Nepal has a long history with Hong Kong, with Nepalis in the British Gurkha battalion stationed there when the territory was still a British colony. It was handed over to China in 1997, and it is now classified as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Former Gurkhas and their families are eligible for permanent residence, and a majority of Nepalis in the city are the children and grandchildren of former Gurkha servicemen. This makes for a thriving community of Nepalis in the region with most working in the food and beverage, security, cleaning, as well as community, social and educational sectors. Some Nepalis are employed in professional and executive positions, and still others have migrated on to the UK which also offers permanent residence to former Gurkha families. &nbsp; The estimated 50,000 Nepalis with families in Hong Kong and their families in Nepal are often the ones who fly frequently back and forth between the two places.&nbsp; Yet even as Nepalis begin to travel for leisure beyond Nepal’s borders to popular destinations like Bangkok, Bali and beyond, their presence in Hong Kong as tourists has so far been negligible. One of the reasons is that Nepalis who want to travel to Hong Kong for leisure must apply for a visit visa which could take between three to six weeks to process. Nepalis taking connecting flights via Hong Kong also require a transit visa except for those traveling to the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, the UK, and Europe.&nbsp; Cathay Pacific, as Hong Kong’s largest carrier, says it is seeking to attract more Nepali travellers -- both those with Hong Kong as a tourism destination as well as transit passengers flying on to the US, Canada, Japan, or Korea.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240124110120_1c0136ce024757d83c204b49f39756aa441c28038e6f9b673944a80e0398c155.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240124110120_1c0136ce024757d83c204b49f39756aa441c28038e6f9b673944a80e0398c155" data-rendition-name="original" width="2016" height="980" loading="lazy" alt="Cathay Pacific"> <figcaption>Photo: CATHAY PACIFIC </figcaption> </figure>  “Hong Kong’s strategic geographical location means Hong Kong International Airport is a gateway to other Asian destinations, including other cities of the Greater Bay Area, the Chinese Mainland, Japan, and Korea. It also provides easy connections to the South West Pacific, the USA and Canada,” says Junu Malekhu, Cathay Country Lead for Nepal. She adds: “Outbound travel from Nepal has been witnessing an increasing trend recording over 90% bookings in 2023 as Nepalis seek to explore different countries to experience local culture, cuisine, meet new people, and delve into the unique opportunities and experiences each destination provides. We also cater to a significant number of Nepali students travelling to Australia, Japan, the USA, and Canada, and their families.” Cathay Pacific currently offers four flights per week from Kathmandu to Hong Kong, with the red-eye flight departing before midnight and arriving in the territory conveniently at 6AM local time after a four-and-half hour flight.&nbsp; On a recent December night at Kathmandu Airport, the journey from the unheated ramp bus to the Cathay Pacific Airbus A330 is short but freezing. Stepping into the aircraft offers welcome, warm relief. Once passengers stow away their luggage and settle down, the cabin crew begins to hand out immigration slips for them to present at Hong Kong airport once they land. &nbsp; In the Premium Economy cabin, a Nepali father whose young son speaks to him in English helps his child fill out the Hong Kong arrival form. It is clear that a large number of Nepalis on board are flying back to their homes in Hong Kong.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240124120112_3e68c27e6b92e9a45836d8f2928ff3edc208e0bc60bd454d3da66b910460d3dd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240124120112_3e68c27e6b92e9a45836d8f2928ff3edc208e0bc60bd454d3da66b910460d3dd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Hong Kong from Victoria Peak"> <figcaption>The Hong Kong cityscape as seen from the Victoria Peak</figcaption> </figure>  Cathay Pacific itself is one of the oldest airlines in Asia and traces its history to the early British days. Today, its aircraft offer the largest entertainment library among the region's airlines, and it received the Skytrax World’s Best Inflight Entertainment award in 2023. Cathay’s inflight dining features a range of Cantonese as well as international dishes suited to the Nepali palate.&nbsp; Apart from Economy, Cathay's A330s on the Kathmandu route also have the Premium Economy cabin which offers priority boarding, and once inside the aircraft, expanded seating, legroom as well as working, dining and storage space. Effective from 3 April 2024, Cathay will increase its flights to five per week from Kathmandu to Hong Kong. Presently, there are four flights a week by 317 seater Airbus A330. Since the flight from Kathmandu lands in Hong Kong early in the morning and most hotel check-ins begin only in the afternoon, visitors can begin exploring the city right after they land as they wait for their accommodations to be ready. &nbsp;Options include the mandatory Peak Tram to Victoria Peak &nbsp;for a panorama view of the Victoria Harbour. &nbsp;Nearby, the Hong Kong Botanical Garden in the heart of the city’s business district is the world’s oldest in the region. Lantau Island is another destination, and visitors can take the Ngong Ping 360 ropeway to see the Tian Tan Buddha, a 34m tall bronze statue of the Buddha. The stairway to Tian Tan Buddha, however, might rival that in Swayambhu.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024012412018_0c2a4df1ba21444a1a856b879bf8af6b8b32943551c7e44510c5cd69529043ea.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2024012412018_0c2a4df1ba21444a1a856b879bf8af6b8b32943551c7e44510c5cd69529043ea" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1776" loading="lazy" alt="Big Buddha steps NT"> <figcaption>Steps to the Big Buddha at Ngong Ping in Hong Kong's Lantau Island</figcaption> </figure>  The Hong Kong Disneyland, the smallest of the Disneyland resorts in the world, is packed with visitors year-round but is a must-stop for those visiting with children.&nbsp; The tradition British-era ferry across the Victoria Harbour to Kowloon is not just a commute but also a cheap way to sightsee. With its vibrant multi-ethnic population, Kowloon is also where most of Hong Kong’s Nepali population live and work, specifically in the Jordan neighbourhood which has Nepali restaurants, jewellery shops, and other businesses.&nbsp; For shopping, Mong Kok in Kowloon might be the best fit, with its lower priced shopping areas and bustling night markets.&nbsp; The flight back to Kathmandu departs more conveniently in the evening, and those who want to splurge can upgrade to &nbsp;Cathay Pacific’s Business Class which gives them access to three lounges at the Hong Kong International Airport—The Pier, which is the largest, The Deck, and The Wing. The noodle bar in all three lounges offer regional and Asian food and is particularly popular.&nbsp;

