Thousands rally in Kathmandu to demand end to shutdown

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KATHMANDU, May 7 (AFP): About 35,000 people rallied in Kathmandu Friday to demand an end to a five-day shutdown of the Nepalese capital enforced by Maoists that has crippled business and other city life, the police said.
The rally was organised by the business community and other civil society groups to demand that the coalition government and the Maoists find a solution to bring an end to the impasse.
The Maoists, who have the largest number of seats in parliament, are demanding the resignation of the prime minister and the formation of a new national unity government under Maoist administration.
"We have given the political parties and the Maoists a two-day deadline to come to a consensus and end the strike," Kush Kumar Joshi, organiser of the meeting and president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, told AFP.
"The strikes have been crippling the business industry and all sectors have been adversely affected. Nepal is losing 2.25 billion rupees (30 million dollars) every day," he said.
Although talks between the Maoists and the political parties have been continuing since Sunday, there is no sign yet of breaking the deadlock which has seen all businesses shut and people confined to their homes.