Thailand’s use of every possible diplomatic pressure point to secure the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/hamas-releases-thais-but-where-is-bipin">release of its hostages from Hamas custody</a> may also provide pointers to Nepal as it seeks to free one of its students believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza. Thai negotiators used Shia Muslim politicians including House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha and Leaprong Sayed to approach the Iranian backers of Hamas directly. They made several trips to Tehran in the past weeks. The fact that the Thai Muslims were non-political and were sympathetic to the Palestinian cause is said to have helped secure the release. In addition, the Thais also worked with Qatari and Egyptian mediators and managed to get their workers released in a deal that was not part of the overall ceasefire agreement and the Israeli and Palestinian prisoner exchange deal. There were an estimated 30,000 Thai farm workers in Israel, but about 7.500 of them have returned to Thailand after the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-confirmed-killed-in-hamas-attack">war started on 7 October</a>. More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in the attack, and 257 were taken hostage.&nbsp; More than 15,000 Palestinians, most of them children, have been killed in heavy Israeli bombardment of Gaza until the ceasefire on 26 November. The ceasefire has been extended till Thursday. The highest number of foreign hostages held and killed by Hamas were Thai agriculture workers, and so far 17 have been released in three phases. Fifteen are still held by Hamas, and 39 Thais were killed in the 7 October Hamas attack. Ten Nepali agriculture students working in Kibbutz Alum were killed, and one of them, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/waiting-for-bipin-joshi">Bipin Joshi</a>, 21, was reported to have been led away by Hamas militants along with the Thais.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231125061124_c3be67c2eb407598616b4dcfe7fcacb556d850b7781e443bf03f1fcbfaec2ade.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20231125061124_c3be67c2eb407598616b4dcfe7fcacb556d850b7781e443bf03f1fcbfaec2ade" data-rendition-name="original" width="800" height="533" loading="lazy" alt="Bipin Joshi NT"> <figcaption>Bipin Joshi</figcaption> </figure>  Later CCTV videos captured by the Israel Defence Force from Al-Shifa Hospital purportedly shows Joshi being led down the corridor by Hamas along with an injured Thai in a stretcher. In a statement on Monday, the Thai foreign Ministry said: ‘We thank all parties involved in the efforts towards this latest releases, and the Royal Thai government continues to exert all efforts towards the safe release of the remaining 15 Thai hostages.’ Meanwhile, in Nepal Bipin Joshi’s family has appealed to the Nepal government to strengthen its efforts to get his release by Hamas. They said they had been hopeful that he would be freed along with the Thais, but have been disappointed so far. Joshi, along with the<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/war-in-israel-earthquake-and-grief-in-nepal"> ten students who were killed were all university agriculture students</a> selected by the Israeli Embassy in Kathmandu for its ‘earn and learn’ program in farms in Israel.&nbsp; Last week, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal met visiting Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, and asked him to use his good offices to secure Joshi’s release. Foreign policy analysts say Thailand has been much more engaged in the hostage release negotiations because many more of its nationals are involved compared to Nepalis. Also, Thailand has more clout in the international community, and has also strategically used its Muslim leaders, which Nepal has not.

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Deft diplomacy freed Thai hostages

