DELHI VIEW

Why doesn't New Delhi arrest the militants using its soil to prolong the conflict in Nepal? ('Delhi view', #372). That would show it is really serious in resolving current problems. I feel uneasy when Delhi wants to prevent the UN from trying to contact terrorists creating havoc in Nepal and derailing the peace process, then complains about the UN trying to resolve these matters. What really worries me is that we are becoming an Indian protectorate. It's none of Delhi's business to tell Nepalis how long to keep UNMIN and how they should work.

Sandeep Dhungana,
Birmingham, UK

. How did we ever get to this? A nation that can't feed 250 million of its own people gets to decide what our national interests are? I blame the politicians, every single one of them, for letting inept Indians call the shots.

Sharina Dahal,
email

. Declaring a republic from the present house would sow a seed of discontent, which would eventually lead to anarchy. All said and done, there is still a certain percentage of the population in this country which endorses the monarchy, apart from a majority of the people who still think the fate of the monarchy should be decided by a fresh mandate. Over the past one-and-a-half years the king has explicitly aided the peace process by not trying to use all his rights as a monarch. Until proven otherwise, one should respect this. The king also expressed his delight over the peace deal. Dethroning him without the verdict of the people would be a gross injustice. The political parties have overstepped the mandate of the April movement to decide on the future of the monarchy. This is tyranny in the name of loktantra.

PB Rana,
email

. The king is a human being and a Nepali and has his own rights and beliefs. He should be free to practise them ('Happy king', #372). If the constituent assembly was held as scheduled, it would be better for the people and the king. But till then, he is a free man. There are people like us,
the silent majority, who support the monarchy.

Name withheld,
email

. It's really frustrating to read your editorials each week about what the
Maoists, monarchists, madhesis or 'mahamahims' are doing. In this appalling state of politics the players are behaving like 10-year-old kids. My complaint with the media is that you always make suggestions about making changes but are afraid of being proactive even though you have so much power and ability. The media community should start a non-aligned, non-political, non-biased, Nepal-centric civil movement so we can take ideas to the people to find solutions.

Rishav Shrestha,
Geneva

. If the Maoists want to be seen as a legitimate political force, they have to renounce violence once and for all. Every law-abiding, democratic and progressive Nepali must openly condemn the Maoist actions. They threaten democracy.

K Kishore,
email

MENTAL HEALTH

Your full page coverage on mental health ('Stigma therapy', #372) is most welcome. Nepali Times has raised the issue of a mentally ill person's rights which for so long has been neglected and excluded from the human rights agenda in Nepal. A person experiencing a mental illness can be very vulnerable. Family, doctors and the DAO make decisions usually without the involvement of the mentally ill person. As a result, people are locked away, men lose property and women are excluded from marriage. Is this not a violation of fundamental rights? The question arises: How can the rights of a mentally ill person in Nepal be protected? Who is responsible to ensure this happens? Mental health is not just a medical issue but also a legal as well as a social issue.

It is essential that the rights of a mentally ill person are appropriately defined for Nepal. This raises a further question: Who should be involved in this process? Here, there may be something to learn from the experience of developing mental health legislation in my native Scotland where lawyers, human rights defenders, psychiatrists, mental health nurses, psychologists, social workers and people with experience of mental illness all participated and contributed to the development of the legislation.

In Nepal where is the space for people who experience mental illness to raise their voice?

Gael Robertson,
Dhobi Ghat

NOT US

I was concerned to see the name of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) connected to Internship Nepal in the article 'Gap year ripoffs' (#372). As Executive Director I can tell you that the NPPA does not endorse this program nor does it promote it. At one point a few years ago this internship was listed as an opportunity on our site www.nppa.org. After we received a few complaints from our members who applied for it, we removed the listing and have denied its listing since. The NPPA has been known for professionalism and integrity for over 60 years. I would hate to think that your readers would associate us with any disreputable organization. There are many beneficial opportunities for our members as well as many other benefits and we take pride in protecting the interests of our members and visual journalists as a whole.

Jim Straight, Executive Director, NPPA
Durham, NC, USA

. I found 'Gap year ripoffs' very prescient. Four years ago, I went through an organization called Rural Community Development Program Nepal. We paid $250 on our arrival and then about $250 a month for food and housing. The initial $250 covered the first two weeks in which we studied Nepali, and then went to a village to meet the people living there. I was supposed to work in a community forest very close to the Chitwan National Park in a village called Jankauli where I would work in the nursery, replant trees, maintain the forest and so on.

Unfortunately when I got there, I was told it wasn't planting season, so there was basically nothing for me to do. I had been in contact with my organization quite a lot before coming to Nepal and they never warned me I wouldn't be doing conservation work.

We learned that the family, which was very poor, only got Rs 700 per month, which I thought was negligible. We sure wondered where the rest of our $250 went, and we heard one of the owners of the organization was based in Malaysia and had a new, rather stylish office. I was sceptical of organizations that offered such "volunteer" work even before going to Nepal, and I am even more sceptical now.

Lina H?llstr?m,
Caracas, Venezuela

Overall I agree with Artha Beed's columns, but he is sometimes too pass?, like in his last column ('Cart before the horse', #372). He writes: 'The mortgage and sub-prime issues leading to a dip in the housing market resulted in lower consumer spending and threatened to send the entire economy into a spin.' Actually, mortgage and sub-prime are not two different issues. Sub-prime mortgage, a risky lending practice to customers with below par credit ratings, is affecting the housing market in the US. Secondly, the issue of how much sub-prime mortage is going to affect the US economy is still contentious. Contrary to what the Beed suggests, the US economy grew strongly in the last quarter, buoyed by a surge in consumer spending.

Santosh Pokharel,
Charlottesville, VA, USA

POLL

Your internet poll about the fuel price hike didn't give any real option to vote on (#371). And in the current poll (#372) you have GPK, PKD and King G to choose from about whom to blame for unsuccessful elections. Good luck with your three choice options. Could it be that the media is at fault for elections not happening?

Name withheld,
email

THE ASS

The Ass is right as usual about opening momo shops at our embassies abroad to pay for their upkeep ('Mad tea party', #372). May I strongly urge His Political Highness Girija Babu to immediately recall the Nepali ambassadors to the US, UK and India, in that order, and send restaurateurs as plenipotentiaries. Teetotallers must have preference, given the Nepali penchant for delirious drinking. I would even suggest limiting the candidature to real New Road momo shop owners only.

Surya B Prasai,
Maryland, USA

. The Ass for president!

Gyan Subba,
Kumaripati