Nepal royalist govt detains key opposition leader

NEPAL: Nepal's royalist government put a key opposition leader in police detention after confining him in his house for more than two months, a government official said.

Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal-UML (CPN-UML), was taken from his home in a Kathmandu suburb to a police base at Kakani, about 30 km (20 miles) outside the city.

"He was under house arrest. Now he has been detained at a security base," a top government official, who did not wish to be named, told Reuters. Nepal had been detained under the Public Security Act, he added.

Meanwhile at least three people were wounded Thursday when Maoist rebels opened random fire at a busy market place in Nepal, where violence has already claimed 52 lives this week, an official said.

The attack took place in the morning in Bharatchowk town of Bara district, some 150 kilometres (94 miles) south of Kathmandu.

"The Maoists opened indiscriminate firing in the Bharatchowk bazaar injuring a policeman, a journalist and a health worker," chief district officer Shantaraj Subedi told AFP by telephone.

The injured policeman was reported to be in critical condition, Subedi added.

Earlier at least two Maoist guerrillas and two police officers died when the rebels attacked a bank in eastern Nepal, an army official said.

Security forces foiled the raid at Urlabari in Morang district, 350 kilometres (215 miles) east of Kathmandu.

"The clash erupted after a group of armed Maoists attempted to loot the Rastriya Banijya Bank in Urlabari, at around 3:30 pm Wednesday," the army headquarters official said.

"Two bodies of Maoists were recovered from the clash site while two police officers of the Armed Police Force died in the incident," he added.

KATHMANDU, Friday AFP