DAHAlSPEAK
Pushpa Kamal Dahal should be made to write 'Actions speak louder than words' (Editorial, 'Business as usual', #416) PKD, repeat this three times every morning before going to work. We heard a lot of nice speeches from the Maoists, but their actions are completely the opposite. If you are committed to take the peace agreement to a logical end, this is the time to perfom and show your commitment rather than just paying lip service to democracy.

Ghanashyam Simkhada,
Singapore

* Maoists, Maoists, quite contrary. Prime Minister Dahal said the YCL would be disbanded within three weeks, it's been more than a month. They said they will not harm press freedom, and they killed journalist Birendra Sah and continue to intimidate district reporters. They took their own sympathiser, Ram Hari Shrestha, to a UNMIN-supervised cantonment in Chitwan and killed him after torture. The abductors of Dr Devkota's daughter hid at Shaktikhor after the police started looking for them. The YCL is waging a turf battle against the Youth Force for casino money. Corruption and criminality are too entrenched within the Maoist party for the government it leads to fulfil its promise of democracy and rule of law. There is only so much Home Minister Bam Debv Gautam can do.

Jit Ahdkiary,
Thapathali

IAN MARTIN
The UN, our neighbours and the rest of the world must continue to support the peace process and beyond. Ian Martin ('Remarkable peace', #416) should appreciate that it was the overwhelming desire for peace among the Nepali people that brought the peace process this far.

R Rai, Khotang

* What has UNMIN done in Nepal to deserve all that space for Ian Martin's self-glorification in Nepali Times? They raced around in their planes and SUVs all over the country spending huge amounts of money. The Maoists were cheating and beating up people right under UNMIN's nose during the elections and yet it was declared clean. The cantonments have become a den of criminals. And yet UNMIN manages to overstay its original mandate because it says integration of the two armies is not yet complete. It will be a happy day for Nepal when we see the last of this wasteful enterprise.

J Schnell,
Pokhara

* "Nepal's peace process has been truly indigenous: it has not been mediated or managed by any external party," says Ian Martin. So why did we need UNMIN here? What did they do since 2006 besides burn a lot of our scarce diesel?

Jagat Regmi,
Lazimpat

TREASON
'We are preparing for a possible armed struggle in the future. Our LVs (Limbuwan Volunteers) are undergoing training to use guns.' So says Sangjuhang Palugwa in 'US of Nepal'. How many federal states do we want? How many more armed struggles? People like this should be tried for treason.

Naradmani Sharma,
Chitwan

* In any other country, a person like Palugwa would have been tried for sedition and put behind bars. Here in the east we haven't seen an end to conflict because these radicals have blocked the highways for months on end in name of self-determination. How can Himal print such incitement to violence? You have crossed the line on freedom of press and given space to someone advocating violence and separatism.

Shanta Rai,
Dhankuta