http://www.terminalx.org/2012/09/us-military-nepal-army-to-conduct-operation-pacific-angel.html
US military and Nepal Army to jointly conduct 'Operation Pacific Angel Nepal' humanitarian ops
Sunday, September 09, 2012

Kathmandu: For the first time, Nepal Army and the US military, will conduct joint humanitarian assistance operations next week in Pokhara.

'Operation Pacific Angel Nepal' is a six-day project that will include medical, optometry, and construction programmes as well as various subject-matter expert exchanges, a US Embassy statement said.

The exercise will commence from September 10 in Pokhara and will be led by the United States Pacific Air Forces.

Around 150 Nepali and US military personnel along with Project HOPE doctors, local non-governmental organisations and military doctors from Australia and Mongolia, will support this operation to help improve the health and quality of life for Nepali communities and enhance regional cooperation, stability and security, the statement said.
...
This is the first time Operation Pacific Angel is being conducted in Nepal. This year, Pacific Angel has also been conducted in Laos, Vietnam, and the Philippines.  

related???:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/29/nepal-air-crash-uk-investigators
Nepal air crash: UK investigators head to Kathmandu


Jo Adetunji, Caroline Davies, Jason Burke in Delhi and Ishwar Rauniyar in Kathmandu
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 29 September 2012 06.29 EDT

Air Accidents Investigation Branch says it will send staff to look into accident that killed 19 passengers, including seven Britons...


The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was sending two staff to Kathmandu to assist local authorities looking into the accident, which killed all 19 passengers shortly after takeoff from Kathmandu airport.

The Britons, who were on a trekking holiday, were among those killed after the twin-engine propeller Dornier plane crashed in a field.

Initial reports suggested the plane had possibly hit a large bird but pilot error or a malfunction are now being investigated. Ratish Chandra Suman, an official from Tribhuvan international airport, said the pilot had reported trouble two minutes after takeoff and appeared to have been trying to turn back to the airport.

The plane crashed on the bank of the Manohara river at 6.18am on Friday in clear weather and witnesses said the plane was already on fire before it hit the ground.

Tributes were paid to the group of Britons, who included the lawyer Ben Ogden, 27, from Buckingham, an Oxford University graduate who worked for the international law firm Allen & Overy. He was on the Everest Base Camp trip to celebrate just having qualified. The firm said the young lawyer, who lived in London, "had an incredibly promising career ahead of him".

The Britons, named by the local travel company Sherpa Adventures, also included Timothy Oakes, 57, a married father and secondary school adviser for Lancashire county council. He loved mountaineering and was on the trip of a lifetime with an old school friend, his distraught wife, Angie Gaunt, said at the family home in Winwick, Cheshire. She added: "He was going because he always wanted to see Everest. If you love the mountains, it is the ultimate."
...

http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/kurakani-in-kathmandu/2012/09/11/busy-days-for-uncle-sam-in-kathmandu/
Busy days for Uncle Sam in Kathmandu
Posted by Utpal Parashar on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 8:38 pm

The US embassy in Kathmandu is buzzing with activity these days. Not that it remains quiet usually, but seven mails in my inbox from the embassy in six days indicate things are busier than routine.
 
Though Nepal’s two big neighbours China and India remain in focus for their engagement with Kathmandu, countries of the European Union and US too enjoy significant leverage in the Himalayan nation because of their funding and investment potential.
 
On Monday US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O Blake landed at Tribhuwan International Airport on a two-day visit. It is the first visit by a high-level US official to Nepal since dissolution of the Constituent Assembly in May.
 
Blake got busy in meetings with political leaders from various parties soon after landing. Meetings with President Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and newly appointed Nepal Army chief General Gaurav SJB Rana are also on the agenda.
 
He will also interact with business leaders, human rights activists, civil society leaders, representatives from the Tibetan community in Nepal and address a press conference before departing on Tuesday evening.
 
Besides bilateral issues, Blake is concerned at a recent ordinance sent by the Maoist-led government to President Yadav that many fear could grant blanket amnesty to those who committed serious human rights violations during the civil war.
 
Recent closure of Kathmandu outlets of Pizza Hut and KFC due to labour unrest and the ongoing political and constitution crisis in Nepal following dissolution of CA without a constitution also figured in the meetings.
 
