Maoists end private school shutdown

Nepal's private schools outside the capital, Kathmandu, closed their doors earlier this month after bombs planted by the guerrillas exploded in empty schools following rebel warnings that they must shut. There were no casualties.

"With the withdrawal of the shutdown order, the private and boarding schools can resume classes from Friday," the chairman of All Nepal National Free Student Union-Revolutionary Lekhnath Neupane told AFP.

The Maoists had ordered the shutdown in a bid to force the schools to cut fees, scrap the singing of the national anthem and remove photographs of King Gyanendra as part of their drive to install their own "people's education" system.

Schools outside Kathmandu, where the Maoists have a major presence, heeded the rebel closure order that marked their latest challenge to the authority of King Gyanendra, who seized power February 1.

But educational institutions in the tightly guarded capital functioned normally.

The shutdown affected 1.5 million students in 8,500 private and boarding schools across the country.

Earlier at least 10 Maoists were killed in security actions in different parts of Nepal over the past two days while rebels shot dead three villagers, army headquarters said Thursday.

One Maoist was killed in the Dharapani area of Sindhupalchowk in the country's east, three more including platoon commander Bhimmaya Pun Magar, alias Manmaya, were killed in Rolpa in the west, a military statement said.

Another two Maoists were killed in southwest Chitwan and four others were shot dead by security forces in far west Dailekh district.

Elsewhere, the military said three villagers were killed and 17 others -- including an 18-month-old child and a 73-year-old man -- were injured when about 100 rebels attacked villages in eastern Sindhupalchowk.