Nepal's communist rebels lift blockade of cities

Communist rebels withdrew a blockade of Nepal’s highways today but gave the country’s political parties a two-day deadline to begin the process of rewriting the constitution, their leader said.

“We have withdrawn the blockade until the first meeting of the Parliament, taking into consideration positive assurances,” rebel leader Prachanda said in the statement.

The announcement came as soldiers in southwestern Nepal opened fire on thousands of villagers peacefully protesting at the death of a local woman at an army camp, killing six, a rights activist said, adding the protesters had been emboldened by the country’s weeks of political turmoil.

A military official, however, said the villagers were trying to overrun the camp, in the village of Belbari.

The rebels had blockaded key roads for weeks to support a campaign of anti-monarchy protests by the opposition coalition of seven main political parties, which often resulted in bloody clashes with security forces and left at least 15 people dead.

The parties called off their campaign yesterday after King Gyanendra agreed to hand power back to elected officials and reinstate Parliament by Friday.

The rebels initially called the move a betrayal, saying it did not go far enough and tightened their blockade of key highways, leaving cities short of supplies, especially fuel.

Girija Prasad Koirala, nominated by the parties to return as prime minister, appealed to the rebels to withdraw their blockade, pledging to honour their agreements, including to focus on drafting a new constitution.

“The reinstated Parliament’s main agenda will be the election of a constitution assembly as per the road map of the parties and their understanding with the Maoists,” he said.

It was widely expected that the new constitution would limit the king’s role, or even eliminate the monarchy altogether.

The rebel blockade had cut off major transport routes, including the nation’s key highway between Kathmandu, the capital, and the resort town of Pokhara, witnesses said.

Outside Pokhara, about 125 miles west of Kathmandu, suspected Maoists set fire to a taxi.

The rebels also blocked another highway in southern Nepal, along with the main supply route from the border with India.

A reporter at Bharatpur, about 90 miles southwest of Kathmandu, said only 30 vehicles, mostly trucks, had left the town for the capital today.

In western Nepal, a man died from injuries inflicted by security forces during the protests, raising the toll to 15 in the often-bloody demonstrations, which began on April 6.

The man was distributing water to protesters when he was shot on Saturday in Kusma, about 160 miles west of Kathmandu. He died yesterday in Pokhara, said the Western Regional Hospital and local media.

The camp shootings, meanwhile, were rooted in last night’s death of a local woman at the small army base.

A military official said soldiers killed her as she tried to get into the camp. But area villagers believe soldiers raped and murdered her, said Kunjan Aryal, of the rights group INSEC-Nepal.

Both agree that thousands of angry civilians marched on the camp today. While the military official said the civilians tried to storm the small base, Aryal, who said an INSEC worker was at the scene of the shooting, denied that.

“They were not trying to storm in,” he said. “They were simply protesting.”

The political crisis, and the protests of hundreds of thousands of people, had inspired the villagers, Aryal said.

“Because of the recent political changes they appear to be bold enough to march up to the army camp and seek justice,” he said.

Particularly in Kathmandu and some larger towns, the status of the Nepal’s security forces has dropped significantly because of its backing of the king and the violence used against protesters.

Norway, meanwhile, which suspended aid to Nepal after Gyanendra seized power 14 months ago, said late yesterday it would resume its financial assistance because Parliament had been reinstated.

In Washington, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said the US would consider renewing military aid to Nepal, but that the move would depend on the army supporting the return of multiparty democracy.

Gyanendra’s announcement late on Monday of Parliament’s restoration brought tens of thousands into the streets yesterday to celebrate instead of protests, as they had planned.

The opposition nominated Koirala, a former prime minister, to head a new government, expected to be formed in coming days, and the capital came back to life after being largely shut because of the strike, protests and repeated curfews.

Gyanendra seized power in February 2005, saying he needed to restore political order and crush the insurgency, which has left nearly 13,000 people dead in the past decade.