The Otero Effect

Get ready Nepal, here she comes again.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Maria Otero is coming to Kathmandu again and she's probably bringing that big chip on her shoulder about Nepal's treatment of Tibetans.  Unfortunately, it's not a very informed chip.

Ms. Otero will more than likely make some proclamation about how Nepal is not doing enough to protect Tibetans.  This is true and Nepal can do much more in this regard, but Ms. Otero does not live in Nepal and does not see the ground realities or the Chinese pressure that Nepal must deal with every day.

It won't matter, Ms. Otero will make her case, scold Nepal and retreat back to safety on the other side of the world.

Her's is a sound-bite diplomatic effort on behalf of Tibetans.  Otero's use of terms like "gentleman's agreement" tells blogdai that she's gotten most of her Tibetan data from the Tibet lobby in DC and not from more permanent and credible field and diplomatic channels.  

I'm sure it was one of these uninformed sources that gave  her the brilliant idea of coming to Kathmandu just a few days before Losar, the Tibetan new year.  In recent years, Losar has been an exercise in Nepali repression of Tibetans at the request of the Chinese. All indications are there will be a similar effort to stifle Tibetan expression again this year.  So is Otero's timing a deliberate act?  Is Otero of the belief that a few words of support or warning might stave off some police action?  

Naive and dangerous.  Her visit just before Losar--even if she says nothing about Tibet--will trigger an increase in Chinese pressure on Tibetans in Nepal.  Bank on it.  Yang Houlan can't wait to show the Americans who's boss in Nepal and loves to pull the trigger in the name of "regional stability" as he says.  She's courting trouble if she believes American hegemony has any staying power in Nepal,  plus, the Chinese look to her every utterance on Tibet as evidence of meddling by "foreign Free Tibet groups."

Maria Otero (right) asking herself: "Who is this guy in the robe again?"

As annoying and childish as the Chinese are on the Tibetan issue, they DO perhaps have a point. blogdai has  learned that during her last visit, Otero was accompanied by junior staffers of the DC Tibet lobby who undoubtedly were spoon-feeding their positions to her and providing her with briefings.

It was an unfortunate coincidence that shortly after her visit, the consular section of the U.S. embassy was caught designating Tibetan travelers as "refugees" and having some (unclear) involvement in a phony visa miscue involving Tibetans.  The DC Tibet lobby strikes again?  blogdai says this is too coincidental and too precise of a move to be pulled off without some form of planning and access from interested groups.  Just sayin....

WHAT WE NEED TO DO

Anyway, Otero's last visit started a cavalcade of criticism of Nepal from obscure State Department officials and U.S. legislators alike.   We can't let this happen again as we seek to build credibility on the world stage and attract foreign investment, so contact representatives of the Nepal media and Nepal trade organizations and have them be alert for this onslaught.  Perhaps if we see the Otero effect coming we can plan for it, address it publicly, and then ultimately dismiss it.

-=blogdai

2/14 Update:  Otero cancels Nepal visit for the time being.  Did she realize the volatility of showing up just before Losar or did she just read blogdai and cave?   -=BD

Turning the Corner on China

Words. Lots of words made into resolutions, but mostly toothless words.  The European parliament passed a resolution condemning China’s treatment of the self-immolation tragedy back in March of 2010. In December of 2011, they followed up with more rhetoric on China’s abysmal human rights practices.  A few weeks ago, the U.S. finally passed Senate Resolution 356, which largely follows Europe’s lead. 

And now when China was part of a veto to a no-brainer condemnation of the Syrian regime, Susan Rice, UN ambassador from the U.S. to dropped her diplomatic gloves and proclaim the U.S. to be “disgusted” at the move.

The world is getting tired of China, but does it matter?

Face it.  China does not want anyone to tell it what to do on anything, and takes every criticism, condemnation, edict or resolution that it doesn’t like as an opportunity to demonstrate that fact.  China wants to do things China’s way.  Pass all the resolutions you want, China will use them as a point of identity in order to distinguish themselves from the rest of the world.

Its like that Nietzsche observation where people take an irrational  contrarian position on an issue just to prove they exist and are relevant to the planet.

China doesn’t want to be accepted in the West, in fact, China probably despises our arrogance and presumptive authority and would rather the world follow their perspectives and practices.

Susan Rice fed up and "disgusted" with China

Regardless, there is the sense of a tangible shift—a wising up, if you will, of world opinions towards China. 

So now, toothless resolutions and all, perhaps the writing is on the wall and we are beginning to turn the corner on our  view of China’s place in the world and the West’s relationship to that place.  The old way of viewing China is giving way to a new reality and our pre-conceived notions of the China dynamic are fading.   Say goodbye to the old-school thinking that assumed: 

1. China will be a source of unlimited business opportunities for the West.
2. We must speak quietly on human rights issues lest we offend our potential economic interests in China.
3. If we show China how wonderful Western capitalism and markets can be, they will eventually come around and adopt democratic reforms. 

Our perceptions and hopes for China up to this point have been based on our own greed, period.  Because of this, China knew that any condemnation of its currency, products, human rights record, or Tibetan policies from the West would always be a half-hearted exercise at best.  If we really cared about China’s failings we would have imposed sanctions long ago.  As it stands, China has our Western greed in its corner as powerful advocate, so they approach our limp condemnations with a sense of rebellious glee.  The more we criticize, the more they willfully show their intransigence by vociferously offering their pro-Chinese rebuttal.  Thanks Nietzsche.

