Strike!

When I emerged this morning to stroll to one of my favourite cafes I was rather surprised to see what looked like a protest march going by. These were mostly young males, and most were carrying sticks. The police were obviously taking an interest, but letting it pass . I knew it was something significant when I saw one of the marchers make a point of grinding a Maoist flag into a puddle with his feet. Given their (Maoist and Young Communist League) history of violence and intimidation this is a provocative act.
I now discover that more-or-less the whole of Kathmandu is closed down today, and that it is all part of a continuing protest against the murder of Ramhari Shrestha (the same matter which brought traffic to a standstill the other day). Virtually all businesses are closed, except for some of the restaurants and internet cafes. A very few shops have remained open - but it is clear that they are ready to pull the shutters down at short notice. And there is hardly any traffic on the streets apart from a few rickshaws. This, at least, is good news, and the air is more breathable than usual.

To update you on the Namuna school project, I have agreed to do some work on the documentation for the School and the Trust which has established it. I have overcome the computer access issue by buying a 4GB memory stick and spending even more time in internet cafes. I've found a few which charge just 20 rupees per hour (that's about 15 pence). I'm just a bit envious though of those folks who can sit in the sunshine of the garden at the Kathmandu Guest House with their laptops and a cup of coffee.