Maoist Rebels Detain Foreign Climbers at Gun-point
(October 30, 2002)

          KATHMANDU: Four suspected Maoist rebels held several foreign mountain climbers at gun-point in eastern Nepal demanding 7,000 dollars to let them go, team members have said.

           The hold-up took place in late September at Chiruwa, 500 km east of Kathmandu, as the climbers hiked to a base camp in Kanchenjunga area, said team leader Gregor Kresal, a Slovenian, after flying to Kathmandu by helicopter. He said the climbers told the gang all their money was with colleagues already up the mountain and that they would pay while returning, and so they were freed unharmed after a few hours. "I sent an e-mail message on our way up that we were captured".

           Each year, thousands of tourists, including trekkers and mountain climbers, visit Nepal, home to dozens of major peaks, including the world's highest, Mount Everest. But tourism has been hit hard by the Maoist rebellion and foreign travel warnings. More than 5,100 people have been killed since the increasingly bloody revolt began in 1996.

Maoist Strike Paralyses Normal Life in Nepal
(October 28, 2002)

          KATHMANDU: Normal life was paralysed here on Monday following a strike called by the supporters of Maoist rebels, the Federation of All Nepal Trade Unions. Schools and businesses in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur remained completely shut in response to the strike call. Few vehicles plied on the roads and citizens stayed indoors fearing attacks, a day after a series of small explosions rocked the Himalayan kingdom.

           Normal life was affected in the industrial Terai region on Sunday, October 27, also following strike called by the rebels to press their demands for an all-party interim Government and a new Constitution.

18 Maoists Killed in Airport Encounter
(October 28, 2002)

          KATHMANDU: Eighteen Maoist rebels and two army personnel were killed in an encounter at Rumjatar in Okhaldhunga district, sources said on Monday.

           The incident took place when the rebels attacked a regional airport at Rumjatar on Sunday night, October 27, sparking a retaliation by security forces deployed to guard the area. The rebels were overpowered after five hours of gunbattle when night vision helicopters began to strike. Four security personnel were also injured in the encounter.

           In a separate incident, a group of Maoists attacked a police post in Barahthawa village of Sarlahi district early on Monday. On Thursday, October 24, 25 Maoist rebels were shot dead by Nepal's army in fresh clashes across the kingdom, officials said. On Monday, October 21, just two days after the Government reiterated a call for peace talks, nine Maoist rebels were killed in a clash near Manpur village, about 600 kilometres west of Kathmandu, said a Defence Ministry spokesman.

King Gyanendra Appoints Care-taker PM
(October 11, 2002)

          KATHMANDU: King Gyanendra has appointed Lokendra Bahadur Chand, leader of the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party, as care-taker premier of the country. Chand was the prime minister during the transition period in 1990 when parliamentary system was being set up in Nepal.

           Last Friday, October 4, King Gyanendra had dismissed Sher Bahadur Deuba's Government as Deuba wanted the general elections due in November to be postponed. About 2,000 people took out a rally in Kathmandu next day voicing support for the King sacking the prime minister.

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