This is the 43rd instalment of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/diaspora-diaries">Diaspora Diaries</a>, a regular series in Nepali Times with stories of Nepalis living and working abroad.&nbsp; It was a Saturday morning. Tired from the week’s work in the farm, we were looking forward to resting and catching up with families back home. It had been just over a month since we arrived in Israel. But early morning at 5am on 7 October, we were woken up by earthquake-like jolts. We rushed outside, and there were missiles streaking across the sky and explosions.&nbsp; We found it all very exciting at first, but when the sirens went off we got worried and ruished to our little bunker to hide. There we started getting frantic calls from fellow Nepali students at Kibbutz Alumim which was 18km away. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-confirmed-killed-in-hamas-attack">Nepalis confirmed killed in Hamas attack</a> They video called us and asked for help. They said there was an explosion in their bunker and blood everywhere. Our hands trembled as we called our college representative, but the whole area was under attack and there was no way any ambulance could make it in. Later, even our wifi and electricity got cut off, and we could not get in touch with our friends or anyone else. When the internet was restored in the evening, we found out that 17 of our friends at Alumim had also taken shelter in a bunker, but had come under attack from terrorists. &nbsp; We had arrived in Israel just a month before under the ‘Learn and Earn’ program. We were just settling in and getting a hang of things. The first three weeks were spent just getting used to the desert environment in southern Israel. At the farm, it was long hours of manual work sorting, grading and packaging onions.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231011091012_804eb8439329e3c3b7a284e5875d7b716304d2c846e3b1f10094de617f72490b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231011091012_804eb8439329e3c3b7a284e5875d7b716304d2c846e3b1f10094de617f72490b" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis killed in Israel Hamas attack NT"> </figure>  In the bunker that first day, I was worried that my family was worried about me because I could not go my weekly call. Had my parents and brother back in Nepal found out <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-confirmed-killed-in-hamas-attack" target="_blank">what has happened in Israel?</a> My silence could have made them assume the worst. The minute I got a chance, I called them to let them know I was safe. In the three days we spent in the bunker, it was difficult to speak to my family to describe the situation. I would feel overwhelmed and tearful when they asked how I was doing. I could not tell them everything that was really going on because they would panic. I am okay, don’t worry was all I could come up with. After that, I preferred just to exchange text messages.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/war-in-israel-earthquake-and-grief-in-nepal">War in Israel, earthquake and grief in Nepal</a> In that bunker after being woken up by sirens, I remember writing a note on my phone describing the situation since sleep was out of the question.&nbsp; अहिले यहाँ इजरायलमा कति बेला के हुन्छ, केही आतो पतो छैन। हामी साथीहरु विगत शनिबार देखि निरन्तर २ दिनसम्म बंकरमा लुकेर आफ्नो ज्यान जोगाउन बाँधे भाको छम्। यहाँ सोचें जस्तो सहज केही पनि छैन। कति बेला आकासमा कालो धुवाँको मुस्लो उठ्छ थाहा नै हुन्न। निकै नै त्रसित माहोल छ मिसाईलहरु कति बेला का बाट आयो पातो पाइनँ। साईरनको त्यो ठूलो अनि भैंकर आवाजले सतो पुत्लो लिन्छ। आकाश मा हेलिकप्टर अनि फाईटर जेटहरु निरन्तर उडिरहेका छन्। बंकरमा पनि सोचें जस्तै सहज केही छैन् , न खाना न पनि अनि त्यो चिसो भुईमा यो लामो रात त्रासै त्रासमा नसुती बिताउनु कुनै नर्कमा नै भाको अनुभूति हुन्छ। आजको रात निकै लामो हुने छ। पर्खाई त्यो भोलि शुभ विहानीको छ। (Here in Israel, we have no idea what will happen next. Since Saturday we have been trying to stay alive for the past two days in this bunker. Anything can happen at any time, without warning there are black smoke trails of approaching missiles. The loud wail of sirens is frightening. Fighter jets and helicopters are flying all the time. In the cold floor of the bunker, there is no food, no water and in the long and scary sleepless night it feels like hell. This is going to be a long night. We are just waiting for good tidings in the morning.)  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231011091012_aebca7aaddc14d0864807b73d2a55bf802f4be4fee111f8d8ee34a929d350867.