Madness!
3 September, 2004
I just got back from my first real trek! I’m alive and well…tired! Kathmandu is much different then when I left. I only have an hour left (curfew), and I just arrived from my trek, so I gotta go. Write more when I can!
Peace!
This updated wardens’ message is being issued to alert American
citizens
that the US Embassy confirms that the Government of Nepal has called a
curfew effective 2:00 pm today. All American citizens should remain
indoors (home, hotel or place of employment) from 2:00 pm onward until
it is
confirmed that the curfew has been lifted.
The text of the message issued earlier today follows again below:
This wardens’ message is being issued to alert American citizens of
ongoing
civil unrest in and around Kathmandu and possibly other urban centers
in
Nepal in reaction to the tragic killing of 12 Nepalese nationals by
Ansar
al-Sunnah terrorists in Iraq on August 31. The Embassy strongly urges
all
Americans to maintain a low profile, to avoid all road travel in and
around
Kathmandu Valley, and to remain in their homes, hotels, or places of
work
until the situation stabilizes. The Nepalese authorities may institute
a
Valley-wide curfew as early as this afternoon.
As of 10:30am on September 1, 2004, the Embassy had received reports of
street mobs burning vehicles and looting Nepalese manpower companies.
Protestors have also set fire to the Jame Mosque near the old clock
tower in
downtown Kathmandu. While focused in areas around Ratna Park,
scattered
groups of protestors are demonstrating, burning tires and disrupting
traffic
throughout the city. Many parts of the Ring Road are closed down. The
possibility of violence, particularly against Muslims, is high.
For further information about security conditions in Nepal and guidance
on
recommended security measures to follow, American citizens are strongly
encouraged to refer to the Consular Information Sheet for Nepal, found
on
the Department of State’s home page at http://travel.state.gov and the
American Embassy in Nepal’s home page at http://www.south-asia.com/USA.
Specific information may also be obtained by calling the Embassy at
(977-1)
411-1179 and asking for the American Citizen Services unit of the
Consular
Section.
Tags: Nepal
Bear