The Hindu : Strike hits life in Kathmandu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 30, 2002

International

International

Strike hits life in Kathmandu

Kathmandu Dec. 29. Normal life was affected as shops were closed and vehicles kept off the roads in Kathmandu valley on the first day of the two-day general strike called by the Maoists to protest the dismissal of the Deuba Government in Nepal.

Army soldiers and police patrolled the streets of the capital to prevent Maoist strikes. ``Mobilisation of security forces has been intensified,'' said the Interior Ministry spokesman, Gopendra Pandey.

The two-day strike, on the eve of New Year celebrations, has adversely affected Kathmandu's casino business, said an official at a local casino.

The tourism business has suffered because of the frequent strikes called by the Maoists during the tourist season, say tourism entrepreneurs. Tourist arrivals have plunged, registering a decline of nearly 20 per cent in November 2002, as compared to the corresponding period last year.

Seven killed

Seven people, including two policemen, were killed and nine others injured in Maoist attacks across Nepal, official sources said today.

The Maoists bombed a house in Satbaria area of Dang district on Saturday, killing four persons and injuring two. A 14-year-old boy was killed and seven local residents injured when Maoist rebels opened fire during an encounter with security forces in Salli Bazaar area of Salyan district yesterday, Defence Ministry officials said.

In another incident, two policemen were killed when Maoist guerillas attacked the Madhuvan police post in Bara district in the central Terai region.

Some rebels might have been killed in the crossfire, but no information on the Maoist casualty was available, said a police newsroom in Kathmandu.

Meanwhile, security forces have defused bombs planted by the Maoists at public places in Bargaun area of Humla district and Patharia area of Kailali district. — PTI

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