Nepal roads deserted as rebel blockade begins
KATHMANDU, March 14 (Reuters) - Roads across Nepal were deserted on Tuesday, the first day of an indefinite blockade of Kathmandu and other major towns called by Maoist rebels mounting pressure on King Gyanendra who seized full power last year.
The Maoists, fighting to overthrow the Hindu monarchy and set up a single party communist republic, have ordered the closure of all roads to the capital, disrupting the movement of people and goods to the city of more than 1.5 million.
"There is a dead silence and the highway, which used to be crowded on other days, is deserted now," said Sagar Gautam, a resident in Aaptari, a key point on the way into Kathmandu, 130 km (80 miles) southwest from the capital.
Police officer Thaneswor Dhakal said army escorts would be provided for vehicles if they were prepared to run and the government has offered compensation for any attacks.
Residents in Nepalgunj and the tourist town of Pokhara in west Nepal and the key business towns of Butwal and Birgunj in the southern plains said trucks and buses had been locked up in garages and roads were empty of vehicles.
"It is quiet but peaceful," journalist Bikram Niraula, said from the commercial centre of Biratnagar, 550 km (340 miles) east of Kathmandu.
Police said there were no reports of violence.
In the past, the Maoists have successfully blockaded Kathmandu for several days, cutting off the hill-ringed city from the rest of the country.
Officials said Kathmandu had enough foodgrains for two months and enough petrol, kerosene and diesel for two weeks.
INTIMIDATION AND FEAR
The rebels rely largely on fear and intimidation, but have also set up roadblocks and attacked vehicles in the past to enforce such blockades.
They are also closing road transport to district capitals and major towns and following it up with a nationwide strike from April 3 to try to bring down the king.
The blockade has spared public and private transport within the capital.
Nepal's seven main political parties, which have a loose alliance with the Maoists, have urged the rebels to call off the blockade because it will give the royalist government a pretext to crack down on a large anti-king rally planned for April 8.
The blockade started a day after the government appealed the Maoists to surrender and offered rewards of up to 1 million Nepali rupees ($14,000) for their weapons.
"This is an initiative to let those Maoists who want to give up violence live a peaceful life," interior minister Kamal Thapa told reporters.
In 2002, King Gyanendra, officially a constitutional monarch, plunged the nation into turmoil when he sacked an elected government.
In February last year, he seized executive power, sacking the appointed government, suspending some civil liberties and detaining political leaders.
He said he had been forced to take over to end the decade-old Maoist revolt that has killed more than 13,000 people.
The Maoists, fighting to overthrow the Hindu monarchy and set up a single party communist republic, have ordered the closure of all roads to the capital, disrupting the movement of people and goods to the city of more than 1.5 million.
"There is a dead silence and the highway, which used to be crowded on other days, is deserted now," said Sagar Gautam, a resident in Aaptari, a key point on the way into Kathmandu, 130 km (80 miles) southwest from the capital.
Police officer Thaneswor Dhakal said army escorts would be provided for vehicles if they were prepared to run and the government has offered compensation for any attacks.
Residents in Nepalgunj and the tourist town of Pokhara in west Nepal and the key business towns of Butwal and Birgunj in the southern plains said trucks and buses had been locked up in garages and roads were empty of vehicles.
"It is quiet but peaceful," journalist Bikram Niraula, said from the commercial centre of Biratnagar, 550 km (340 miles) east of Kathmandu.
Police said there were no reports of violence.
In the past, the Maoists have successfully blockaded Kathmandu for several days, cutting off the hill-ringed city from the rest of the country.
Officials said Kathmandu had enough foodgrains for two months and enough petrol, kerosene and diesel for two weeks.
INTIMIDATION AND FEAR
The rebels rely largely on fear and intimidation, but have also set up roadblocks and attacked vehicles in the past to enforce such blockades.
They are also closing road transport to district capitals and major towns and following it up with a nationwide strike from April 3 to try to bring down the king.
The blockade has spared public and private transport within the capital.
Nepal's seven main political parties, which have a loose alliance with the Maoists, have urged the rebels to call off the blockade because it will give the royalist government a pretext to crack down on a large anti-king rally planned for April 8.
The blockade started a day after the government appealed the Maoists to surrender and offered rewards of up to 1 million Nepali rupees ($14,000) for their weapons.
"This is an initiative to let those Maoists who want to give up violence live a peaceful life," interior minister Kamal Thapa told reporters.
In 2002, King Gyanendra, officially a constitutional monarch, plunged the nation into turmoil when he sacked an elected government.
In February last year, he seized executive power, sacking the appointed government, suspending some civil liberties and detaining political leaders.
He said he had been forced to take over to end the decade-old Maoist revolt that has killed more than 13,000 people.
posted by Marko at 3/13/2006 11:40:00 PM
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