MISTAKE
The new interim government has made a mistake by keeping Krishna Prasad Sitaula on as home minister. He's already had the position, and proved incapable of maintaining peace and security. It's entirely probable that the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum will use his continued presence in the government as a reason to start their anti-peace activities again, and disrupt the upcoming election.

Navin,
email

PASANG
Your interview with Nanda Kishore Pun ('Nepal is being Sikkimised', #342) was depressing. Pun may be articulate and relatively smart, but why does a teacher have to become a fighter?

A Adhikary,
email

TWO MPs
Kudos to Mallika Aryal for her thoughtful, detailed comparison of the lives of Shanti Pakhrin and Devi Khadka ('A tale of two MPs', #342). Khadka is clearly in the wrong, but Aryal is correct to humanise her. We need to understand people like this and the things they do if we are to move on. As for Shanti Pakhrin, I suppose I will never understand whether it is nobility of spirit that keeps her from confronting Khadka, or a similar adherence to the party line. Of course it's her tragedy and her choice, but I can't help feeling that we need more individual cases to really comprehend the devastation of the last decade. We have one Maina Sunar. Why not also a Buddhi Man Pakhrin?

Name withheld,
email

. I started reading 'A tale of two MPs' with scepticism, and came away with a deeper understanding of the human cost of the war. This is exactly the kind of journalism we need, parallel to hard news. Give Mallika Aryal a gold star or a raise.

Hari Rai,
email

. 'A tale of two MPs' shows vividly how big a credibility and trust gap the Maoists have to overcome. They may have excuses for everything, but their lame justifications don't fly. And the Nepali people are not idiots.

Shanti Basnet,
email

MISSING WOMEN
In his weekly columns Daniel Lak's recurrent words of wisdom from Canada for both Nepalis and Westerners living in Nepal is very interesting to read. However in your last issue ('Where are the women?', Here and there, # 342) he mentions that Nepali women are so neglected that they work in the fields even with toxic shock syndrome (TSS) or chronic prolapse of the uterus. With TSS, unlike uterine prolapse, you are at death's door and unlikely to be working in the field because it may be hard to even stand up! I caught this fallacy because I am in the medical profession. I hope Mr Lak does not always paint with such broad strokes.

Buddha Basnyat,
Kathmandu

. Thank you, Daniel Lak.I knew it would take a non-Nepali man to write that article, because most Nepali men and women don't feel the same way or if they do, don't care to write it. For most, Nepali women should be subservient, silent, and have few opinions. Nepal rails and strikes against every other problem, but there's no voice calling to uproot the ancient patriarchal system that is so entwined with Hindu culture.

Monika Acharya,
email

.The lives of urban Nepali women are just as shocking as those of women in rural areas. A woman wakes up, rushes to the kitchen to prepare the morning meal, at the same time helps her children get ready for school, and then goes to work. Meanwhile, her husband spends hours chatting in the teashop. No matter how useless his conversation, the man has a platform to share his ideas and is allowed to express his opinion whether it comes from rational thought or baseless assumption. A woman would be excluded from the conversation, because "what does she know about things besides home and family", and her thoughts are "superficial". I also appreciate that Daniel Lak acknowledges how the media and INGOs usually glorify women from influential Kathmandu families, rather than the unsung heroes. A woman's identity should not be influenced by father's business and husband's popularity.

Bobby Limbu,
Hanoi

BUSINESS UNUSUAL
Ashutosh Tiwari is quite right in saying that we need to find comprehensive, multi-faceted ways to sell our country abroad ('Presenting Nepal', Strictly Business, $342). It would be good if people like himself started to help out. The ideas are there, obviously. Why not put your money where your mouth is?

Bibek Thapa,
email

ALL A-TWITCHER
I see the Ass has a new name for the man variously known as Chhabilal, Pushpa Kamal, Prachanda, The Fierce One, The Awesome One, The Man with the Scary Moustachios etc (he's beginning to sound like The Artist Formerly Known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince). The Twitchy One indeed. It's appropriate-in his years as a pseudo guerrilla, I'm sure Dahal learnt well the advantage of being a moving target.

AN,
email