In most of his engagements, Blake was accompanied by newly appointed US ambassador to Nepal Peter W Bodde who reached Kathmandu on Saturday and submitted his credentials to the President on Monday. He replaces Scott H DeLisi who left in July.
 
Bodde who was posted in Baghdad prior to the new assignment has already served in Kathmandu twice (1982-84 and 1994-97). A Foreign Service veteran, he speaks Nepali fluently, something which is expected to help him abundantly while discharging his duties.
 
Both Bodde and Blake arrived in Kathmandu within three days of US removing the ruling Maoist party from its list of terrorist organizations. Washington’s move came six years after the Maoists signed a peace deal that ended the civil war and entered political mainstream.
 
Amid these developments, 20 Peace Corps volunteers also arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday. They are the first batch of volunteers from the US government agency focused on peace and friendship to Nepal since 2004 when they left at the height of civil war.
 
The fresh batch of volunteers will receive training for 12 weeks before they are assigned to three districts in the west where they will work on food security, sanitation and health projects.
 
It’s been 50 years since Peace Corps volunteers started arriving in Nepal and till date over 4,200 of them have served in the country.
 
There’s more. From Monday Nepal Army and the US military, led by the US Pacific Air Forces started a six-day humanitarian assistance project called ‘Operations Pacific Angel Nepal’ in Pokhara, a scenic lakeside town frequented by tourists.
 
Nearly 150 Nepali and US military personnel and Project HOPE doctors are involved in the project that will include medical, optometry and construction programmes and also subject-matter exchanges between experts.
 
An US embassy release says the project would help improve health and quality of life of Nepali communities and enhance regional cooperation, stability and security.
 
Though the US military has been conducting Operation Pacific Angel throughout the Asia-Pacific region since 2007, this is the first time it is being held in Nepal.
 
For those interested, diplomatic relations between Nepal and US began in 1947 and Washington set up its embassy in Kathmandu in 1959. Since 1951, US has provided $ 1.2 billion in developmental assistance to Nepal. In recent years that assistance has averaged $ 54 million annually.

[ So here we have our guys working along side pssible Maoists in the Nepal Army Geez ...]

http://nepal.usembassy.gov//pr-09-18-2012.html
Pacific Angel Nepal helps over 4,000 Nepalis
September 18, 2012

Despite the downpour of rain, over 300 Nepal Army, U.S. military and local community residents attended the closing ceremony of OPERATION PACIFIC ANGEL at Machhapuchhre Higher Secondary School in Kaski District, Pokhara yesterday.  

Officiating over the ceremony was Nepal Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Nepal Bhusan Chand, Western Division Commander Major General Victor, and on behalf of the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces, Major General Russell J. Handy, Director of Operations, Plans, Requirements and Programs, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.  

“We are honored to have worked alongside the Nepal Army through our Pacific Angel program, and deeply appreciate the hospitality our Nepali hosts have extended to us,” said Handy.  “Throughout this past week, we have been continually impressed with the professionalism of the Nepal Army, and applaud the Nepal Army and the Ministry of Home Affairs for their diligent efforts to improve the quality of life of Nepal’s citizens,” he added.  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17676538
Nepal army 'completes' peace process with Maoists  
Why do Nepal's former rebels want to join the army?
11 April 2012 Last

Nepalese soldiers have moved into camps where thousands of former Maoist rebels have lived for more than five years.

The former rebels have now come under control of the army in what is seen as a key step to securing peace six years after the end of Nepal's civil war.

About 9,000 former fighters have been confined to camps since 2006, awaiting a political settlement.

About 6,000 of them are to be integrated into the army. The remainder will get a financial settlement.
...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15922387
Why do Nepal's former rebels want to join the army? By Sanjaya Dhakal
 
BBC News, Kathmandu

When Nepal's ruling Maoist party signed a landmark deal in November allowing former guerrillas to retire, retrain in a new career, or become part of the Nepali army, few predicted that the majority would opt to join their old enemies in the military
...
"If there are more of our comrades who opt to join the army, then the political parties might need to review their earlier agreement. They may need to show some flexibility on numbers," said Nanda Kishore Pun, chief of the Maoist's rebel army

Is there a place left on earth where this country hasn't had some kind of military intervention?

