Maoists shut down Nepal, testing peace process

FE Team | Published: May 04, 2010 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Fire-fighters trying to extinguish a fire that broke out at Kamrangirchar in the city Sunday. At least twenty houses and shops were gutted. — FE Photo

KATHMANDU, May 3 (AFP): Opposition Maoists carrying sticks and chanting revolutionary slogans shut down much of Nepal for a second day on Monday, piling pressure on the strained peace process in the Himalayan nation.
All shops, schools and offices were closed and vehicles were kept off the streets in the capital Kathmandu and elsewhere across the country as thousands of protesters staged mass rallies and observed a nationwide strike.
The Maoist party, which has the largest number of seats in parliament, is demanding that the one-year-old ruling coalition be replaced by a Maoist-led national administration.
Lawmakers have until May 28 to complete a new constitution that analysts say is crucial to ensuring lasting peace between the former rebel Maoists and the state -- but few expect the deadline to be met.
"Our strike is peaceful, but if there is no consensus we do not have any option but to revolt," Chetan Sapkota, a Maoist protester, told AFP.