Nepal, China ban climbs on Everest
By Bhola B Rana
Kathmandu, 15 March: China apparently plans to carry an Olympic torch to the summit of the 8848 meters high Mount Everest between 1 to 10 May without saying to officially to celebrate the Beijing Olympics.
China has only confirmed a torch is bring carried to the summit to celebrate the summit without confirming firm dates .
Nepal, which shares the peak with China, has agreed to a Chinese request to ban expeditions on the upper reaches, including the summit, for 10 days from 1 to 10 May.
The Nepalese and Chinese moves are apparently efforts to prevent pro-Tibetan and anti-China protests on the upper ramparts of the peak which, if held, would be a record protest on the highest point on earth in the rarefied air.
Such a joint protest from the north held by China and the south, owned by Nepal, is possible and it would be broadcast live by climbers equipped with hidden cameras causing a big embarrassment to China.
The route to the summit from the northeast ridge and the southeast ridge beyond 8,000 meters from the south in Nepal is shared by climbers from the north and south.
But the climbers don’t mingle on the peak’s faces.
Climbers from China and Nepal could join anti-China protests on the common ridge during the summit push which would be a big embarrassment to China.
“We don’t want Nepal’s territory to be used by a separatist movement,” AFP quoted Nepal’s Minister of Tourism Prithvi Subba as saying.
the roof of the world, the tourism minister said Friday, AFP reports.
"We have received a request from China not to allow people on the mountain while the Olympic torch is on Everest," Prihtibi Subba said." We don’t want Nepal’s territory to be used by a separatist movement."
"Expedition teams will not be allowed to move from Nepal’s Everest base camp from May 1 to May 10," he said.
Everest could still be climbed after 10 May, if the Chinese attempt succeeds.
Everest has been climbed even in the last week of May.
Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary climbed the peak 29 May 1953.
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