Tales of the 6/11 coup d' etat:

http://signofthetimes.yuku.com/topic/1417/6101-Massacre-in-the-Palace-Kathmandu-Nepal

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/13/burma-president-to-visit-us
Burma president to visit US

Barack Obama invites Thein Sein to the White House, heralding the first state visit to the US by a Burmese leader in 47 years
Associated Press in Rangoon
guardian.co.uk, Monday 13 May 2013 12.21 EDT

President Thein Sein will make a state visit to the US in the near future, the first such trip in 47 years, according to reports.

Burmese state television announced on Monday that Barack Obama had issued an invitation to the president. No exact date was announced.

The last Burmese leader to visit the White House was the dictator Ne Win in 1966.

The US has been a prime mover in urging Thein Sein to introduce reforms after five decades of repressive military rule that ended when he became an elected head of state in 2011.

The US applied sanctions against the previous military regime, but the Obama administration has shifted its policy to engagement, gradually lifting most sanctions after reforms.

In November, Obama became the first serving US president to visit Burma.

Suspected Maoist rebels kill 24; India officials outraged
May 26, 7:52 AM EDT
By ASHOK SHARMA
Associated Press


NEW DELHI (AP) -- Indian officials reacted with outrage Sunday to an audacious attack by about 200 suspected Maoist rebels who killed 24 people by setting off a bomb and firing on a convoy carrying ruling party leaders and members in an insurgency-wracked state.

Saturday's ambush, which targeted Congress party politicians returning from a campaign event with the area's indigenous tribal community,

appeared to be a warning to officials to stay away from the rebels' main base of support.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party President Sonia Gandhi visited some of the 37 people who were injured in the attack in a hospital Sunday in the Chhattisgarh state capital and said the government would take firm action against the perpetrators.

"We are devastated," said Gandhi, who denounced what she called a "dastardly attack" on the country's democratic values.

Rajnath Singh, president of the opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, said the country should unite in its fight against the Maoist insurgency.

The convoy was attacked in a densely forested area about 345 kilometers (215 miles) south of Raipur, Chhattisgarh's capital, as the Congress members were returning from a party rally.

Four state party leaders and eight police officers were among the 24 people who were killed. Other victims were party supporters.
...
However, Gill said the state government was incapable of devising a strategy to tackle the Maoist threat. "They don't have the political will and bureaucratic and police set-up to prevent such attacks," he said.

He said the state government had ignored the need for special forces to tackle the threat. "Most of the special forces in the state are being used for non-operational duties like guarding state politicians," he said.

Prime Minister Singh has called the rebels India's biggest internal security threat. They are now present in 20 of India's 28 states and have thousands of fighters, according to the Home Ministry.

The rebels, known as Naxalites, have been fighting the central government for more than four decades, demanding land and jobs for tenant farmers and the poor. They take their name from the West Bengal village of Naxalbari where the movement began in 1967.

The fighters were inspired by Chinese Communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong and have drawn support from displaced tribal populations opposed to corporate exploitation and official corruption.

bump for Nepal earthquake ... good thing the Peace Corp is there ...
Oh they left !!!   And those Maoists are so loving !

http://tangledjourneys.com/category/everest/

There are still stenciled Chairman Mao portraits in Kathmandu as well as Nepal’s villages. ©Donatella Lorch


http://www.peacecorps.gov/media/forpress/press/2548/
Peace Corps Volunteers Temporarily Leaving Nepal
 
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 29, 2015 – The Peace Corps today announced that all 32 trainees and 53 volunteers are temporarily leaving Nepal and returning to the United States following the devastating earthquake that hit the country on April 25.

The agency will conduct a thorough assessment of volunteers’ sites and conditions throughout the country, including local medical infrastructure, communication systems, transportation and other key support services that are critical to volunteers’ wellbeing in Nepal. Volunteers’ health, safety and security are Peace Corps’ top priorities.

