Nepal reopens after general strike
Businesses reopened and traffic resumed on major highways in Nepal today after an 11-day general strike called by communist rebels that crippled life across this Himalayan kingdom.
Buses carrying thousands of passengers and trucks loaded with fruit, vegetables and fuel headed toward the capital Katmandu, which had been virtually shut off from the rest of the country during the strike as rebels blocked key highways.
The guerrillas called the general strike to protest King Gyanendra’s seizure of absolute power on February 1 and the imposition of a state of emergency.
Gyanendra said he assumed absolute power because successive governments had failed to counter the rebels, who have fought since 1996 to abolish the monarchy and set up a communist state.
The insurgency, which the rebels say is inspired by Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong, has claimed more than 11,500 lives.
At the Nagdhunga checkpoint on the Prithvi highway just outside Katmandu, vehicles formed long lines today waiting for clearance to leave.
Armoured military vehicles had escorted buses and supply trucks on major highways during the strike but most drivers stayed away fearing attacks. The rebels attacked several trucks and buses during the strike, leaving at least six people dead.
Immediately after taking over the government in February, the king imposed a state of emergency, suspended civil liberties and jailed opposition figures.
Gyanendra’s power grab provoked an international outcry and several donor nations, including key allies India, Britain and the US, have either cut aid or threatened to do so. Nepal needs foreign aid to fight both widespread poverty and the Maoist insurgency.
