By
IOL South Asia correspondent
NEW
DELHI, September 9 (IslamOnline) - In a major blow to the Himalayan
Kingdom’s counter-insurgency drive, 49 policemen were killed and 19
injured when about 1000 Maoist rebels attacked a police post in eastern
Nepal Sunday midnight, September 8, in their first major strike since
emergency was lifted on August 28.
At
least 12 more policemen were injured and another two reported missing
after the surprise midnight attack on Ilaka police post of Bhimad in
Sindhuli district, Minister of State for Home Devender Raj Kandel said
in Kathmandu. The rebels used automatic rifles while the police were
armed with old and outdated weapons.
Seventy
three police personnel fought the rebels for four hours and the fighting
continued till four o’clock Monday morning, September 9, according to
Kandel.
About
70 Maoists were killed in the gun-battle with the cops, Kandel claimed.
However, bodies of only two Maoist “area commanders” were retrieved
from the site, he said. Authorities said that the fleeing rebels carried
their dead with them.
The
Maoists destroyed the communication link in the area as well as blocked
Sindhu-Bardibas road to prevent the movement of additional security
forces in the area, police sources said.
Maoists
ran away early in the morning after additional security forces were sent
to the Sindhuli Ilaka Police post to fight the terrorists, Kandel
described the incident as a “major loss to the government’s war
against the rebels.”
The
Nepalese minister called for immediate re-imposition of emergency and
criticized the politicians opposed to the move. Emergency was lifted
only 11 days back as a constitutional obligation ahead of the November
13 general elections. The emergency rule was imposed last November and
was extended two times before it ended on August 28.
The
communist rebels have been fighting since 1996 to set up a one party
communist republic in the world’s only Hindu kingdom.
Inspired
by the revolutionary ideas of the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, the
rebels have vowed to bring down what they say is a corrupt, feudalistic
political system.
Remote
police posts in the Himalayan foothills have been a favorite target for
the insurgents, particularly in the west of the country, but they have
also stepped up raids in the east since late last year.
More
than 4,800 people have been killed in the revolt so far, more than 2,900
of them in the nearly 10 months since peace moves collapsed.
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Nepal
police patrolling Kathmandu streets
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The
conflict has increased the economic woes of Nepal, one of the 10 poorest
countries in the world. Investors and tourists have been scared away
from the scenic, mountainous country.
U.S.
State Department on September 3 warned that Americans and American
interests may be at risk, especially outside the Katmandu valley.
The
violence is keeping away tourists from the impoverished kingdom.
According to government statistics, tourists visiting Nepal declined 20
percent to about 300,000 in 2001.
Tourism
is the number one foreign currency earner, bringing in some U.S.$160
million a year - a figure that doesn't include money spent in Indian
rupees which is brought in by Indian tourists who represent the largest
number of visitors and are allowed to bring in their national currency
which is commonly accepted in Nepal.
The
government imposed emergency rule after the rebels walked out of talks
in November and launched a series of bloody raids. Key political parties
are opposed to any extension of the emergency in the run-up to
parliamentary elections set to begin on November 13.
“It
is easier to say that emergency is not necessary by staying in
Kathmandu, but in the districts outside the capital the situation is
still worse,” he said.
Nepal
government is eager to re-impose emergency. The latest bloody events
will come in handy to bolster its case and determination.
