From political exiles to visa seekers: Nepal’s new Bangladeshi guests

It was 5:15 am on a chilly January morning when I was walking through the quiet Rayamajhi Marga neighbourhood, about 1.5 kilometres from Thamel, Kathmandu's busiest tourist hub. The dim light in the narrow alley made it hard to see much, yet something strange caught my eye.

Even from a few hundred metres away, I could spot a familiar face. There she was — her face and waving hands on a poster plastered on the wall of a small two-star hotel called "Hotel Rising Home." I walked closer to take a better look. 

Sure enough, it was Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's deposed prime minister. The caption beside her photo read in Bangla, "Sheikh Hasinatei Astha" (Trust only in Sheikh Hasina).

It felt bizarre, to say the least. Hasina had been ousted nearly six months ago, and any trace of her presence had all but disappeared in Bangladesh ever since. Seeing her face again on a poster, that too in a foreign land, was the last thing I expected that morning.

I knocked on the front gate of the hotel, and after a moment, a hotel staff member who had been fast asleep on a sofa in the lounge woke up. He greeted me with a "Namaste" and the traditional warmth Nepalese hospitality is known for. I struck up a conversation with him, and soon, the mystery began to unravel.

"You see, we were involved in Awami League politics, and after Apa [Hasina] fell from power, we had no choice but to leave the country to avoid being arrested… Unfortunately, I couldn't cross the Benapole border. Coming to Nepal, though, was much easier. The Nepalese immigration officers don't even ask a question before giving you an on-arrival visa." A Bangladeshi visitor in Thamel

The staff member, Neehan Shrestha, explained that two women in their mid-30s from Bangladesh had stayed at the hotel for nearly three months, beginning in September last year. During their stay, they had put up the poster, cut cakes beside it on Hasina's birthday, and captured photos and videos of the event on their phones.

"They even told me they sent the photos to their leader, Hasina, on WhatsApp," Neehan said with a grin. "They claimed that she was delighted to see her birthday being celebrated in Kathmandu, of all places!"

I was eager to meet these women, but Neehan informed me that they had left in mid-December. Before I could ask if any other Bangladeshis were staying at the hotel, I noticed a middle-aged man approaching the lounge. He had an unusual outfit — three layers of sweatshirts and a jacket on top but only a lungi below.

The man was on a call, possibly over WhatsApp, and his pure Dhakaiya accent immediately gave away his Bangladeshi roots. Once he hung up, I asked if he was from Bangladesh, and he saw no point in denying it. It also seemed like he was glad to speak in his native language face to face with someone, even if that someone was a complete stranger.

He did not give me his name but said he had been staying at this hotel for the past month. When he first got to Kathmandu in October, however, he stayed at a hotel in Thamel.

"But the hotels there are way too expensive— Tk1,000-1,500 per night," he explained. "And food? Don't even ask — Tk500 for just basic 'dal-bhaat'." For context, one Bangladeshi Taka is roughly equivalent to 1.13 Nepalese Rupees (NPR).

Eventually, he decided to move to this more peaceful, affordable neighbourhood. "Here, I've worked out a deal with the hotel — around Tk8,000 per month for a single room and another Tk7,000 for food," he said, clearly pleased with the arrangement.

But why had he come all the way here, so far from the comfort of his home in Bangladesh? "You see, we were involved in Awami League politics, and after Apa [Hasina] fell from power, we had no choice but to leave the country to avoid being arrested," he explained, adding, "All the cases filed against me are false!"

At first, he wanted to flee to India, like many other Awami League activists. He knows several people who fled to Kolkata. "But unfortunately, I couldn't cross the Benapole border. Coming to Nepal, though, was much easier. All you need is to show a return ticket. The Nepalese immigration officers don't even ask a question before giving you an on-arrival visa.

"After my one-month visa period was over, I began extending my duration for $2 per day," he said. However, he had no idea about what he would do once the 150-day period of legally staying in Nepal ended.   

