by Cam Simpson
background, 186
birth of son, Cuinn McOwen Cook, 343
at Cohen Milstein, 269
KBR’s lawyers threaten misconduct charges and, 288–89, 341
meeting with families of the murdered men in Nepal, 270–73
Nepal visited by, 267–68, 269–73
quits Cohen Milstein, 289
search for Daoud and Partners, 256, 258, 261
Meher, Tulsi, 112, 160
See also Tulsi Meher Ashram, Kathmandu, Nepal
Mengis, Michael, 231, 263, 274–77, 284, 285, 289, 303, 327
Nepali witnesses deposed by, 296, 300
Miller, John R.
compensation for Nepalese families encouraged, 195
human trafficking watch list and, 191
investigation for U.S. into deaths of twelve Nepali men, 191–92
Moon Light Consultant (labor broker in Nepal), 238
bait-and-switch used by, 108, 307, 313
fees charged by, 72
Giri as manager/owner, 103–5
Jeet and other murdered men recruited by, 55, 64, 70, 91–92, 99
KBR and, 308
named by the kidnapped Nepalis, 108, 109
offices ransacked, 103
records of, 307
recruitment of workers for hotel work in Jordan, 38, 39, 96–97, 307
testimony of Biplav Bhatta and, 308–10
Moré, José, 128, 129, 130
Morning Star for Recruitment and Manpower Supply (labor broker in Jordan), 105, 238
“demand letter” from, 96–97
recruitment of murdered Nepali men and, 39, 64, 91
See also Mansour, Eyad
Nadi, Ali Kamel al-, 73, 74, 76–77
appearance of, 77–78
author interviews, 77–81, 128–29
denies knowing the murdered Nepalis, 75–76, 79–80
DVD, about Daoud’s use of Filipino citizens on U.S. bases in Iraq, 80–81
foreign workers housed by, 126
Mansour and, 121
partners “Ghaleb” and “Abdullah,” 78–81, 121, 126
transport of Nepalis to Iraq and, 116, 118, 119–20
Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), 314
Neffgen, Alfred V., 155, 156–58
Nepal, 11–23
bartaman (boy’s passage into manhood), 21
Buddhism of, 20n
castes in, 104, 112–13, 187
corruption in, 182
crows of, 110
deaths of workers in Qatar, 347
Department of Foreign Employment, 306–7
earthquake of 2015, 328–30
economic deprivation in, 182
economic opportunity lacking in, 34–35, 122
economy and foreign funds sent home by foreign workers, 35, 91, 92–93
economy and foreign labor recruitment business, 91
execution video shown in, and rioting, following, 55–56, 91, 103
exporting of cheap labor from, 34–36, 67–68, 72, 345–46 (see also specific individuals)
extended families, 23
farmland, money borrowed against, 37
generosity of the people, 182
Hindu death rituals in, 56–58
Hinduism of, 20, 20n
Hindu mourning, shaving of hair and, 58
Hindu ritual bath and white sari, 83–84, 86
Hindu widows, ashrams for, 109 (see also Tulsi Meher Ashram, Kathmandu, Nepal)
Hindu widows, treatment of, 18, 30, 83–87, 109, 111, 112, 113, 161, 162, 252–53
Holi festival or “festival of colors,” 26
importance of sons, 95, 202, 203–4
international corporations in, 182–83
Internet usage in, 55, 64
Iraq War and, 44–45
Iraq War widows receiving American compensation in, 252–53
jewelry of marriage and, 29
language of, 236
as male-dominated culture, 20
Manakamana Temple, 17, 270–71
Mansiri Himal Mountain Range, 12
Maoist insurgents, killings, and kidnappings in, 47
marriage in, 22, 23
Namaste greeting, 187
names in, 43, 43n
Peace Corps in, 181–83
phone service in, 41–42
postal service in, 41
roads, single east-west highway, 100–101
rural culture, 13–28, 41
sati in, 161
schools in, 19–20
secret report on murders of the twelve Nepali men, 91, 107
stone-breaking as job in, 95
superstitions and cultural taboos, 31, 32, 40
Teej holiday, 161–62
traditional music, 16
women in, 20
Nepal Institute of Development Studies (NIDS), 92, 209
New Orleans. La., 244–46
New York Times
accounts alleging KBR coercion and deception of workers, 240
reports of mistreatment of foreign workers, 154
Rumsfeld claiming Afghanistan victory story, 144
Obama, Barack, 228
executive order banning human trafficking practices by contractors, 345–46
nomination of Merrick Garland, 341
Patan, Nepal, 94
Pentagon. See U.S. Department of Defense
Philippines
as source for importing cheap labor, 81–82
use of Filipinos on U.S. bases in Iraq, 81–82, 118
Pokhara, Nepal, 20, 200
Powell, Colin, 145
Prime Projects International, 150
Problem We All Live With, The (Rockwell), 245
Qatar, 34, 48
recruitment of workers from Nepal, 36, 104, 347
on U.S. government’s human trafficking watch list, 69, 69n
Quigley, Thomas, 315
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver and Hedges law firm, 258
Rabadi, Nader, 71, 74–75, 123–24, 129–31
Radio Nepal, 32, 42, 44, 48
Rebuild Iraq Expo, 63
Rice, Condoleezza, 215
Rivkin, David, 228–29, 262, 281, 284, 289–90, 327
Adhikari et al. and, 230–42, 249–52, 260
answers to Judge Ellison’s questions, 232–40
background, 228–29
high-profile lawsuits of, 228
Iraq War and, 229
manner of speaking, 230
op-eds by, 229
relationship with Judge Ellison, 236–37
Robilotti, Richard, 195–96, 343
Rockwell, Norman, The Problem We All Live With, 245
Roosevelt, Franklin D.
