PEACE TRAIN

Your editorial today ('Peace train', #380) says: 'Still, from now till April there are three spoilers. Monarchists will try their damnedest to not allow elections to happen, an escalation in madhes violence would be a problem, and the wild followers of the Maoists will have to be defanged."

Are you naively suggesting that the previous elections couldn't be held because the king conspired against them? If not, why would he do anything now, if he did not before? The fact is the seven plus Maoists is such a load of incompetents that even if the king does nothing, they will not be able to hold elections. As you say in your edit: 'The government that can't ensure supply of essential commodities, arrange garbage disposal in the capital, guarantee freedom of movement and can't check crime is susceptible to sabotage by society's malcontents."

Bhuwan Sharma,
email

YETI

'Chemo' is a very bad phonetical equivalent for the Tibetan 'dred mo', a Sherpa pronunciation would be ''Chemo or yeti,' Nepali Pan, #380) I'm first surprised by the presence of a Tibetan collared bear in Pharak. I know the area since my wife is from there and brown bears are relatively common in the high lateral valleys. I agree that modern yeti lore is based on 'dremo' stories. Years back, elder Khumbu Sherpas claimed that there were still some resident bears in Khumbu. The last one I heard about was in the beginning of the 1980's, when a dremo attacked horses and cattle in the Mingbo area and the next day seriously wounded a Pangboche villager. But definitely, yetis are not animals, but more supernatural beings associated with the great mountain gods of Khumbu. I also know well the area north of Jomolangma, local people consider dremos to be extinct there. But according to nomads of Northern Tibet, these animals (like all bears) can travel considerable distances at night.

Marceau Reda,
Paris

DEVELOPMENT

In the past, most of the nation's investment has been geared toward big cities like Kathmandu. But big cities have their own resources to be utilised wisely for their own development. The government needs to take care of us in the districts. We villagers are subsidising the fuel for SUVs, motorbikes, and cars that, rich people use in the cities. Nepal is a country where most people live in remote areas, and lack water supply, schools, and other basic infrastructure. The $500 million for the Melamchi project ('Revisiting a multi-purpose Melamchi', #379) should be invested in remote areas. We can learn from the Adhikhola project about multi-purpose of resources. The time has come to reframe development issues.

P Neupane,
Syangja

TIA

Akiko Tanaka, what you went through was not at all acceptable ('Airport attack,' From the Nepali Press, #380). If you had been outside the airport other people might've seen and helped you. Even as a Nepali, I have been needlessly harassed by immigration officials who ask me for documents I don't need to produce. I believe that some customs officers at the TIA create unnecessary problems, especially for people who are leaving for overseas employment.

Shiv,
email

. Tribhuban International airport is a den of dakas. What Akiko Tanaka went through is a shame and we must all apologise to her as a nation. But who will protect us Nepalis from the rapacious police officers at security who want to take money out of our wallets, ask for bribes from tourists so they can retain the brass idols bought in Thamel, or refuse to allow us to board the plane because we don't have a 'sponsor letter'?

Gyan Subba,
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AAJA NACHLE

Who made you a film critic, Diwas Kc? There are many people who thought Aaja Nachle was fantastic, including me ('Outside the box', Critical Cinema, #380). The only problem is that it was released after Om Shanti Om and Sawaariya. Maybe if Madhuri had starred alongside bigger actors, she would've gotten a larger audience. Madhuriji, chin up.

Name withheld,
email