Posted: Oct 30, 2006 10:22 am EST
(MountEverest.net) Planning to climb in Nepal next year? Better buy your air tickets ASAP. Nepal airlines say they are fully-booked* through next spring. More alarming are reports on several robberies in the Makalu area. In the Annapurna circuit - a Polish trekker was reportedly beat up for refusing to pay Maoists 'tax' and then told by a Maoist leader, "I could have you killed tomorrow."

All air seats are packed until April next year

Kathmandu planes are fully booked, “A huge number of tourists have arranged travel plans to Nepal because of the cease-fire,” airline officials told the Kantipur. "All air seats are packed not just for this year, but until April next year," said an official at Thai Airways that runs seven flights a week.

International and local airlines report they are unable to cover demand - delays and overbooked flights are a rule. Now other airlines, such as latest Air Arabia, are applying to include Nepal among its destinations.

*(Ed note: Check below for an update on this story, tickets are still available with most airlines.)

Makalu issues

The poor country needs the tourism badly, but work still needs to be done to make sure the visitors come back with good reviews: To the Maoist rebel 'taxes' forced on trekkers and climbers at the entrance of the Khumbu valley, foreigners now also report more serious issues in the Makalu region.

A group of 11 Dutch trekkers were looted in the Makalu area two weeks back, while having dinner in a hotel at Makalu VDC-5. The Dutch tourists lost cash, cameras, clothing and papers on October 18 said a trekking guide quoted by news media.

The Maoists sent a team to the area last Saturday “to investigate the case.” Rebel district leader "Kanchan" promised they would “make public the culprit within a day or two.”

But according to locals, thefts have risen alarmingly in the area since police was removed five years back due to Maoist armed insurgency.

Following the large Dutch group a second group of eight Frenchmen and a German tourist were also robbed of cash and valuables in the Makalu area. Last Wednesday, the tourists lost cash and valuables from a hotel in Tashi village in Makalu VDC-3,” reported Kantipur. “Locals claim involvement of a certain gang behind the string of robberies.”

Annapurna circuit: Polish trekker beat up

Maoists are also extorting tourists in the Annapurna area. Those refusing to pay are met with violence and threats, according to a posting on the Yetizone board for trekkers.

"I finished the Annapurna Circuit yesterday (October 20, 2006)," reported a trekker. "At the start of the trek, on about October 10, Maoists beat a Polish trekker with sticks when he refused to pay the Rs 100 a day as tax."

"The Pole had said his country had been communist and he didn't like the political system and didn't want to pay. I arrived about 2 minutes after the confrontation. There was blood on the ground and I was pushed around by the Maoists, who were in a very agitated state. The Pole had pieces of his hiking stick embedded in his leg."

"The apparent head of the Maoists at this checkpoint, at Jagat, told the Pole that he would be 'dead now' had he, the head of the Maoists, not intervened. He said to the Pole: 'I could have you killed tomorrow'."

The Himalayan Times confirmed Maoists are "collecting entry fees" in the Annapurna area, from posts located in Jagat and Ghorepani. "The Maoists are collecting fees from tourists and also giving receipts for the same. A receipt slip states that the fee is actually 'travel permission tax' going into the coffers of the CPN-Maoist for the creation of the Magarat Autonomous Area and Tamuwan Autonomous Area," the paper reported.

Update: Plane tickets still available

*Story updated 09:49 am EST Oct 31, 2006: “All our flights for November-December this year have waiting lists,” Thai Airways’ reservation desk crew told ExWeb. “Flights for 2007 departing from Bangkok are still open though.” This information is also valid for Lufthansa’s flights, operated from Bangkok by Thai Airlines.

Qatar Airways reported, “occupation is rather high, but there are still seats available in all classes for most flights programmed from Jan 2007. As for November this year, planes are full -something to be expected since it is high season. Right now there are a few spare seats on some flights, but those passengers wishing to change their flights may have problems to find a place for a specific date, most of all on economy class.”

British Airways also confirmed seats are available on flights from Delhi and Bahrain to Kathmandu - operated by associated companies. “Obviously, these seats can get occupied at any moment – we recommend to reserve flights as soon as possible,” BA crew said.

Nepal's King Gyanendra took absolute power on February 1, 2005. Opposition grew among political parties, with 7 of them forming the Seven Party Alliance against the monarch. The Alliance organized a series of protests and called for a general strike in April 2006.

The King tried to minimize the effects of protests by establishing intermittent curfews and using force against demonstrators, but his measures only served to further fuel the unrest. On the 19th day of the general strike, with several demonstrators killed, hundreds injured, a serious raw goods shortage, and a paralyzed Kathmandu, the King finally bowed to international pressure and restored the House of Representatives (dissolved in May 2002) by royal proclamation on April 24.

The Seven Party Alliance (SPA) called off the general strike and unanimously nominated Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala to head the new government. The 85-year-old Koirala also held the post of Premier after the 1991 general elections.

A few days later, Maoists and Parliament agreed on a ceasefire. The new parliament rushed to cut the King's power and budget.

On Friday June 16, Nepal's Premier Koirala and Maoist leader Prachanda met and decided to work together towards a peaceful resolution. Peace talks have since come and gone – without too much agreement, whilst Maoists groups and radical unions are taking advantage of the lack of authority of security corps, thus making their own law based on threats and extortion.

By the end of October 2006, Maoists decided to extend their so-called ceasefire by three more months (until February 2007), "on behalf of the peace project." There are no signs though of the rebels stopping many of their mobster-like activities. Their cadres keep demanding "tax" from foreigners in the Khumbu valley, Annapurna area and along other popular trekking trails.

At the same time, gangs are organizing in several areas of the country. With two large groups of foreign trekkers recently being robbed in the vicinity of Makalu, according to newsreports.

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