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20231011091012_aebca7aaddc14d0864807b73d2a55bf802f4be4fee111f8d8ee34a929d350867" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1536" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis killed in Israel Hamas attack NT"> </figure>  The farm dogs are also scared, and join us the in the bunker. We first thought we should chase them out since they might bark and draw attention to us, instead we welcomed their companionship and they slept next to us. &nbsp; In the morning we called everyone that we could think of: the Nepal Embassy, government back home, everyone. Sometimes, we had to step out of the bunker to make calls. The response was not so proactive, so we started sharing videos on social media to draw more attention, hoping for some action. When we first got the call from the embassy to get ready, we were thrilled. They told us to just pack our documents and laptops. We left all our luggage behind. We even called our families to tell them we were coming home. But that day no one came to receive us and we waited in vain. It meant another long scary night in the cold bunker.&nbsp; Finally, help came the next day and 32 of us from different farms were escorted by the Israel Army out of the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=netivot+israel&amp;client=safari&amp;sca_esv=572016509&amp;rls=en&amp;sxsrf=AM9HkKmL6INThh6fvozKNX7AhMsqGhk5Aw:1696891421452&amp;ei=HYIkZaOlG8iUseMP1ZW16AY&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjjp5eTheqBAxVISmwGHdVKDW0Q4dUDCA8&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=netivot+israel&amp;gs_lp=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&amp;sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:f2f00253,vid:5dHF5sPLYCI,st:0" target="_blank">Netivot</a> area to safety. Leaving behind our belongings, we came to <a href="http://global-learner.com/negev/" target="_blank">Ramat Negev farm</a> which is where we are at now. Being away from yesterday’s place feels a lot safer. This is far from the war zone and out in the desert near the Egypt border without many residential buildings. We thought we would be brought to Tel Aviv but instead, here we are for the time being.&nbsp; Finally, we realise how the accumulated stress and fatigue of the last three days has worn us out. There was fear from constant sounds of sirens and explosions, and the urgent need to coordinate with different agencies for our rescue, assure our families we were okay. Most importantly, we grieved the friends we lost. Our friend Bipin is still missing, there is no news about him.&nbsp; Here at the farm, besides us Nepalis there are other colleagues from Thailand and Zimbabwe. After what feels like ages, we finally got to eat warm food which felt good and made us happy, that too in the company of friends. We are spending time talking, trying to recover and gain back our energy.&nbsp; We are in touch with our families who are also relieved that we are away from the frontline. But they are desperate for us to come home. And so are we. Although we are relatively safe here, there is still uncertainty, what if the war spreads to where we are and something goes wrong again. What if things escalate?&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231011091012_88fece4158ae2bf08eb19317f58828c4273f09f9e54302e476832851d839c54b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20231011091012_88fece4158ae2bf08eb19317f58828c4273f09f9e54302e476832851d839c54b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1080" height="1434" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis killed in Israel Hamas attack NT"> </figure>  We want to return to Nepal, and need to be rescued as soon as possible. They should not wait for things to normalise to rescue us. If things get back to normal, we can come back by ourselves.&nbsp; What I wrote last night was in an empty stomach about waiting for good tidings in the morning.&nbsp; पर्खाइ त्यो भोलीको शुभ बिहानी नेपालमा देख्ने रहर छ ।&nbsp; (Today, I write: in a full stomach and in company of friends in a relatively safe area, I try to get some sleep waiting for tomorrow morning, and the yearning to be back home in Nepal.&nbsp; Diaspora Diaries is a regular column in Nepali Times providing a platform to share experiences of living, working, studying abroad. Authentic and original entries can be sent to <a href="mailto:editors@nepalitimes.com">editors@nepalitimes.com</a> with Diaspora Diaries in the subject line.

