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High-end hotels, businesses targeted in arson attacks

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Attacks indicate anger against Nepal's elites, analysts

say

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Gen Z protest leaders blame infiltrators for violence

By Emily Schmall

KATHMANDU, Sept 11 (Reuters) - As protesters in Nepal

stormed parliament this week forcing the prime minister to quit,

luxury hotels and residences were attacked by arsonists amid

anger at the lavish lifestyle of the elites in one of the

world's poorest countries.

The demonstrations, popularly referred to as the "Gen Z"

protests as most participants were in their teens or early 20s,

have triggered Nepal's worst upheaval in years, forcing

unpopular leader K.P. Sharma Oli to resign on Tuesday, a day

after 19 protesters were killed in violence.

The death toll has since risen to 34 and more than 1,300

were injured, Nepal's health ministry said.

Leaders of the Gen Z protest movement distanced themselves

from the arson attacks blaming infiltrators, but analysts point

to mounting frustration at wealth inequality in Nepal and at

perceived corruption within Nepal's political leadership.

While the parliament, the prime minister's office and the

Supreme Court were still burning, arsonists also attacked

five-star hotels, including the Hilton, the Hyatt

Regency and Varnabas Museum Hotel.

The Hyatt Regency, a sprawling property near Boudhanath

Stupa, among the most important Buddhist sites in Nepal and a

draw for tourists, was damaged by protesters, Bhushan Rane, the

hotel's front office manager, told Reuters.

No guests or staff were injured, Rane added. Due to the

political unrest, the hotel will remain closed until further

notice.

Tourism is the lifeblood of Nepal's economy.

The Hilton Hotel, a five-star glass tower, was also torched,

sending black plumes of smoke into the sky. The Kathmandu Hilton

was opened last year by Shahil Agrawal, the scion of a Nepalese

steelmaking business-turned-conglomerate, the Shanker Group.

A Hilton spokesperson said the property had been closed

following damage sustained during the protests and guests and

staff were safely evacuated. A full assessment of the building

would be undertaken, the statement said.

The homes of politicians including Oli were also attacked.

INEQUALITY

The Gen Z movement has gained traction in recent months

rallying around posts on TikTok, Instagram and other social

media sites that purportedly show the children of Nepal's

political leaders enjoying a lavish lifestyle, from designer

clothes to pricey vacations.

Meanwhile, thousands of mainly young people leave Nepal

every day, in search of economic opportunity in the Middle East,

Malaysia, South Korea and elsewhere.

"That is the frustration of the common people," said Balaram

K.C., a retired justice of the Supreme Court and a

constitutional expert.

"You people who are supposed to run the country in an honest

way, you are taking care of yourself and your relatives and no

one else," he said.

Rajendra Bajgain, a Nepali Congress party lawmaker, said on

Thursday that his luxury hotel, Varnabas Museum, had also been

targeted in an arson attack and guests were safely evacuated.

After the deaths of demonstrators, Bajgain announced his

intention to step down from parliament and said he was

sympathetic to the Gen Z protesters.

"It has mounted for quite some time this kind of

dissatisfaction in Nepal with the corruption," he said.

(Additional reporting by Hritam Mukherjee; Editing by Sanjeev

Miglani, Alexandra Hudson)