At a time when the Government of Nepal has imposed a stringent lockdown and amid speculations about the extent to which Nepal is impacted by the Corona Virus, some government authorities are continuing to refrain from implementing stringent lockdown measures threatening the lives of Nepali people.
It should be noted that majority of the countries have implemented a total ban on the movement of people from one part of the country to the other as well as across international borders.
However, Nepal appears to be under pressure from China for allowing movement of people and cargo from the northern borders of Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi.
Moreover, Nepal government has been allowing Chinese workers deployed on various Chinese projects in Nepal to reach the project sites and carry out their work even during the lockdown – in what can be termed as a violation of the norms.
Earlier, around 70 Chinese workers were allowed to come to Pokhara to continue working at the Pokhara International Airport project site in spite of the fact that these people came from various regions in China, including those affected seriously by the Corona Virus.
In a number of such cases, the government has allowed the return of Chinese workers to the project sites over the last few weeks in spite of the lockdown.
This has not only irritated the local Nepalis in areas around the project sites but had also led to realization among local officials about the dangers of such activities.
The Lamgunj incident of March 29 where Chinese workers clashed with Nepali villagers is a clear indication of the conflict of interest between the people of Nepal and the pressure being exerted on Nepali officials by Chinese project owners.
This incident clearly brings out the contradictory norms being followed by the Nepal government.
As far as Rasuwagadhi is concerned, people in the region have also been concerned about the opening of the Rasuwagadhi border for fear of Corona related infection impacting them.
In this connection, the President of Ward No. 2 of Gosaikund Rural Muncipality of Rasuwa district, Bir Tamang submitted a memorandum on March 30 to the Nepal Immigration Office and the Customs Department demanding that Rasuwagadhi border point with China should not be opened soon.
On behalf of the people, he reiterated that the government should consider health of its population first before opening the border points.
The Government of Nepal should realize that when it comes to cross-border people to people engagement, China has been pursuing a hard rule vis-a-vis Nepali nationals.
