Re: Nepal and Bhutan News and discussion
Posted: 17 Sep 2025 21:52
If you weren't sure who was responsible for the coup in nepal, this is an undeniable implication of who was behind it.

Consortium of Indian Defence Websites
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This 2014 image shows snipers leaving a building in central Kiev after they killed protesters to incite violence leading to an illegal coup and the rise of a far-right government that sparked the war with Russia. The man leading them, Parubiy, was assassinated later in Lvov.
Pakistan ex PM Imran Khan in jail
Bangladesh ex PM Sheikh Hasina in exile
Nepal ex PM Oli fled
Sri Lanka ex President Wickremesinghe arrested
Myanmar ex State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi jailed after coup
China ex President Hu Jintao abruptly removed from Party Congress
Report: $900 million US funding in Nepal signals regime change plot
Sunday, 14 September 2025
A new report warns that Washington’s more than $900 million commitment to Nepal since 2020 points to a deliberate US effort to reshape the Himalayan nation’s political order, as mass protests sweep the country.
The demonstrations, which killed at least 30 people, destroyed government and commercial properties, and led to Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli’s resignation, are widely viewed as a response to corruption, unemployment, and social media restrictions.
However, documents released by whistleblowers point to years of US-funded programs aimed at reshaping Nepal’s political landscape.
Internal documents obtained by the Sunday Guardian reveal that since 2020, more than $900 million in assistance has been directed to Nepal.
USAID alone committed $402.7 million through a Development Objective Agreement (DOAG) signed in May 2022, with $158 million disbursed by February 2025.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation, under a $500 million compact ratified in February 2022, had released only $43.1 million by early 2025, but projects continue under an extended timeline.
Key initiatives include Project 4150, “Democratic Processes,” funded at $8 million, and Project 4177, the “Democracy Resource Center Nepal,” fully funded at $500,000.
Civil society and media programs received $37 million, while adolescent health initiatives were allocated $35 million.
Critics warn that these programs, officially framed as civic, media, and health projects, also serve to influence political narratives and mobilize youth participation in governance.
The programs, run by US-based CEPPS consortium partners, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), International Republican Institute (IRI), and International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), focus on youth engagement, party democracy, governance, and election mechanics.
NDI, for example, trained activists in leadership and advocacy, while IRI conducted a 2024 national survey showing that 62% of Nepalis wanted new political parties, reflecting the grievances driving recent protests.
Observers note parallels with US-funded interventions in Bangladesh and Cambodia, where youth and civil society programs coincided with political unrest.
In Nepal, the combination of extensive funding, targeted programs, and youth engagement suggests that the country’s recent upheaval may have been influenced by US intervention.
So Biden started this crap. Career diplomats who have architected this are still in SDOTUS. On top of that, we have Hinduphobic beeches in the current administration.
For nearly two months, hundreds of containers loaded with festival-targeted goods have been stuck in Tibet after landslides and floods severed Nepal’s vital trade routes with China.
At the Rasuwagadhi border crossing, a flash flood from China in July swept away the Miteri Bridge and damaged customs facilities. The alternate Tatopani route has also been blocked by repeated landslides along the Araniko Highway.
China has become a critical supplier for Nepal’s festivals, especially for garments and decorative items. But with both Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani shut, traders are left with empty shelves.
“Around 1,500 containers have been stranded in Tibet for the past two months,” said Ram Hari Karki, president of the Nepal Trans Himalayan Border Commerce Association. “Not only Dashain goods, even Teej shipments never arrived in Kathmandu.”
The impact on markets has been devastating.
“As the goods did not arrive on time, we expect festive business to decline by 90 percent compared to last year’s volume,” Karki said.
Wholesalers, who typically receive goods from the northern border and distribute them across the country, say the flow has almost completely dried up.
An internal Nepal Police inventory has revealed that 1,276 rifles and pistols were looted and 98,491 rounds of ammunition are unaccounted for during the recent Gen G protest unrest, raising urgent questions about the use and control of lethal force.
The police document also records a shortfall of 1,315 rubber rounds. Police figures state that, across the two days of unrest, there were 2,220 instances of aerial firing and 3,323 uses of tear-gas canisters.
