Nepal braces for more Maoist blockades
AFP, Kathmandu
Nepal's pro-royal government said Thursday it was stockpiling food and fuel as it braced for more protests by Maoist rebels and tightened security, asking citizens to carry identity cards. The announcement came after the rebels warned last weekend they would launch a nationwide general strike in mid-March unless King Gyanendra gave up absolute power which he seized February 1. The government, named by Gyanendra after he took power, said it would store enough food and fuel to last at least two months in the Kathmandu valley, home to 1.5 million people where Nepal's ancient capital is located. "The government will stockpile essential commodities like food and petroleum products to meet the needs of the valley's population for at least two months," Commerce Secretary Dishesh Chandra Pyakurel told AFP. Last Saturday, the rebels called off a crippling 14-day nationwide transport blockade staged to protest Gyanendra's takeover that had sent food prices soaring in the impoverished Himalayan nation. Maoist leader Prachanda -- his name means "the fierce one" -- said rebels ended the blockade to ease hardship. But he warned they would launch a national general strike March 14 unless the king abandoned his power grab.
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