A Nepali’s lucky escape from Hamas

These are the individual tragedies of some of the 10 Nepalis killed in the Hamas attack on Saturday. Seven of those killed and one missing were from Far-western Nepal and were among 49 agriculture undergrads from Sudurpaschim University in Tikapur selected for the Israel government’s <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-learn-and-earn-from-israel">‘earn and learn’ program</a>. They were all working at Kibbutz Alumim near the Gaza border, and were killed in two separate attacks by Hamas fighters on bunkers near the farm. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-confirmed-killed-in-hamas-attack">Nepalis confirmed killed in Hamas attack</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231010131028_6c18a47f287bb925e313df2621bde383ffa21267b5b27ae64d0c46261af48f0e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231010131028_6c18a47f287bb925e313df2621bde383ffa21267b5b27ae64d0c46261af48f0e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="200" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis killed in Israel Hamas attack NT"> </figure>  Dipesh Raj Bista Dipesh Raj Bista, 24, was hiding in a bunker with other Nepali students at Kibbutz Alumim. One of the students, Ganesh Nepali of Bajhang, had to go to the restroom and had just stepped out of the door when he was gunned down by Hamas militants outside. Eye witness Pramod KC who survived the attack said Dipesh then also went out of the door with his hands in the air, shouting “Don’t shoot, we are Nepali!” But he was also felled in a hail of automatic gunfire. The militants then lobbed two grenades into the bunker. Another Nepali, Bipin Joshi from Dhangadi threw one of the grenades out, but the other one exploded killing and injuring the remaining Nepalis. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dipesh was from the village of Lekum in Darchula, and like the others was an undergrad at the Sudupaschim University in Tikapur. He was the sole support of the family after his father Ashok died of cancer. His mother Parbati fainted on hearing the news and has been admitted to hospital. “He used to call our mother every evening,” Dipesh’s sister Mamata recalled. “But when we called him on Saturday we could not reach him and started getting really worried.” Mamata remembers her younger brother as being brilliant and studious. He wanted to earn money to pay for their younger brother who is now enrolled in the MBBS program in Dharan. &nbsp;&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231010131040_0b44f6584a1b6d193fa64a9800513594c2505a9867c25e4cde60fd6fef7aef0c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20231010131040_0b44f6584a1b6d193fa64a9800513594c2505a9867c25e4cde60fd6fef7aef0c" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="200" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis killed in Israel Hamas attack NT"> </figure>  Padam Thapa Padam got a fond farewell when he left his home in Doti for Israel last month. Friends and relatives wished him good luck in social media posts. Western Nepal had just suffered an earthquake, and his sister-in-law Mekhu Adhikari had told him in a call that there had been scary aftershocks. Adhikari hung up and got busy at work, so she had no time to look at her phone. But when she did, there was a short text message from Padam: ‘I am dying, bhauju.’ She tried calling back but could not reach him. Then she heard on the news that Nepali students had been caught up in the Hamas attack on Israel.&nbsp; Padam’s father Tikaram, 65, has hypertension, and had to be hospitalised as soon as he heard the news that his son was among the dead. Padam was the youngest of the four siblings, and the most enterprising and cheerful.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231010131044_deba0e01aa26526221db8c83552634459ae6cd101d72b124df4d41f12967c9f2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20231010131044_deba0e01aa26526221db8c83552634459ae6cd101d72b124df4d41f12967c9f2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="200" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis killed in Israel Hamas attack NT"> </figure>  Ganesh Nepali The last time Ganesh called from Israel on Friday evening, he was worried that the epicenter of the earthquake that had just struck western Nepal was in his home district of Bajhang, and he told his elder brother Bikash to take care of their parents and stay safe.&nbsp; The family house had been damaged in the earthquake, but it was Ganesh who was soon going to be in a dangerous situation. Hours after that call, Bikash got news of the attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel. When he found Ganesh’s name on the Nepal Embassy list of 10 fatalities, he was unable to immediately tell their parents and other siblings. The family is in shock that this happened to Ganesh just a month after he was selected to go to Israel. He was a bright agriculture undergraduate student in Tikapur. Bikash used to always help Ganesh with his homework, and had been a guardian to him. Ganesh was studying to specialise in tissue culture.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231010131048_5d263684dfb6ec181c008689546f46fe8d17251e2b9fc691d8cc4deaca26991c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20231010131048_5d263684dfb6ec181c008689546f46fe8d17251e2b9fc691d8cc4deaca26991c" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="200" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis killed in Israel Hamas attack NT 8"> </figure>  Ashish Chaudhary Kanaiyalal Chaudhary, 70, still vividly remembers the excitement in his grandson Ashish’s voice when he called him from Kathmandu airport last month, saying he was about board his flight to Israel. Twenty-five year old Ashish’s parents work in Bangalore, and he was taking care of his grandfather who in turn had taken care of him single-handedly since childhood in his village in Kailali. Kanaiyalal’s wife had died earlier, and his daughter is paralysed. &nbsp; Ashish was excited about learning new farming techniques in arid regions while in Israel and to apply some of those skills in Nepal when he returned in 11 months.