Fresh violence erupted in at least three districts of the Himalayan state,Nepal, sandwitched between two mighty neighbours India and China, with at least 30 people, including Maoists rebels and security men, feared killed on January 14.



The guerrillas struck when Nepal was celebrating Magh Sankranti, a Hindu religious festival.The rebels claimed to have captured two police posts. Earlier, media reports said 12 policemen had died in the attack and the toll could go up. Unconfirmed reports said one to three policemen could be dead in the attack while seven people, including civilians, had been injured.

The Nepal Government claimed that 17 Maoist guerrillas were killed during a clash with security forces in Mankamana town in Syangja district in western Nepal on January 13.



The fresh violence came even as a major opposition leader of the Communist party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist warned that the Maoists would unleash fresh attacks to disrupt the civic elections called by King Gyanendra on February 8. The Maoists resumed arms against the government January 2, after their four-month unilateral ceasefire expired without the king taking any steps to start peace negotiations.



BACKGROUNDER: In its chequered history during the last six decades, the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) -Maoists has established such a grip that the picturesque country, visited by the horde of tourists is now plagued by violence while the majority of the population is steeped in abject poverty. Violence has become a routine affairs, affecting the economy of the country depending high on the tourists inflow.



Read More: The Times of India