cullinane
30th November 2001, 22:12
KATHMANDU -- On the third day after the underground Maoist rebels launched daring and well co-ordinated attacks in Dang and Syangja districts, the rebels on Sunday night carried out violent attacks in Salleri, district headquarters of Solukhumbu.
The insurgents who started the attack at about 11:00 p.m. have exchanged heavy firings with the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) personnel deployed to man the headquarters.
Earlier, the rebels had attacked the Faplu Airport, a 30-minute walking distance from the headquarters, and completely damaged its tower before bombing the airport.
At the same time, the rebels launched simultaneous attacks in the District Police Office (DPO) and quarter of the Chief District Officer (CDO).
An army source has said a special platoon of the RNA and the rebels exchanged heavy firings from the midnight to the early Monday morning. Amidst the firing, there was radio contact between the Salleri Barrack
and Namche Barrack, the source added.
Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Bal Bahadur KC, talking to The Kathmandu Post at 2:30 p.m. confirmed the cross firings between the rebels and the RNA personnel. However, he said, the communication was
disconnected after midnight.
According to an army source, the RNA of Salleri had regular radio contacts with the No. 2 Army Bahini stationed in Dhankuta till 3:00 a.m. The source added that the rebels were not being able to break into the
army barrack till then.
It is reported that the CDO of Solukhumbu, at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, had informed his counterparts in the neighbouring districts that a crowd (of
Maoists) numbering almost a thousand had gathered in the headquarters and the security situation of the district being at stake.
Deputy Superintendent of Police of the Eastern Region, Him Gurung, said at midnight that there came shrieking voice from the radio set saying that the rebels were attacking the headquarters from all sides. Then, DIG Gurung said, the connection was disconnected.
KATHMANDU -- Nepal's government is to ask the king to declare a state of emergency after more than 280 people were killed in clashes between
Maoist rebels and security forces in the past few days, officials said
Monday.
Some 200 Maoist rebels, around 30 police officers and soldiers and two
civilians were killed Sunday when the guerrillas attacked
administrative, police and army facilities in Solukhumbu district, 280
kilometres (170 miles) northeast of Kathmandu, officials said.
"The local police post, the district administration office, the official
residence of the chief district officer, the customs and revenue offices
and the airport tower were completely destroyed in a bomb attack, as
well as three private houses," a government statement said.
The source said a group of 600 armed Maoists attacked and blew up the
Phaplu airport tower in Salleri -- the district headquarters of
Solukhumbu about 280 kilometres (150 miles) northeast of the capital --
and later attacked a local army barracks.
Police said a fierce exchange of fire continued until early Monday
morning, while a highly placed official said the army had been sent to
Salleri to reinforce security presonnel.
"Since all telephone communications have been disrupted, we are not in a
postition to say exactly the number of casualties on either the security
or the Maoist side," home ministry spokesman Gopendra Bahadur Pandey
said.
Minister for Tourism abnd Culture Bal Bahadur K.C. who represents the
Solukhumbu district, has gone to the area in an army helicopter to take
stock of the situation.
Unofficial but reliable sources said government establishments including
the Chief District Officer's office had been blown up by the Maoists and
several people from both sides had been killed in the exchange of fire.
The sources said the rebels had first attacked the airport security
post, the district officer's office building and had later turned to the
army camp.
Maoists also looted a bank, ransacked a court building and released
prisoners from a local jail, the statement said.
Nearly 50 people, mostly members of the security forces, had already
died since Friday when the rebels broke a four-month ceasefire and
launched a string of attacks on police and army posts, banks and civil
offices.
The attacks continued Monday with three soldiers killed when their truck
drove over a pipe bomb set by Maoists in Pyuthan district, 390
kilometres (242 miles) west of Kathmandu. A police post in the same area
was also set on fire.
In response to the escalating violence, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur
Deuba held a two-hour emergency meeting Monday which agreed to ask the
king to immediately pass an ordinance allowing the government to declare
a state of emergency.
Once the king has passed the ordinance, the government will officially
ask him to declare a state of emergency in order to combat the Maoist
threat, a cabinet source said.
A state of emergency would allow the government to use the full force of
the army against the rebels, something it has previously refrained from
doing in fear it could lead to civil war.
Meanwhile, Nepal has asked New Delhi to put its border security forces
on high alert to prevent any rebels seeking shelter in India.
A Nepali official asked the chief minister of West Bengal state, which
borders eastern Nepal, to tighten security along the frontier.
