KATHMANDU: In the famed tourist centre of Nepal’s capital, Western Buddhist monks rub shoulders with mountaineers, dreadlocked travellers, street urchins and marijuana peddlers.

Thamel is not the kind of place usually associated with pro-democracy movements, but the political upheaval that has shaken Nepal for the last two weeks has now spread to this peculiar corner of the troubled country.

Nine foreign tourists were briefly detained last week by riot police after breaking a ban on public meetings. Since then hundreds of hotel and restaurant workers have poured out into the narrow alleys that once drew hippies from around the world to protest against King Gyanendra.

Nepal enters its third week of mass protests on Thursday and embassies have been issuing travel warnings urging their citizens to stay away.

Last year around 270,000 visitors arrived by air, compared to the “golden year” of 1999 before the Maoist insurgency intensified when nearly 500,000 people visited the Himalayan nation of ancient temples and stunning trekking and mountaineering.

Johannis Jappen, a German tourist and frequent Nepal visitor, has been organizing tourist protests. He was one of the nine arrested last week.

“The police were very polite and kind and we were released four-and-a-half hours after being detained,” said Jappen. “They were very apologetic.”

He tried to organize another protest on Tuesday, but this time only a handful of tourists braved the rain and lurking police.

“I saw how many people were coming into the streets to be a part of the movement and I thought that as tourists we should do our bit as well,” Jappen told AFP.

With lanes full of shops selling trekking gear, hippy clothing, traditional kukri knives and pirated CDs and DVDs, the Thamel neighbourhood has a totally different feel to the more traditional old areas that surround it.

In the past, protesters have kept away from Thamel, aware that tourism is a vital mainstay to Nepal’s fragile economy, but not anymore.

All it takes is a whisper of rumour that protesters are on the way, and shops quickly pull down their shutters, leaving bemused tourists wondering what is happening.

Efrat Barzel arrived a week ago and was planning to stay a month. She is leaving in the next couple of days because of the problems caused by the unrest.

“We are going to India. We came here to have fun, and everything keeps closing all the time. We can’t travel the way we want so we are leaving early,” the Israeli tourist told AFP.

While traders resent the lack of business due to the general strike, many approve of the political movement that has spread across the country.

“Tourism is getting just worse and I don’t foresee any improvements unless there is a change in the whole system,” said Anil Amatya, who runs a shop selling shawls and scarves.

“The last few days I have only been able to open my shop for a couple of hours per day, and we are going to have difficulties for a few days yet, but without democracy it would just be worse,” said Amatya.

Opposition parties, in concert with Maoist rebels, have called for a huge demonstration in the capital on Thursday, slated as the latest trial of strength between the king and pro-democracy forces.

Neither the opposition nor the king shows any sign of backing down, and diplomats have warned that Gyanendra needs to act quickly to prevent the crisis deepening, after five protesters have been killed by security forces and hundreds have been arrested and injured.—AFP