Given these figures, rights groups and legal observers say an empowered, high-level inquiry is now indispensable to establish how many rounds were actually discharged by security forces and how many were lost in the violence.
https://kathmandupost.com/visual-storie ... -tundikhelA special ceremony was held at the Nepali Army Pavilion, Tundikhel, to mark the Constitution Day on Friday.
The event was attended by President Ramchandra Paudel as the chief guest, along with Prime Minister Sushila Karki, Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, Speaker Devraj Ghimire, National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal and other dignitaries.
Unlike previous years, when a grand ceremony was organised, this year’s event was scaled down due to the recent political unrest. During the programme, security personnel showcased a march-past.
The third day of the Nepali month of Ashoj**, September 19 this year, is celebrated as the Constitution Day as the Constitution of Nepal was promulgated through the Constituent Assembly in 2015. The day is also marked as the National Day.
IMHO, India no longer makes these kinds of trinkets in such low cost/high volume and is infact dependent on China for the same...A_Gupta wrote: ↑21 Sep 2025 08:12 Where are the Indian traders filling in the gap?
For nearly two months, hundreds of containers loaded with festival-targeted goods have been stuck in Tibet after landslides and floods severed Nepal’s vital trade routes with China.
At the Rasuwagadhi border crossing, a flash flood from China in July swept away the Miteri Bridge and damaged customs facilities. The alternate Tatopani route has also been blocked by repeated landslides along the Araniko Highway.
China has become a critical supplier for Nepal’s festivals, especially for garments and decorative items. But with both Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani shut, traders are left with empty shelves.
“Around 1,500 containers have been stranded in Tibet for the past two months,” said Ram Hari Karki, president of the Nepal Trans Himalayan Border Commerce Association. “Not only Dashain goods, even Teej shipments never arrived in Kathmandu.”
The impact on markets has been devastating.
“As the goods did not arrive on time, we expect festive business to decline by 90 percent compared to last year’s volume,” Karki said.
Wholesalers, who typically receive goods from the northern border and distribute them across the country, say the flow has almost completely dried up.
https://kathmandupost.com/money/2025/09 ... isruptions
IMO, this does not reflect well on the competitiveness of Indian manufacturing. If there is more to be said on that, please in one of the economy threads.
President Ramchandra Paudel on Tuesday issued an ordinance to amend the Voter Registration Act to ensure that thousands of young voters from the Gen Z age group can exercise their franchise in the upcoming March elections.
The government had recommended the ordinance after Section 4, subsection 2 (2) of the Act barred voter registration once the election date had been declared.
Section 4, subsection 2 (2) of the Voter Registration Act, 2017, stipulates, “No person shall be registered in the voters’ list for the purpose of an election after the date of that election has been declared.”
Without the amendment, many first-time voters including those who spearheaded the recent political transformation would have been disenfranchised.
https://kathmandupost.com/money/2025/09 ... businessesRabi Shankar Sainju, former commerce secretary and trade expert, said, “Illegal imports from India to Nepal have increased significantly in recent years. With India’s latest GST, such activities are expected to double. The price of most goods has already fallen, making informal cross-border trade more attractive.”
For Nepalis working in various cities across India, returning home to celebrate Dashain and Tihar—two major Hindu festivals—has been a tradition.
As the country’s biggest festivals approach, almost every border point, bus terminal, and major highway is teeming with people heading home for the celebrations.
At the Gauriphanta, also called Trinagar border point in Sudurpashchim Province, alone, thousands of Nepali migrant workers are returning home daily to mark the festivals. Yet, even amid this festive rush, a significant number are also crossing in the opposite direction—leaving for India in search of work right before the festivals.
...
According to the Armed Police Force and other authorities monitoring the Gauriphanta border point, over 3,000 Nepalis are arriving in Nepal daily from India, while more than 1,000 Nepalis are leaving for India each day in recent times.
...
On both sides of the border, the faces of people waiting in line for security clearance looked weary. For many, the pain of leaving family just before Dashain weighed heavily; for others, the recent tightening of security following the unrest in Nepal meant longer, more stressful border checks.
“Who would want to leave home and go abroad right at the time of Dashain?” asked Saud. “But we have no other means to make a living. If I don’t return now, I might even lose the little work I have left in India.”
