SAVE THAMEL

Picturing the perfect scenario of tourism, Thamel potrays the real image of a tourist hub where more than 2500 business runs acclimatizing the sole theme of serving the tourists. No matter what, tourism being a service industry has been catering the needs of tourists and visitors adapting it in the most profound way. Like such, Thamel as a hub, provides availability of things ranging from food items to entertainment for tourists. There is no doubt that Thamel is the most happening destination in the whole of Kathmandu but, with time, Thamel has seen many changes and not all of them are good ones. Lately, Thamel has become a notorious destination among domestic and international tourists as sex business center.

The different orchestrated centers like dance bar restaurants, cabin restaurants, massage centers and discos are mushrooming in Thamel which is posing a great threat to the overall image of the country. As most of the tourists visiting Nepal still prefer to stay in Thamel for the name it has earned over the years as a popular hang out place for tourists. However, the sex business in Thamel has intensified so much that after dusk, the scenario changes where it stages itself with an illusive image of explicit paradise. One can easily understand the worsening scenario by looking around the growing numbers of sex workers and brokers wandering freely in the street of Thamel.

Namgyal Lama, President of Thamel Tourism Development Council (TTDC) said, “The first thing that we should understand is that Thamel is changing very fast in to becoming an entertainment hub. Previously, it was just thought as a tourist hub but today it has commercialized where different businesses are run. We totally agree that if Thamel is not properly managed and monitored, it would certainly turn out worse in the years ahead.”

Lama informs more, “A new problem of walking prostitutes has arisen in Thamel. Many of the tourists have complained of such encounters in streets of Thamel. It needs to be controlled by the authorities before it gets too late.”

“Although prostitution is illegal in Nepal, it is going on unabatedly. In addition, the basic thing here is about clear policies where the government lacks to provide an effective mechanism,” added he.

Tourism provides massive potential for sustainable social and economic growth and development of the countries. And many tourism experts argue that there is a huge potential in the sex industry to allure tourists in any country. Unfortunately, it also invites inherent threats like HIV AIDS and other STD’s.

In February 4, 2005 (Friday), the BBC News website quoted, “The sexual behavior of Nepalese trekking guides and tourists is to be the subject of a study by researchers at Aberdeen University.” Perhaps, the situation has worsened in the years.

According to a broker in Thamel, “The question here is not about availability, the question here is about people’s mentality. The government should take strict measures and control it. One must see the problem from different angles to analyze the situation.”

He stressed, “We do this for living and we do not have much choice left. Besides, it is an easy way to earn. And it is same with the sex workers. Most of them are compelled to sell sex. From time to time the Indian tourists do visit these brothels and more often their guests have been Nepalese.”

“I have heard the whole racket run in association with in the cooperation of Police. Every month, a large sum of money is channeled to police officers for facilitating their work. The whole network runs with the help of money power which sluggish to higher level officials,” he added.

There have also been reports that even police officials are involved in these businesses indirectly. Many of them make hefty money out of these businesses for not conducting raids.

On the same, defending the issue, Basundhara Khakda, Inspector at the Sorhakhutta Police Station said, “When I first came to this station. Like a normal person, I had a different image of Thamel as a tourist destination,” adding, “Sex business is however not the only problem in Thamel. Recently, two dance restaurant owners for over billing where from time to time we have been monitoring such activities since,” informed she.

“We have launched a Quick React Team (QRT) for effectively handling the situation where our team is leading the action for prominent results. We have been holding operation in Thamel in both duty hours and off-duty hours to find out more irregularities. Apart from that recently, we had called all the dance restaurant owners and had discussed the issues of inappropriate sexual activities happening in such centers. They did agree to stay according to rule. If they cross it, then we would certainly take action against them,” added she.

Regarding the allegation for police, she asserted, “I am not bothered by what people say. It is part of my duty to work for the people with in the legal periphery and I would always be marching in that direction to achieve my goals where the wrong doers would certainly be brought to the book.”

There is no doubt that the high number of displaced because of the past conflict has led most of the young girls to choose sex work for living. Owing to lack of opportunities, these girls start their sex career right from as early as 13. To begin with, most of them start from cabin and dance restaurants. And slowly they take to prostitutions by force or any other reasons. From interviews, most of them don’t fancy their job as sex workers but are compelled to do so to meet their expensive daily needs in Kathmandu.

