_21" data-image-id="2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="656" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Aditya SJB Rana of the Royal Nepal Army whose team ambushed Wangdu and his cohorts at the top of Tinker Pass in Darchula, West Nepal. Photo courtesy: GAUTAM SJB RANA</figcaption> </figure>  By August 1974 the game was up. Wangdu and six of his exhausted party were killed on their horses by <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=7270">the Royal Nepal Army</a> on the brink of escape. The officer in charge, Aditya SJB Rana, cleverly predicted their route into India after they failed to silence a police radio in Yari. A carefully laid ambush trapped them near the summit of the Tinker Pass in Darchula,at 5,000 meters the highest military operation of its time. Wangdu’s body was helicoptered to Kathmandu, and a big show made of the royal Nepal victory.&nbsp; The Tibetan armed insurgency against China had reached its end.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_23" data-image-id="20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> </figure>

The Last Days of the Khampa

Starting 17 September Turkish Airlines will fly daily to Seville, one of Spain’s major tourist draws. This is Turkish’s sixth destination in Spain after Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, and Bilbao. Seville is in the Andalusia region on Spain’s south coast with a rich Moor history. There are approximately 30,000 Nepalis living in Spain.&nbsp;

Turkish to Seville

The newly-formed Himalayan Art Council is set to launch Nepal’s National Art Protection Platform that seeks to preserve <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-history-of-heritage">Nepal’s unique cultural heritage </a>using<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/artificial-censorship"> AI-powered tools</a>. The Council seeks to safeguard <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepali-art-going-places">Nepali art works</a> from neglect, theft and counterfeiting as well as preserve existing artwork and celebrate living masters by giving them a cultural space to continue the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/sacred-survival">sacred art traditions</a>. "We are introducing a new digital platform designed to preserve, verify and elevate <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-new-generation-of-alternative-artists">Nepal’s art for generations to come,</a>” says a statement from the Council, adding that the digital platform will use AI told for authentication and blockchain to keep track of works of art. Artists can now be protected by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/ayo-ai?fbclid=IwAR1uwmTVq4gUB70ljfRezjzukD9ArWXPuMnUikopeQ8PoiZMjicToPSwhKE&amp;=1">AI tools</a> that detect forgeries, identify their work even when unsigned, and ensure they receive proper recognition and credit. The archives will be searchable with translated inscription and interactive guides. Says curator Meena Lama: “AI and blockchains are tools that give us the power to detect fakes and identify unsigned paintings and track every piece. With these tools we can restore trust, secure authorship and give artists the dignity they deserve.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53" data-rendition-name="original" width="1300" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum."> <figcaption>Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum.</figcaption> </figure>  The Council is also holding an exhibition of Nepali cultural masterpieces with 50 historical <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671">thangka and paubha </a>by past masters and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/between-the-sacred-and-everyday">contemporary works by current artists</a>. This curated collection is a living tribute to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-yaks-go-so-does-culture">Himalayan culture</a> with economic depictions of deities, mandala and sacred narratives. The exhibition at <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/a-portal-into-patan-s-past-and-present">Patan Museum</a> also provides an opportunity to meet painters and custodians of art and culture. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/golden-deities">Golden deities</a>, Sewa Bhattarai ‘The exhibition is only the first step in a long journey to ensure that Nepali art is no just seen but fully understood, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Narratives-of-Faith-and-Memory-Remembering-the-Lost-Sculptures-of-Kathmandu-exhibition,987">protected and remembered</a>,’ the Council says. Artist Kailash K Shrestha of Artudio has spent decades promoting thankha and paubha traditions because of their beauty and devotional meaning. But he also says artists are underpaid, exploited and ignored. He adds, “AI and blockchain are not just buzzwords, they are powerful tools that can protect Nepal’s artists from fraud, verify authenticity and build a permanent record of provenance.” Traditional Art Exhibition Till 17 May Patan Museum

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