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Nepalese demanding a return to democracy at a rally in January, 2006. Source: swissinfo.org
What if they called a demonstration and too many people came? That’s what happened in Nepal in April when moderate political party leaders called for a four-day general strike. They were surprised when the demonstrations became four weeks of protests against the King’s dictatorship.
The demonstrations forced the King to restore parliament, but on this edition, as Reese Erlich reports from Kathmandu, the democracy movement demands that the King give up power altogether. In a second segment, Erlich talks with tourists who, despite the turmoil in Nepal, are still trekking around.
Featuring:
Chakra Bastola, top leader, Nepali Congress Party, former foreign minister; Sujata Koirala, Nepali Congress; Achut Pandey, secretary general, Nepali Trade Union Congress; Bishnu Rimar, vice chair, General Federation of Nepali Trade Unions; Matthew Kahane, resident representative, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Nepal; Hom Bagale, Kathmandu police officer; Ian Martin, representative, United Nations High Commission for Human Rights UNHCHR) in Nepal; Samantha Voolstra, tour company employee; Bishnu Nopanae, owner, tour company in northern Nepal; Janak Pandey, union leader, Nepali Congress; Kanak Dixit, leading Nepali journalist; Chris Roosam, German tourist; Suresh Khadka, manager, Green Hill Tours and Travel in Kathmandu; Nicole Dierckx and Ingrid DeWilde, Belgian tourists in Nepal; Carol Eldridge and Mary Lou Schoone, American tourists in Nepal.
Senior Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Making Contact correspondent: Reese Erlich
For more information:
Amnesty International/USA – New York, NY
Publication: Nepal: Human Rights Defenders Under Threat
South Asia Forum for Human Rights – Kathmandu, Nepal
Human Rights Watch – New York, NY
Publication: Nepal’s Civil War: The Conflict Resumes
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)
General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) – Kathmandu, Nepal
The Last Resort – Kathmandu, Nepal
Green Hill Tours – Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal
