brother is missing

[marcy]

If Julian did go to Phortse, and if he did make it to Phortse, then a logical next step for him might have been to go Phortse to Tengboche. That route (which i think is one of 2 ways from Phortse to Tengboche) has a pretty narrow exposed section that countours around the hills on very narrow trails with a steep tumble off to the right hand side that would send you quite far down if you lost your footing (I held my porter's hand chanting "dont look down" the whole time I was on it), and the path isnt traveled all that much -- the day I went I saw no one else on it at all. After descending to the river, that path then crosses a bridge, and then goes up through the forest and arrives via the backside of Tengboche. Note: I believe on the standard Khumbu maps, this trail is the one that is marked as a lesser-used trail that peters out partway to to Tengboche.

[Oli]

Originally Posted by Plumm

....TIMS HQ, someone did say that the Tims may not provide us much information as Julian would have had an independent class ? unsure of this.

TIMS is the "Trekkers' Information Management System" (website is useless & broken).

Every trekker requires a TIMS permit, and a form is completed that notes the rough itinerary (possibly as vague as "EBC trek") and expected start/finish dates, plus the trekkers nationality, passport number and (if applicable, and not in Julian's case) the trekking agency. In theory it is supposed to help trace missing trekkers, though in practice it can at best give only very approximate info - it will record when Julian first arrived at Namche, and after some time maybe flag up a problem if he hadn't checked out of the park by the end date on his permit. However, (as far as I know) these record are kept in ledger books rather that a central database so they cant be collated in a time frame that is useful to our search. And Lee had already alerted the park entry/exit post that Julian was missing, but I'm not sure if he told the guys at the police checkpoint in Namche.

Whatever mechanisms TIMS may have to raise alarms and provide assistance would most likely be under the care of TAAN, the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal. Be aware that they are a groups of trekking businesses and from previous experience they have not been very helpful about TIMS. I would suggest sending an email to TAAN and ask them to circulate a memo to their member agencies asking for all their guides and porters to be on the look out for Julian. Ask them to give you an update on what is being done by "officials" to help your search.

One of my Nepali friends has just mentioned to me that he heard talk of the search for Julian on the Nepali FM radio. But I've not yet seen any report in the local English media.

[Plumm]

thanks Oli,
media links can be found onwww.findjuw.org.uk

[Boulia]

Plumm/Oli

My agency in KTM confirmed they had received a circular with just such a request from TANN about Jan 16th. Had Julian's passport size photo attached. I no longer have the email unfortunately but could ask my guy to resend if you want what was actually circulated.

Cheers

[andrees]

Originally Posted by marcy

If Julian did go to Phortse, and if he did make it to Phortse, then a logical next step for him might have been to go Phortse to Tengboche. .

If he was heading towards EBC he would probably have taken the direct trail from Phortse to Pangboche and planed to visit Tengboche on the way back. This would have saved him a lot of climbing and time.
The trail between Phortse an Pangboche can be also pretty lonesomly and often the exposed trail is right near step scarps.

[mieke]

It's not much as a contribution to this thread, but let me repeat this offer again as it wasn't really emphasised in any (English language) media so far:

To whoever reads this and belongs to the Nepali guides, porters, trekkingagents, lodge owners and so on:

http://www.findjuw.org.uk/

quote:

There is a $1000 US reward for information which leads to the discovery of Julians whereabouts

contact:

Email : findjulianwynne@hotmail.co.uk
Email : gregcrowter@yahoo.com

British
Embassy : British Embassy
P O Box 106
Lainchaur
Kathmandu
Nepal

Telephone (Embassy) : (977) (1) 4410583

Fax (Embassy) : (977) (1) 4411789


This being a very honest example the other day of how an international press agency (IANS) feels about the situation:

http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/56542.htm

British trekker missing in Nepal but South African saved (Lead)

Jan 27th, 2009

Kathmandu, Jan 27 (IANS) While a British trekker, last seen at the foothills of the Himalayan ranges in northern Nepal in December, is still missing in Nepal, a South African was saved after he collapsed near the India-Nepal border, Nepal’s tourism officials said.

Julian Alexander Wynne, a 33-year-old from Hampshire, who was travelling in Nepal with his friend Lee Aaron Jeffries, has been missing since last month when the pair went trekking in the Everest region from mountainous Jiri district.

