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Article: The parable of the yam. (India and Nepal)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- April 15, 1989
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1989 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The parable of the yam
NEPAL is "a yam between two boulders", said King Prithivi Narayan Shah the Great, who unified the country in the eighteenth century. Today one of the boulders, India, is exerting crushing pressure on the yam.
Since March 24th India has enforced a partial blockade on its neighbour. It has closed 13 of the 15 crossing points on the border of the landlocked country and restricted the flow of essential goods into Nepal, including fuel and medicine. The blockade began on the day two treaties between India and Nepal covering trade and transit lapsed; India has refused to extend them. India wants them replaced with a single treaty which, ...