&nbsp; Ashish Chaudhary was among 13 Nepalis who survived a previous Hamas grenade attack on a bunker, and had sought shelter in another nearby bunker along with 20 Thai workers. Suddenly, Hamal militants stormed that bunker also. They took away seven Thais along with one of the Nepalis, Bipin Joshi, and sprayed the rest with bullets and lobbed several grenades. Ashish was killed on the spot along with five other Nepalis. The elderly Kaniyalal is immersed in grief. He had raised Ashish singlehandedly, and feels the loss deeply. His wish is to be able to see his grandson one time before performing his last rites. Between sobs, he tells us, “What do I have to live for now? Why didn’t death take me instead of my grandson?”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231010131024_391c7d95ede961861b088b378b85345496bf344d835d10cb277c821c6b88b0ca.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20231010131024_391c7d95ede961861b088b378b85345496bf344d835d10cb277c821c6b88b0ca" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="400" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis killed in Israel Hamas attack NT"> </figure>  Rajan Phulara Before he had left for Israel, 23-year-old Rajan Phulara of Shikhar Municipality in Doti had dreams of coming back home and applying for the Civil Service exam. Rajan became one of the 10 Nepalis confirmed dead in the Hamas attack on southern Israel near Gaza this week. Phulara was among the BSc Agriculture students from Sudur Paschim University who had flown to Israel for the Learn and Earn 11-months internship program. Only a week ago, during a video call with his uncle Rajendra Phulara, he had shared his plans for when he would be back in Nepal. “I’m going to learn new things here but I will implement them in my country, after my civil service exam,” Rajendra, who works at Doti Hospital, recalls his nephew telling him. During the call, Rajan had turned the camera around towards Gaza. “That right there is Gaza,” he had said. “There can be an attack any time, we have been told to seek shelter in a bunker if there is one.” It was in one of those bunkers that Rajan together with Ashish Chaudhary (see above) and four others were gunned down by Hamas militants. Rajan’s father Ghyanshyam fainted on being told of his son’s death. He had taken loans to fund his son's higher studies.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231010131028_f6d6974b69ccb7960897a5a48390b832029103b8ceb7de6b8edb51d3f6c98433.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20231010131028_f6d6974b69ccb7960897a5a48390b832029103b8ceb7de6b8edb51d3f6c98433" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="200" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis killed in Israel Hamas attack NT"> </figure>  Lokendra Singh Dhami The remote and tiny village of Malikarjun in Darchula district is in shock. Neighbours have all crowded to the house of Lokendra Singh Ghami, 24 who was among the agriclutre students selected to go to Israel for a year of study-work. Like the others, Lokendra’s wife had spoken to him on Friday and he was high spirits, asking about his five-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. Dhami’s brother is in the Nepal Army, and by coincidence is posted at the UN Peacekeeping contingent in Lebanon at the moment. Already shocked by Lokendra’s death, his parents are now also worried about their other son. Local government authorities have tried to console the family, and said they will ensure that the body will be brought home soon. A family that was preparing for Dasain festival, and the entire village, is now in deep mourning. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231010131036_e528a63b6a43ed2687d47866e421b046c663f8a12f04eb40e41ef72a4a96672e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20231010131036_e528a63b6a43ed2687d47866e421b046c663f8a12f04eb40e41ef72a4a96672e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="200" loading="lazy" alt="Nepalis killed in Israel Hamas attack NT"> </figure>  Narayan Prasad Neupane &nbsp; Hari Krishna, Narayan Prasad Neupane’s 70-year-old father, keeps losing consciousness ever since he was told his young son is dead. Narayan had lost his mother at age 5 and was very close to his father. A friendly boy, Naryan was also good in studies, and his elder brother and his wife were working in Bangalore so the family could afford to send him to a good college. “He used to say he wanted to contribute to Nepal’s progress by bringing new farming skills from Israel,” his sister Manju recalled. “He was very passionate about agriculture. We want to see him one last time, that is all we want from the government.” Shocked neighbours have crowded around the Neupanes’ simple wooden house for support.&nbsp; Translated from reports by Khagendra Bahadur Singh, Paramnanda Pandey, Shivaraj Bhatta, Sundar Singh Dhami, Mahadeya Awasti, Pratap Oli from Paschim Today, Dhangadi. <a href="https://paschimtoday.com/" target="_blank">https://paschimtoday.com</a>

War in Israel, earthquake and grief in Nepal

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

Turkish Basketball

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

The Last Days of the Khampa

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

Turkish to Seville

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