A million tourists to Nepal

Four days ago the 'Visit nepal year' started with a massive parade in the center of Kathmandu. The target is set at a million visitors 2011 but many of us are sceptical. Yesterday Arum Simhaniya, the third media person in a less than two months was killed. According to local sources Simhaniya, who was on the board of directors of the media group publishing the daily paper Janakpur Today, was shot at close range and died on the spot. Journalist Uma Sing, working in the same media group for Radio today was stabbed to death on January 11. And media entrepreneur Jamin Shahs recent killing makes, however unrelated these crimes might turn out to be, a disturbingly high number of killed people working in journalism.

Add to this todays report from OHCHR Nepal reporting to the Human Rights Council in Geneva that the Nepali government's continued disregard towards issues of impunity and political development have pushed the peace process into an increasingly fragile state. The report which is sceduled to be presented at the Council on the 24 of March warns that the government and political parties are ignoring human rights issues and have failed to implement the vast majority of recommmendations made by the Commission. It further says that cooperation between human rights investigations, including those by OHCHR into conflict-related violations remains poor. And adds that "to date, not a singel perpetrator of major human rights violatios or abuses committe during the conflcit has been comvicted".

Meanwhile, deputy Priminister Koirala adressed the Human Rights Council at UNHRC in Geneva yesterday. Koirala adressed the government efforts to promote and protect human rights as well as Nepal's continued commitment to human rights.

While his speach might be mostly rethorical and not correspond with the OHCHR report it might show that there is an intention to put umounity higher up on the political agenda. This being possible,it is at the moment somewhat hard to reconcile the fact that the legal process of bringing perpetrators(from all sides)to justice is so slow. After all the peace agreement was signed four years ago.

So Visit Nepal Year might be an excellent and ambitious idea on paper for a war torn country with a unique scenary and culture, but it might be just a bit too soon.