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Hong Kong is happening

<figure><img width="853" height="552" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d185a9c7e80680e0ac7bfjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>From right to left: BP Koirala, his nephew Naresh Koirala, wife Sushila and sister Bunu on the balcony of Naresh’s apartment in Hong Kong in 1980. All photos, courtesy: NARESH KOIRALA</figcaption></figure>20 July 1982. Naresh Koirala vividly remembers the humid afternoon in Hong Kong when the telephone rang. His wife said it was Girija Prasad Koirala (affectionately called Sanobabu in the family).It was four days since <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=6932#.YWe-sC2B2fQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BP Koirala</a> had been flown to Bangkok for treatment, and Naresh Koirala, BP’s nephew and a geotechnicial engineer based in Hong Kong at the time, was preparing to fly to Bangkok.Girija Koirala’s voice on the phone was sombre: “You don’t have to come now. We are taking Sandaju (BP) back to Nepal as the doctor suggested. There is no hope now.”There was silence on the line, there was not much to say. Naresh Koirala put the receiver down and with a heavy heart walked quietly to the balcony on the 14th floor of his flat overlooking the South China Sea. The ocean shimmered in the afternoon sun.  Two years before, BP and Naresh had met on that same balcony, talking about <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/inside-story-of-nepals-rana-dynasty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal’s democratic future</a>. BP was returning to Nepal from a conference in Japan and was making a weeklong stopover in Hong Kong. BP’s wife, Sushila, and his sister Bunu were also with him.Naresh remembers that this was after the May 1980 referendum in which the people were asked to choose between continuing with a reformed party-less Panchayat system, or a multi-party system. BP had supported multi-party, but despite the growing pro-democracy movement in the country, his side lost by about 400,000 votes.  It was widely believed that the Panchayat system won because the referendum was rigged. But BP decided to accept the result in spite of the heavy pressure from his own party colleagues like Ganesh Man Singh to reject the outcome.   <figure><img width="200" height="200" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d185d9c7e80680e0ac7c0jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Naresh Koirala</figcaption></figure>Naresh Koirala asked BP about this, who explained his reasoning: once you take part in a voting exercise, it is your responsibility to accept the results, whether you win or lose. The days and weeks following the result of the referendum were the most disheartening for BP. Yet, he did not abandon hope nor the struggle to restore democracy in Nepal. He had faith in the Nepali people and their desire for freedom.Naresh Koirala had become a de facto spokesperson for Hong Kong-based media covering the referendum and remembers an Australian friend telling him: “You had a choice of continuing to live in chains or freedom, you chose chains.”Naresh himself had been puzzled by his uncle’s decision to accept the result. On that balcony that day, he broached the touchy subject: perhaps Nepal was not yet ready for a western parliamentary style democracy – maybe only the literate and those with college degrees should be allowed to vote, he asked.BP had a sharp and quick response: “That is exactly how tyrants think. That the common citizen knows nothing while the dictator himself, being all-knowing, holds all authority over the people’s choices and rights. That is exactly the type of thinking that gave rise to Hitlers and Stalins.”https://youtu.be/p2WA1bGOcPcBP Koirala listed three reasons why he accepted the referendum result: first, he could not say without a doubt that even his own multiparty supporters had not cheated. Second, he believed complaints about irregularities should have been raised before the result was announced, not after his side lost. (“What if we had won, how would we have considered the irregularities then?”)  The third reason was that he feared rejecting the referendum verdict could have precipitated a civil war. “I would not be able to live with such a heavy burden,” he told Naresh.Always thinking about the future consequences of his actions and not just the immediate present, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/america-nepal-and-the-royal-coup/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BP Koirala’s politics</a> was heavily guided by his moral ethics and humanist philosophy. That is why to this day, as his Nepali Congress party under the leadership of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/deuba-5/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sher Bahadur Deuba</a> is questioned about its adherence to democratic ideals, BP Koirala’s name is often invoked. BP’s own son, Shashank, is in the race for party leadership in the upcoming general convention. <figure><figcaption>BP Koirala (with stick) and other Nepali Congress leaders Girija Koirala, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Ganesh Man Singh at Kathmandu airport before he left for cancer treatment in 1982.</figcaption></figure>That evening in Hong Kong, Naresh Koirala also asked BP if he had any resentment or a sense of revenge against kings Mahendra and Birendra for the years of persecution and torment. His reply was: “Such feelings take one nowhere near one’s goal, I am certain the kings themselves judge and evaluate their own actions.”BP Koirala’s dramatic political career spanned the end of the 104-year-old Rana regime in 1950 and the restoration of democracy in 1959. He was the first democratically elected prime minister of the country, and held the office for 18 months before being deposed and imprisoned by <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/putsch-ek/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">King Mahendra in the coup of 15 December 1960</a>. He spent the rest of his life either in prison or exile, and in steadily deteriorating health. <figure><img width="800" height="1084" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d18619c7e80680e0ac7c2jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>BP Koirala at Ocean Park in 1980, when he was already unwell.</figcaption></figure>Even then, he used to say that he endured physical, emotional, and familial troubles because of the love and support of the Nepali people, friends, and family. The hurdles that punctuated his life all came with the job description of politics. In fact, he always said that he was more worried about Sushila, and how to give his wife the life she deserved. Naresh Koirala recalls that during his Hong Kong stopover in 1982, BP, Sushila and Bunu were returning to their car at Ocean Park after sight-seeing, when BP was slightly separated from the group.  Naresh looked back and took a picture of BP lost in thought, hands akimbo. Bunu whispered to Naresh that BP was not well, and he went back to where he was standing. BP waved his hand as if to say not to worry: “It is all right, I will join you.”Naresh Koirala has kept a letter BP wrote to him dated 14 December 1981, asking him not to be despondent. He writes: ‘I have undergone all kinds of hardship and deprivation. I have no sense of suffering.’ He was at the time undergoing chemotherapy in Nepal for throat cancer and had returned from Bombay’s Tata Hospital. Weakened by the disease and chemotherapy, his days were spent in the company of visitors and well-wishers with whom he engaged in lively conversations. He continues in the letter: ‘Do not be despondent, I have lived a full life – very exciting, adventurous and, in my term, a missionary life … The greatest satisfaction in life is the constant awareness that you are constantly being used up by your own mission – I have that satisfaction.’He said his only regret was that he wished that he had spent more time with his children, especially his daughter, Chetana. <img width="621" height="834" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d18649c7e80680e0ac7c3jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="619" height="831" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d18669c7e80680e0ac7c4jpeg.jpg" alt="">BP Koirala’s handwritten letter in English to Naresh Koirala from his hospital bed while undergoing chemotherapy in 1982.That evening in Hong Kong a year earlier, BP confided to Naresh: “If anyone can say when confronting death that they have no regrets and resentment, and that they were dedicated to their work, that is a content and satisfied life.”In July 1982, when Naresh came to Kathmandu, BP was already severely worn out by cancer. BP dedicated his life to uplifting the living standard of Nepalis through genuine democracy, but he feared that he would not live to see his life’s work completed. It is worth pondering what he would have thought of Nepal today, nearly 40 years after his death.In the last four decades, the country saw a People’s Movement that turned the country into a constitutional monarchy, a decade-long war, a massacre of the royal family, an unstable transition to federalism, a secular republican constitution, and the current Nepali Congress-led coalition with the Maoists.The cancer spread, and family members decided to take him abroad for treatment. On the morning of the day of departure, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=4714%22 %5Cl %22.YWVIWC8RppQ%22 %5Ct %22_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ganesh Raj Sharma</a> came to BP’s residence at Chabahil with a tape to record his autobiography, as he had been doing for two months.  The interview is yet to be published, Nepali edition of his <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=5205%22 %5Cl %22.YWVFLC8RppQ%22 %5Ct %22_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Atmabrittanta memoir</a> only include photos taken at the time. At one point in the tape, Sharma asks BP, “How do you want the Nepali people to remember you?”  Lying on his bed, surrounded by his niece, Sailaja, and his daughter-in-law, Nona, BP looked tired. Naresh Koirala was taking photographs and remembers thinking that BP must have been weary with the thoughts of the impending travel. <figure><img width="464" height="418" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d18689c7e80680e0ac7c5jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>A bed-ridden BP Koirala gives his last interview to Ganesh Raj Sharma at his home in Chabahil with niece Shailaja Acharya and sister-in-law Nona Koirala.</figcaption></figure>BP replied in his rasping voice into a small microphone: “I do not think I have done anything great or worth remembering, but if people wish to remember me, I hope they think of me as a decent human being who tried to honestly, sincerely and wholeheartedly to work for the welfare of the people and the nation.”Adapted by Ashish Dhakal from Naresh Koirala's बीपीका आखिरी दिनहरू published in <a href="https://www.himalkhabar.com/category/samaj%22 %5Ct %22_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Himal monthly magazine</a>. Watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2WA1bGOcPc&amp;t=21s%22 %5Ct %22_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">video of Naresh Koirala</a> remembering BP Koirala.For BP’s diary from Sundarijal Jail: read series in Nepali Times, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/nepali-times-search/?q=back+at+sundarijal" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Back at Sundarijal</a>.

Last Days with BP Koirala

<figure><img width="800" height="440" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121148/636b938b9c7e80680e06f1aejpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Bipin Karma plays one of two leads in the Hong Kong film 'Hand Rolled Cigarette'.</figcaption></figure>A young man in a brightly patterned jacket is on the run after having stolen drugs from some dangerous-looking people. The scene changes. Let me hide here for a while, says the young man to an older person, seated in a dark apartment. Why did a whole crew come after you? the other man asks him.The young man being chased across the streets of Hong Kong is played by Nepali actor Bipin Karma in the Hong Kong film release, Hand Rolled Cigarette. Karma is one of the two leads alongside acclaimed Hong Kong actor Gordon Lam Ka-tung (playing a former British Army soldier) and gives an excellent first-time performance as a troubled young South Asian man in debutant director Chan Kin-long’s neo-noir crime drama. His role marks the first time an actor of Nepali descent has broken into mainstream Hong Kong cinema.Hand Rolled Cigarette follows an unemployed retired British Army veteran who struggles to keep his head above water in Hong Kong after its handover to China in 1997, and a young Indian/Pakistani man navigating life in the city’s seedy underworld. The 101-minute film was the opener at the 17th Hong Kong Asia Film Festival, and closed the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, where it was nominated for awards in seven categories, including Best Picture. The film is now out worldwide after its premiere in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. <figure><img width="1066" height="1600" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121148/636b938d9c7e80680e06f1afjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Bipin Karma with Hong Kong actor Gordon Lam Ka-tung during filming of the movie.</figcaption></figure>Twenty-four-year-old Karma, whose family is originally from Pokhara, pinned a Nepali flag pin on his lapel when he attended the movie’s gala premiere at the Elements Theatre in Hong Kong on 17 June. The Hong Kong-born actor spent eight years of his childhood in Nepal, completing his primary education in the country before returning to Hong Kong. His Nepali is fluent, but in the film he plays a bilingual character who speaks Hindi and Cantonese. “It was a bit difficult in the beginning, to have to speak in Cantonese and Hindi,” Karma recalls. He had been apprehensive of his ability to play the role when he was initially offered the film in 2019, but eventually overcame his nerves and accepted the offer. <figure><img width="5508" height="3459" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121148/636b93909c7e80680e06f1b0jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Photo: JAGAT AMBU GURUNG</figcaption></figure><figure><img width="4115" height="2449" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121148/636b93949c7e80680e06f1b1jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Photo: DAMBAR KRISHNA SHRESTHA</figcaption></figure>Karma himself was drawn towards videography and short filmmaking after participating in a filmmaking course for non-Chinese students at school. However, pursuing a career in acting had not crossed his mind at the time. “I had been more interested in the behind-the-scenes aspect of filmmaking before I was offered the role,” he says. “I accepted the offer because I really liked the story.”Although he had no prior acting experience in mainstream films, Karma had played in a movie that he himself made for a festival at university. He had uploaded videos of himself doing parkour on YouTube and had worked on a few commercials as well which came to the notice of Director Chan Kin-long.Karma’s parkour experience also helped him with stunts in Hand Rolled Cigarette, where he can be seen running through the streets of Hong Kong and jumping out of a window at one point. And it is not a body double. <img width="1200" height="1775" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121148/636b93979c7e80680e06f1b2jpeg.jpg" alt="">The <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=1513#.YM8N9C8w3BI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepali diaspora in Hong Kong</a> has celebrated Karma’s achievement, with the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) in Honk Kong putting out an open call for Nepalis to go to theatres and watch the film. Heeding the call, Nepalis here have been flocking to theatres.“This is a matter of pride not only for Bipin but for all Nepalis,” says NRNA Hong Kong President Radhika Gurung. Indra Wanem, president of the Nepali Society in Hong Kong, says that Karma’s entry into the film industry has given rise to newfound enthusiasm among Nepali youth in Hong Kong. “Not only has Bipin’s achievement created interest among the Nepali youngsters here, but it has solidified the image of Nepali talent and capability among the citizens of Hong Kong,” he says.Karma’s father Dilli Bishwakarma is a <a href="http://lbms03.cityu.edu.hk/oaps/ais2013-6002-as000.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">construction site supervisor in Hong Kong</a>, and is delighted by his son’s achievement, saying he has inspired and boosted the confidence of the 30,000 Nepalis who live in the territory.   “He got a big opportunity right from the beginning, and I know that he will continue to do even better work in the future,’ Biswakarma says, brimming with pride. Karma, who is busy doing press for the film, has been getting positive feedback for his performance. He considers himself lucky to have played a lead role in his first movie, and sees this as an opportunity for bigger and better things. He says, “I will work harder in future.” Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/gaumaya-gurung-going-places/">Gaumaya Gurung going places</a>, Sajana Baral