Nepali youth Bipin Joshi, who was abducted by Hamas militants 738 days ago from Israel, has been confirmed dead.
While it had been expected that he was alive, and some media had reported Joshi’s status as unknown, his name was not on the list when Hamas handed over the captives on Monday.
Some media reports including Al Jazeera and BBC, quoting Qassam Brigades, reported that the group would hand over bodies of four captives on Monday.
Qassam Brigades is the military wing of Hamas.
A statement released by Hamas’s armed wing identified the deceased captives as Guy Ilouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi and Daniel Perez.
Ten Nepalis were killed, five were injured, and one escaped unharmed in the 2023 attack. Joshi and a Thai national were taken hostage.
ViaThe BBC has been hearing about his heroic actions during the 7 October attack two years ago - that a friend says saved his life.
Joshi had been attending an agricultural programme in southern Israel when his group was attacked by Hamas. Ten students were killed while Joshi was captured.
Dhan Bahadur Chaudhary tells the BBC he survived the attack because of Joshi’s act of heroism.
“At the time of attack, two grenades were thrown near the bunkers," he recalls.
"He [Joshi] picked up one and threw it outside - one exploded inside. Due to that explosion, I and four others were injured. He was unharmed by that time. If both grenades had exploded, I would not have been speaking with you like this."
Chaudhary says “all of Nepal is in grief” after hearing the news of his death, adding that he hopes to visit Joshi's family to pay his respects.
“I returned to Nepal and I am studying at the moment, but his dreams remained unfulfilled,” he says.
Despite the Tatopani road being reopened after maintenance, China continues to send only a few containers to Nepal, leaving traders puzzled and frustrated over the slow flow of goods.
Traders said the limited number of containers being dispatched from the Tibetan border town of Khasa across Sindhupalchok feels like an unofficial blockade linked to political uncertainty in Nepal.
“Chinese authorities are sending just three to four containers daily from Khasa, and we don’t know the exact reason behind this. Sending such a small number is meaningless when hundreds of containers remain stranded on the Chinese side,” said Ram Hari Karki, president of the Nepal Trans Himalayan Border Commerce Association.
According to the association, around 900 containers loaded with festival-targeted goods have been stuck in China for nearly three months.
Karki said traders have repeatedly requested Nepal’s consul general in Lhasa, Laxmi Prasad Niraula, to take up the matter with Chinese officials and increase daily dispatches. “Even Niraula seems unaware of the reason behind the restricted flow, and efforts to initiate dialogue with Chinese authorities haven’t worked,” Karki added.
The Tatopani road reopened after Dashain, and traders say there are no significant obstructions. “If China had dispatched the containers regularly, most stranded vehicles would have arrived,” traders said.
In the Supreme Court alone, an estimated 20,000 case files – many without digital backups – were lost to the blaze, according to court spokesman Nirajan Pandey.
The Kathmandu District Court suffered even heavier losses. Some 445,000 files were incinerated, along with computers and hard drives that were either looted or burned amid the unrest.
“It’s suspicious that the crowds would target sections with the case files while not targeting other areas in both the courts, as if they were familiar with the buildings’ layout,” Baral told This Week in Asia.
...
While no conclusive evidence has emerged to prove the fires were deliberately set to destroy legal records, suspicions persist that some blazes may have been coordinated to destroy evidence in corruption cases.
Nationwide, 688 government offices, 259 private homes, 128 businesses, 198 political party offices and 307 police stations were vandalised or burned during September’s protests, according to official figures.
Initial estimates put the cost of the damage at up to 3 trillion rupees (US$21 billion) – nearly half of Nepal’s annual gross domestic product.
Many years ago on flight over Everest had seen gora tourists time and again accommodated earlier than our group despite the plane not being full. This secularism habit extends outwards too to our detrimentsanjayc wrote: ↑29 Sep 2025 08:25 ^^ Go to Nepal and these same people abuse Indian and Indians. Had a bad experience during my visits to Nepal. But the same people have no problem in freeloading in India. The problem is unrestricted access -- India being a dharamshala for everyone in the neighborhood, and everyone free to come and go as they please. They more difficult a country is to enter, the more it is held in respect.