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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Nepal launches raids against Maoists as rebels threaten blockade of capital |
| 2004-08-11 |
| HUNDREDS of Nepalese troops launched raids yesterday on guerrilla hideouts in a remote mountainous area in the west of the country believed to be a stronghold of communist rebels, military officials said. The action came as the Maoist rebels threatened their first-ever blockade of Katmandu, saying they would block food and other supplies from reaching the hill-ringed capital unless the government gives in to a series of demands. Rebels want the release of detained guerrillas, a probe into alleged killings of Maoist activists and information about thousands of their missing comrades. They have ordered vehicles to stay off roads leading to Katmandu from next week. "We urge the blockade of all entry points to Katmandu," the Maoists said in a statement. "Anyone violating the call will themselves be responsible for the consequence arising from such defiance." Nepalese army officials yesterday said they planned to penetrate rebel-held areas in Accham district, about 375 miles west of Katmandu, and flush the guerrillas out. The remote district has a dirt-strip airport and only few roads. Army helicopters dropped pamphlets warning villagers about the raids and urging them to stay away from rebel-organised rallies. Authorities have asked villagers not to gather in groups of more than three and to stay home as much as possible. The army received information suggesting that top rebel leaders were gathering in the district for a rally, Colonel Yagya Bahadur Rajaure said. Fighting between rebels and government forces has escalated since peace talks broke down last year. The rebels say they are inspired by the Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong and want to replace Nepal's monarchy with a communist state. The Maoists control large swathes of the countryside in the desperately poor Himalayan nation and have had sufficient influence in the capital to enforce transport strikes there in the past. Since walking out of peace talks last August they have sponsored a series of largely effective blockades of provincial towns and villages, attacking cars, buses and lorries whose drivers defied their orders. The anti-monarchist revolt has claimed more than 10,000 lives, scared away investors and tourists and threatened the stability of multiparty democracy set up in 1990. |
| Posted by:Anonymous5089 |
| #1 I'd keep an eye on this one. These things are usually bloodbaths. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-08-11 16:12 |