So its good that we are taking a newer look at China as a whole.   Martin Jacques’s book When China Rules the World was way ahead of the curve in this regard. Duncan Clark, a Beijing consultant, notes these shifting winds from the economic perspective: "People (in the Chinese government) here think no-one can do without China, and I think now some companies are thinking no-one can deal with China.."  Even Google has taken a reasonably principled stand by pulling out of China.  Resolutions on Tibet by the EP and U.S. Congress are a good start.  UN ambassador Susan Rice calling China and Russia’s Syrian veto “disgusting” is another.   Re-asserting a U.S. naval presence in the Pacific signals that we may have had enough of China’s bullying in the region.  All of these acts—much less the tone-- were unthinkable even a few years ago. 

All of this probably will not move China one centimeter for now, but there is at least a sense of a unified front emerging among members of the world community and a feeling that the China “potential” is not worth its weight in human rights abuses and cheap products. 

So in the spirit of turning the China corner, a good healthy list of emerging China perceptions might recognize: 

1. That China works on behalf of China and has only a limited interest in a level economic playing field in relationship to the world economy. 

2. That our greed has not served us well. It’s time to re-prioritize the values that gave us some sense of credibility in the past.  Human rights, fair economic policies that do not pander to market “potential” and other similar measures would be a good start.  We must find renewed courage to speak and act according to these values. 

3. That China does not want to be like the West.  Until the ruling Communist Party departs, they will take great pride in showing us how prosperous they’ve become without democracy or human rights.  They will continue to oppose any UN measures that even remotely suggest Western hegemony or are detrimental to China’s interests.  China willfully presents a contrarian if not opposing opinion to Western ideas and philosophies and we must revise our definition of cooperation away from turning a blind eye to China’s posturing and abuses in the hopes of some future gain, towards a more balanced approach to Western interests and concerns.  

4. That bloviating loud-mouthed criticism of China does not work; it only strengthens their resolve. For example: John McCain’s recent proclamation that an “Arab Spring will come to China” will be met by some form of strict clamp-down on free speech in China if for no other reason than to tell the Senator to shut up and mind his own business. Guaranteed.  Public criticism of China only makes them stronger in their resolve—there’s that Nietzsche again!  The Chinese are frustrated with their government on many levels, but if a Western big-shot critic makes a comment about it, they’ll circle the national unity wagons first and deal with their frustrations later. 
   

The only effective way to level the playing field with China is through one of their own time-proven techniques—modified for our times:  "Change through a thousand cuts. " Work individual issues, one at a time, on the ground if possible, and through the average Chinese citizen, not the Government.  China’s recent acquiescence to individual villager revolt against corrupt policing gives us a hint of the potential of such small actions.  

-=blogdai

Nepal: A Word About "Foreigners"

Why is it that every time any large-scale political or human issue befuddles and confuses us in Nepal we immediately accuse nebulous "foreign forces" of everything from simple meddling to outright sabotage?

We take to the street in a foamy rage every time an Indian actor or author dares call Nepal anything less than a sovereign nation; we flip-out when foreign dignitaries issue shallow threats; we  have a media coronary if some ambassador says that he envisions "Maoists walking down to Singha Durbar;" and we dismiss anti-Monsanto protests because they "seem to have a majority of foreigners" present.

Get over it Nepal and grow up.

If we want to be respected on the world stage, we have to learn to be secure enough in our own identity to not only tolerate the voices of foreigners, but actively solicit their advice and counsel when needed.  If there seems to be a lot of foreigners in a Monsanto protest its because foreigners have infinitely more experience in dealing with Monsanto than we in Nepal and we should listen to their advice in the spirit of neighborly help and greater understanding.  If a U.S. ambassador speaks out against a bandh, its because he's seen it all before and knows that bandhs hurt Nepal's image immeasurably in the eyes of the world.

Monsanto protest, November 2011, Maharajganj

The banner is written in Nepali and for Nepalis and mostly held up by foreigners

We are trying to re-build a nation in Nepal and we need to wise-up and take all the good advice we can get. It will pose more than  enough difficulty for our young people to work around Nepal's corrupt and worthless political apparatus and form a new governmental structure in the coming years, and shutting out all good-intentioned foreign advice will only add to this difficulty.  So, I'll say this once:

NATIONAL UNITY CANNOT BE BUILT ON XENOPHOBIA

Fear cripples development, saps our young people of confidence, and keeps politicians corrupt and unaccountable to citizens.

We grow when we decide to learn--from all sources.

-=blogdai

Gagan Thapa is an Idiot

Gagan Thapa angrily rejecting India's latest bribe of "5 more meat shops."

Blogdai is tired of this guy.  

He was a screaming little boy during Jana Andolan and now he's a bought-and-paid-for member of the NC. Hooray.  Now take your money and go shut up somewhere.  Don't you have a string of meat markets to run in Kathmandu?  Quite a nice set up for a boy who started with nothing, don't you think?  Where did you get all that cash,  Papa Koirala or did you just go to Delhi directly?

Seems Lady Gagan is just beside himself these days. He just can't handle the fact that the U.S. ambassador is concerned about the NC initiated bandh and may re-instate the travel warning for U.S. citizens thinking about coming to Nepal.   Gaga(n) thinks its perfectly alright to bully the government into meeting NC demands under the shallow premise that one of their cadres was killed in a Kathmandu jail.  Rule of law be damned!  We're taking to the streets and we're going to break some things!

Once a street thug, always a street thug.  

Let's see, our brave man of the people says absolutely nothing about China's arrogant in-roads into just about every aspect of Nepali politics or India's constant meddling (don't want to bite the hand that feeds on that one, shh!)but is quick to accuse U.S. Ambassador Scott DeLisi of meddling in Nepal's internal affairs for making an appropriate and correct assessment of the bandh and its effects.  

Look no further than this for motivation:  Lady Gagan is a boy of the streets. A little street action gets his blood going and he just might be making his little play for an advanced leadership position in the NC.  

Other than that, his words are just shallow posturing by a screaming little coward.  

Take another bribe and crawl back into your hole.  

