Experiencing the Nepal Riots: Travelers Say 'Like a Movie Scene'

Nepal has recently seen its most severe riots and protests in decades. A group of Taiwanese travelers finally arrived safely at Taoyuan Airport on the morning of the 12th. These travelers personally experienced the dangerous protest scenes in Nepal, describing it as if they had encountered “the most dangerous scenes from a movie.”

According to TVBS, when these travelers returning from Nepal set foot at Taoyuan Airport, everything still felt unreal to them. They said that the streets there were filled with protestors everywhere: “No matter which way you drive, it’s all crowds. Our group really just happened to run into something like the most dangerous movie scenes—everything was protests.”

Last week, the Nepalese government announced the blocking of 26 social media platforms, igniting the fury of the younger generation. Large crowds surged onto the streets of Kathmandu in protest, resulting in the most severe riots in decades.

According to the latest figures released by Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population, the unrest and clashes have resulted in a cumulative total of 30 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries.

The travelers described how the famous Hilton Hotel there had been reduced to ruins: “The Hilton Hotel was still smoking,” “Looking at other places in the city, you could see a police station burned down, and small mall shops were completely burned out.”

This riot seriously affected the travelers’ itinerary. One traveler shared: “We were first affected by protesters on the first day, couldn’t go out the second day, and on the third day it became martial law, with basically all intersections still impassable. The places we wanted to visit were all the busiest spots, but we still managed to see them all. We are brave Taiwanese.”

The travelers also went through even more perilous moments. One recalled: “The closer we got to the city center, the more agitated the mood of the people became, it was quite dangerous. The crowd was banging on our car, and people came up onto the vehicle—at that moment, it was really dangerous.” Fortunately, no one was injured.

These travelers returned safely to Taiwan, where travel agencies greeted them at the scene with red envelopes for comfort.