Tuesday, June 16, 2009

MAOIST''S REBEL PROTEST PARALYSES NEPAL CAPITAL


A general strike called by Nepal's former Maoist rebels to protest against the alleged killing of one of their leaders has shut down Kathmandu, the capital.
Shops, schools and businesses closed on Monday as members of the Young Communist League (YCL) gathered in main intersections of the city to enforce the strike.
  • Protesters burned tyres and forced cars and buses off the road, with demonstrators vandalising at least three cars for defying the strike.
  • The strike came days after Rajendra Phuyal, a local Maoist leader, was found dead in Kathmandu.
  • Police have said they do not yet know how Phuyal died or who is responsible.
  • But the former Maoist rebels have blamed the youth members of another rival party for the death and demanded that those involved be arrested.
  • The former Maoist rebels ended their decade-long armed struggle against Nepal's government three years ago and entered a peace process.
    They won general elections in 2008 and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the top rebel leader, became prime minister.
  • Last month, Dahal tried to fire the head of the country's army, in part for not integrating the former guerrillas into the armed forces. When the president overruled his order, Dahal resigned as prime minister.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera, xinhua

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