Brown brothers involvement with, 138
expansion of the Navy and, 137–38
Lyndon Johnson and, 136
Root, Dan, 135
Royal Dutch Shell Petroleum, 279–81
Kiobel lawsuit, 279–81, 282, 322–25, 332, 335, 339–40
Rumsfeld, Donald, 144, 154–55
Saddam Hussein, 141, 142, 145
Safire, William, 155
Samarraie, Sheik Ahmed Abdul Gafur al-, 48
Samay (“Time”) magazine, Nepal, 90
Sarles, Joseph, deposition of Kamala Magar and, 4–10, 296–300, 304–5
Saudi Arabia, 34
importation of cheap labor and, 68, 104
slavery and, 66
on U.S. government’s human trafficking watch list, 69, 69n, 191
Scalia, Antonin, 220, 341
Sea Link Overseas, 104
Sessions, Jeff, 334
Shah, Budhan Kumar, 108
Shwarham, Haitham, 76, 77
Siddiqui, Tasneem, 67
Singapore, 34
Singer, P. W., 147
Smith, Christopher H., 192–93, 194
Somalia, 142
Sommers, Daniel, 173
Souter, David, 240
South Korea, 34
Sri Lanka, as source for cheap labor,
65
Stanley, Albert Jackson “Jack,” 227
Taiwan, 34
Taksar (village), Nepal, 41, 168
Tamang, Indra, 105–6
Tayback, Christopher
Gurung’s deposition in Adhikari case, 282–84
representing Bill Cosby, 258
representing Daoud and Partners, 257–61
Tayback, Vic, 258
Tayla, Mohammad, 117–18
Texaco, alleged race discrimination, 175
Thakur, Manoj Kumar, 108
Thapa, Bishnu Hari, 94–99, 122, 127, 203
compensation for his mother, 203
record of Jordan arrival and departure, 127
statement from, 210–11
Thapa, Bishnu Maya, 94–99, 203
Thapa, Kumar, 96
Thapa, Lok Bahadur, 106
Thapa, Uday, 19–20
Thapa Magar, Jeet Bahadur. See Magar, Jeet Bahadur Thapa
Till, Emmett, 333, 334
Tin Gharey Toll (village), Nepal, 12, 18, 19, 21
Toll, Steve, 173, 178
Trump, Donald, 341, 344–45, 346
Tulsi Meher Ashram, Kathmandu, Nepal, 160–70, 204–7
breech between widow, Heera, and Kamala, 206–7
child care and education at, 165
daily life and skills taught at, 165–67
dictum from founder, 160
founding and philosophy of, 112–13, 160
graduation day at, 204–5
Kamala Magar at, 109–10, 114–15, 160
making cloth and, 160, 161
Teej holiday and, 162
women’s shared stories, 163–64
twelve murdered Nepalis
Al Asad Air Base, Iraq as destination for the men, 43, 82
American lawyers meet with the families, 270–73
author in Nepal locating and meeting with families, 109
author in Patan meeting with family of Bishnu Hari, 94–99
author’s information about the kidnapping, 116
author’s interest in, 63–64
author tracing origins of victims in Nepal, 93–94
bait-and-switch techniques used on, 91, 98, 99, 100, 101
Bhatta’s testimony and, 308–10
Bisharat company as men’s employer, 64, 73, 77
charitable payment to families, 188, 206
civil action against KBR and Daoud and Company for (see Adhikari et al. v. Daoud & Partners et al)
compensation case for survivors of, 128–29, 153, 180–81, 183, 184–91, 195, 196, 197–204, 209–13
dalals for, 95–96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 103, 288
Daoud and Partners settlement to families, 327, 336
description of murder, 50–55
effect on Nepali men in Kuwait, 105–6
evidence of connection to KBR, 151–52
execution video and, 51–55, 273–74
execution video statements, detailing alleged coercion and abuse, 107, 235–36, 313
families in debt to cover fees, 98, 99, 100, 101–2
fees charged by labor broker, 99–100
held at No. 58 Malfuf Street, Amman, 126, 127, 129–32, 158, 310
help for families of victims, 88–89, 94
kidnapping of the men, 43, 45, 48, 82, 120
Mansour’s version of what happened, 71–74
Moon Light Consultants as recruiter for, 55, 64, 70, 91–92, 99
Nadi denial about knowing them, 75–76, 79
outcry in Nepal and, 88
phone calls to families, 97–98, 101–2, 108, 127
phone numbers in Amman and, 102, 125–28
photocopies of passports, 121–23
presence of men in Iraq, questions about, 64
proof about employer for sought, 116
report on time in Jordan, 126–27
rioting in Nepal, following execution video, 55–56, 91, 103
secret report on by Nepal government, 91, 107
terms of employment changed, 101
three young men from the same town and, 93, 100–101, 108, 126–27
told there was no danger, 100
transport to Iraq without security, 119–20
victim Adhikari’s letter home, 102–3, 287–88
Union Carbide, Bhopal pesticide accident, 175, 176
United Arab Emirates, 34
recruitment of cheap labor and, 104
slavery and, 66
on U.S. government’s human trafficking watch list, 69, 69n
United Nations