"Nepal is very concerned over the recent Maoist attacks in its eastern
part. I have urged the chief minister to beef up the security at the
West Bengal border with Nepal," Kathmandu's consul general in Calcutta,
Yubaraj Bhusal, told AFP.
The insurgents who started the attack at about 11:00 p.m. have exchanged heavy firings with the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) personnel deployed to man the headquarters.
Earlier, the rebels had attacked the Faplu Airport, a 30-minute walking distance from the headquarters, and completely damaged its tower before bombing the airport.
At the same time, the rebels launched simultaneous attacks in the District Police Office (DPO) and quarter of the Chief District Officer (CDO).
An army source has said a special platoon of the RNA and the rebels exchanged heavy firings from the midnight to the early Monday morning. Amidst the firing, there was radio contact between the Salleri Barrack
and Namche Barrack, the source added.
Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Bal Bahadur KC, talking to The Kathmandu Post at 2:30 p.m. confirmed the cross firings between the rebels and the RNA personnel. However, he said, the communication was
disconnected after midnight.
According to an army source, the RNA of Salleri had regular radio contacts with the No. 2 Army Bahini stationed in Dhankuta till 3:00 a.m. The source added that the rebels were not being able to break into the
army barrack till then.
It is reported that the CDO of Solukhumbu, at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, had informed his counterparts in the neighbouring districts that a crowd (of
Maoists) numbering almost a thousand had gathered in the headquarters and the security situation of the district being at stake.
Deputy Superintendent of Police of the Eastern Region, Him Gurung, said at midnight that there came shrieking voice from the radio set saying that the rebels were attacking the headquarters from all sides. Then, DIG Gurung said, the connection was disconnected.
KATHMANDU -- Nepal's government is to ask the king to declare a state of emergency after more than 280 people were killed in clashes between
Maoist rebels and security forces in the past few days, officials said
Monday.
Some 200 Maoist rebels, around 30 police officers and soldiers and two
civilians were killed Sunday when the guerrillas attacked
administrative, police and army facilities in Solukhumbu district, 280
kilometres (170 miles) northeast of Kathmandu, officials said.
"The local police post, the district administration office, the official
residence of the chief district officer, the customs and revenue offices
and the airport tower were completely destroyed in a bomb attack, as
well as three private houses," a government statement said.
The source said a group of 600 armed Maoists attacked and blew up the
Phaplu airport tower in Salleri -- the district headquarters of
Solukhumbu about 280 kilometres (150 miles) northeast of the capital --
and later attacked a local army barracks.
Police said a fierce exchange of fire continued until early Monday
morning, while a highly placed official said the army had been sent to
Salleri to reinforce security presonnel.
"Since all telephone communications have been disrupted, we are not in a
postition to say exactly the number of casualties on either the security
or the Maoist side," home ministry spokesman Gopendra Bahadur Pandey
said.
Minister for Tourism abnd Culture Bal Bahadur K.C. who represents the
Solukhumbu district, has gone to the area in an army helicopter to take
stock of the situation.
Unofficial but reliable sources said government establishments including
the Chief District Officer's office had been blown up by the Maoists and
several people from both sides had been killed in the exchange of fire.
The sources said the rebels had first attacked the airport security
post, the district officer's office building and had later turned to the
army camp.
Maoists also looted a bank, ransacked a court building and released
prisoners from a local jail, the statement said.
Nearly 50 people, mostly members of the security forces, had already
died since Friday when the rebels broke a four-month ceasefire and
launched a string of attacks on police and army posts, banks and civil
offices.
The attacks continued Monday with three soldiers killed when their truck
drove over a pipe bomb set by Maoists in Pyuthan district, 390
kilometres (242 miles) west of Kathmandu. A police post in the same area
was also set on fire.
In response to the escalating violence, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur
Deuba held a two-hour emergency meeting Monday which agreed to ask the
king to immediately pass an ordinance allowing the government to declare
a state of emergency.
Once the king has passed the ordinance, the government will officially
ask him to declare a state of emergency in order to combat the Maoist
threat, a cabinet source said.
A state of emergency would allow the government to use the full force of
the army against the rebels, something it has previously refrained from
doing in fear it could lead to civil war.
Meanwhile, Nepal has asked New Delhi to put its border security forces
on high alert to prevent any rebels seeking shelter in India.
A Nepali official asked the chief minister of West Bengal state, which
borders eastern Nepal, to tighten security along the frontier.
"Nepal is very concerned over the recent Maoist attacks in its eastern
part. I have urged the chief minister to beef up the security at the
West Bengal border with Nepal," Kathmandu's consul general in Calcutta,
Yubaraj Bhusal, told AFP.