-=blogdai

We All Thought Paras Did It

Gotta love Prachanda's recent interview with Greatway magazine.  He basically confesses what we here at blogdai have been telling you all  along,

http://nepalnow.blogspot.com/2005/06/i-dont-even-want-to-think-about-it.html


that none other than our crooked old blogdai nemesis Girija babu was the main boss behind the unholy alliance between Maoist, Nepal and India.  He started and finished jana andolans one and two for his own personal means and......

MAY HAVE HAD A HAND IN THE ASSASSINATION OF KING BIRENDRA.

Sure, we got most of this from the most Rupert Murdoch-like news source in Nepal, The Telegraph, but hey, a quote is a quote.

http://www.telegraphnepal.com/headline/2011-10-22/nepal-maoist-chief-dahals-dangerous-leak-claims-girija-was-war-guru

-=blogdai

The Lumbini Connection

That deal to take over Buddhism down in Lumbini must really be a hot potato.  The Chinese not only will not give up on the deal but they are sending 50 "representatives" to Kathmandu to try and change minds at Singha Durbar.   Typical Chinese move:  make a big show of force when you don't get your way and try and bully everyone until they give in.   


Nepal held the line about not letting the Chinese take over Lumbini and turn it into a Communist theme park. The truth is, our politicians were miffed at not being let in on the big cash pay-day so they rejected the deal.  Corruption as a force for national unity, who would have thought!

It's laughable that the Chinese first went to two of the most bribe-taking-for-sale-to-the-highest bidder types in Nepal to get their foot in the door:  Paras and Prachanda, the "Pee Pee twins," both of whom have visited Beijing so many times that they makes ol' Girija's frequent past trips to Delhi look like a once in a lifetime pilgrimage. The Pee Pee's took the money and ran. The Chinese overestimated their effectiveness.  Somewhere Sujata is screaming: "hey, why didn't you guys call me?" 

It's creepy how China tried to do the whole deal through the shadowy Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation. (APEC).  Foundation Chairman Eric Tay is a steely-eyed Hong Kong businessman who just happens to have big expertise at defense system and radar listening equipment procurement. 

No wonder the Chinese are sending 50 of their best and brightest bullys to Kathmandu, we wrecked their big shot at setting up a spy center and they're trying like mad to salvage the deal and not get exposed!

It's an outrage that a branch of the UN may be in collusion with Chinese efforts. 

Kandeh K. Yumkella, the current director of the United Nations International Development Organization (UNIDO) seems to be supportive of APEC efforts in Lumbini.  What gives?  Aside from being a native of Sierra Leone and probably tired of the fact that our cricket team routinely kicks the shit out of his country's squad, Mr. Yumkella is also a member of the China Council of International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) which consists of senior Chinese officials and international experts and advises top Chinese Government officials on development issues.Oops.  Could it be that Director Yumkella is on China's Lumbini payroll?  

It's strangely curious that one Mr. Graham Wrigley, a member of the Himalayan Trust, UK branch, seems to be hovering around the sidelines.  He and Mr. Yumkella both spoke at a Sierra Leone trade and investment forum in 2009


His current focus is on sustainable private sector growth in poor countries. He is Chairman of Aureos (the largest small to medium enterprise (SME) investor in low income countries with $1.1bn under management and 29 offices in Africa, Asia, and Latin America) and he sits on the Board of Manocap (a private equity fund based in Sierra Leone). In addition he is working in the Microfinance field in India and Nepal

So it looks like we can add a Sierra Leone connection to the mix.  

 __________________________________________________________



 blogdai can't tell where all of this is going right now but my big guess will be the following:  
   


 1.  The Chinese will agree to help fund the Nepali version of a Lumbini restoration scheme and agree to it's limitations for the moment.  


 2.  China will throw a lot of money around Singha Durbar and Lumbini and eventually wind up building something similar to what it had originally proposed; spy center and all.  


 3.  The Nepali people will lose one of it's world treasures to the forces of money and political arrogance. 


 -=blogdai


----------------------------------------------Update:  August 9, 2011
IBN News has just reported that the Chinese have now officially signed the Lumbini deal.  As predicted , they've somehow given in to the original Nepali design, but are planning an international airport as well.  We lose.  

 

Epic China Fail

Jai Nepal!  blogdai is happy these days.  Some of the darkest and most agenda-driven interests in Nepal have been thwarted and sent packing!

Lumbini, birthplace of Lord Buddha, is still safe in the hands of Nepalis.

China was pushing hard to force one of its typical hyper-development rapes on the most sacred site in Buddhism. A big plan was hatched where an international airport, hotels, tourist traps and a huge Chinese contingent of cynical profiteers was to be dumped on Lumbini in the name of China's version of "development."  China even brought the "Pee Pee" twins (Prachanda and Paras) into the deal in hopes of tapping into that huge vein of  corruption in Parliament.

Proposed site of China's new "Happy Panda" massage parlor and mini-mall

Fortunately, the only force equal to ineptitude in Nepal politics is Xenophobia, so the plan was rejected outright on the grounds that there was too much foreign control.

China's plan is clear to anyone who follows China's simple patterns: control the birthplace of the Buddha and you can eventually re-make Buddhism into a nice Chinese Communist Party-approved amusement. China sought to control the message from where the message began.  They've begun to realize that simply picking their own Lama re-incarnations isn't suppressing Tibetan anger so they were trying to go after the source and perhaps re-write or mis-represent Buddhist history in their favor.

They failed miserably.

-=blogdai

The Art of "Blowing It"

Nepali officials never met an opportunity they couldn't destroy.  Usually it's in politics, but in a recent move by Nepal's ANFA hierarchy-- that sporting body with high scores in  football bungling--Nepal shows that it can foul up the one things that Nepalis feel a sense of pride and happiness towards:  Our football team.

