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Nepal king to seek Indian help to crush Maoists
Nepal's King Gyanendra will press for more support to quell an escalating eight-year-old Maoist insurgency during a visit to giant neighbour India this week. The poorly equipped Royal Nepal Army needs helicopters and mine-proof vehicles to fight the guerrillas who have stepped up attacks on army patrols in the rugged countryside and bombings in the nation's capital. Gyanendra's 10-day tour beginning on Thursday will be the first since a new Congress-led government took office in New Delhi in May. "Naturally, he is expected to seek more Indian cooperation in fighting the rebels," a Nepali foreign ministry official said. Gyanendra will hold talks with Indian President Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. India, concerned about instability in the impoverished Himalayan kingdom, has been training and arming the Nepali army to help it deal with the Maoists, who want to establish a communist republic in the country.
Posted by: Fred 2004-12-22 |
