National crisis

The biggest crisis facing our country today is the Maoist insurgency. The Maoist problem should be solved as soon as possible to prevent Nepal from descending into a civil war. But the government is acting irresponsibly and seems indifferent about starting a meaningful peace process. The inconsiderate statements by the likes of Kirtinidhi Bista only worsen the situation. How can Bista say that we don’t need international mediation when all attempts at a peaceful resolution by the actors inside the country have failed? Lakhdar Brahimi, the special advisor of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, left Nepal without much hope due to such a rigid stance of the government.

Multiple rounds of negotiations between the Maoists and the political leaders have been fruitless too. The recent statement of the Maoist leader Prachanda has also made it clear that the rebels are ready for UN mediation. It is undoubtedly better to solve this crisis

ourselves but this approach is clearly not working. So there was no reason to turn down the UN offer. The current regime is neither taking concrete steps to help resolve it nor is it ready for international help. Hence, it is the political parties who should push for a UN mediation.

Laxman Khanal,

Ghattekulo

Good job

The Himalayan Times captures a broad range of topics and its news and articles are relevant and informative. This is what makes THT very popular. I have been a regular reader of THT for the last three months and it has been a great ride so far. However, if you could include more articles and stories about famous personalities, it would be even better.

Harman Prasad Aryal, Gaushala

Alarming

This is in response to the news “Irate village mob butchers seven Maoists” published in THT on July 26. People are losing their patience as the level of Maoist atrocities rise. This incident should be a reminder to both the Maoists and the army that common people are no longer to be taken for granted. Both sides in the conflict claim to be fighting for the good of the people, but in the light of the recent backlashes in various places, can the Maoists be so sure of the people’s support? Or can the security forces claim that they have been able to

provide security to all the Nepalis? As the level of rights abuse and disappearances continue, there is bound to be a spike in similar incidents. When the patience snaps, it is invariably replaced by anger.

Ajit Sharma, Gairidhara

No cricket

Your news “Cricket ruled out of Doha Asian Games” published on July 26 caught my attention. I believe that the game of cricket is unsuitable for events like the Olympics and the regional games. Cricket events are difficult to organise. First, the pitch has to be prepared months in advance, which is not always easy for a new cricket venue like Doha.

Second, the games can easily be interrupted due to weather conditions.

Anyway, I see little point in playing with the second-tier teams. Hence the Asian Games Organising Committee is right in suspending cricket from the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.

Sagar Subba, via email