It seems British skipper  Graham Roberts has given our Nepal side the best chance it's ever seen on the world stage, with the boys headed to Jordan for another exciting match.  Nepal moves into elite territory in the Asian region if it crosses over Jordan (sorry) and gets toward World-Cup territory.  Exciting stuff!

Nope.

ANFA has consistently underfunded the Side and many smell corruption.  Coach Roberts has rightly complained about the incompetent staff and fields unworthy of practice.  ANFA should be ashamed.


The single greatest tool a Nation has in its possession for establishing pride and a sense of national unity is its sports teams.



We are all Nepalis when one of our own does well on the world stage; be it our Judo champions, swimmers, or our U-19 Cricket teams.  WE need competence in the organizations that support our athletes so our athletes can do their best!

It is absolutely inconceivable that the ANFA has now accused Coach Roberts of blaming them for the sole purpose of covering an inevitable loss to Jordan.   What a pathetic, defeatist statement from a bunch of low-class bakshish-beggars who see their country as constantly weak.

Nepal coach Graham Roberts attempts to describe the amount of excrement he had to wade through during his last visit to ANFA headquarters. 

Fire every member of ANFA and replace them with volunteers from Nepal Unites, says blogdai

-=blogdAI

China Keeps Pushing

Vice President Jha? Are you serious?  China tips its hand by showing everyone how far it is willing to go by having Ambassador Yang Houlan meet with Jha. Basically, the spearhead of Chinese visions of influence in Nepal met with the single most worthless and irrelevant politician in Nepal (and that's saying something).

What's the point?  Well, politically and practically, there IS no point. Houlan is simply following orders and playing the Chinese "saturation" game of engaging any and every person in the country in an attempt to garner  support.

China can see it has an opening now that India and the RAW have blown their chance.  blogdai marvels at Delhi's laziness in this regard.  Are they ready to cede Nepal to China?

It's well known that India is backing a resurgence of the Monarchy in Nepal, but China is moving for position at a much faster pace.  China smells blood in the water and won't be denied their rare opportunity to gain position over India via Nepal.

Chinese Ambassador Houlan arguing with vice president Jha that the flower arrangements are "anti-Chinese" and must be replaced.

An Old King Probing for Weakness

King G. is in the news again.  He's quite outspoken about our inept politicians.  With most Nepalis agreeing that the Monarchy should have at least SOME role in Nepal's affairs, his comments were well timed.

"The aspirations of all self-respecting Nepalese have been totally ignored,"


Not the kind of thing a fellow would say if he was planning to fade away into history, is it?  


blogdai has always believed that a responsible Constitutional Monarchy could act as a viable balancing (if not motivating) voice to Parliament's chaos.  

Former King Gyanendra catches the drool of an admirer who was unable to contain himself.

Unfortunately, his drunken bum of a son Paras, has blown any chance of honorable succession. There also remains the prickly question of: When did King G. ever give a flying fart about the "aspirations of all self-respecting Nepalese..?"  


-=blogdai

Nepal: The "Inconclusive" State

Who said our politicians are worthless?

Like death and taxes, our fearless fumbling fat-cats have regularly done their duty and provided the people of Nepal with one predictable, regular and guaranteed result:   deadlock.

Every time one of those redundant and  proceedurally confusing parliamentary meeting  of the "minds" is called, we can always guarantee it will end inconclusively.

blogdai suggests that the first step towards rebuilding governmental efficiency and saving the cost and expense of such meetings is to nominate one member of government to rise to his/her feet during session and shout out:  "I move that all meetings scheduled for today be resolved inconclusively."

There, I've just fixed the government

-=blogdai

China's New Envoy

Nope, it's not ambassador Yang Houlan. He'll do what he's told from Beijing.  No, China's most visible representative in Nepal is none other than our Maoist Home Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara.

HM Mahara proudly displays the direction his nose travels when it is in the proximity of China's hind quarters.

Mahara knows his time is limited in his new post, and he's determined to not waste any of it.   Aside from pardoning his Maoist buddies, Mahara, blogdai has just learned, is negotiating the wholesale transfer or border security duties to Chinese stewardship and supervision.  High level meetings with Chinese security representative have been confirmed and Mahara has rolled-over 100 percent to Chinese demands.  

This means China can and will move aside Nepali security forces and foray deep into Nepal on its own to look for whomever they please.  This generally means Tibetans, but they can now move forces of any size into Nepal for basically any reason.  

HM Mahara is a danger to the very sovereignty of Nepal.  He's giving away our country and he must be stopped.  

-=blogdai

The Next Step

Blogdai is excited like a saano chowra.  Having lived through a few revolutions from start to finish, it is a joy to watch the Nepal Unites movement gain steam and momentum.  It is a wise, social-media focused effort that has learned from the youth uprisings in the middle east that complete decentralization of effort--no real leadership structure to criticize or attack--is the key to success.  Smart people are running Nepal Unites; we should all watch and learn.  

(Love the logo guys, but does it have to look so damn much like FOX News's?)

The best thing is to let the youth of Nepal run it as they see fit, but IMHO, the next step for Nepal Unites is to identify the things that unite Nepal and make them your own.  Miss Nepal was a wise choice for endorsement.  Now, how about a Nepal Unites logo for the boys U-19 cricket team?   How about our Judo heroes wearing a patch on their belts when they compete?  A Nepal Unites column in the paper?  And ok, I hate to do it but it works: give a Nepal Unites endorsement to those political candidates who demonstrate complete devotion to Nepal and conduct their affairs with honesty and transparency. (Admittedly, this will be a rare endorsement)

Miss Nepal would make anyone want to Unite

It all sound a bit over-the-top, sure, but this stuff WORKS!


Let' help out Nepal Unites by figuring out more ideas for them.  They are already asking for slogan suggestions so throw those in here also and I'll pass them along.

jai Nepal

-=blogdai

The Time Has Come

 ...until Nepalis unite and speak with one singular voice of reason, the whole exercise of angered student protest is moot.         

