Red Flag over the Himalayas

Red Flag over the Himalayas
Nepal outside Kathmandu and the larger towns appears to be controlled by the Maoists, with islands of government territory. A poster and quotation of Chairman Comrade Prachanda (photo 1) greets the visitor arriving at Lukla airport in the Everest region and Maoist booths collecting somewhat compulsory gdonationsh from passersby (photos 3 and 5) along important trails are found in many places, including one facing the police station in Lukla (photo 2). I also came across a boy wearing a uniform and Maoist badge (photo 4) playing with other children. He was probably not older than 12 years old but he could well be wearing the uniform for fun, although there have been allegations of both sides in the conflict recruiting child soldiers.

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