NAGDHUNGA, Aug 18: Nepal's capital was cut off from the rest of the country on Wednesday and the supply of food and goods disrupted as Maoist rebels enforced a blockade of the city of 1.5 million people with threats to attack vehicles.
Roads leading to Kathmandu, a temple-studded tourist hub ringed by lush green hills, were nearly empty, as buses, trucks and cars stayed off the highways due to the warnings.
But there were no reports of violence. The show of strength comes after 10 of the country's biggest businesses closed down following threats by the guerillas. The rebels have been fighting since 1996 to remove the constitutional monarchy and the war has killed more than 10,000 people. But Kathmandu has so far been spared much of the violence.
The city has about two weeks of stocks of food, cooking oil and petroleum products, a government official said. But consumer groups warned of spiralling prices as people start hoarding goods.
The Maoists, who want to establish communist rule in the impoverished kingdom, are demanding the release of detained guerillas, a probe into the alleged killings of activists and information about thousands of their missing comrades.
On the main road linking Kathmandu to the southern plains and the major trade route with India, soldiers with Belgian rifles stood behind sandbag bunkers at a checkpoint. Military trucks escorted a small convoy of buses and taxis.
"We're escorting vehicles and have deployed more troops to patrol the highway," Brigadier Netra Bahadur Thapa told reporters at Nagdhunga, about 20 km (12 miles) south of Kathmandu.
"This call for a blockade is some kind of propaganda to scare people. There is no violence so far." The army said there had been only about 70 vehicles on the road, compared with about 800 on a normal day. The road is a lifeline for Kathmandu, bringing in 90 percent of its supplies.
A truck carrying a load of construction stones to the capital had its licence plates covered over. Some people hitching a ride into the city sat on the stones. "I am scared," said the driver. "They may take note of the truck today and attack later. That is why I have covered the number plates." -Reuters