Prof. Dr Rudra Pd. Updhayay, Central Dept of Economic and rural Development T.U Kirtipur said, “Sex tourism is a part of tourism which cannot be denied. Perhaps, sex industry is such controversial issue that can be regulated but it cannot be controlled which need to be understood and worked on. Especially in Nepal, where sex is taken as taboo, the problem is inevitable looking at the growing tourism scenario. The increase in sexual activities in Thamel and other hubs are the direct effect of inflation, violence and displaced situation.”

“Thamel is a booming hub and all the business inside it are interrelated which need to be understood. Another reasons for the increasing sex industry inside the tourism is the lack of proper rules and regulation which generally fortifies the sex tourist to travel to such country where the rules and regulation are at ease or flexible. Like wise, It is also attracting sex tourists who are not only bringing a limited resource but unfortunately they are also bringing diseases like HIV/AIDS which needs to be addressed by heightening awareness,” added he.

He suggested, “TTDC should initiate a proper mechanism with the stakeholders to regulate sex businesses in Thamel.”

Approximately, there are more than 30 Dance Restaurants and 200 Massage Centers in Thamel alone. However, not all the dance bars and massage parlors are using sex as their prime product. Regardless of high risk of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and HIV-Aids, the sex industry in Thamel is growing in an alarming rate. Now the time has come that the government should take some serious steps regarding prostitution and other sex related activities in the country in general and Thamel in particular. Those illegal brothels need to be identified and closed down. The time has also come for public polls on whether to legalize prostitution or not. The situation as of now is only risking the health of public and the sex workers and if this issue is ignored that may have deadly impact on the society as a whole researcher’s have contemplated that potential tourists’ fear of HIV/AIDS could discourage themselves from visiting such places and which might displace the tourism businesses from Thamel to other place as what happened to the Freak Street. Therefore, effective measures should be taken in a coordinated way to make a Thamel a better place. The TTDC should play a role to take further initiatives in bringing concrete solutions to this problem before it gets too late.

By Shreedeep Rayamajhi

Publication: Nepal Traveller Publication

Magzine: Nepal Travel Trade Reporter

Date of issue: March 10-23, 2008

Vol-X

Thamel congestion eased :Thanks to the traffic volunteers

Due to lack of proper management, Thamel suffered the consequences of being a tourist hub with in its petite streets and corners where tourists are bound to face the risk of noise pollution, traffic congestion and other irregularities.

Like such, one of the impeding problems in Thamel is vehicle congestion which to an some extent seems to have been managed. Though, the past Vehicle Regulated Zone seemed as a better option, due to lack of funds its existence took its toll. Now talking about the recent activities Thamel these days is pretty much well managed with in the coordinated effort of Thamel Tourism Development Council (TTDC), Community Police and Community Service Society (CSS). The new traffic system was inaugurated by Hisila Yami, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation on the World Tourism Day, 27 September 2008.

Jaya Prakash Shrestha, Executive Member and a volunteer of the Community Service Society said, “This is just an effort where we have tried to use the local source. When we started, we had to face a lot of problems where we lacked various resources but now looking at those days seems like a dream. These days it’s much easier to do the job as the people and taxi drivers, they obey us. Basically, the problem is the numbers of Vehicles are growing but the roads are limited where they have less scope or no scope of expansion but still if they can be managed with alternative routes then the traffic problem could be solved. If only the divers and motorcyclists could be in discipline then the congestion problem could be sorted out.”

“The best option for Thamel traffic management is VRZ which has shown its result but due to lack of funds it died out so now the question here is about making Thamel a better place where we all should do an effort from our side.”

Currently there are eight volunteers who are working to manage the traffic in peak hours. These volunteers are trained by the traffic police and are instructed to manage the traffic with in the stipulated time. Adapting the need of the time the Himalayan Bank Ltd has extended financial support for the cause.

Ramesh Giri, Head Constable at the Community Police said, “We have tried to manage the traffic of Thamel and surely TTDC and Himalayan bank have certainly played a crucial role in today’s improving traffic management in the area.
From the last one year, we have tried to regulate the traffic and today to some extent we are able to control it. The first thing that we need to understand is traffic congestion can be controlled by trained personnel so traffic authorities should increase the number of traffic police.”

“Perhaps for the sustainable management, all the stake holders should work together where the locals and the clubs in house should further put their effort. Currently, we lack resources and if the related organization could financial support us, then we could further work in giving prominent results,” added he

Though, the new traffic system seems to have well addressed the traffic congestion problem for the time being but a relative question has been raised by experts that even the well managed system like VRZ could not acclimatized Thamel so this new system is not a better option where the authorities should further labor to find a permanent solution for Thamel and its congestion.