But of course, it would not be his decision alone. "In this part of the city, there are at least a thousand Awami Leaguers who left the country after 5 August. We are all connected through WhatsApp groups, and we often meet. If we can't return to the country, we will find some other way out," the Awami League activist said, though he was not quite sure. 

"Money is running out for many of us, and the flow of income back at home has also dried up since August," he said, but laughed off the idea of starting any work in Nepal. "What work can I do here? The country itself is in a severe economic crisis. Don't get fooled by the city's outward extravagance."

Over my week-long stay in Nepal, I bumped into many other Bangladeshis, no matter where I went — whether it was Kathmandu, Nagarkot, Bhaktapur, Pokhara, or even a remote hilltop village called Ghandruk. Alongside the political exiles, there were also plenty who had come to apply for European visas, or just to enjoy a getaway as tourists.

"A Bangladeshi family of four has been living here for the past few months. By now, they're like family to me," said Yogen Rai, the owner of Hotel Annapurna in Thamel. 

"They seem to be quite well off since they've been staying in a deluxe room that usually costs NPR 5,000 per night." That said, Yogen admitted he had been giving them significant discounts because "they have become like family".

However, Yogen did not really know why the family had been staying at his hotel for so long. "As long as they have valid passports and visas, it's not my business why they're here," he shrugged. "They told me they came to deal with the Croatian embassy, and I believed it. I have no headache about your country's internal politics."

That said, it is indeed a fact that many are now making their way to Nepal to visit European embassies, as traveling to New Delhi for the same purpose has become nearly impossible.

One of them was Rajib Ahmed, who was staying in a budget hostel in Bhaktapur. "I decided to stay here instead of Kathmandu because seat rent is much cheaper outside the main city. Commuting to the capital by public bus is also quite convenient," he explained.

I also came across reports suggesting that Nepal's easy on-arrival visa policy has been exploited by organised groups in Bangladesh, who lure people with promises of jobs in Europe and North African countries like Libya. These individuals are brought to Nepal as tourists, only to be held captive, with their passports confiscated. Some victims have reportedly faced physical abuse and extortion, with ransom demanded from their families.

However, while I heard the same from several people in Nepal, I did not get the chance to encounter anyone directly affected by such incidents during my trip.

Meanwhile, since the Indian High Commission stopped issuing tourist visas to Bangladeshis in August, Nepal has also emerged as an alternative travel destination. As a result, top tourist spots in Nepal are seeing a surge of Bangladeshi visitors, even during the off-season.

"Usually, January is a slow time for us, but this year, nearly all our rooms are booked," said Satish Tamang, the general manager of Hotel New Dragon in Nagarkot. "Most of our guests are from Bangladesh."

Mrinal Sharma from Pokhara Backpackers Inn shared a similar experience. "From Pokhara, many tourists head out for trekking the Annapurna range, going as far as Mastung. This year, all our rooms are completely booked, mostly by Bangladeshi tourists. Some have come just to visit Pokhara, but a good number plan to go deeper into the mountains."

However, it remains to be seen whether Nepal can keep up with the growing number of Bangladeshi tourists.

"One reason we're not seeing even more Bangladeshi visitors is the cost of airfare, which can be as high as Tk40,000. If people could travel to Nepal by road through India, like before, more would be able to make the trip," explained Kanya, an information officer with Pokhara Tours and Trekking.

Another challenge is the perception that Nepal is not very tourist-friendly due to its high prices.

"It's not just that we're spending more because we're tourists; inflation in general is pretty high here," said Kamran Ahmed, a Bangladeshi tourist I met on my way to Ghandruk. 

"For example, a 250ml bottle of Coca-Cola costs Tk25 in Bangladesh, but here in Nepal, the maximum retail price is NPR50, even though the currency value of the two countries are almost equal. Some places even charge NPR90-120 for it if they realise you are a tourist."

"I used to visit India frequently, not only for its countless places to explore but also for its affordability. However, here in Nepal, most things, except for hotels, are quite expensive. If I don't get an Indian tourist visa soon, I might just choose Thailand with the same budget next time," Kamran concluded.