The Peace Corps has enjoyed a long partnership with the Government of Nepal and is committed to continuing volunteers’ work there as soon as possible
...

http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/nepals-bureaucracy-is-blamed-as-quake-relief-supplies-pile-up-760252
Nepal's Bureaucracy Is Blamed as Quake Relief Supplies Pile Up
World | Gardiner Harris, The New York Times | Updated: May 04, 2015 05:02 IST

Kathmandu, Nepal:  Relief supplies for earthquake victims have been piling up at the airport and in warehouses here because of bureaucratic interference by Nepalese authorities who insist that standard customs inspections and other procedures be followed, even in an emergency, Western government and aid organization officials said Sunday.

 "The bottleneck was the fact that the bureaucratic procedures were just so heavy," Jamie McGoldrick, the U.N. resident coordinator, said in an interview. "So many layers of government and so many departments involved, so many different line ministries involved. We don't need goods sitting in Kathmandu warehouses. We don't need goods sitting at the airport. We need them up in the affected areas."

The U.S. ambassador to Nepal, Peter W. Bodde, said he had spoken to Nepal's prime minister, Sushil Koirala, about the issue and "he assured me that all the red tape will be stopped."

...

[Opium] Planting season is six weeks away, and if you miss that you'll need to deliver food aid for another three months," he said. "The monsoon is coming in eight weeks. So it's very precarious.
...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-11/remote-villagers-helpless-after-nepal-earthquake-hiker-says/6461628
Nepal earthquake: Remote villagers helpless, do not expect to receive help for years, hiker says
PM  By Imogen Brennan
...
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http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/India-Poses-Security-Threat-in-the-Name-of-Relief-Say-Nepal-Communists/2015/05/02/article2793869.ece
India Poses Security Threat in the Name of Relief, Say Nepal Communists
By IANS

Published: 02nd May 2015 01:54

KATHMANDU: Nepal's communists have said that national security is under threat by some foreign powers in the name of relief distribution and urged Prime Minister Sushil Koirala to take note of this.

At an all-party meeting called by Koirala, three senior communist leaders - UCPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, CPN-Maoist's Mohan Baidhya and Majdoor Kisan Party's Narayan Man Bijukchhe - warned that national security could be at stake.

According to the Annapura Post daily, Baidhya and Bijukchhe said in the meeting that India, in the name of relief distribution, is posing serious threat to national security and urged the prime minister that activities of the Indian Army and rescue team should be contained.

Dahal said that India's border force is going beyond the control of Nepal government and its activities are not helpful in relief distribution. He also said in the meeting that government should prepare a guideline to accept what kind of foreign aid, assistance in cash and kind should be taken by Nepal.
...
...

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This reminds me of the movie Volunteers ,,,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzHBr0ndKus
Jefferson Airplane Volunteers (Live At Woodstock 1969

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Moh7DXMk8g
Volunteers - What was time again?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090274/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl
Volunteers (1985)
Stars: Tom Hanks, John Candy, Rita Wilson |
Lawrence is a rich kid with a bad accent and a large debt. After his father refuses to help him out, Lawrence escapes his angry debtors by jumping on a Peace Corp flight to Southeast Asia, where is assigned to build a bridge for the local villagers with American-As-Apple-Pie WSU Grad Tom Tuttle and the beautiful and down-to earth Beth Wexler. What they don't realize is that the bridge is coveted by the U.S. Army, a local Communist force, and a powerful drug lord. Together with the help of At Toon, the only English speaking native, they must fight off the three opposing forces and find out what is right for the villagers, as well as themselves.


http://sanjibsubedi.blogspot.com/2010/09/nepal-fast-becoming-major-opium.html
...
Sowing Season Now

Now is the time for sowing opium seeds. Nepali and Indian racketeers are flocking to remote villages in the central and eastern Tarai to cultivate the opium. They even bring with them skilled laborers to sow the seeds and help local peasants. Hectares of land in places like Prastoka, Simroungarh, Amritgunj, Beldari, Sunfuluwa, Bhagawanpur, Paterwa, Karchewa, Uchidiha and Golagaj in Bara district are being ploughed this year for opium.

A kilogram of opium fetches Rs 50,000 at the time of harvesting in Nepal. Up to a kilogram of processed opium can be harvested from one kattha of land. Another reason why this banned crop has become popular among peasants is that even the opium straw brings in up to Rs 1,000 per kilogram.