Maoist protestors clash with police in Nepal: 60 arrested (Roundup)

Dec 20, 2009, 11:36 GMT

Kathmandu - Dozens of Maoist protestors were arrested during clashes with police as a three-day nationwide general strike got under way Sunday, officials said.

Police said the protestors clashed with riot police in several parts of the capital Kathmandu after police tried to stop them from damaging public property and vehicles.

'At least 60 protestors were arrested during scuffles in several locations in Kathmandu,' police spokesman Bigyan Sharma said. 'Nine police officers were injured in the clashes.'

The Maoists said about a dozen of their supporters, including a lawmaker, were injured in the clashes.

Riot police fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse the protestors who sat across busy intersections and prevented vehicles from operating.

Normal life was paralysed across the Himalayan nation on the first day of the general strike, the latest in a series of protests against the government by the Maoists since their government collapsed in a power struggle with the president in May.

Businesses, factories, educational institutions and main markets remained closed across Nepal. There was no public or private transport.

On Saturday, the Maoists rejected appeals by the government to call off their strike and threatened to stage further protests if their demands were not met.

The Maoists want a debate on the president's move to overturn the Maoist-led government's decision to sack army chief Rupmangat Katuwal in May.

It led to the resignation of prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and prompted a political crisis and fears over Nepal's peace process.

Meanwhile, Maoists say they do not expect the political crisis to end soon despite their protests.

'We don't see any immediate agreement to end the crisis,' Maoist leader Babu Ram Bhattarai told Radio Kantipur.

'For the past six months this government has ignored the people's demands and is now attempting to put the blame on the Maoists for the political deadlock,' Bhattarai said.