Surrendra Kumar Shrestha, President of TTDC said, “TTDC has been working for the betterment of Thamel and it is due to our efforts that Thamel is current more managed. We are further planning to make a separate taxi stand where it would be managed by iron railing. Further more, we have also devised a controlling mechanism to counter other problems of Thamel integrating different stake holders and we are further moving to make Thamel a better tourist hub where a tourist could feel safe. We are further planning to make information centers and properly channelize tourist police in Thamel where necessary works are being done.”

By Shreedeep Rayamajhi

Thamel transcending to a Red Light Area

Today, Thamel has developed itself as an epicenter of entertainment and glamour. From its origin, it was established with the theme to satisfy the needs of tourists in every desired way, in-fact it caters all sort of entertainment from visual to physical to mental giving the stance of it being a hub. Likewise, today it has transcended itself to a new hub of glitter and glamour where it wakes-up in the night showcasing a new exhilaration and excitement in satisfying sexual needs and wants.

To be precise the growing numbers of Massage Centers and Cabin Restaurants in the periphery have created an attraction for young men and teenagers from around the valley in habituating a craze of sexual activities in its abode.
Namgyal Lama, President of Thamel Tourism Development Council (TTDC) said, “Thamel is a tourist hub, the way it is expanding and exploited with such social hazard activities has been a question to all. It has become a red light zone acclimatizing all its sexual activities in name of commercialization.”

Currently, there are more than 30 Dance Restaurants and 200 Massage Centers in Thamel where majority of such involve in sexual activities highlighting and giving stance to its audacity. On one hand it is against the law to sell or buy sexual activities whereas on the other it is directly creating a social menace.

In same view Lama stated that the issue is very sensitive and outsiders cannot help it, in-fact the Thamel residences should initiate an effort, which would be worth and effective. “In a tourist hub like Thamel where more than 2400 businessmen pay taxes, the government should give priority and security”, he added. We have formed a committee named Thamel Reform Committee (TRC) to channel the local bodies to clean such harzards. We are in the process of action.

He suggested, “Firstly, the activities of massage center and dance restaurants should be limited to professional level having no alternative for sexual activities and secondly there is no scope of dance restaurants in Thamel, as it does not interest the tourists and foreigners so it should be controlled. Moreover, the people of Thamel should be aware that just by paying an extra buck they should not rent their houses to such dance restaurants and massage centers.”

In today’s context when the sexual activities are openly run in such hub, the social scientists have already predicted a dramatic impact in the socio culture status of the society. In view of Tapan Kumar Dahal, Inspector of Sorkhutta Police Station said, “We are very trapped in situation of dilemma as when we raid on Massage Centers and Dance Restaurants the pressure groups like NGOs, INGOs and other women oriented organization gives us pressure and when we don’t take action, the public blame us saying we are working in hand with such group.”

Just few days back, during a raid in 8 major massage centers at Thamel, 26 girls and 9 guys were caught red handed in sexual activities. The girls caught aged from 18 to 35 where on investigation they reasoned poverty, lack of employment and illiteracy as their prime reason for involvement, according to Dahal. “This is just a beginning as we have initiated a full house operation where we do detail investigation,” he said.

Focusing on the professional ethics, he said that it is the duty of the Police to clean out such social menace and we are fulfilling it with a proactive and progressive approach. Moreover the public and police department should work together in such issues, which directly affects the societal values, norms and law.

From few days the Massage Center and Dance Restaurant issue have been raised, creating a media sensation of sex tourism and it effect but still the question of its legalization and implication lies hidden and un-addressed.

Similarly, Prof. Dr Rudra Pd. Updhayay, Central Dept of Economic and rural Development T.U Kirtipur said, “Sex tourism is a part of tourism which cannot be denied but sex industry is such controversial issue that it cannot be bypassed. From it origin sex industry has coherently adapted the culture and society. So the question of totally eradicating is impossible rather it can be controlled and regulated in a specified form.”

“The increase in sexual activities in Thamel and other hubs are the direct effect of inflation, violence and displaced situation. Moreover, women and sex industry is a sensitive issue which needs to be addressed with higher priority where women exploitation should be well address,” said Dr Updhayay.

Though Thamel has totally adapted the modern theme of tourism and entertainment, it lacks effective measures of monitoring and controlling which has resulted in such social deteriorating state. Perhaps the question of sex and sex tourism in tourism industry stands as a question seeking an answer.

By Shreedeep Rayamajhi