Taipei: Taiwan's government has heightened its travel alert for Nepal to the second-highest level, urging citizens to avoid unnecessary travel after deadly anti-corruption protests led to the ousting of the government earlier this month.

According to Focus Taiwan, Michael Lin, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, announced that the decision to elevate the travel warning to the orange alert level was made on September 10. This decision followed a series of large protests and demonstrations in Nepal on September 8 and 9, which resulted in injuries and fatalities.

The protests prompted Nepalese authorities to temporarily impose curfews in parts of major cities. Lin reported that during this period of unrest, two Taiwanese tour groups were in Nepal. Fortunately, all 47 members of these groups have safely returned to Taiwan. Additionally, around a dozen overseas Taiwanese and their relatives in Nepal are confirmed to be safe.

The situation in Nepal has since stabilized, with Sushila Karki, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal, being sworn in as the interim prime minister. Nepal is scheduled to hold general elections in March next year, and Taiwan's government is committed to closely monitoring the developments.

For Taiwanese nationals in Nepal facing emergencies, assistance is available through Taiwan's representative office in India, responsible for Nepal affairs. The office can be reached via its emergency hotline at +91 9810-642-658, or through MOFA Taipei headquarters' 24/7 toll-free emergency hotline at 0800-085-095.

Under MOFA's four-color travel alert system, gray represents the lowest level, followed by yellow, orange, and the highest level, red.