"Revolutionary Fee", "People's Goverment Tax", "Donation" or Robbery? Maoist rebels demand money from tourists 2003 Humla: Maoists demand entry fee from tourists Dolpa - Makalu: Maoists demand entry fee Sankhuwasawa: Maoists demanded "donations" Makalu area: Barun National Park Taplejung: Britons trapped by Maoists Kangchenjunga area Kaski: Trekking to Jomsom and Mustang November 2003 Humla: Maoists demand entry fee from tourists The Maoist rebels have started charging the fee compulsory from each of the tourists to enter in the upper regions of Humla district. Each tourist has to pay US $ 100 for passing the Maoist checkpost. Even a tourist guide is compelled to pay 5,000 rupees to the Maoists. The government tourist tax is US $ 90 dollars per tourist for a period of one week, with 15 dollars for each additional day. October 2003 Maoists extorting money from tourists in Dolpa district and Makalu-Barun area Sankhuwasawa - Makalu area: Maoists collecting "entry fee" from tourists According to reports Maoist rebels are collecting forced donation or "revolutionary tax" from foreign trekkers, expedition teams and even from porters and guides entering the Mount Makalu Base Camp. A Maoist written red banner is hanging just below the Mount Makalu Base Camp at Seduwa and Tasi villages of the Makalu VDC. On that banner amounts of taxes are fixed for foreign tourists, guides, Sherpa cooks and porters to pay. Patrolling armed Maoists don't allow the visitors to proceed without paying them the fixed amount. Dolpa: Maoists extorting money from tourists According to reports Maoist rebels have started collecting donations from tourists visiting the northern part of Dolpa district. Officials said that the Maoist rebel fighters were collecting Rs 1,000 from every tourist visiting Upper Dolpo at Dho. The Maoists threatened to prevent the group from visiting the Upper Dolpo area. Sankhuwasawa: Once more - Makalu Barun National Park, Arun-Tal Makalu area: Tourists robbed by suspected Maoists - November 2002 Tourists who were trekking up to Makalu Valley (Arun Valley) from Tumlingtar towards the Mt. Makalu base camp reported that they had been robbed by members of the Maoist party. The Maoists understood most English and one of them spoke French as well. Out of the four one had a pistol, one was in army combat pants and the rest were mostly in casual dress. The Maoist asked for a "donation". The memebers of the foreing trekking group paid Rs. 4,000 each as per their "rate" for trekkers. Climbers were to pay more, may be Rs. 5000 or Rs. 6000. The Maoists also offered a helicopter ride for Rs. 7000 from Sheduwa to Makalu base camp. Makalu area - April 2002 Similar to the report from the Kangchenjunga area, mountaineers are said to "have been robbed" by well armed Maoist soldiers. The Maoists demanded a "donation" or a "fee" of NRs 10,000 per person plus equipment such as cameras and binoculars. The Maoists were not violent. After the "robbery" they gave their receipt. In the surrounding forests, many hundreds of Maoist soldiers could be seen. Remember: The Makalu Barun National Park has stopped its activities due to Maoist attacks more than two month ago. It is known that the Maoist forces are very active in the Arun Valley area (not only in the Num, Sedua and Tashi Gaon region). Taplejung - Kachenjunga area - Kaski - Kaligandaki Valley British montaineers trapped by Maoist rebels - October 2002 One of Britain's best mountaineers has been trapped by armed Maoist rebels while on a climbing expedition in Nepal's north-eastern Taplejung district. It is the second time in 2002 that British media have published reports on Maoist activities against tourist groups in Taplejung's Kangchenjunga area. A number of the group were stopped on the way up to the mountain by suspected Maoist rebels demanding a high amount of money in cash. The Britons were locked up and threatened they would be killed if they attempted to summon police or army personell. Earlier this year Nepali media have reported on Maoist attempts to collect money from tourist along the route to Manang. Kangchenjunga area - End of March 2002 Nepalis are as welcoming as ever, and though the Foreign Office advises travellers to check on possible trouble spots and steer clear of large gatherings, it is not saying "Don't go". The Maoists have kept to their word not to harm tourists? Knowing the well-being of many ordinary Nepalis depends on them - but there have been isolated robberies. Groups were "taxed" at gunpoint by the Maoist rebels. Westerners were not personally menaced. Tour agencies pays "donations" to the rebels and they got receipts from the guerillas. The receipts are usefull if stopped by any other rebel groups. The restriction on alcohol, demanded by the revolutionary women, was irksome but applied patchily. In some villages, beer was smuggled in after dark under a coat, while in the higher villages entrepreneurial Tibetans took no notice of the prohibitionists. Trekking to Jomsom and Mustang - October 2002 According to experts, the long trekking route to Jomsom is unsafe and dangerous due to Maoist activities in this area. Maoists have threatened some tourists who were on a trek to Mustang. The airway to Mustang may be quick but is quite dangerous. Domestic airlines prefer to fly tourists due to the difference in airfare for domestic and foreigners. Foreigners have to pay around Rs 2700. The airfare for foreigners is more than two times to that of Nepali passengers. Currently the private sector airlines along with the national flag carrier jointly flies a maximum of seven flights to Jomsom, which often get cancelled due to strong wind in Jomsom.