International News
Nepal s Maoists force shutdown
Posted on: Mon May 03, 2010
International Highlights
KATHMANDU: Maoist former rebels patrolled the streets of Nepal s capital Kathmandu on Sunday, enforcing a shutdown in a show of strength intended to pressure the government to step down.
The Maoist party, which has the largest number of seats in parliament, is demanding the replacement of the ruling coalition by a Maoist-led national administration.
All shops were closed and vehicles were kept off the roads by groups of opposition supporters carrying sticks and chanting revolutionary slogans.
The whole country is shut down. No institutions or industries are operating and there is no traffic, senior police official Bigyan Raj Sharma told AFP.
More than 100,000 Maoist demonstrators rallied in Kathmandu on Saturday to protest against the current government, which is struggling to keep the country s peace process on track.
Maoist guerrillas fought a bloody civil war against the state for 10 years before a peace agreement was signed in 2006. The left-wing rebels went on to win elections in 2008 and held power for eight months.
We are not asking to form the government on our own. We want a national unity government led by us, Maoist member of parliament Jhakku Subedi told AFP. This is a peaceful strike to oust a puppet government.
Courtesy : The News