The country is waiting with baited breath to see if the elections, now scheduled for April 10, will actually take place this time, or if a new reason will be found to postpone it. The elections were postponed twice last year. The current election plans resulted from a significant agreement between the Maoists and the main-stream political parties to declare Nepal a republic, but that this would have to confirmed by voting. The swing for Nepal from being a kingdom, to simply being a "country" (as is currently) to being a republic is extremely significant and is a major change.
Terai Unrest
As things seem to be relaxing on the Maoist issue, another deep problem has raised its ugly head. There is currently a lot of unrest in the Terai and fears are beginning to arise that this could cause the elections to be postponed yet again. The unrest seems centred around a long standing tension between those living in the plains of the Terai, the Madhesis, and those from the hill country, the Pahadesis, who have predominantly been in power. The Madhesis have their own factions but generally they after more political representation and even autonomy. Life in the Terai has been dominated by protests, violence and the usual bhundhs (shut-down strikes). The East-West Highway is precarious to travel, even when it is open. You may want to reconsider travelling to the Terai right now, even though tourists are not directly under threat - there is likely to be disruption in some way or the other. If you intend travelling between Darjeeling and Kathmandu you may want to consider flying between the border town of Kharkhavitta and Kathmandu to avoid travelling on the East-West Highway. It still seems possible to travel to Chitwan relatively safely, though your journey may be delayed by strikes along the way, or elsewhere.
Maoist encounters on trek
There have been reports again of the Maoists asking trekkers to make a "donations" in the Annapurna and Everest regions. This does not seem to be occurring consistently as some trekkers are reporting that they did not meet any Maoists on trek. Towards the end of last year a Swiss tourist unfortunately was beaten up by the Maoists at Birethanti on the Annapurna trail. It seems he obstinately refused to give money to the Maoists and the situation became confrontational. I believe that often one can simply refuse the Maoists politely. Try not to engage them and walk on. If the situation is threatening or of they persist in a way which is disruptive then rather try bargaining down the price than refusing to pay.
TIMS
A new system for registering information about trekkers venturing out on trek has been introduced. The Trekkers Information Management System (TIMS) is aimed at collecting information which would be important to have should trekkers go missing, get injured or die in the mountains. It is also aimed at trying to control unregistered trekking agencies. This system should be understood in the context of a previous attempt at this in 2006, which was called the Trekking Registration Certificate (TRC). The difference between the two is that the independent trekker has once again been acknowledged. The TRC was only available through a trekking agency (in a way forcing you to hire guide or porter), whereas the TIMS is said to be free of charge from the Nepal Tourism Board offices at Bhrikuti Mandap, or through a trekking agency. Though there is still some uncertainty and lack of clarity among independent trekkers concerning this, it seems the lessons of the TRC have been learned. The independent trekker has been taken into consideration, and hopefully this will remain so. Bear in mind that you will still need to get the other usual entry permits where applicable and that they are not issued from the same place. As with the other permits, you should keep the TIMS permit with you whilst on trek and you may be asked to produce it at check posts.
Many tourists are wondering if they should still travel to Nepal right now, and the current fuel-shortage crisis (due to strikes) is not helping either! I believe it's more a question of convenience rather than personal safety. Go and visit Nepal, it's had worse times during which tourists were still able to travel. Your itinerary may simply be affected in some or the other because of the disruptions. Hopefully the fuel crisis will soon be over as some fuel tankers have reached Kathmandu again.
All in all I believe Nepal remains a fascinating destination and if you can manage with possible disruptions, or even find them adventurous, then by all means do not change your plans to go there.
Should you want to follow more of what is happening in Nepal, there are some excellent news sites listed under our Nepal links.
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