Nepali actor shines on Hong Kong silver screen

<figure><img width="1505" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181124/636be2409c7e80680e083e99jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>Nepal’s Ministry of Health has recommended that everyone entering Nepal from land borders or Kathmandu airport have to stay in quarantine for 14 days. The ministry said that in view of the current global Covid-19 resurgence in Europe and the United States, its Incident Command System meeting had recommended to the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC) that it extend the current 7-day quarantine to two weeks.“We have written to the CCMC to cancel all previous protocols and to have the 14-day quarantine in place for all land and air travellers,” said Ministry of Health spokesperson Jageshwar Gautam, who added that only those with symptoms would have to be tested at the end of it.At present passengers arriving at Kathmandu airport can only board their flights if they have a PCR negative report not longer than 72 hours before departure, but have to stay in home or hotel quarantine for a 7-day period after arrival. <a href="https://np.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://np.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-2/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606266686954000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2G7UdhO_JXwDFiyFUDa9RT">Only foreigners who have a confirmed trek</a> or mountaineering expedition booking are <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-open-for-trekking-from-17-october/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-open-for-trekking-from-17-october/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606266686954000&amp;usg=AOvVaw16Q8RqjK0xdcKRuoFhZ4Fy">being given visas on arrival </a>at present, and they need to take another test before heading off to the mountains.If approved by the CCMC, the 14-day quarantine rule would also apply to Nepalis flying home, as well as people crossing over the open land border from India where checking is lax.The various ministries appear to be working at cross purposes because the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has also sent a proposal to the CCMC to allow all foreigners, not just trekkers and mountaineers, to come to Nepal as long as they complete a short hotel quarantine and test negative at the end of it. The Ministry of Health recommendation has been greeted with widespread criticism, and many say it follows a long list of absurd, contradictory and confusing travel restrictions by the government in the past months. International airlines that had started operating <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-to-open-regular-flights-from-1-september/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-to-open-regular-flights-from-1-september/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606266686954000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3CUf08RzZmAb44Yw-V_U7f">flights to Nepal after 1 September</a> say there have been some cancellations over the weekend after the media reported the 14-day quarantine proposal. Said one travel trade executive: “First you had the stupid rule that only foreigners who want to t<a href="http://www.apple.com/uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.apple.com/uk&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606266686954000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Vd2eWskUvCZwpGBkbof7G">rek and climb a mountain are allowed</a>. What if they wanted to go white water rafting, or paragliding, or for an elephant safari? Why only trekking and mountaineering? And now you have another layer of uncertainty.”Another representative of an international airline said it did not make sense for a country that itself is going through a coronavirus surge to extend the quarantine for people coming in, when the restriction should logically be on people going out. So far Nepal has recorded 223,000 Covid-19 cases with 1,980 more just on Monday, when 16 more deaths were reported, taking the total fatalities to 1,337.“But even more absurd is the continued ban on flights to and from India, when thousands of people are going back and forth across the border every day,” he said.India has not lifted its suspension of regular international flights, but conducts repatriation charters for its citizens and has ‘air bubble’ agreements with 20 countries. New Delhi had offered Kathmandu to be a part of this arrangement, but the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-baffling-ban-on-india-flights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-baffling-ban-on-india-flights/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606266686954000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2pL2LrDT-76HR48wcm70NF">Nepal government has so far held back,</a> inconveniencing tens of thousands of its own citizens in India.Airline representatives say the government should be more concerned about Nepalis going abroad with fake or false negative PCR reports, which led to a third <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/hong-kong-bars-nepal-airlines-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/hong-kong-bars-nepal-airlines-again/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606266686954000&amp;usg=AOvVaw36avTyBLneD6uMrS4OsReg">two-week restriction on Nepal Airlines </a>flying to Hong Kong.Hong Kong is seeing a fourth wave of Covid-19 that public health officials in the territory blamed on imported cases from Nepal. The third two-week ban on Nepal Airlines Kathmandu-Hong Kong flights will end on Wednesday, and the carrier has said it will henceforth only accept PCR negative reports from government-approved ‘A level’ clinics. The latest outbreaks in Hong Kong have been traced to passengers arriving from Kathmandu, and led to the cancellation of a Singapore-Hong Kong ‘air bubble’ that was to go into effect last week. Hong Kong has also banned Air India flights from Delhi for the fifth time till 3 December after passengers tested positive on arrival. Dubai and Narita airports as well have issued warnings to Nepal Airlines about passengers with unreliable tests arriving from Kathmandu. Reports said at least 2-5 passengers arriving in Tokyo on every Nepal Airlines flight from Kathmandu have been testing positive.Nepal Airlines says it has been accepting printouts of PCR tests before issuing boarding passes to passengers at Kathmandu airport, but has no way to verify if they are fake. The government has blacklisted some private labs whose certificates turned out to be false negatives when passengers from Kathmandu were tested on arrival in Hong Kong, Dubai and Narita.The lack of clarity has thrown into doubt plans of many Nepalis living, studying and working in Australia, Canada and North America to fly home during the Christmas New Year holidays.

