Apropos of the news story “Number of Nepali youths leaving for foreign destinations on the rise” (THT, December 7, Page 3), if there is any industry that will change the economic face of our country, it is migrant labour and migrant labour alone. Agriculture, hydro, tourism will absorb a few workers here and there, mostly on partial basis, but all these three combined will never be able to replace migrant labour as the top employer on full time basis at an average monthly salary of Rs. 25,000 or more. Recently news on booming hotels or pollutants if you like, on the periphery of Chitwan National Park quoted a braggadocious trader of nearly 200 hotels employing 2000 odd workers in total! That is 10 workers a hotel! As it will take the new government to be formed after the historic December 7 election at least half a century to settle down, let alone come up with revolutionary economic programmes, Nepal should target to dispatch at least 70% of youth under 65 years on foreign employment for our prosperity. The employment scene in the country is bleak. Recently some employees were retrenched by a shoe ‘industry’ citing growing losses from low sales. A woman who lost her 8,000 a month job pleaded for my help. The politicians should give up their guile pretense of unlimited employment in the country if they are voted to power. Their coming into power will not change anything. Nepal can turn foreign employment into the equivalent of Thailand tourism or Bangla garment to yank the country off the vicious circle of poverty. There is no other way.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Autism

This is with reference to the news story “Vision problem rife among kids with Down syndrome” (THT, December 6, Page 2). The news entitled needs some corrections on comments by Surendra Bajracharya. In the news there is his opinion and his words too. But the description he had given is about “Autism” not “Down Syndrome”. So instead of “Down Syndrome”, it should be “Autism”. Please correct it as this is a totally wrong information. I would be obliged if you could make the needed

corrections.

Dr Lalita Joshi, Down Syndrome Association of Nepal

Chikungunya

Apropos of the main article “Fatal Chikungunya virus emerging in Nepal” (THT, December 6, Page 8), it is really horrible to learn that the disease of fatal kind has yet not been controlled in Nepal. Through there are epidemiological concerns the government is not very active for what needs to be done. This sort of disease may be harmful to our lives very devastatingly if not taken in a serious light. I am very delighted that the writer who is an expert on epidemiology has shed light on issues like this which is needed to be known by the people and the government for taking precautionary measures in the days to come. The government must give serious attention towards controlling it before

it is too late.

Shiva Neupane, Melbourne