Rolpa - The Maoist campaign to counter propaganda that they are hostile to US citizens met with a little providence through Brad Workman, a Florida journalist, who came to report from Rolpa but fell very ill on the trail. Workman had acute dysentery and high fever as he tried to reach Thawang, the headquarters of the Maoist- declared Magarat Autonomous Regional Government. After walking for days, he meet some rebels who took him to a medical team. "I didn't think I would fall ill but I was lying only semi-conscious when a team of Maoist medical personnel aided me," says Workman. He was treated under the direction of Santosh Budhamagar, head of the rebel-controlled area, who said, "Although the party does not allow US journalists into our territory, it was our moral responsibility to help."

Workman asked the Maoists to let him use their satellite phone to call a rescue helicopter. "I told them that I wanted to see my mother's face before I died," recalls Workman. After recovering from his illness, he returned to Nepalganj on foot. The rebels didn't accept any money. Workman is a freelance reporter and a member of US Photo Journalists' Association. (Nepalnews.com)