Himal Southasian (Page 408)

Round-up of regional news

The monument features women in relief on a huge stone slab, and is flanked by an iron pillar that proclaims in Japanese and English, "Let peace prevail on earth&

By The Editors

/ 1 Sep 1998

Sex and marriage in Nepal

The Nepali Supreme Court's landmark decision against virginity tests reaffirms the legal definition of marriage but it is not as progressive as it appears to be.

By Shanta Basnet Dixit

/ 1 Sep 1998

‘Why should school children need visas for India, Pakistan, Bangladesh?’

I.A. Rehman is journalist and chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan as well as of the Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy. He was

By Kanak Mani Dixit

/ 1 Sep 1998

“Hunger is more powerful than nationalism.”

Ashis Nandy, psychologist, author and social commentator, who is with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi, spoke to Rita Manchanda. • Is there a validity in narrowing

By Rita Manchanda

/ 1 Sep 1998

SAARC Is Unwell Long Live South Asia

It may be too early to organise a requiem for SAARC, but the region's future lies beyond its vacuous flag-waving.The future of the Subcontinent cannot be

By Rita Manchanda

/ 1 Sep 1998

The gas rush

Bangladesh these days is getting to know what noveau celebrityhood is all about. Sitting on a potential USD 25 billion treasury chest of gas deposits, gone are the days when

By The Editors

/ 1 Sep 1998

Ration card monster

Even while the SAARC leadership met on Bentota´s sunny beaches, India´s prime minister was being embarrassed by his insistent ally, Bombay´s don, Bal Thackeray. As part of

By The Editors

/ 1 Sep 1998

Host as hostage

The torrential rain in Colombo preceding the SAARC summit and the gloomy skies visible through it reflected the general mood. Colombo was host to the summit but was not a

By The Editors

/ 1 Sep 1998

Lessons from Ladakh

Are autonomous hill councils the answer to highlanders' woes? Not necessarily, if the Ladakh Hill Council is taken as an example. "Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah will, I

By Martijn van Beek

/ 1 Sep 1998

There is no evidence that indicates mountains are unfairly disadvantaged when compared to adjacent plains. During this century, Switzerland has managed to develop that honourable mountain occupation, smuggling, into a

By Nigel J.R. Allan

/ 1 Sep 1998

The willing fields of Bangladesh

If he gets over his disenchantment with the nuclear daredevils of South Asia, Bill Clinton is slated to swing by Bangladesh, too, this October. Expect photo opportunities with cute street

By Quddus Mia

/ 1 Sep 1998

Extremely Irritated in Colombo

Already, three or four days before the SAARC Summit on 29-31 July, Colombo residents were experiencing grave disruption in their lives as the traffic police went about practising the

By Sasanka Perera

/ 1 Sep 1998