                                         
                                -=blogdai, September 2009

Why are we back?  It has a lot to do with why we left in the first place.  blogdai's sole purpose was to get the average Nepali Citizen involved in the political process and stimulate meaningful dialogue. That didn't happen. Discussions often strayed or missed the point entirely.  We were discouraged.

Now, perhaps we're all starting to get it right again.  This Nepal Unites thing might just be the kick-start we've all been looking for.  At the very least, it will teach the youth of Nepal the vital lesson that politicians will never be held accountable for anything without significant back-pressure from concerned and engaged citizens.

Let's get started!

-=blogdai

Awakening

I feel it again. New blood is surging.   I feel like Kellen Skarsgard in King Arthur when, in his weakened state, he  confronts his adversary and grabs a piece of bread for the first time and utters: "finally, someone worth killing."

What can do this to an old blog warrior like blogdai?  

NEPAL UNITES
Amazing.  Stay tuned as we direct comments and money to this group...

-=blogdai

Hami Sabai

So Long

Time for old blogdai to hit the showers.  It's been a fun 6 years but now this blog has outlasted its usefulness. I'll leave it up for a while so you all can comment, curse, accuse, laud and argue one last time. 

jaaani hooo.

-=blogdai

Wikileaks and Nepal Part I

  India has always wanted a somewhat unstable Nepal. It helps to reinforce and maintain Nepal's dependence on its big brother to the south.       --blogdai, "The Big Difference"  December 2006

...blogdai sees India throwing support behind the 7-party alliance and yes, the Maoists. It's an open secret anyway, but look for more Indian arms to find their way into party hands in the future. India has always used the Maoists to keep Nepal unstable and dependent ......--blogdai "" A Tangible Shift"   September 2005 

This leads one to the conclusion that India, through Girija, is now allied with the Maoists. This is a typically sneaky and autocratic way for India to deal with an uppity King so no surprises here from the "worlds largest democracy."  ---blogdai "I Don't Even Want to Think About It."  June 2005

Hate to say "I told you so" but we've been calling this all along.  Now we hear that the proposed Wikileaks chapters dealing with Nepal are about to be revealed, and lo and behold, according to The Nepal Telegraph, the Indians  confessed:

At a meeting held between the Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and a high ranking US official, Richard Holbrooke January 18, 2010, the Indian foreign secretary during a two hour long working breakfast had accepted that Indian establishment had funded the Maoists' rebellion in Nepal and that eventually became counterproductive to India.


No Kidding?  Well guess what kiddies, ol' blogdai has a wikileak to tell and doesn't need a blabber mouthed State Department peon to leak it.    Remember your beloved Jana Andolan? In a nutshell,  Girija allied with the Maoist and smacked down the King.  The secret was, India was flaming mad at King G. for daring to try things on his own and they were looking to get even.  Girija met with India (remember all those trips?), India met with the Maoists, and an unholy alliance was born.  Delhi wanted the King out and knew it would take the political underhandedness of Girija and the brutal coercive practices of the Maoists to make it all work.   It did.  


India orchestrated and paid for the overthrow of King Gyenendra.  

-=blogdai

Plenum of Confusion

We've all known it for some time but this ridiculous Maoist "plenum" (is that even the correct term?) now confirms it:  The Maoists are in total disarray and completely confused. 

Blogdai likes these plenums and hopes the Maoists hold one every year just to make everyone else in Nepali politics feel more competent. 

So let's see:  the Maoists totally fail as leaders of government, they refuse to negotiate with the actual parties in power; they hold a discussion session or "plenum" and waste the time trying to form take-over power struggles among themselves.  Baidya can't get allong with Battari so Dahal tries to get Baidya on his side. Meanwhile the Maoist PLA are strictly forbidden to attend the cat fight but show up anyway and threaten to disrupt everything.  They also bring about 500 YCL child-thugs along for insurance. 

Who cares anymore?  Prachanda has lost credibility and Babu Ram has yet to form a complete, coherent public statement on anything.  Why they are all clamoring for this Baidya guy's attention is anyone's guess. 

So keep it up you fools, and keep it up in public so we can all watch and laugh. 

-=blogdai

UNDP Report Shows Fake Progress in Nepal

UN offices in Nepal are closing at a rapid pace.   Nepalis are tired of the phony progress claimed by the UN while they ride around in expensive Land Cruisers and get nothing done. 

Blogdai's extensive contact with UN officials and staff in Nepal has left a split impression of their personnel:  They are either too young and inexperienced to make a difference and are just using Nepal as a "classroom;" or they are older, burned out officials on the downside of their careers.  Either way, they are bad for Nepal.

So, rather than fix the problem, the UNDP decides to "fix" the results of their most recent Human Development report:   
http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=24952

Pathetically, the UNDP has now decided that real "progress" in Nepal can now be miraculously measured simply by changing measurement indexes:

The report -- 20th anniversary edition -- has used new data and methodologies. For instance, it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita, replacing gross domestic product (GDP) per capita to include income from remittances and international development assistance.

So congratulations Nepal!  This new report says that every one of us is getting rich from aid money thrown at us.  Of course, we can't help ourselves in this regard, but no matter,  the UN comes out smelling like a rose. 


-=blogdai

Have a Good Look

Greetings to all old and new friends.  Have a good look at this old blog  'cause new times are a cummin'.

As we at blogdai approach our 5 year anniversary, staff has decided that we need a revamp, so get ready all.

YOU will soon see a quicker, edgier, more up-to-date blogdai as we've added contributors from around the world who have the  knowledge and insight on all things Nepali that will make the UNMIN hang its head in digrace and plunge the International Crisis Group  into a panic as to how they might fake the same level of insight.