Nepal mulls longer quarantines

<figure><img width="422" height="700" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be1829c7e80680e083e51jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Fire raging at the Jire Khursani restaurant on Canton Road in Hong Kong's Yau Ma Tei on 15 November. Photo: ONLINE</figcaption></figure>It was just after 8pm on 15 November in the Jire Khursani Nepali restaurant in Hong Kong’ Jordan neighbourhood. The popular eatery was lit up for Tihar, and it was crowded with families dining out. But instead of a festival marked by illumination, it turned out to be a black night for many Nepali families in Hong Kong mourning the seven people who died, and having to care for 13 badly injured in a deadly fire. The restaurant that night was also a venue for a birthday party, and was full. Suddenly, one of the decorative Diwali lights set the wall near the door alight. The fire spread rapidly because of the sound-proof material that was used to line the wall of the dining area. The restaurant did not have a fire extinguisher, and no emergency exits. As the flames spread rapidly, instead of calling the emergency services, the guests sent the children to what they thought was the safety of an inner storeroom and tried to put out the flames themselves. <figure><img width="538" height="358" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be1839c7e80680e083e52jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Wounded being rushed to hospital. Photo: ONLINE</figcaption></figure>Initial investigation has shown that the disaster was the result of carelessness, and the Nepali owners of the restaurant not adhering to Hong Kong’s strict fire and emergency rules.There are many hole-in-the-wall establishments like this set up by Nepalis living in the former British territory which are registered as ‘clubs’, but actually function as restaurants — and do not have mandatory safety features. Many Nepali families congregate to these eateries to celebrate festivals, holidays and birthdays.Among the dead on the Sunday night fire on Canton Road was Raju Nepal and his 9-year-old son, Ryan, as well as Yubaraj Kandel and his 13-year-old daughter Kirtika. Club manager Binita Tamang and employees Anita Niraula and Sher Gurung are also among the dead. Binita Tamang’s husband, Mukesh Shrestha is in critical condition. “As soon as the fire started, they told the women and children to go to the kitchen and storeroom, and tried to put out the flames themselves,” a relative of one of the dead said. <figure><img width="633" height="640" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be1859c7e80680e083e53jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Among the dead were Raju Nepal and his son, Rayan.</figcaption></figure><figure><img width="1738" height="1109" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be1889c7e80680e083e54jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Owner Mukesh Shrestha was critically injured, and his wife Binita Tamang was killed in the fire. </figcaption></figure>The emergency services arrived within three minutes of being called, but by then the fire had spread through the whole first floor of the building. Since the flames started near the door, there was no escape for the victims, who were found crouched in a corner of the inner rooms. Those who escaped jumped out of the windows to the street below, and some broke their legs. This is the deadliest fire in Hong Kong since 2011, when nine people were killed in the Mongkok neighbourhood. The Hong Kong authorities have launched an investigation, and Chief Executive Carrie Lam paid a visit to the site on Monday morning.With its many residential and office high rises, the Hong Kong authorities take fire safety seriously. However, ‘clubs’ like Jire Khursani do not follow the strict safety requirements because they are not registered as restaurants. There are no evacuation posters, no extinguishers and and no emergency exits. The clubs also do not have any fire insurance. <figure><img width="1600" height="1200" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be18b9c7e80680e083e55jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Reporters covering the fire. Photo: Dambar Krishna Shrestha</figcaption></figure>Many here say that despite Hong Kong’s strict rules, a fatalistic Nepali attitude which does not give adequate attention to disaster preparedness and prevention results in tragedies like this.The 15 November fire, they say, will be a reminder to Nepalis here that they have to take disaster preparedness seriously — especially for unregistered establishments which are often crowded with local Nepali families.  <figure><img width="1000" height="1500" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181120/636be18e9c7e80680e083e56jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>The burnt out remains of the restaurant the next morning. Photo: Jagat Ambu</figcaption></figure>Many of the 30,000 or so Nepalis in Hong Kong are families or dependants of former soldiers in the Brigade of Gurkhas of the British Army stationed in the territory until 1997, when it was handed over to China.  Among them, many work on Hong Kong’s construction sites, where ‘Safety First’ is the credo. Many are in fact Safety Supervisors at these sites, and are trained in emergency response. But the same people take their families to unsafe establishments after work.  Dambar Krishna Shrestha is editor of <a href="https://everestkhabar.com/epaper/october-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://everestkhabar.com/epaper/october-2020&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605695456487000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG-Utm--BFpJzDNlyvIEz17En45gg">Everest Khabar</a> monthly.

7 Nepalis killed in Hong Kong fire

<figure></figure>										<img width="1698" height="1176" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109151112/636bb58f9c7e80680e07bc0djpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Illustration: CIJ NEPAL</figcaption>												Top secret documents prepared by the US government’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and leaked to the media have revealed $2 trillion in suspicious money transfers, and include files that involve some of Nepal’s top banks.The information is contained in ‘Suspicious Activity Reports’ (SARs) sent by banks to the American financial watchdog between 1999 to 2017, and most involve transactions with countries on which the US has imposed sanctions, like Russia, North Korea, Iran and Cuba, or Chinese companies which Washington has blacklisted. Some of these SARs involve transfers through Kathmandu-based banks, and by Nepali firms a few of which appear to be front or fake companies, or ones that are defunct. Banks report transactions when they suspect that money laundering or criminal activity is suspected, but they do not necessarily mean that the companies or individuals named have broken the law.The Nepal files contain transactions made through nine banks, 10 companies and other individuals between 2006-2017 and include some of the big names in banking. However, the companies are less well known, and some of the individual names appear to be security guards or Nepali overseas workers sending money home. Even so, some of the Nepal-based companies named appear to have been involved in smuggling gold, antiquities, or trading in asphalt and telecommunication equipment. The transactions flagged in the FinCEN leaks in Nepal were through Standard Chartered Bank, Prime Commercial Bank, Bank of Kathmandu, Nepal Investment Bank, Everest Bank, Mega Bank, Himalayan Bank, Apex Development Bank of Kaski, and Nepal Bangladesh Bank.The leaked documents contain the names of 10 little known Nepal-based companies including Rauniyar Brothers &amp; Co of Birganj, Subha Samriddhi Traders Pvt Ltd of Kathmandu, Shasta Trading Company, Setidevi Export Import Pvt Ltd, L D International Pvt Ltd, Felt and Yarn Pvt Ltd, Woman’s Paper Crafts, Acme Money Transfer Service, and Sunny Enterprises. Some these were never registered, others appear to be front companies, and some are closed. Of the nearly $300 million worth of transactions through Nepal that were flagged in the FinCEN documents, $177.6 million were bank transfers of which $103 million were transferred out of Nepal and $74.6 million were remitted into the country. There were also $48.2 million worth of possibly illegal transactions in various countries with Nepal links, and another $75 million transactions not in Nepal, but involving Nepali-sounding surnames and addresses. Most of the transactions in the FinCEN leaks that raised red flags, including those by Rauniyar Brothers and Shubha Shambridhi Traders, involved over $70 million in Letters of Credit through Standard Chartered Bank in Nepal and its branches abroad. The Rauniyar transactions went through the Dubai-based Kite International FZE, and involved import and export of petroleum products. They were sourced from Bandar Abbas port in Iran in contravention of US-sanctions, and the shipment documents were reportedly forged to look like they came through Dubai.When asked to respond, Pranu Singh of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal said the bank was bound by client confidentiality and did not comment on specific cases. ‘The reality is that there will always be attempts to launder money and evade sanctions,’ she wrote in an email reply. ‘We take our responsibility to fight financial crime extremely seriously and have invested substantially in our compliance programs.’  The other companies involved appear to have been involved in using banking channels to fund gold smuggling operations via jewellery companies in Hong Kong and Dubai between 2009-2011. Some banking transactions appear to have been listed in the SARs because they involved Chinese telecommunication company ZTE that is on a US blacklist, while others were  transfers from Nepal to known tax havens like the British Virgin Islands, Seychelles and Luxembourg.  The leaked files also include transfers of amounts as small as $120-500 to Nepali companies and from Nepali workers in Iraq and other countries that for some reason were in the suspicious activity reports sent by corresponding banks as long as ten years ago. However, some of the companies listed, like Woman’s Paper Crafts, are not even officially registered in Nepal.Two separate reports in the FinCEN leaks concern possible payments for smuggled Nepali religious artifacts. Standard Chartered Bank New York flagged American Nancy Wiener Gallery and several other dealers suspected to be involved in the illegal trade of antiquities. Some of them were linked to Subhash Kapoor, an Indian national and the Art of the Past Gallery owner in New York, who used to facilitate artifacts smuggling from India to the United States. He was arrested by Interpol in 2011 at Frankfurt airport.Nancy Wiener Gallery was cited in the FinCEN leaked files for suspicious transactions worth $27 million between 2010-2017. This is the same gallery that sold a stolen 16th-century bronze from Nepal in 2010 and transferred the payment to Pantheon Worldwide in Hong Kong. The bank that filed the suspicious activity report said: ‘The transactions appear to be related to antiquities that were potentially purchased and sold illegally.’Nepal’s Money Laundering Prevention Act requires banks and financial institutions to report suspicious transactions to the Nepal Rastra Bank’s Financial Information Unit (FIU). The Act bars clients from making transactions under anonymous or fictitious names. Financial institutions also need to keep a separate record of transactions of high-ranking officials in the political, administrative, and judicial spheres. Although some of the suspicious transactions in the FinCEN report are dated, there appears to be a gap in the way Nepal’s banking sector monitors international transfers. This poses a serious challenge, and could push Nepal towards an international blacklist of high-risk countries.Nepal Rastra Bank Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari says Nepal has enacted laws against money laundering and has set up a Financial Information Unit (FIU) at the central bank. “However, having legal provisions doesn’t mean that money laundering will not happen. We don’t claim that we are good at implementing laws, but it’s getting better as time passes,” Adhikari added. “We have fined six banks and financial institutions for mishandling Know Your Customers forms and failing to monitor and report money laundering. Nepal Rastra Bank is committed to preventing money laundering. There won’t be any ifs or buts.”The latest ‘<a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/fincen-files-financial-scandal-criminal-networks" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FinCEN Files</a>’ contain top secret financial records obtained by BuzzFeed News and shared with the <a href="https://www.icij.org/investigations/fincen-files/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)</a> and other news organisations. In Kathmandu, follow up investigations were conducted by the <a href="https://cijnepal.org.np/fincen-files-nepal-nexus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Centre for Investigative Journalism Nepal (CIJ-N)</a>.Krishna Acharya, Ramu Sapkota and Shiva Gaunle. Arun Karki and Pramod Acharya also contributed to this report.Centre for Investigative Journalism Nepal

