By a staff reporter KATHMANDU- Nepal's mainstream media today facilitated the felicitation by our national leaders of the national leaders of Tonga on the happy occasion of the Pacific kingdom's national day. "We wish the people and government of Tonga prosperity and happiness on the occasion of its national day and we hope they can keep their heads above the water as sea levels rise around the world due to global warming," a communique said. The statement also added that Tonga and Nepal have a lot in common, but this reporter didn't quite catch what they were. Sorry.
Two tourists were captured while trying to sneak into Nepal at Tribhuvan International Airport without paying the mandatory $5 baksheesh surcharge on their visa fees recently instituted by immigration officials for those entering Nepal after 9:00 PM at night. The tourists later apologised profusely, and said they did not know the country was in a state of national conundrum.
In other news: Several miscreants were caught red-handed in the wee hours of Wednesday while making a public nuisance of themselves, and are currently cooling their heels at the local gaol. According to highly placed sources (including those located at altitudes of 6,000 m and above) the hardcores beat a hasty retreat while they were in the process of being nabbed, and have so far eluded a widespread dragnet. Security has been beefed up, and intense cordon bleu operations are going on to determine the exact extent of the mischief carried out by the perpetrators, if any, so that they can be brought to book without further ado.
"We have mooted a plan to quash anti-socialite elements and have taken stockpiles of the situation, and are currently working on the modalities of where other law-abiding citizens can work hand-in-glove in order to apprehend the ultras while in hot pursuit," another even-higher placed source opined. He told this scribe in the presence of other scribes, pharisees and philistines that it was a matter of great pride that boys from the flying squad had rendered a yeoman's service by mooting a cunning plan to quash the unseemly fracas breaking out in isolated parts of the kingdom towards late afternoon. Although the finger of suspicion has been pointed at the usual suspects, the presence of unusual suspects has not been completely ruled out, this being Nepal.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Prime Meridian turned on the heat at an unofficial bonfire at his official residence for local journos and visitors residing at the Hack & Yeti. On the occasion, he called on all the nation's governmental, un-governmental, quasi-governmental and pseudo-governmental organisations and non-organisations to lend a helping hand in formulating a new holisitic initiative to realise sustainable human development and genuine empowerment of the toiling masses. "Only by taking a bottoms-up approach and the bull by the horns of its dilemma can we create the necessary enabling environment to galvanise and vulcanise all sectors of society so we can ensure grass for all those at the grassroots by the year 2015," he said, adding, "the time has now come for more words, not mere action. Only by exhorting the people and encouraging them to achieve further successes in the all-round development of the country can we make a great leapfrog into the next millennium."
