Freed man buys daughters Sony TV in first outing since return to Nepal

KATMANDU — Back in Nepal after serving 15 years for a murder he now looks set to be exonerated of, Govinda Prasad Mainali left his house Wednesday for the first time since his return last weekend, and headed to a Sony showroom.

To his daughters' joy, Mainali, 45, replaced an old TV at his Katmandu residence with a 43-inch Sony flat-screen model and also bought a home theater sound system, said his older brother, Indra.

"Govinda was unable to leave his house until Wednesday because of journalists who were waiting for him around his house to get his comments. He seized an opportunity on Wednesday when there was no journalist around and sneaked out of the house," Indra Mainali, 54, said.

During Mainali's first outing in Katmandu in 18 years, Indra said he had to keep a close eye on his brother, who has forgotten how to navigate through traffic.

"He didn't watch traffic lights and walked at a brisk pace looking straight ahead of him. I had to stop him and remind him to watch traffic lights and speeding vehicles," Indra said. "He seemed like a villager who is visiting a city for the first time in his life."

At a marketplace, Mainali was recognized by some Japanese tourists. "Govinda-san!" they called out, and he waved back at them, according to Indra.

"The past few days have been like a pleasant dream for us," Indra said. "A new life has begun for our family."

According to Indra, Mainali was "Japanized" as a result of his 18 years in Japan, including 15 years in prison.

"He likes Japanese food and has been complaining that Nepali food is too salty. He also likes to drink iced water, which is not common in Nepal," he said.

"But he doesn't know how to operate a computer and an iPhone, though he gave an iPhone to each of his daughters while still in prison in Japan earlier this month."

On June 7, the Tokyo High Court decided to reopen Mainali's high-profile murder case after a DNA test apparently exonerated the migrant worker, who was sentenced to life in prison for killing a woman in Tokyo in 1997.

According to his brother, Mainali was unable to sleep for a few nights before and after returning to Nepal.

"He told us that he was unable to get a sound night's sleep due to excitement since being shifted to the immigration facility," Indra said.

Mainali was also unable to sleep while in transit in Bangkok, where he was separated by Thai immigration authorities from his wife and daughters, who were traveling with him to Katmandu.

"He was kept in a place where there were other deportees who were poorly dressed and seemed to be in a wretched state. Govinda was wearing an expensive suit given to him by one of our sisters, who lives in Salzburg, Austria. And he was carrying in his pocket the money he earned while in prison. He couldn't sleep for fear of being robbed," Indra said.

"Days of poor sleep made him very irritable when he returned to Nepal. It was in this state of mind that he faced a media frenzy at Katmandu's airport upon his arrival on Saturday and attended a news conference later," Indra explained. "Right now, we are closely watching his behavior," said Indra, who also plans to travel to his home district of Ilam with Mainali after the monsoon season ends.

Indra said the family does not expect Mainali to take up any profession in the future.

"Adjusting to his new life will be very time-consuming. We have no expectations from him," Indra said. "If he gets compensation for his incarceration, I don't think he will have any financial problem for the rest of his life."

But Mainali has hopes of becoming a writer. "He wants to write a book based on the diaries he kept while in prison," Indra said. "So far, he hasn't let anyone read those diaries."