Alas, all is readily sacrificed for our readers.

Coming up:

--blogdai  actually seeks out Prince Paras for an interview. I know where he drinks in Singapore.
--Exclusive interview with the "little elf hisself" Makune.
--More stupid Maoist tricks, this time documented on film.
--Uncensored posting (the usual death threats to blogdai being the exception) so wherever you screaming little YCL boys have been hiding all this time, here's your chance to form an actual complete sentence that all will see!

Hang on everyone, we're going to see if this ol' boat still knows how to throw up some spray!

-=blogdai

"Don't Be Evil" ( If it's bad business)

Gotta love Google's new stance in China. After a few years of being criticized for looking the other way with regard to censorship and human rights abuses in order to "open" up a Google market in China, Sergei and the boys are now threatening to pull out of China entirely after learning of Gmail hacking and strong-handed government tactics bent on uncovering the identities of dissidents and human rights activists.

It's fairly clear that Google's corporate mantra of "don't be evil" was probably applied after more of a cost/benefit analysis than an actual human soul-search. Shareholder complaints combined with the fact that Google.cn was not that profitable to begin with undoubtedly made the lights go on in Google's mind that they could get more mileage and credibility through moral grandstanding than by sitting around and continuously waiting for some elusive and mythical "massive Chinese market potential" to appear.

Yet, the move has real promise and could signal a change in how the world views China. For the last two decades, every greedy Western business has spoken in hushed tones about China's potential and how easily they are offended if one mentions small trivial things like:

-Lead Tainted Toys

-Counter-intuitive government intervention in private business

-Strict currency manipulation designed for Chinese advantages against open market societies

-Poisonous dry-wall products

-Poisonous milk products

-Poisonous anti-coagulation medicines

-The complete murder and decimation of fully 1/6 of all Tibetans and Tibetan culture.

-The complete murder and imprisonment of Uighur society.

-The shrill condemnation and interference in any activity by any country deemed "anti-China"

-The imprisonment and murder of a British citizen for drug trafficking.

-The support of despotic regimes in Burma and North Korea.

Yet, we only have our greedy, hegemonic Western arrogance to blame. We blithely think that China is an "emerging" democracy and will eventually see things our way. Bunk. Martin Jacques in his new book When China Rules the World makes a strong case for the ideas that many of us have known for years: China plays along with the rest of the world for the ultimate benefit of China. China doesn't want to be part of the world, they eventually want the world to be part of China. And, China will always use their "market potential" as a decoy and a shield to hide their barbaric human rights and economic practices.

Google, ultimate motivations aside and to their credit, is the first major corporation to say enough is enough. For that we must applaud them and hope they are the spear tip of a much larger change in world perception of China. Perhaps it has already begun. Duncan Clark, a Beijing consultant, notes these shifting winds: "People (in the Chinese government) here think no-one can do without China, and I think now some companies are thinking no-one can deal with China.."

-=blogdai

Cleaning out the Inventory

blogdai has been following our government and its sense of frustration at the United Nations and its meddling in Nepal's internal affairs. The UN is insisting that Makune form a unity government. The little elf, to his credit, basic told the UN to go to hell and let Nepal make its own government. blogdai has also told the UN to go to hell on many an occasion, and this column will be no exception. In fact its time to take inventory of anyone we can think of who is worthless, burned-out, meddlesome and just plain incompetent and get them out of the country. It would be a wishful fantasy to request that the entire UNMIN leave Nepal, so let's just focus on some key idiots, shall we? Oh, and blogdai's wrath will not be limited to just members of the UN.

First, the worst....

LEAVE NEPAL NOW

1. Larry Robertson, UNICEF. This buffoon is the classic waste-your-time bureaucrat. Had the nerve to tell blogdai that UNICEF should be the only group conducting sanitation programs in Nepal and that all other groups are "ruining" our plans. Considering that Larry provides sanitation and water at a snail-like pace to maybe one or two villages a year tell us that saving children who are dying from diarrhea at an epidemic pace is not his priority. Hey Larry, lots of groups have lots of good ideas and Nepalis know best about how to help other Nepalis, so step aside, you monkey. Or would letting other groups help out "ruin" your job security? Larry's office is Near Patan, across from the zoo where the smart monkeys live. Drop in and blow him a ration of shit for being an autocratic prick.

2. Richard Ragan, WFP. We all had such high hopes for Richard. Young guy, can-do attitude. Turns out his innovative spirit was allowed to fester under the weight of Nepal's geographical obstacles and bureacracy. Hey Richard, you are not stuck buying rice from the Indian mafia. Food is available if you are creative. I'm sure Richard is patting himself on the back for winning some flimsy award for innovation. It seems he gave satellite phones to his remote employees and that was supposed to be a good thing. That's right, hide behind technology and call it progress. I don't recall a satellite phone ever providing food for the hungry. WFP's budget in Nepal is already down to zero, so why did you waste time and money on stupid Sat phones? It seems the only thing poor Richard is good for these days is writing articles about snow boarding in Nepal. Ol, Richard likes to take helicopters out on the WFP budget and snow board up by Manang. He's also fond of taking his staff up to the Last Resort off the Kodari highway for still more money wasting weekends. He's milking the international gravy train now and its time for him to go.

LEAVE NEPAL SOON

1. Kanak Mani Dixit. What's the point of his constant pro-India posturing? Do you think you are better than Nepalis?

2. King Gyenendra. That's right, ol' G. Told Prateek Pradhan of La Republica that the Nepali people "should get nothing" while slamming a glass of wine to the ground. You and your family are done. We don't want to see any more Shahs until your grandson is old enough.

3. Bal Mandir Orphanage. A child trafficking front run by the Koiralas. Fill out the phony paperwork, pay your money, look the other way, and buy a baby. Tragic.