Nepal figures in leaked money laundering report

<img width="1500" height="1610" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71f29c7e80680e0600fbjpeg.jpg" alt=""/>A Nepali photojournalist formerly with the Maoists is now documenting <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-caught-up-in-hong-kong-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the protests on-going in Hong Kong</a>, and says the demonstrations seem to follow him wherever he goes.Jagat Ambu Gurung, 53, (pictured right) says he has not missed a single protest. He even leaves his job during working hours to follow the street demonstrations.“I have always been a risk-taker and there is still a bit of rebellion in me from my days as a youth in the andolan for democracy back home,” says Gurung. “My 13-year-old son, who speaks Cantonese, updates me regarding the protests, helping me to be in the right place at the right time. I documented the 2014 Umbrella Movement as well.”Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-caught-up-in-hong-kong-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepalis caught up in Hong Kong Protests</a>, Will Patterson<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/two-nepalis-held-in-hong-kong-protest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Two Nepalis held in Hong Kong protests</a>, Irtika BajracharyaGurung was born in <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/young-Nepalis-eager-to-come-home,2686" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hong Kong</a> to a British Gurkha father, but spent much of his youth in Chitwan with his grandparents. During the Panchayat period, he worked as a reporter for Chalphal weekly and also wrote for Bimarsha.After the first Jana Andolan of 1990-91 brought democracy to Nepal, Gurung worked in South Korea for four years as a reporter and photojournalist, documenting the lives of Nepali migrant workers for a local newspaper.In 1995, he decided to move to Hong Kong and later started working for the Nepali paper Everest. It was after joining the online news portal HK Nepal that he decided to focus primarily on photojournalism.“The protests here are different from back home. Nepal has a longer history of rebellion; people in Hong Kong are just beginners,” says Gurung. “The demonstrations here are still relatively safe in comparison, even though there are now crackdowns on the press.”Gurung became a member of Communist Party of Nepal (Masal) in 1985 and then Ekata Kendra, before joining the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/fire-in-the-belly-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cultural Wing of the CPN (Maoist)</a> during the conflict years. He remained with the party until 2008, when he became disillusioned with the sycophancy and nepotism.“We fought a war but not much has changed,” says Gurung who describes himself as a straight-shooter who does not kowtow to anyone for favours. Like many descendants of Gurkha servicemen, Gurung now <a href="https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/tunnel-vision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">works in construction</a>. He is employed by HK Electric, a power project on Lamma Island.When <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/two-nepalis-held-in-hong-kong-protest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the pro-democracy demonstration</a> reached Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Gurung came across some Nepali students who had not left the campus compound for days. He found that they had joined the movement against their families’ wishes and under peer pressure.“I tell them not to be involved in it and if they are, first and foremost to be safe,” says Gurung, who himself has been to both the Ninja and pro-Beijing demonstrations and says the Nepali community in Hong Kong is worried about the stability of the island.He adds: “Many Nepalis are concerned that they might have to return back home but I think that unlike the hospitality industry, the impact of the protests will hit us in about two years’ time when we Nepalis have to renew the contracts for our construction jobs.” Sonia Awale

Sonia Awale

Hong Kong’s Jana Andolan

<figure><img width="1000" height="667" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71c49c7e80680e0600ebjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: JAGAT AMBU GURUNG</figcaption></figure>When Hong Kong was thrown into a political crisis last year after the government of the autonomous region proposed a bill that would allow Beijing to extradite Hong Kong criminals to mainland China, the territory’s Nepali community was ambivalent.Many were fed up with violent demonstrations and national shut-downs called by political parties back home in Nepal, and were dismayed that street protests followed them to Hong Kong. However, some <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/two-nepalis-held-in-hong-kong-protest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepali students here have joined the protests</a>, and have even been arrested.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/hong-kongs-jana-andolan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hong Kong's Jana Andolan</a>, Sonia AwaleProtests have gone on for eight months, and continued over the Chinese New Year and despite the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak .Hong Kong’s 25,000-strong <a href="https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/tunnel-vision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepali community</a> has been directly impacted by the protests. ‘Little Nepal’ in the Jordan neighborhood in Kowloon has seen some of the most violent clashes between protesters and police.Read also: <a style="letter-spacing: 0.01em; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/two-nepalis-held-in-hong-kong-protest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Two Nepalis held in Hong Kong protests</a>, Irtika BajracharyaFollowing massive demonstrations of 1 October, the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities Hong Kong confirmed that two <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/young-Nepalis-eager-to-come-home,2686" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepali students</a>, Jenny Rai and Rosemary Limbu, had been arrested.“I just came out for my city,” Rai told Nepali Times. “This is where I was born. I’m sure if this happened in Nepal, they would have gone out just like me without any regrets.”On the day of Rai’s arrest, she was grabbed by an officer from behind while she was trying to run away. He pinned her to the ground, pressing her face to the metal shutter of a closed shop. She yelled out her name – a common practice among arrested protesters so witnesses can inform family and friends. <img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71c79c7e80680e0600ecjpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71ca9c7e80680e0600edjpeg.jpg" alt="">                                   Photos: JAGAT AMBU GURUNG <img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71cc9c7e80680e0600eejpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71cf9c7e80680e0600efjpeg.jpg" alt="">After Rai was brought into a police vehicle carrying other arrestees, police looked up her identity. She says one officer made multiple derogatory remarks about her Nepali ethnicity.As an ethnic minority and someone who now has an arrest record, Rai is worried about her future and that of her family, especially after 2047 when Hong Kong is scheduled to lose its special administrative status.Rai spent almost 48 hours in custody with no contact with anyone outside, and was released on the understanding that police would continue to seek evidence for prosecution.“If I had to do this again, I definitely would. How can I have any regrets? I would never regret just showing my support for Hong Kong,” she said. <img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71d19c7e80680e0600f0jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71d49c7e80680e0600f1jpeg.jpg" alt="">                                        Photos: WILL PATTERSON <img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71d89c7e80680e0600f2jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71db9c7e80680e0600f3jpeg.jpg" alt="">Other, mostly older, Nepalis are wary of getting swept up in the movement, either because it may affect the economy and hence their jobs, or because they believe no good can come out of challenging Beijing.“Being a minority community, most Nepalis here do not want to take sides in the protests, and are worried that they will be caught in the middle,” explained Hong Kong-based journalist Dambar Krishna Shrestha. “All they want is peace and stability to get on with their lives.”When Hong Kong was still a British colony, Gurkha police were deployed to quell deadly ethnic riots in 1967. A proposal to use Gurkhas again to defend Hong Kong’s MTR public transport network against vandalism was rejected after criticism that it would provoke a backlash against Nepalis. <figure><img width="1000" height="667" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71de9c7e80680e0600f4jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Since Rai and Limbu’s arrest, the protests have continued and the recent addition of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/why-nepal-must-watch-about-coronavirus-but-not-panic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wuhan coronavirus</a> to Hong Kong’s political landscape has further complicated matters. Face masks have become part of the city’s daily attire, dredging up memories of the 2002 SARS outbreak. Schools and universities have cancelled in-person classes until 17 February — extending the Chinese New Year break to three weeks.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/a-nepali-in-beijing-during-coronavirus-scare/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Nepali in Beijing during coronavirus scare</a>, Rastraraj Bhandari<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/why-nepal-must-watch-about-coronavirus-but-not-panic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why Nepal must watch Coronavirus, but not panic</a>, Sameer M DixitMessages between protesters via the Telegram application popular among them indicate widespread concern about the government’s leniency with travel between mainland China and Hong Kong and its potential to spread the virus.  <a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/world/asia/coronavirus-hong-kong-border.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Concerns about the virus and anti-government sentiment seem to be merging</a>. On Sunday night, angry locals and anti-government protesters demonstrated against the creation of a quarantine facility near a residential area.Molotov cocktails were launched into the building and windows were smashed. A device exploded in a hospital bathroom early Monday morning, prompting the temporary evacuation of some people. <figure><img width="1500" height="1080" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101124/636b71e19c7e80680e0600f5jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Hong Kong’s premier Carrie Lam has been a target of the popular movement. General consensus amongst protesters is that she is acting on behalf of Beijing, and not in the interests of Hong Kongers. Lam’s full withdrawal of the extradition bill in September via public video address did not pacify protesters, who continued with other demands.“Five demands, not one less” is a common protester chant referencing the five primary demands of the movement. Other than the withdrawal of the Extradition Bill, which took place formally in October 2019, these are: Amnesty for protesters arrested or charged for their participation in the movement, an independent investigation into police force against protesters, apology and retraction of the characterisation of protesters as rioters and Lam’s resignation and her replacement with a leader elected through universal suffrage.

