Nepal slaps ban on travel without armed escorts

More than 700 buses, trucks and cars were waiting for security escorts at the main entry point to Kathmandu, Nagdhunga, repeating a scene from the past two days after the start of an 11-day Maoist strike to block supplies to and from the capital.

The Nagdhunga checkpost is 14km south of the city.

Moreover, an explosion blamed on communist rebels killed a high school student and injured two others in Nepal, while soldiers gunned down at least three suspected guerrillas in stepped-up operations against the insurgents, officials said yesterday.

Police said they suspect Sunday night's bomb was left by rebels at a market in Pokhara, a resort town 200km west of the capital, Katmandu. The explosion killed a student and two others were hospitalised with injuries, a police official said on condition of anonymity.

The Royal Nepalese Army headquarters in Katmandu said soldiers killed at least three rebels in Dang, about 400km southwest of Katmandu. It did not give further details.

The army has intensified operations against the rebels since King Gyanendra took absolute power on Feb. 1, promising to put down the insurgency.

The Maoists, who have been fighting to topple the monarchy in an insurgency that has claimed more than 11,000 lives since 1996, called the strike in a bid to protest King Gyanendra's power grab two months ago.

On Sunday, the government announced an overnight curfew on some of Nepal's main highways, banning traffic between 9:00 pm and 3:00 am local time.

"Vehicles have not been allowed to operate without escorts by security personnel," the police official said.

"The security personnel are checking the highways for obstacles and other disturbances and after they complete the inspection, the vehicles will be allowed to move forward," he said.

Many drivers and passengers have avoided road travel completely despite the need to make a living because they fear retribution if they defy the frequent Maoist-called strikes or blockades aimed at disrupting the country's economy.

The latest blockade comes after the king sacked a four-party coalition government on February 1 and assumed absolute power citing the inability of the politicians to stem the Maoist insurgency through talks.

The blockades have led to sporadic violence in the countryside controlled by the rebels and near the capital controlled by the government.

Food and other essential goods prices have also risen in the past few months forcing the government to invoke anti-hoarding laws in February.

Maoist rebels called the 11-day blockade starting Saturday in an attempt to cut off the capital from supplies of food and fuel, increasing the pressure on King Gyanendra.

The rebels have called frequent strikes and blockades since the king sacked a four-party coalition government and assumed power February 1.

Government officials, meanwhile, announced an overnight curfew on some of Nepal's main highways, banning traffic between 9:00 pm and 3:00 am local time, police said.

"The curfew is being enforced from Naubise to Mauwa Khola along the Prithvi highway and Tribhuvan highway," police said.

Earlier in the day some bus passengers at the checkpoint wanting to leave the city cancelled their tickets and returned to the capital because of the long queue of buses, witnesses said.

"Some 300 vehicles including those carrying passengers and commodities are waiting to enter Kathmandu," the police source added.

Meanwhile, vegetable and fruit prices soared in Kathmandu's markets Sunday, traders said.

"The prices of tomatoes doubled in comparison to Friday," to 45 rupees (60 US cents) per kilogram, an official with the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Development Committee said.