Current situation

[mattconnock]

There was a small piece in the Guardian (UK) today. Apparently there has been a demonstration of 20000 people in Kathmandu and the Maoists have called off their truce saying that the government has not kept to it.

Anyone else have any more information? Does this have implications for travel - the threads I have read so far seem to point to tourists being left of it all, (apart from donations).

Cheers

Matt

[yakshaver]

Demonstrations and political rallies organised by various parties are the norm. Locals and some "experts" expect some more serious stuff (as in maybe some clashes between demonstrators and police, perhaps a couple of days of a bandh) in February around the date of the local elections decreed by the King, and deplored by almost everyone else.

Difficult to say, but my cautious prediction is that there may be some noise, arrests etc.
Tourists might be inconvenienced in the sense that they may have difficulties in finding taxis from the Airport on the day of the election, if a bandh is imposed.
I don't expect a blocade of he major routes around KTM. If this happens, tourist will probably take to flying to Lukla and Pokhara, as they did last year.
I would say that if you keep an eye on various info and media releases FROM NEPAL (not reinterpretations by Western media...), you might form a picture.

I don't think there is a case to cancel any trip.

[Michael Sunkist]

Don't sweat the bandh. If you don't look Nepalese or Indian no one will bother you. I was in a huge crowd when the riot police attacked a few years back and because I am tall and anglo I could have been Moses parting the Red Sea the way the crowd and police swarmed around me while swinging batons. The Maoist situation is for real but you will seldom feel the negative aspects of it, altho be aware it could happen. Happy trails

[mattconnock]

Thanks folks, There was never a question of cancelling the trip - more that I wanted to be aware of what I was wandering into.

Cheers

Matt