4. The Maoists. Your movement is tired and people don't believe what you say anymore. Get out or get killed. Memo to Prachanda: I hear there's lots of work to be had all up and down the east side of India these days--lots for a Maoist to do. Shall I send a letter of introduction to Bihar for you?

SPECIAL MENTION

These guys never seem to get out of the way:

Ian Martin. Deposed and disgraced former head of the UNMIN. Begged to keep his job once and now continues to return for "trekking." Someone confiscate his diplomatic passport for the good of us all.

Girija Babu Koirala. Well despite blogdai's many predictions, it's clear that the old man will probably never die--ever. Fortunately, he and the Nepali Congress are becoming increasingly irrelevant so perhaps this is the best fate for the biggest and most selfish and power mad ego in Nepal. Sit back, watch, and deteriorate ol' babu; you've got it comming.

-=blogdai

Kathmandu is Dead

So Long, old friend....

blogdai is hesitant to write this column. It is sad. No pictures and no funny comments this time.

Kathmandu is officially dead.

The facts:

--Traffic jams so bad it takes up to two hours to get from Lazimpat to Patan across town.

--Pollution is at its worst. Locals and tourist wear masks on the street and those not accustomed to the stench are instantly taken ill.

--Our recent revival in tourism has seen new arrivals get immediately on a plane to Pokhara in order to avoid Kathmandu.

--Dance bars and cabin clubs sprout up every day with no end in sight.

--Nigerian drug dealers patrol the streets in increasing numbers looking for business.

--Municipal police are now openly taking bribes and allowing petty street crimes.

--Up to 8 hours of electrical outages per day paralyze business and tourism.

We have no functioning central government that recognizes or even cares about the conditions in our once lovely city. Basic city functions are worthless.

Are we happy with our little cars, our greedy lifestyles and our disastrous jana andolan that gave us a worthless Maoist leadership?

Are we ever going to care enough to change?

blogdai feels that about a million of us need to die in order for Kathmandu to survive. At the current rate of events, either a major civil war or widespread disease is inevitable-----

That should do the trick.

-=blogdai

You Had Your Chance

Nepalis flee renegade APF moto-cross riders attempting to fleece gas money from rally attendees.

Enough already. blogdai sees the pictures of Maoist affilliated students protesting and throwing rocks at PM Makune and I look through my files: Just like 2000, just like 2001, just like 2003 and just like Jana Andolan. Do we ever get tired of this?

Sure the new government is incompetent and the only reason Nepal is not classified as a failed state is that there is no compelling reason for the world to label it as such. Makune will fare no better than the many administrations of Girija, Deuba, or any one else from the old guard, but until Nepalis unite and speak with one singular voice of reason, the whole exercise of angered student protest is moot.

What irritates blogdai is that these same little boy protesters don't realize that the Maoists had their chance and blew it. Prachanda tried to put the oppressive "Mao style" hammer on Nepali politics and got burned. I guess that's one thing the old guard got right: kicking out the Maoist bums before they turned the whole country into an oppressive Communist collective.

Hey little boys! You trying to be as obnoxious as all those Yank politicians and protestors? How very pathetic and how very unoriginal.

All of you students represent Nepal's future. Your education is a priveledge and a gift. Stop throwing rocks like a bunch of goddam Manangis and start solving the problems that you will inherit someday. That is why you are in a university. Not to get your cheap degree and go to Dubai as someone's servant, but to save your country. Now, knock it off and get to the real work!

-=blogdai

Clinton in India

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton smiles bravely while trying to take down junior Forestry Minister Jairam Ramesh in a hand shake death match.

Amazingly stupid move on India's part this week. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid a visit to Nepal's big brother this week and the overtones should have been obvious. Just by the tone and temperature of Clinton's appearance, it was clear that the U.S. was testing Indian waters for the future. Clinton kept fawning over how much she loved India, ate WAY too much of the wonderful cuisine there and giggled like a school girl while chumming around with the girls at the SEWA foundation. Oh, she also opened up new nuclear agreements as well as trade and energy technology sharing contracts.

So, now any one of us who pays attention to such things should not view such things lightly. Sec. Clinton came to India ready to listen and trade--a real U.S. priority shift.

BUT NO.... Intellectually as well as politically junior minister Jairam Ramesh had to lecture the Secretary on India's carbon footprint. Ramesh must have felt this was his shot at the Big Time as he scolded Clinton on India's emmissions and said there was “no case” for the West to push India to reduce carbon dioxide emissions when it already had among the lowest levels of emissions on a per-capita basis. He later went on to threaten tariffs of some sort against the U.S.

Bravo junior minister idiot! Way to spin world pollution standards in India's favor. India always comes out ahead when they measure on a per capita basis since Indians can't seem to stop having dozens of children at a time and their "per capita" output of the same has now eclipsed China.

Typical Indian political arrogance. Puff yourselves up by pretending to lecture the most important people you can find on the merits of Indian policy. Well, you guys might have blown it. Clinton was in Delhi for a very specific reason. The U.S. wants a new partner in the region. A little preparation on your behalf, minister moron, and you would have known that environmental issues are a hot button with the new U.S. administration. A little diplomacy would have gone a long way but India turned the issue into cheap Delhi street brawl.

The Yanks don't like to be lectured so don't be surprised if Clinton takes her wicket and balls to some other nation. Did you see how she cozied up to Thailand after her India visit? Who can blame Clinton if she wants to take U.S. business elsewhere. Unconfirmed rumors have spotted Clinton measuring floor space in one of those fancy new Bangkok skyscrapers; just enough space to fill all the call center and customer service jobs she plans to take out of Bangalore--so the rumor goes.

