Reunion 2008

BY RUPAK D SHARMA

BANGKOK, JAN 29

 

To many, Bangkok’s luxurious Landmark Hotel is another tall concrete structure that caters to high-end foreigners who fly into Thailand for vacation or business purposes.

 

But on Monday (i.e. Jan 28), it became a venue for many Nepalis residing temporarily or permanently in the ‘Land of Smiles’ to run into people of their own country or origin.

 

Organized by Non-Resident Nepalis Association of Thailand, with the objective of honoring Dr Sanduk Ruit, a world renowned ophthalmologist, winner of Ramon Magsaysay Award and recipient of Thailand’s prestigious Prince Mahidol Award 2007, and welcoming newly-appointed Nepali Ambassador to Thailand, Naveen Prakash Jung Shah, the occasion was supposed to be formal.

 

But as expected, the event gradually transformed into a grand reunion party, with long lost friends exchanging greetings, engaging in chit-chats in their native language and digging into the all-time favorite momos prepared by one of Landmark’s Nepali chefs.

 

The entire scene was like a carnival, with men fetching glasses of wine and laughing, most women gossiping and children engaging in balloon-made sword fight in a small room next to the dining hall.

 

The event was the biggest the NRN Thailand Chapter had organized so far this year. “The turnout is enthusiastic,” Ramesh Hamal, president of NRN Thailand Chapter and chief operations officer of Green Heritage Group said.

 

As could be seen, around 250 Nepalis—although small in number compared to an estimated 100,000 Nepalis or people of Nepali origin living in Thailand—had poured into the hall on the seventh floor of the hotel. And this included most of the who’s who of Nepalis working in Thailand.

 

From Sanjeev Subba, executive director of Webster University in Thailand and Ramesh Shrestha, managing director of PCP Asia to Meena Pandey from UN Women’s Club of Thailand and Dinesh Sah, a senior officer at Siemens, all were there.

 

Several businessmen who have successfully established themselves in Thailand were also spotted. And there were students from Asian Institute of Technology, officials of the embassy and Nepal Airlines Corporation, and others who had come to Bangkok from as far as the northern city of Chiang Mai, southern island of Phuket and southern city of Hua Hin just to attend the function.

 

All of them were either mixing around introducing themselves, watching the cultural dance show or standing in the queue to taste the food the party was offering.

 

The cheerful atmosphere, however, turned serious for a brief moment when Dr Ruit, who was making a presentation on cataract surgery in Nepal and world-renowned Nepal-made eye lenses, suddenly shifted gear into politics, urging NRNs to “teach our leaders how to run the country”.

 

“Our voice does not count because we live in Nepal but Nepalis living abroad can exert pressure on the government …. I’ve been in the field and seen Nepalis (of all walks of life). People of Nepal are very nice people, nicer than those living in neighboring countries. It is the government which is ruining the country,” he said.

 

But, like in Nepal, this party in Thailand did not end discussing and dissecting the layers of politics. (Published in The Kathmandu Post)