Nepal government wants peace, Maoists call strike

Nepal's new government said yesterday it wanted peace talks with Maoist rebels but clamped down on dissent, banning all criticism of the king's decision to assume total power for three years.

Soldiers have been posted in television newsrooms to monitor all broadcasts before they are aired, local reporters said.

Maoists fighting to overthrow the king called a strike to protest against his grab for power, but with all communications down the call could be spread only by word of mouth and was largely ignored in the Himalayan kingdom's capital, Kathmandu.

King Gyanendra's decision to sack the government on Tuesday was condemned by India and the United States, both major suppliers of military aid, and the United Nations, which warned it could play into the rebels' hands.

King Gyanendra acted after criticism of his failure to bring peace and his move was seen by some as an attempt to deal directly with the rebels himself, which the Maoists have always wanted.

A state of emergency has been declared, deposed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other politicians placed under house arrest or thrown in jail and the press strictly muzzled in one of the globe's poorest and most troubled nations.

At least two politicians are on the run, newspapers said. State radio announced a six-month ban on all news that opposed the royal proclamation of emergency and the sacking of Deuba's government.

The head of Mr Deuba's party, one of four in the sacked coalition, said political leaders would seek talks with the king to resolve the crisis. But with most under arrest, it was unclear who could negotiate with the unpopular monarch.

Minendra Rijal said parties did not want to undermine the monarchy or aid the Maoists, but would bring people on to the streets once communications were up if the king refused to talk.

It is unclear why King Gyanendra chose to take this action now. Mr Deuba was sacked in 2002 for failing to hold elections or make progress with the Maoists. Two royalist appointees after him also failed to make any headway.

Rijal said Mr Deuba's decision to push ahead with elections after the rebels rejected a mid-January deadline to resume peace talks apparently prompted the sacking, but did not explain.