International Labour Organization, 66, 67, 93, 192, 346
reports on human trafficking, 66
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 344
U.S. Army
denies any responsibility for TCNs, 152, 154
“Recruiting Practices and Free Will” and, 312
U.S. Congress
defense contractor laws, 346
hearings on human trafficking in U.S. contracting operations, 215
House Armed Services Committee, 192
House International Relations Committee, 192
pushed to investigate use of forced or coerced labor, 184, 192–93
Senate Judiciary Committee, 215
U.S. Department of Defense (the Pentagon)
average spent per year on Iraq contractors, 75
Brown and Root company, defense contracts and, 141, 142–43
Brown and Root’s blueprint for private contractors, 141–42
Cheney and, 142
concern about human trafficking and, 154–55, 214
connections to Mansour and other human traffickers, 69
importation of cheap labor and, 69, 73
inspector general inquiry and report on murdered Nepalis, 193, 194, 233
Iraq War and, 145
Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP), 142
privatizing and, 142
pushed to investigate use of forced or coerced labor, 192
Rumsfeld memo on human trafficking and, 154–55
use of civilian contractors, 153
U.S. Department of Labor
2013 study on modern-day slavery, 346
compensation case for the twelve murdered Nepalis and, 194–95, 260
federal workers’ compensation programs and cases, 195
U.S. Department of State
“Department of Defense (DOD) Responds to Labor Trafficking in Iraq,” 214–15
forced or coerced labor concerns, 346
U.S. General Accounting Office (later Government Accountability Office)
Brown and Root overruns, Balkans and, 143, 156
Brown and Root overruns, Vietnam and, 140
report criticizing KBR Halliburton, 156–57
U.S. Helsinki Commission, 154
U.S. Navy, 137–38
U.S. Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, 191
U.S. Supreme Court
Barko case denied hearing before, 319
Brown v. Board of Education, 245
Guantánamo Bay indefinite detentions case, 229
Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, 279–81, 282, 322–25, 332, 335, 339–40
polarization of, 323
precedents for Adhikari et al. v. Daoud & Partners et al., 240
Roe v. Wade, 247
writing on the process of discovery, 264
Utt, William “Bill,” 227–28
Vietnam War, 140
Brown and Root company, defense contracts and, 140, 141, 155
Brown and Root cost overruns and, 143
von Fremd, Mike, 52, 53
War Hazards Compensation Act, 180, 198
Washington, DC
aesthetic rules in, 291
“K Street” lawyers and lobbyists, 4
Magar and other witnesses at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 7–8, 291, 294
Magar deposition in, 3–10, 290, 291–300, 304–5
Nepali witnesses in, overwhelmed by, 294
Was
hington Post
accounts alleging KBR coercion and deception of workers, 240
reports on Halliburton and treatment of foreign workers, 154
Werlein, Ewing, Jr., 222
World War II
civilian contractors in, 146
law about compensation to contract worker survivors and, 180–81
Wright, J. Skelly, 244–47
Ellison as law clerk for, 246–47
as Ellison hero, 246–47
Estrich as law clerk for, 258
Zarqawi, Abu Musab al-, 46–47
About the Author
CAM SIMPSON is an international investigations editor and writer for Bloomberg Businessweek magazine and Bloomberg News, where he has worked since 2010. Previously, he was a Middle East correspondent and Washington correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, and worked in Chicago, in Washington, and overseas for the Chicago Tribune. Among the honors he’s received during three decades of reporting are two George Polk Awards, three awards from the Overseas Press Club of America, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for international reporting, and the Gerald Loeb Award for magazine writing. He lives in London. Visit camsimpson.com to learn more.
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the girl from kathmandu. Copyright © 2018 by Cam Simpson. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Cover design by Adalis Martinez
Cover photograph: From the Chicago Tribune, January 1, 2005; © 2005 by the Chicago Tribune.
first edition
Digital Edition APRIL 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-244973-3
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-244971-9
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