UH-oh! My Hotel Got Bombed Today-Bad Sign?

[Skeleguy]

My wife is getting kind of skittish about me going to Nepal Since the Convention Hotel I was supposed to be staying in got bombed today. Or, she would be if I told her that it happened (Crown Plaza Kathmandu). My thought is that this was just a little flash bang to get at the royal Fam (they own a part of the hotel) and at the management that would not negotiate with the Maoists. The convention is moving to other hotels, which do not share the above charachtaristics, and should be marginally safer than a long car ride in the US. Anyone have any good LOCAL Nepal/CURRENT info?

Thanks
Skele

[crotalus01]

i would stay at the bombed place, but i would negotiate a REAL good price on my room...."Well, after all you DID just get bombed, so why should I pay $xxx for that room? you should be grateful that ANYONE is staying here!"
think about it....how often do you hear of a hotel getting bombed multiple times in a week or month long period? i dont think that has even happened in Iraq (our bombs excluded of course)...

[fgmsociety]

The Europa Hotel in Belfast is the most bombed hotel in Europe....just in case you get that question in Trivial Pursuit....bombed repeatedly during the troubles, almost everytime it was rebuilt.

[RYP]

Would depend if it has a history of being bombed or if they have bombed other hotels before and since. Keep in mind that they are bombing tourist hotels. Not to kill but to remind folks there is a war going on. It wont take them long to realize that kidnapping feringhis is gonna generate some serious press coverage and coin.

[Stiv]

We stayed at the Soltee for a night or two. Got the F out because of the price, which we knew in advance but we just needed a place to start. I remember it as gated and relativly secure. We then moved to a new place called the Gypsy which was 1/10 of the price (Like most KMD places) and it was far off on a back street with a view of the "Monkey temple". Nice cheap place far from any bombable targets.

You should be ok sounds sporadic at best. There is always a random risk but these incidents sound like pot shots at the royals and thier interests. Driving and flying and eating will be far riskier.

Best,
Stiv

[Land Rover]

i think it's impossible to gauge the safety of one hotel over the other...although they are targeting tourist hotels, they certainly aren't looking for you and it is mostly a matter of bad luck and bad timing if you happen to be there.

although my instinct is to stay at the recently bombed hotel....it's like skiing in avalanche country...the safest place to ski is over the avalanche debris....however, mother nature is unpredictable at best.

[Skeleguy]

Latest from Nepal...
The current development at the proposed venue Hotel, Soaltee Crowne Plaza has been very disappointing and a matter of concern for all of us. We would like to give some feedback on the particular incidence, its implications and our suggested course of action.

The incident that occurred at the Soaltee hotel needs to be understood a bit carefully before we derive broader implications out of it. The trade union wing of the Maoists have narrowed around 11 companies in Nepal which have some relations with the Royal family. One of these companies happened to include Hotel Soaltee, where they exploded the bombs in order to enforce their call for closure of these companies. Although the bombs exploded were insignificant in terms of their power but definitely got the message across and forced the hotel to close down. These moves have been of symbolic nature, carefully done to ensure no damage to lives or property.

Doesn't sound too bad, I'm going.

It is still the policy of Maoists not to harass the tourists or normal civilians. Till date, there have been no incidences of Maoists targeting the tourists or civilians.

The implications however of the above situation have been adverse for WOCO2004 hosting in Nepal. The fact that the same hotel selected by us happened to be targeted in a country already in the limelight of the media will naturally generate concerns amongst the participants.

All of us at Round Table Nepal involved in preparation of WOCO2004 have taken this seriously and understand the hesitation one might have on attending the event. Our efforts are now to report the correct situation as it is and let the participants decide on their own. Their decisions will determine the success or failure of this event.

We have not left any stone unturned to make sure that this event is a memorable one and ensure security to our ability. The first move towards this has been change of the Venue Hotel from Soaltee Crowne Plaza to some other hotel of equal standing. One hotel being considered is the Hyatt Hotel, which although is a bit further from city center, it has world class amenities to offer. It is a resort hotel spread in a vast area with modern rooms, a very nice spa/ sport and convention facilities etc.

May we also add here some information that we think is relevant to our event. There is a seminar being held in Kathmandu on 2nd of September by the Confederation of Nepalese Industries. The seminar will have VVIP’s attending from all over the world including personalities like Mr. Mahathir Mohammad of Malaysia, Deputy PM of Thailand, heads of chamber of commerce from various countries.

At this juncture where we are less than 20 days away from the main event, we think that we have done all that we could in order to make this WOCO a grand success. However, the final success depends on how the participants feel.

Sanjay Golchha - President Round Table Nepal

[Skeleguy]

Nepal rebels target cities in final push -Straits Times
The Maoists, who have blockaded the capital, are adopting a ruthless game plan practised by Peru's shadowy militants
KATHMANDU - The blockade of the capital declared by Nepal's Maoist rebels echoes the tactics of Peru's shadowy Shining Path militants - the ruthless movement upon which they model themselves. Like the Shining Path rebels, who waged a battle of more than a decade to forge a peasant revolution, they seek to rule the countryside and now are boldly attacking big towns and even the capital. Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikary appealed to the rebels yesterday for talks to end the two-day-old stand-off as food prices began to rise.
Nepalese officials said the uprising had claimed at least 10,000 lives, but the toll could be much higher as the Maoists carried off their dead and wounded. The Maoists, who were blockading the capital using fear rather than force, in 1996 launched their struggle to overthrow the monarchy and feudal caste-ridden system and turn it into a communist 'People's Republic'. Their leader, Prachanda, or the Fierce One, has promised an agrarian takeover. Analysts see the uprising as the biggest threat to the world's only Hindu kingdom, sandwiched between China and India, since it became a democracy 14 years ago.
New Delhi also fears the revolt could spill over to India, where security forces were battling ultra-leftists in the states of Bihar, Jharkand and Andhra Pradesh, creating a 'red corridor' from Nepal.
Nepal's rebels get their inspiration from Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong's struggle against landowners. But they draw their strategy from the Shining Path, largely dormant since the arrest of its leader Abimael Guzman in 1992. Guzman had said that the 'taking of the cities' would mark the last chapter of the insurrection.
The movement took root in Nepal's remote feudal western valleys and grew as the Maoists began raiding police posts, snatching weapons to build an arsenal. Now, the Maoists say they control 70 per cent of the countryside, including the plains and lowlands of the Terai, known as Nepal's breadbasket - claims contested by the government.
Even though Prachanda belongs to the same high castes who govern Nepal and are dubbed 'parasite classes' by the Maoists, his support base is among the lowest castes. Money comes from village taxes and sympathisers' contributions. Nepal has been fertile ground for unrest. While Kathmandu boasts casinos and packed shops, most Nepalis live in rural areas on 60 US cents (S$1) a day.
Land ownership is seen as a means to prosperity in Nepal, but feudal ownership of land excludes many Nepalis from owning property. But human rights activists say the Maoists' support has been eroded by merciless killings, intimidation and torture.

[SRR]

Speaking as an avid LPer, I don't mind if the crazy locals are killing each other as long as it doesn't affect my mountain trek or my ability to find a shitty hostel.... and some decent weed.