Though the two went up to Gokyo, a valley in north Nepal famed for the Gokyo Ri peak, on Dec 22, they decided to follow separate routes with Wynne reportedly taking the trail to the base camp of Mt Everest, the highest peak in the world. He had earlier told his family that he would be ‘off the radar’ for three weeks.

However, his family began to get worried after three weeks had passed without any news from him and they learnt that Jeffries had returned alone.

Wynne had originally planned to travel through India and Nepal for nine months.

‘Guides and porters have been looking for Wynne without coming across him,’ Ang Tshering Sherpa, chairman of Asian Trekking, told IANS.

‘In winter, the Cho Las pass, where he was seen last, becomes treacherous and slippery due to ice-formation. If he is not anywhere else, the possibility of an accident can’t be ruled out.’

Shaun Swilling, a South African tourist who was crossing into India from Nepal’s border town of Bhairahawa this month and collapsed due to diabetes, was taken by Nepal police to hospital and treated successfully.

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) Tuesday said it had partially paid his medical and other expenses.

Officials coordinated with the South African embassy in Sri Lanka to trace Swilling’s friend, who was in India’s Rishikesh town, and facilitated the tourist’s return home.

‘Before he left Nepal, Swilling said, ‘Nepali hospitality saved my life’,’ NTB said in a press statement.

The press statement comes after the Nepal government was criticised for failing to make any official announcement about Wynne’s disappearance or to launch a search and rescue mission.

In March 2004, another Briton went missing in the Everest area.

Gareth Koch, a 24-year-old from Oxford, went missing around Namche Bazar. He has not been found yet.

A year earlier, Irish citizen Alex Ratnasothy was robbed on the way to Namche Bazar. His parents, who came to Nepal to search for him, reportedly found the 24-year-old had been robbed of his money, bag, guitar and even shoes in a village called Khari Khola.

Ratnasothy’s whereabouts still remain a mystery along with French tourist Celine Henri, who vanished from a national park on the outskirts of Kathmandu valley in 2005.

Wynne’s disappearance comes as an embarrassment for the new Nepal government that this month announced grandiose plans to draw one million tourists in 2011.

Though reeling under massive power outages, deteriorating security situation and regular closures, the government has detailed its plans to boost tourism two years later.

© 2009 Sindh Today

There are parents in Oxfordshire U.K., by the way, still waiting as well for information
on what became of their son, now almost five years ago. If you can: don't disappoint them!

[mieke]

@ Rachael, Sophie, Marc(us)

Trust me: I'm the one who first used the word discrete in relation to searches for trekkers missing in the Khumbu.

And although personally I don't have the slightest clue what's been going on this past fortnight, I wannna urge you to follow up on this - sincere as well as intelligent - question on Thorn Tree:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...23102&tstart=0

Many of us would like to know what's working for you and what doesn't as you search for your brother. Please send us an an occasional update when you have a chance. I'm praying for you and your family.

It's not gonna work, you know, if at first of course you do your utmost to try and engage "those in the know" on the world wide web. Yet only to leave them behind with many questions although an extensive search is definitely going on!


No hard feelings, I hope. I'm just applying logic: you turned to the web, and it answered many a question to you. It would be illogical to believe that with the arrival of Julian's brother in law in the Khumbu over a week ago, all problems have now been solved. So please, let me second TT's tomtraveller and urge you to post updates everywhere you're present - online - in this search!

Thank you.

And should you doubt I feel your pain: you're wrong...

[mieke]

And for everyone's info, this is a link & full text re. the current page on the website of the Nepal Police. It's been there (the appeal) for quite some time. But they've meanwhile significantly extended the text and they've added an additional photo, as obviously they're doing their best as well to try and find back Julian Wynne.


http://www.nepalpolice.gov.np/index....150&Itemid=116

Missing Person

Julian Wynne(32) English
Last seen 22/12/2008 near cho la pass
Please help with any information
Contact- gregcrowter @ yahoo . com
Or
British Embassy, Kathmandu, Nepal
P O Box 106
Lainchaur
Kathmandu
Telephone: (977) (1)4410583
Fax: (977) (1)4411789

The case of the missing of British Citizen

News for Press Release for Missing Person :

Imagine you’re a detective and a case docket lands on your desk. You’re tasked to crack an international mystery that unfolded after a rich British tourist Mr. Julian Alexander WYNNE Passport Number 205076879 missing without a trace somewhere in Solukhumbu , Nepal . The man with same nationality Mr. Lee Auran Jefferies Pass Port Number 706668079 was traveling with returned Kathmandu on dated 31 January 2009 without him just fourteen days after the pair touched down at Namchhe Bazar ,Solukhumbu.

