India: Gurkha Party Forces Tourists Out of Darjeeling, Shuts Down Transit

By Larry Habegger | Permalink | No Comments | June 11th, 2008 | Trackback

Despite assurances to the contrary, the separatist group Gurkha Janamukti Morcha, which is demanding a separate state in the popular West Bengal hill region that includes Darjeeling, has brought tourism to a halt with an indefinite strike that not only is stopping visitors from getting in, it’s prevented tourists from getting out. The group gave less than 24 hours notice to all tourists to leave the area before the strike would begin at 6 a.m. June 10. Some 40,000 tourists scrambled to get out before all transit was shut down, but word was late spreading to Sikkim, where thousands were stuck because their exit routes were the same as those in Darjeeling. The government said a separate state is out of the question but called on the GJM to negotiate a settlement. Travel to the area could be disrupted for days or weeks.

Home » Asia, India, Temporary closings/Delays, Strikes

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