Nepalis caught up in Hong Kong protests

<img width="840" height="500" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f659c7e80680e056e28jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Two Nepali students caught up in intensifying protests in Hong Kong have been arrested by Police in the former British territory.Jenny Rai and Rosemary Limbu were arrested during protests on Tuesday to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.  They are reportedly being kept at Hunghom and Cheg Sa police stations. The Hong Kong protest against the extradition bill broke out in June with violent clashes with Police using tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray. Many protesters ended up injured.Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities Hong Kong said the students’ families have not been permitted to visit the detainees even after 36 hours. It demanded that the students be treated as per international law, and also encouraged Nepalis to stay away from illegal activities. In August, fake notices and death threats were sent to workers from India, Pakistan and Nepal warning them not to take part in protests.  <img width="1466" height="2048" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f679c7e80680e056e29jpeg.jpg" alt="">Earlier in September, MTR chief Jacob Kam was called out for his statement on using <a href="https://nepalitimes.atavist.com/tunnel-vision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gurkhas</a> as railway enforcers. He said Gurkhas were ideal for the public transport network targeted by protesters because they would be neutral and not understand foul language in Cantonese. The language barrier can develop an advantage in controlling protests, Kam was quoted as saying in the South China Morning Post.Kam stated,<a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3027269/mtr-chief-jacob-kam-takes-heat-plan-use-gurkhas-railway"> “The Gurkha colleagues’ security work experience and training will make the whole process more efficient and safer for everyone. When we feel the situation requires police assistance, we will ask for it.”</a> There are about 80,000 Nepalis living in Hong Kong, many of them <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/young-Nepalis-eager-to-come-home,2686" target="_blank" rel="noopener">descendants of former servicemen in the British Gurkhas</a>.

Two Nepalis held in Hong Kong protest

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110714118/636904049c7e80680e037cf9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="934"/><figcaption>OLD TO NEW: Barpak before the earthquake destroyed most of its buildings, and today with its haphazard modern concrete structures.</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110714118/636904089c7e80680e037cfajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="934"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>B<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/back-in-barpak-after-eight-months-of-earthquake,2744" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arpak</a> was at the epicentre of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake three years ago, and due to media attention it also became <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/epicenter-barpak-born-again,2998" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the epicentre of reconstruction</a>.Residents mostly have relatives in the British and Indian armies, did not have the cash-crunch faced by survivors elsewhere. The town quickly rebuilt itself.While most displaced families were still <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/genuine-earthquake-survivors-missing-from-housing-grant-list%20,3498" target="_blank" rel="noopener">waiting for their first installment of housing grants</a> from the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), most residents of Barpak were already living in their new houses.The scenic town in northern Gorkha made famous because it is the hometown of Victoria Cross soldier Gaje Ghale, has now completely recovered from the earthquake. More than 1,200 of the 1,301 houses destroyed have already been rebuilt, homestay tourism is thriving and remittance money is everywhere.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-baker-of-barpak/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The baker of Barpak</a>, Tara Aryal PandeyHowever, Barpak is no more the picturesque ridgetop hamlet with stone buildings and elegant tile roofs. Barpak used to be a living museum of Gurung culture. The charm of the cobble stone streets and a settlement that existed in harmony with its surrounding mountains are a thing of the past.Today, Barpak looks like a clutter of concrete and cement, with architecture that is borrowed from the nondescript boxy construction that characterise Nepal’s highway towns. Every house is of a different size, design and shape.<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Epicentre-of-reconstruction,2286" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bir Bahadur Ghale</a> is Barpak’s forward-looking pioneer of rural electrification, but even he is sorry he could not stop the erosion of the town’s heritage. He laments: “Our village has completely lost its original identity. Our children will see the original Barpak only in old pictures.”Read also: '<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/?p=11912&amp;preview=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Class struggle</a>', Prakriti KandelThe main reason Barpak and other old towns have lost their traditional ambience is because the NRA insisted that families would only be eligible for government grants of Rs300,000 if they rebuilt by following its list of approved designs. But none of the listed blueprints included traditional motifs in the architecture.Just like in any other earthquake affected village, NRA engineers lacked an understanding of local culture and traditional grammar, drawing up generic seismic-resistant house designs.Some Barpak residents rang the alarm bell, warning fellow villagers that blindly following the government-approved house designs would lead to the loss of their unique identity. But no one listened.Read also: '<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/?p=11917&amp;preview=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fired, hired, rehired</a>', Om Astha RaiIn a bid to rebuild Barpak without losing its heritage but still adopting seismic resistant technology, some local residents led by Bir Bahadur Ghale had proposed a reconstruction masterplan. But it was not approved by the government.Ghale recalls: “Our masterplan was neither rejected nor approved. It was kept in limbo for almost a year, and people could not wait. Barpak looks very colourful now. But it is not the same Barpak.”Jit Bahadur Ghale, another local resident, also tried to persuade neighbours to stick to their original architecture. But no one listened to him. He says: “Barpak lost its identity because outsiders imposed new designs on us.”Besides the compulsion to follow government-approved design, there was also a false realisation that Barpak’s original housing style was vulnerable to future earthquakes since most of the original buildings were flattened by the earthquake, killing 72 people. Many were crushed to death by stones and slates.People in Barpak used to stack up stone slates to roof their houses without using nails or hooks. After the earthquake, they realised that such practice would be a hazard in future earthquakes. And NRA engineers lacked creativity to infuse earthquake-resistant technology with Barpak’s unique architecture.Barpak residents whose relatives served in the British Army or are working in Hong Kong and Kathmandu, therefore, built modern concrete structures. Some, who did not have money, built <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/building-homes-on-a-deadline/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">small and one-roomed homes</a> with the material salvaged from the ruins of their houses, just so they could get the government grant. Such houses do not meet their living requirement, and they are likely to be converted into cattle sheds.Read also:<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/Between-the-lines/epicentre-of-reconstruction-barpak-after-earthquake,493" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Epicenter of reconstruction</a>,  Tering Dolker Gurung<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/epicenter-barpak-born-again,2998" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barpak born again</a>,  Santa Gaha Magar<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/back-in-barpak-after-eight-months-of-earthquake,2744" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Back in Barpak</a>,  Ayesha Shakya

Lost in reconstruction

Nepal’s only international aviation gateway, at Kathmandu airport, will cut night-time operation hours to allow construction of taxiways, and airlines have been told to curtail flights. This is expected to lead to more than normal chaos during the height of peak autumn and spring tourist seasons at an airport that is congested even at the best of times. The airport will close from 10PM to 8AM from 8 November-31 March 2025. The taxiways will now connect to the thresholds at both ends of the runway, making the airport more efficient in handling higher frequencies of landings and takeoffs. The parallel taxiway extension will allow international flights to land every 4 minutes instead of the current every 7 minutes. At present planes have to wait to land until a plane taking off backtracks along the runway.&nbsp; Kathmandu is Nepal’s only airport with international operations, and it has only one runway that is only one way in from the south over the mountains. With the taxiway improvement, the airport will be able to handle 42 aircraft landings and takeoffs per hour — double the current capacity.&nbsp; The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has been trying to entice international airlines to also start flying to and from the other two international airports at Pokhara and Bhairawa (Lumbini) by slashing landing and handling charges. But so far only Nepal Airlines operates a weekly flight to Bhairawa from Kuala Lumpur.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241018161016_046569e53d1d66cd445cc66c697c0ef724810aec9f54bdf827481e3cd6b80c32.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241018161016_046569e53d1d66cd445cc66c697c0ef724810aec9f54bdf827481e3cd6b80c32" data-rendition-name="original" width="2356" height="1134" loading="lazy" alt="Kathmandu airport expansion"> <figcaption>Kathmandu Airport Expansion plan with extension of taxiways to the thresholds of runways 02 and 20 that will limit airport operations from 8 November 2024 - 31 March 2025. Areas in blue are existing structures, including the international terminal which in future will be the domestic airport, and the new international terminal near the north end of the runway,</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241018121028_6e17cc2ee87c1b02d78cb54905825b7aa15299b7a00f5eddb01a59579ab85c1a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241018121028_6e17cc2ee87c1b02d78cb54905825b7aa15299b7a00f5eddb01a59579ab85c1a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1353" height="1328" loading="lazy" alt="Kathmandu airport NT"> </figure>  CAAN has reportedly told international airlines to cut their flight frequency to Kathmandu citing the shorter operation hours and has told budget airlines to shift some of their flights to Pokhara or Bhairawa, or face cuts. Many airlines currently operate regular flights to and from Kathmandu between 10PM and 8AM: Air Arabia to Sharjah, Fly Dubai to Dubai, Jazeera Airways to Kuwait, Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, Singapore Airlines, several Nepal Airlines flights, and one of four daily flights by Qatar Airways to Doha. Jazeera Airways, FlyDubai, and Thai AirAsia have applied and got permission from CAAN to begin regular flights to Bhairawa’s Gautam Buddha International Airport. Starting 9 November, FlyDubai will start making a stopover in Bhairawa before flying on to Kathmandu. Immigration, customs and security are all fully functional in Bhairawa. In Kathmandu, the next phase of the airport upgrade includes converting the current international terminal for domestic operations, the construction of a new international terminal where the domestic departure area is now, as well as moving the hangars and the Nepal Army Air Wing to the eastern side of the runway. The apron area will also double its parking space for widebody jets. This is part of a Airport Capacity Enhancement Project that was initially funded through a $80 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the entire masterplan is expected to cost $800 million. This project is the latest upgrade to Nepal’s only international airport since it saw its first flight in 1949. The current international and domestic terminals are too small to handle the current annual traffic volume of 8.5 million passengers a year that is growing at 20% a year.