Sherlock Holmes always began his investigations by gathering clues and eliminating the impossible. Whatever was left, the legendary sleuth argued, was the truth, “no matter how improbable”. Unfortunately in this mystery there are few clues, little that can be ruled out and over a million square kilometres where Julian could be.
It is unknown whether he is alive or dead. It is strongly believed that he never left Nepal. Julian date of birth was 21 January 1976 in Portsmouth ,England. He worked in construction in UK .

Mr. Wynne and Jefferies, both of them left Jiri for Namchhebajar on 18th December 2008 and made one night halt in Dole and second night halt in Macchermo area and third night in Gokyo .At the bottom of the pass Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Wynne parted company and Mr. Wynne was last seen walking towards Thagnag alone .On 22 December 2008 they crossed the Chhugyuma (Cho La Pass ).

Physical Background : Mr. Wynne is around 1.78 m and was wearing a black and blue North Face fleece and pair of black north face trousers .His backpack was a green army type. Julian would have been wearing a Manchester united T-Shirt under .

Appeal: INTERPOL NCB Kathmandu has allegedly been asked to assist and, in case there is a body, the British Embassy have requested help with identification .

The British Embassy had been made aware by the family that they are going to reward 1000 USD for anyone who can help locate Mr. Julian Wynne and provide substantial information on this regards Anyone who offers reliable information that leads to Julian whereabouts' location could collect the reward, put up by his family who are searching .

“The police cannot exclude that a crime took place,” Local police plan to begin distributing Julian’s photo and boost their efforts to locate him. The Interpol NCB Kathmandu has been called in to help find the 32-year-old who was trekking to Solukhumbu area with his friend and disappeared from the Cho La Pass (Chhugyuma).

Contact Number and Address: Anyone with information can contact any police units near by or Inspector Mohan Thapa , Interpol Section of the Missing Persons desk , Police Headquarters at 00977-1-4420538 or Mobile Number 9841347071 and email Interpol @ nepalpolice .gov.np or on the British Embassy Kathmandu at 00977-1-4410583.


Copyright © 2008 Site designed and maintained by Nepal Police



From the UK in Nepal-website:

http://ukinnepal.fco.gov.uk/en

Contact us

British Embassy, Kathmandu, Nepal
P O Box 106
Lainchaur
Kathmandu

Telephone: (977) (1) 4410583
Fax: (977) (1) 4411789

GMT:
Mon-Thurs: 0230-0645/0745-1115
Fri: 0230-0730

Local Time:
Mon-Thurs: 0815-1230/1330-1700
Fri: 0815-1315

Emergency contact number: (977) 98510 37231 (Mobile)

[Plumm]

With reference to Mieke's post

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...23102&tstart=0

Many of us would like to know what's working for you and what doesn't as you search for your brother. Please send us an an occasional update when you have a chance. I'm praying for you and your family.

Sorry that I haven't posted an update, it was only yesterday the search team decided to make their way back to Kathmandu, we have all been eagerly awaiting information.

Thank you for all your comments, help and advice. I'm afraid that the search has not bought us any news of Julian. The search party set up camp in the Cho La region and spent 4 days searching every possible trail surrounding the area, as this was where Lee-(his trekking companion) separated. They then returned to Namche to discover Julian had stayed in Dragnag the eveing after he left Lee, and told the owner he was heading to Phortse the next day, the search party went back to retrek this route paying particular attention alondside the river bank, in case Julian had fallen off the main trail, as in the case mentioned above by "still trekkin" We dhttp://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1723102&tstart=0
on't know if Julian ever made it to Phortse, many of the lodges are closed so we cannot check menu books or ask owners. A search was also made on the trek to Tengboche. Posters have been distributed through all these areas, Taan have sent memos to all the trekking agencies asking them to be on the lookout for Julian/information. There have been radio broadcasts in Nepal to appeal for information, and finally now local newspapers are running the story.
The search party are now making their way back to Kathmandu. We are all feeling devastated.
Rachael, Julian's sister.

[yakshaver]

I don't know what to say Rachel. Worst possible nightmare...