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| Friday, 4 February 2005 |
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Nepal govt wants peace, Maoists call strike KATHMANDU, (Reuters) Nepal's new government said yesterday it wanted peace talks with Maoist rebels but clamped down on dissent, banning all criticism of the king's decision to assume power for three years. Soldiers have been posted in television newsrooms to monitor all broadcasts before they are aired, local reporters said. Maoists fighting to overthrow the king called a strike to protest against his grab for power, but with all communications down the call could be spread only by word of mouth and was largely ignored in the Himalayan kingdom's capital, Kathmandu. King Gyanendra's decision to sack the government on Tuesday was condemned by India and the United States, both major suppliers of military aid, and the United Nations, which warned it could play into the rebels' hands. Gyanendra acted after increasing criticism of his failure to bring political stability and peace with the Maoists. A state of emergency has been declared, deposed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other politicians placed under house arrest or thrown in jail and the press strictly muzzled in one of the globe's poorest and most troubled nations. At least two political leaders are on the run, newspapers said. State radio announced a six-month ban on all news that opposed the royal proclamation of emergency and the sacking of the government. India's ambassador held talks with the new foreign minister, an Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman said without elaborating. French media watchdog Reporters Without Borders called for urgent U.N. intervention and said the king had yet again tried to impose himself on the country by force. |
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