After six months in your country it is time for me to return to my own. Despite the unfathomable events I have witnessed in these past historical weeks, I leave with a warm assurance of the Nepali peoples' intelligence and honesty. When asked about 1 June I will begin by recalling how the people mourned their epic loss with admirable faith and dignity.

Lindsay Kaplan

United States

Rolpa's Bitter Lessons

The recent deployment of the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) in Rolpa and its quick withdrawal without any reported or unreported achievement is a mystery which time may unravel. However, the face-off between the army and the Maoists did anything but confirm the adage that "any action has an equal and opposite reaction". The only reports carried by the media, government and private, indicate that three RNA men were wounded and three of its helicopters were pretty badly damaged in shooting. There were no reports of Maoist casualties. Were there secret, unreported clashes in which Maoists suffered casualties, or were there only RNA casualties? It is na?ve to suggest that the critical press coverage is because of ignorance. The reasons are the remoteness of the area and the government's news blackout.

In an insurgency, military force ought to be applied surgically rather than abrasively, keeping in mind the principle of minimum force. An objective analysis of the event would show whether military force was applied properly. Finally, even if the government is fully aware of the variety of military options and applications available to it, tanks and artillery are rarely used in a counterinsurgency operation against your own countrymen.

Gyan Jung Thapa