Unrest Worries Nepalese Students

As two weeks of civil unrest in Nepal’s capital comes to a close, Harvard students from the country remain worried for their families and the future state of their nation.

“I have been really stressed. Sometimes I call every 30 minutes” despite the ten-hour time difference between Nepal and Cambridge, said Nishchal M.S. Basnyat ’09, an international student from Nepal.

Another Nepalese student, Astha Thapa ’07, said she checks news compulsively and thinks of nothing but her home.

“It’s hard being far away and following news every couple of hours not knowing what to expect,” she said. “I grew up there for 19 years and everything is happening so fast.”

Earlier this month, the pro-democracy political campaign, led by outlawed opposition parties and insurgents against the king and his autocratic rule, turned into demonstrations in the streets with hundreds of thousands of participants.

“People protesting feel they have a right to something,” Thapa said. “They are pushing for a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution. They want change and peace. They are tired of the violence.”

On Monday, King Gyanendra, under heavy pressure, offered to reinstate the Parliament he dissolved a year ago. The opposition leaders accepted the deal.

The crisis is far from over, however, and the students’ concern about the living conditions in their country remains.

“The entire country has shut down for almost three weeks. People came out more from that frustration than want of democracy,” said Basnyat, who added that his father is a career diplomat. “People have no food to eat. The capital has been blockaded, causing food prices to rise. The price of oil is astronomical and people do not have work.”

Basnyat also said he fears that current conditions will lead to chaos if the king is forced to leave completely.

“The king is the only one who can unite the army in the time of civil war and keep the country from becoming a failed state,” he said. “If the king leaves, the army will be shattered.”

Thapa said she would also like to see the king stay, not because he unites the military, but due to her sentiment for the monarchy.

“Nepal is so culturally rich, and the royal family is symbolic to Nepal,” she said. “There is a lot of respect for the royal family among some Nepalis, and I want the king there.”

The civil war between the Maoists and the royal army has gone on in Nepal for over a decade.

“The 12 years of democracy that followed were unfortunately marked by corruption, nepotism, and mismanagement of government, and the civil war broke out,” Basnyat said.

Pro-democratic protests in 1990 similar to the current ones led King Birendra, who came to Harvard for a year in 1967 and was a resident of Quincy House, to give up his executive powers and turn the country into a constitutional monarchy modeled after England and Japan.

On June 1, 2001, King Birendra and seven other members of the royal family were shot to death by his son Crown Prince Dipendra, who then committed suicide, according to reports.

King Birendra’s death brought his brother to the throne. The new ruler, King Gyanendra, dissolved the Parliament and gained complete control over the government, reversing his predecessor’s reforms and sparking protest.

“Violence has been so entrenched in people’s lives,” said Thapa. “Instead of school, a lot of boys are indoctrinated in Maoist camps and given guns. It will take a long time to solve this.”

Though the recent crisis is under control after Monday’s deal, Nepal still faces many problems.

According to Thapa, it needs to revive its shattered tourism industry, stem “the exodus of people,” and bring about peace and political stability.

“Whatever the final solution, it must be inclusive of all Nepalis. It must be a creative way of incorporating all parties. Otherwise it is not going to work,” said Thapa.