General strike disrupts Nepalese capital Kathmandu

Jun 1, 2009, 4:28 GMT

   Kathmandu - A one-day general strike called by an ethnic group Monday disrupted normal life in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu and surrounding areas.

   The strike was called by the Newar community, an ethnic group predominantly living in Kathmandu Valley, which is demanding an autonomous state.

   The strike halted road transport and shut down businesses and schools and colleges.

   The main markets in all three cities in Kathmandu Valley - Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur - remained closed and thousands of people were forced to walk to government offices, which remained open.

   'We are demanding guarantees of a Newar autonomous state for Kathmandu Valley in the new constitution,' said Naresh Bir Shakya of the Maoist-aligned Newar Liberation Front (NLF). 'We have raised our demand in the past but the government has so far not shown any interest.'

   NLF also wants the government to drop a proposed bill on urban development, saying it was not in the interest of the Newar community.

   NLF activists were involved in minor scuffles with police at a few places in Kathmandu city on Monday morning and forced the few shops that were open to shut.

   Groups of demonstrators also manned major intersections in the capital city stopping motorcycles which defied their strike.

   The strike coincided with the 10th anniversary of a Supreme Court decision which banned the use of the Newari language for official work in government offices.

   The Newar community, which comprises less than 6 per cent of Nepal's population, has since marked 1 June as a 'black day.'