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General strike paralyze life in Nepal |
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September 22, 2000
KATMANDU (AP) - Supporters of nine left wing political parties Thursday staged demonstrations in cities across Nepal to enforce a nationwide general strike. Vehicles stayed off the roads, schools and colleges were closed and stores remained shut. A few vehicles that defied the ban were forced off the road and the demonstrators stoned some taxis in Katmandu, the national capital. The strike was led by the Marxist-Leninist Party of Nepal, the second largest communist group in the country, and included the United People's Front and the National People's Front. The parties called the strike to protest what they said was the inability of the government to maintain law and order in the country and the alleged selling out to Nepal's bigger neighbor, India. Police arrested hundreds of demonstrators on Thursday to break up the strike. On Wednesday, police swung batons to beat back protesters who had gathered in Katmandu on the eve of the shut down. Police rounded up at least 40 demonstrators, which included former Deputy Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam. Gautam is a prominent communist and was the leader of the protest in Katmandu on Wednesday. The strike is also supported by Maoists rebels who have been fighting a guerrilla war against the government for more than four years. The insurgency in the remote, mountainous areas of Nepal has claimed more than 1,400 lives. The rebels are demanding an end to Nepal's constitutional monarchy and the feudal structure that continues in parts of the country. They also allege police repression. They are active in 29 of Nepal's 75 districts. |