Kathmandu airport to cut flight hours

As Kathmandu becomes more congested and polluted, and with remote online work becoming the norm, many professional Nepalis are planning to retire in Pokhara, or move there.&nbsp; With its stunning mountain panorama, balmy winters and proximity to a profusion of wilderness areas, builders are responding to this demand with new townhouses, housing development and apartments. One such block of flats is the 10-storey <a href="https://sungavaapartment.com/">Sungava Apartment</a> located at Phulbari above the Seti River, near the point where it flows into and under Pokhara. The imposing structure near Manipal Hospital is almost complete, and on a recent visit the site was strewn with huge boulders unearthed while digging the foundation.&nbsp; The Seti brought down these boulders during a gigantic flood that geologists estimate happened 800 years ago when a chunk of Annapurna IV broke off and ploughed into the glacier below. Today, Sungava (means ‘orchid’) sits safely on a high terrace, 100m above the blue-green Seti and commands a view of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Machapuchre, Annapurna III and IV.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024102411104_5f8fc736c86ea3c08d7bef43bb727081d3cc1a2caa55ae2b441717e6044de7e9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024102411104_5f8fc736c86ea3c08d7bef43bb727081d3cc1a2caa55ae2b441717e6044de7e9" data-rendition-name="original" width="2016" height="1512" loading="lazy" alt="High living below the Himalaya NT"> </figure>  The soil here is conglomerate that has solidified like concrete, and the boulders were extracted by heavy earthmovers. It is intriguing to think that these metamorphic rocks as big as cars, rounded by glacial grinding, were once a part of a much higher Annapurna IV. Even for those with little interest in geology, Sungava is an ideal place to contemplate the tectonic forces that pushed these peaks into the sky to be sculpted into delicate shapes by wind, snow, earthquake and avalanche over millions of years. The view of the Himalayan panorama from Sungava’s many balconies are breathtaking when not obscured by clouds, or the haze that drifts in from across the southern border. On most days, just watching the towering pyramid of Machapuchre (Tamu name: कतासुँ क्लिको) play hide and seek with the clouds is mesmerising. There are rocks aplenty at Phulbari, and it is probably the flowers that grew along the flat terraces e that gave the place its flowery name. The boulders will hopefully be turned into a rock garden while landscaping. An nearby restaurant complex is making the best use of the stones in its design, using flat rocks as outdoor benches and tables. Sungava was designed by the husband-wife architect team of Deepak Sherchan and Jyoti Joshi of <a href="https://thedarkmermaidamarbshrestha.blogspot.com/2013/12/creative-builders-collaborative-cbc.html">Creative Builders Collaborative (CBC)</a>, which also built Heritage Plaza, Indreni Apartment and numerous other projects in Nepal. Sadbhavana retains CBC’s trademark Newari-style masonry and here it borrows from the orange brickwork of the old town of Pokhara, integrating it with modern design elements. A few of those heritage houses are still standing in Ganesh Tole and Ram Krishna Tole in Pokhara’s old quarter.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024102411108_5eb64a4885961b6d30781cefeb1e8a313da313ac5227c7a66b60f0c7d48d6fab.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2024102411108_5eb64a4885961b6d30781cefeb1e8a313da313ac5227c7a66b60f0c7d48d6fab" data-rendition-name="original" width="1362" height="595" loading="lazy" alt="High living below the Himalaya NT"> </figure>  About 400m from the apartment past a bend on the river, and down below three tiers of terraces in the canyon is a suspension bridge. Below it, the Seti is still swollen with post-monsoon flow as it tumbles away in a hurry to head down south.&nbsp; Back at the apartment, it is quiet, far away from the hubbub of Lakeside a 15 minute drive away, and in the lap of greenery. There are 52 units at Sungava and it already has a close-knit prospective community of professionals, including doctors, publishers, engineers, and businesspeople from the renewable energy and IT sectors.&nbsp; Some residents say they opted for a second home in Pokhara to make it a ‘base camp’ to explore the Annapurnas with its many hiking trails made newly accessible with new roads. With the NRN citizenship law, overseas Nepalis can now also buy the flats. &nbsp; The floor plans include options for north and south-facing 3-bedroom apartments with verandas, and the facility has underground parking has EV charging, heated pool, sauna and gym. There are still some unsold apartments with panoramic views of the mountains and one can imagine oneself at the kitchen with its huge window, humming a ditty while preparing breakfast: “खाना पकाउँ हिमाल हेरेर...”

