From: "Stasi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 05:39:55 -0000 To: "Peoples War" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Peoples War] Nepal: State Of Emergency Considered - BBC Sunday, 25 November, 2001, 23:51 GMT RealPlayer Audio Reports: The BBC's Alastair Lawson: "Nepal looks as if it faces a prolonged period of fighting" http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1675000/audio/_1675290_nepal6_lawson.ram The BBC's Daniel Lak: "It is hard to imagine a more decisive message from the Maoists" http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1675000/audio/_1675290_nepal13_lak.ram Nepal considers state of emergency ======================== http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1673000/1673674.stm The government is expected to boost its security forces The Nepalese Government has postponed a decision on whether to declare a state of emergency following a devastating new offensive by Maoist rebels. A cabinet meeting was held on Sunday amid calls to deploy the army and reports of a bomb blast in the eastern town of Itahari which killed three people. The rebels have killed more than 40 people, including members of the security forces, since they broke a ceasefire on Friday. The interior minister wants tough measures to be taken against the rebels The ruling party, the Nepali Congress, has authorised the government to use "all constitutional and legal provisions" against the rebels. "At a time when the government was trying to hold the fourth round of peace talks with them, the Maoists have foiled all such efforts and resorted to violence and terrorism," it said. "The ruling party condemns the Moists for their terrorism." Party officials said the army might be mobilised to crush the guerrillas. To date, police have mainly been used in the fight against the rebellion, which has claimed more than 1,850 lives. But there are unconfirmed reports that the army has insisted on the declaration of an emergency before it begins any offensive. The district administrator in Itahari, Ram Prasad Khatiwada, told Reuters news agency that he suspected the Maoists were behind an explosion there on Sunday which caused three deaths. Local officials also told the agency that another explosion outside the town on Sunday had injured four children. No rebel claim for Sunday's attacks has been reported. On Saturday, rebels attacked police in the Sunsari and Surkhet districts, killing a total of nine officers. The attacks came only a day after the rebels ended their four-month ceasefire, killing 37 members of the security forces in assaults on police stations and army barracks in the west. Government 'blocking peace talks' The senior rebel leader, Prachanda, said the decision to end the ceasefire had been taken because the government was blocking peace talks aimed at ending the conflict. The government denies this, and accuses the rebels of running away from dialogue. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba came to power in July promising to bring an end to the five-year old insurgency. The two sides held their first substantive peace talks in August, but these stalled two weeks ago over a rebel demand for elections for a constituent assembly to pave the way for a new constitution. Our correspondent says the renewed attacks may indicate that a split has developed between hawks and doves in the rebel ranks. The Maoists stepped up their attacks after the massacre of the royal family on 1 June - apparently by a family member. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