The Larger Implications

The U.S. is fed up with China. They've spoken in hushed tones over the last decade or so; afraid to upset some nebulous concept of this great Chinese market that will soon be tapped into by American goods and services. They've patiently watched tainted products, Chinese government interference in transactions, a falsley supported Chinese Yuan distorting the true market, and gross, barbaric and childish human rights violations against just about any group that does not toe the Party line in Beijing. Now, the Chinese brand is tainted. They don't "get it" with regard to world market credibility and the U.S. is going somewhere else. THAT is what the Clinton visit to India was about and THAT, New Delhi, is why you'd better learn to control your renegade low-level politicians.

-=blogdai

Ian Martin and the Tapes

Oops, looks like long time blogdai nemesis Ian Martin of the tattered UNMIN has finally met his match.

Sorry Ian, apparently, one of the most difficult things for a UN employee to be is an idealogue.

It seem poor Ian gave an inflammatory report to the UN that was highly critical of Israeli intentions

Another Oops for poor Ian: Our dear deposed PM Prachanda was caught on tape confessing that he exaggerated the strength of the Maoist forces by some factor of five. Compound this with the latest news that Maoists claim that they never turned over their weaponry per sir Ian's request and instead kept the best and most lethal armaments away from UNMIN scrutiny and inventory bodes poorly for the efficacy of such UN missions in Nepal.

Per Ian Martin's request as well, monitors were to be stationed at all Nepali polling places during the last elections. blogdai immediately shouted "fraud" and "incompetance" at the idea. Having first hand knowledge (and photos, mind you) blogdai can assure all gentle readers that the UN delegation never made it out of the Kathmandu valley during election time. I saw most of them at club 1905 and they had no intention of leaving the valley for any "rough" travel to polling stations in the village.

Ian Martin's legacy in Nepal is one of abject failure. The worst of which is his idea of containing Maoists in cantonments. A complete an unmitigated failure of both concept, policy and implementation, this was. Maoists chose who would reside in said cantonments, had no sense of restricted movement, and basically carried on as usual. Such is the legacy that Israeli critics capatilized upon.

A career in ruins:

Well, that's it for Ian, finally. After blogdai has been calling for his removal from the world stage for the last couple of years, the pompous grandstander with the English pedigree has finally been brought down by Israeli scrutiny. They've rightly pointed to his failures in Nepal as an example of how he should not be allowed to conceive any report on Israel that bears any international credibility whatsoever. The so called "Martin Report" on Israel will now live as the penultimate example of the UN's perception of its own hegemonic inluence, and its ultimate failure as a policy.

So long Ian Martin. Stick a fork in him: he's done.

-=blogdai

First Photos from Everest

blogdai is a proud supporter of Pemba Dorje Sherpa. Pemba and his brothers summited Chomolungma this May 19, but failed to stay atop the worlds highest peak for 24 hours as planned. Apparently, weather drove them down after 2 hours.

The first available photos of Pemba Dorje Sherpa at the summit of Everest sent exclusively to blogdai. So piss off you spoiled brat white American climbers.

Pemba, as you all remember, holds the worlds speed record for climbing Everest at just over 8 hours. He was attempting to bring the symbols of each of the world's major religions to the summit and pray during this record attempting period. Pity, but no sadness is required. Pemba will do it again. In fact, there are probably 100 active climbing Sherpas who could conceivably attempt world record type feats on Everest. Insanely strong people, these Sherpas, with an insanely high hematocrit.

As a blogdai friend, our first words from Pemba indicated that his two brothers were getting sick at camp II and that the endurance record would not be attempted. Still Pemba acheived his 10th summit of Sagarmatha: no failure in any human's opinion.

MEMO TO CHINA: Have a look at these pictures. This is what a real, non-simulated summit looks like. Cloud and mountain references in the background. Tibetans and Sherpas don't need your phony Olympic torch ceremony to get them up the mountain; they were born for this and find your politics distasteful. More on this later as blogdai is beginning to boil at the topic.

Anyway, Pemba says a direct "thank you" to all who've supported this effort. Peace and Namaste to all

-=blogdai

Start the Countdown

Deposed General Katawal deep in contemplation about where best to begin his army coup.

Here we go. After giving Prachanda and his thugs plenty of breathing room with ample time and resources to complete the Peace Process and consolidate a government, the Fierce One once again proves his ideological narrow-mindedness.

I've been screaming this at the top of my lungs since Joke-Andalan and most haven't listened. Now, after a few years of the sing-song appeasement journalism of the BBC's Charles Haviland and others, do we all finally get it? YOU CAN'T GOVERN WITH A RIGID IDEOLOGY. The American Repuglicans will be the first to confirm this, I'm sure, but Nepal, what were we thinking? At every turn, Prachanda kept dropping bombs that he wanted to govern with an iron hand and turn our country into a Communist autocracy. Is it finally clear to all that we've given this idiot one chance too many?

The symolic hard-line control move of sacking RNA supremo General Rookmangud Katawal smacked of Communist arrogance and started the ball rolling downhill for our government. In response, the UML quits the government, the usual street protests ensue, President Ram Baran Yadav goes against the PM and tries to get the General to return; and finally, Prachanda--sensining a government in flames--turns tail and jumps ship. Bravo Fierce Fleeing One!

So where does that leave us? The upheaval caused by tampering with the military shows who is really in charge in Nepal. In fact, the RNA is the ONLY entity keeping our beloved country from dissolving into failed-state status.

I wasn't kidding when I said to "start the countdown." In fact we probably should have started the countdown when the usual gang of political idiots, plus the King, held their not too secret meetings with the big shots in Delhi.

Next up: Koirala and the other old fools will usurpt government control until the military initiates a formal coup and takes over.(You didn't think they were beefing up their forces over the last few months just for fun, did you?) Tours and garbage on the grounds of the Royal Palace will end soon as King G. will only be too happy to move back in to that ugly bus station looking facility and supervise the education of his King-to-be grandson.

All of this because we were too lazy to care in the first place.

-=blogdai