High living below the Himalaya

When the United Nations held its Summit of the Future at its headquarters in New York in September, many world leaders, including Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Oli, highlighted the effect of climate breakdown in increasing the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. What did not get as much attention was the long term impact of the climate crisis on food production. In fact, heat stress, weather extremes and the consequences on rain-fed agriculture is already being felt worldwide, undermining the chances of the <a href="https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/">UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</a> being met by 2030.&nbsp; The SDG’s 17 targets commit countries like Nepal to reduce poverty and inequality, end malnutrition, protect the natural environment, and ensure that citizens all enjoy health, justice and prosperity without leaving anyone behind.&nbsp; However, besides the impact of climate breakdown on agricultural production, in Nepal the area under cultivation is impacted by urban expansion, falling productivity and the need for expensive inputs like fertiliser and pesticides.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_626413c5baf4dae407ac9579231b41daeb51510aa636b75aeb7489d94cca6a62.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241019041052_626413c5baf4dae407ac9579231b41daeb51510aa636b75aeb7489d94cca6a62" data-rendition-name="original" width="999" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>Kathmandu's urban sprawl is eating into its fertile cultivable lands. Photo: TAYLOR MASON</figcaption> </figure>  Now, a new study led by Nepali researcher Prajal Pradhan at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands looks at how urban agriculture may offer a solution to falling food production and meeting SDG targets. The researchers evaluated 1,450 publications exploring the contributions of urban agriculture with both positive and negative effects, and published their findings in the journal Cells Report Sustainability. Urban agriculture can help achieve 17 SDGs, positively influencing 81 targets. However, it could also undermine 51 goals.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-vanishing-land">The vanishing land</a>, Taylor Mason “Urban agriculture offers immense potential for sustainable development, but realising this potential depends crucially on adopting practices that minimise its adverse effects while maximising its benefits,” Pradhan explains. Urban agriculture can substantially enhance urban food security, provide employment to the urban poor, serve as ground water recharge in built-up areas, and preserve open spaces that can serve as safe havens during disasters like earthquakes. However, it also presents problems like the potential health risks from contamination and the need for expensive inputs. &nbsp; “Urban agriculture plays a definitive role in advancing the SDGs, but achieving this requires tailored, context-specific solutions that address the unique challenges of different regions,” says Yuanchao Hu of Wuhan University in China and who is a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. “But it needs equitable access and rigorous management of environmental risks.”&nbsp; Rapid urbanisation is eating into Nepal’s most fertile agricultural land, which means farming in remaining open spaces inside cities can be a viable alternative, especially as food prices rise.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_7b7c9413086226fbdc630d45acf772cfa1ced77a8970b9056ec5ec7e5226fdf8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20241019041052_7b7c9413086226fbdc630d45acf772cfa1ced77a8970b9056ec5ec7e5226fdf8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="999" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>A vegetable patch in between new houses in Thimi. Photo: TAYLOR MASON</figcaption> </figure>  “The conversion of Nepal’s most fertile land into cities is a severe problem,” Pradhan told Nepali Times. “Crop cultivation, horticulture, agroforestry, beekeeping, livestock rearing, or aquaculture can all be farming activities within and around cities.”&nbsp; The study makes recommendations for sustainable practices that build on the positive aspects of urban agriculture while mitigating the downsides, thereby promoting more resilient cities in future. Research shows that urban agriculture has been helping many countries attain SDG targets by enhancing food security and biodiversity while helping education and preservation of open spaces.&nbsp; Indeed, many farmers from the hinterland who have settled in Kathmandu Valley or other urban areas of the country have been practicing urban agriculture, leasing neighbourhood patches or cultivating roof gardens both out of necessity because of inflation and falling income to grow their own food, and also as a fulfilling hobby. Saurav Dhakal, a sustainability advocate with Story Cycle and now research fellow at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, says there are socio-economic and environmental benefits of urban agriculture. “It provides benefits to all urban dwellers, regardless of their income status,” says Dhakal, “families get fresh food, and there are many other benefits like water retention, heat regulation and biodiversity. These are all public goods, so special government incentives may be needed.” It is not unusual to see vegetable patches and even paddy fields within inner city Kathmandu where an older generation of farmers are using available fertile land and <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/rooftop-gardens-kathmandu,1415">roof gardens to produce fresh, nutritious food </a>to reduce their dependence on food items that have to be bought after being trucked in from large distances.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024101905100_1291ce98dbbb8caed8702ac4b1d469b3e13016d7ecaaf3bfd5f91c974d3c0c77.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="2024101905100_1291ce98dbbb8caed8702ac4b1d469b3e13016d7ecaaf3bfd5f91c974d3c0c77" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="999" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>An older generation of farmers are using any available fertile land to continue farming but it is getting more and more difficult. Photo: TAYLOR MASON </figcaption> </figure>  Nepal’s urban population grew rapidly from only 3.6% in 1991 to 25% today. There is large outmigration from the mountains to peri-urban areas of the Tarai, to Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara, with many young men then moving abroad for work. Kathmandu Valley’s population has swelled to nearly 3 million, and is growing at 6.5% a year. Dilip Shrestha, 71, used to work for Nepal Food Corporation, so he knew firsthand about inflation, shortages and vegetables with pesticide residue. So, when he designed his new house in Kathmandu, he built a spacious roof where he grows cucumber, ginger, garlic, coriander, onions, tomatoes, chili, beans, okra, pumpkin and lettuce. His family eats healthier, and he has reduced dependence on the market.&nbsp; The co-author of the Cell Reports Sustainability journal article, Daya Raj Subedi who is a PhD candidate at Beijing Forestry University, says urban agriculture also promotes inclusion and psycho-social wellbeing.&nbsp; He says, “A crucial finding of the study is the identification of opportunities and challenges associated with urban agriculture, it can promote sustainable transformation of society.” In Banepa, 55-year-old Bijaya Manandhar in her lifetime has watched the fertile farms of her neighbourhood that used to supply vegetables to Kathmandu, now completely built up with no open space left. The pandemic lockdown prompted her to turn to the family’s <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/rooftop-agriculture-on-the-roof-of-the-world">ancestral livelihood by growing food</a> not on terrace farms, but on the roof terrace. Manandhar is now a part of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/rooftop-agriculture-on-the-roof-of-the-world%5C%5C">कौसी खेती र करेसाबारी क्रान्ती</a> (Rooftop Farming and Garden Revolution) which has an online membership of 52,000, and awards annual prizes to women who excel in urban agriculture.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_7257f5def8f823f35a799fa6f6825e153f2ffa406ac11325d4fe74049b79e96d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20241019041052_7257f5def8f823f35a799fa6f6825e153f2ffa406ac11325d4fe74049b79e96d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="736" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>Rooftop farming is gaining popularity as a form of urban agriculture. </figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_beff1a4494ce896dd8fd383ee1f518e5448bcf7ea8bb138255391c7bcb9769ed.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20241019041052_beff1a4494ce896dd8fd383ee1f518e5448bcf7ea8bb138255391c7bcb9769ed" data-rendition-name="original" width="4000" height="3000" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> </figure>  Pradhan says the challenge now is to upscale such examples of successful urban agricultural practices so they support Neal’s efforts to meet SDG targets. He adds, “Crop cultivation around cities can be protected by land use plans and regulations. Promoting community-based agriculture, including rooftop gardens, requires community engagement and public-private partnerships across the food value chain.”&nbsp; Such support would accelerate the popularity of existing rooftop farming and community gardens in Kathmandu Valley, or kitchen garden initiatives in Pokhara, and building on traditional farming practices that are preserved and integrated into urban settings like in Bhaktapur and Banepa. In Lalitpur, the Women Entrepreneurship Facilitation Center promotes urban farming enhancing both sustainability and empowerment.&nbsp; Another co-author of the report, Yuanchao Hu from China says followup research of the team will aim to identify good practices in local urban agriculture practices. He adds, “There are examples of urban agriculture that optimise sustainability, ensuring that it remains a viable solution for cities globally while countries try to meet SDG targets.” Prajal Pradhan, Daya Raj Subedi, Kshitij Dahal, Yuanchao Hu, Prakriti Gurung, Sijal Pokharel, Sagar Kafle, Biplav Khatri, Sudeeksha Basyal, Monika Gurung, and Aruna Joshi. Urban Agriculture matters for sustainable development. Cell Reports Sustainability, 1:100217, 2024. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crsus.2024.100217] Prajal Pradhan (<a href="mailto:p.pradhan@rug.nl">p.pradhan@rug.nl</a>) This article is brought to you by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/" target="_blank">Nepali Times</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://inpsjapan.com/en/" target="_blank">INPS Japan</a> and <a href="https://sgi-peace.org/" target="_blank">Soka Gakkai International</a>, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240630110640_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20240630110640_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758" data-rendition-name="original" width="680" height="103" loading="lazy" alt="SDG logo"> </figure>

Back to the land in the cities

The 700-year-old Lakshmi Narasingha temple in Bhaktapur houses a rare half-lion and half-human incarnation of Lord Vishnu carrying the Goddess Lakshmi. The temple was destroyed in the 1934 mega earthquake that killed 10,000 people and destroyed many monuments in Kathmandu Valley. It was rebuilt by a German project in the 1980s, but as a single-storey structure instead of its original two-tier pagoda design.&nbsp; With new findings from in-depth research, Bhaktapur municipality began re-restoring the temple in 2021, preserving its original architecture.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_2fae38cce543ad7b1f6de632feb3e212e08ed1acedd747830e949d7b8e878f18.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241017131016_2fae38cce543ad7b1f6de632feb3e212e08ed1acedd747830e949d7b8e878f18" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “Our temples and heritage sites hold deep meaning. It is disheartening to witness how often they lose their original elements, whether by design or accident,” explains Kumar Chawal of the Consumer Committee of Bhaktapur. “There is a need to preserve our architecture and protect its historical value for future generations. Otherwise, we risk losing a vital part of our identity.” The Laksmi Narsingha restoration is similar to the Bhai Dega temple in Patan Darbar Square which also collapsed in 1934, but was rebuilt with a Moghul-style dome by the Rana government at the time. Only two months before the 2015 earthquake, heritage conservationists had started to rebuild Bhai Dega as the original three-tier based on early photographs. But priorities shifted when four other temples in the square were brought down by the 7.8M earthquake on 25 April 2015.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_697ea707d9ad163be5de5f2efbf5b70d3cab771adcc22f0fae6bf937c6cb0130.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241017131016_697ea707d9ad163be5de5f2efbf5b70d3cab771adcc22f0fae6bf937c6cb0130" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  This showed how damage to monuments in Kathmandu Valley spanned from one earthquake to the next. Bhai Dega restoration remains half-complete to this day because money for its restoration ran out.&nbsp; Whereas Bhai Dega restoration was done by the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust with grants from western embassies and international foundations, in Bhaktapur it is the municipality itself that allocated the Rs30.7 million needed to restore the Lakshmi Narasingha temple. The expected date of completion is early 2025. The municipality and local communities are focusing on two main aspects: preserving the past and promoting localisation. The restoration team has designed a blueprint for the temple by using historical photographs and insights from older generations.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_182882fdc393c99e70d1d0490319e415229563666c4934e3a582426ebf00ca30.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20241017131016_182882fdc393c99e70d1d0490319e415229563666c4934e3a582426ebf00ca30" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="560" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “At first, the Lakshmi Narasingha temple had only one entrance, but during the demolition process, we uncovered the foundations of four doors. Now, we are restoring all of them. This is an example of how our ancient structures have changed over time, often without our knowledge,” says Chawal. “Constructing temples is not like building houses. They carry historical and spiritual values, which is why they hold a special place in our hearts,” he adds. By replicating ancient design elements and rebuilding the temple as accurately as possible to its original form, the team has stayed true to Bhaktapur’s soul. But the restoration also revived ancient techniques that were in danger of being forgotten, generating employment for woodcarvers, masons, and contractors. The community of Bhaktapur’s Gahiti neighbourhood near the famous Nyatapola Temple has also set aside specific days for locals to volunteer in the reconstruction work. This has encouraged young people to take pride in ownership of their heritage. Families have also supported the effort by donating funds for bells, the temple pinnacle, and other structural features to the temple.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_db850ec0c084cdbe54f65bee92dad2ad8122d20fd60ec87ec086fbb9d2f72bd6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20241017131016_db850ec0c084cdbe54f65bee92dad2ad8122d20fd60ec87ec086fbb9d2f72bd6" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “I feel at peace knowing I have contributed my sweat to restoring this temple,” said one volunteer. “It is our duty to preserve our temples and heritage. The Nyatapola area will look magical once this temple is completed.” Community mobilisation is a long-standing tradition in Bhaktapur. In the past, locals have actively participated in the restoration of other temples in the city, such as Bhairav and Nyatapola fostering a strong sense of ownership. This collective engagement has not only been crucial in preserving the city's historical monuments but also in strengthening the bond between local communities and their heritage, says officials at the municipality. While securing funding is essential, and the municipality showed it values heritage conservation, the Lakshmi Narasingha restoration is proof that active involvement and sense of responsibility of the local community is as important, if not more. Local involvement also means that the monuments will be cared for into the future, When locals take ownership of these efforts, the restored monuments are not only protected in the present but are also cared for in the future.