Federal Member for Gellibrand and an Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim watts has said that the Nepalese International students returned from Australia have contributed significantly in Nepal’s economic growth and development . Addressing an event ‘South Asian Conference 2023″ held in Melbourne in July 13, Minister Watts highlighted the contributions made by Nepalese students that return after they complete their education in Australian Universities as parliamentarians, medical professionals, high level bureaucrats, biomedical researchers and other important positions.
As the first Australian federal minister visiting Nepal after forty years in last May , Minister watts said” Nepal is the third largest source country to supply international students , the purpose of my visit was to meet and interact with them”. Honorable Minister also shared his experiences of meeting two Nepalese chefs that catered for him in Bhaktapur’s Bashuki Temple while in Nepal.
Mr Watts visited Nepal in may to hand back 13th Century old wooden tundal stolen from a Kathmandu decades ago. A tundal is a carved wood block that is a traditional Nepali architectural design possessing spiritual value and commonly placed diagonally at the end of a wall beam in temples.
The sculpture was housed in New South Wales Art gallery prior to this.
