Maoist rebels who have cut off Nepal's capital for four days, pledged yesterday to expand their campaign to the Tibetan border as fresh violence left a police officer dead.
The rebel defiance came a day after the government appealed to the Maoists to call off the blockade and resume negotiations to end the increasingly deadly insurgency which has claimed nearly 10,000 lives since 1996.
The Maoists have not physically surrounded the city but have warned transporters not to enter the Kathmandu Valley, leading to a siege mentality that has sent some prices soaring in local markets.
The rebels announced they would start a new blockade next Saturday to prevent transport from the only land connection into Tibet, the Kodari pass, 115km north of Kathmandu.
"This blockade will stop all vehicles from moving to the frontier," read a statement from Devi Khadka, also known as Asita, who is the Maoist general secretary for three districts near the border.
While the blockade of the Tibetan border is unlikely to have an immediate impact on Kathmandu, it could hinder the growing overland trade with China and for tourists who cross the Himalayas into Tibet.
The Maoists are fighting to abolish the monarchy and draw inspiration from communist China's founder Mao Zedong (毛澤東), although they are disavowed by Beijing, which this month hosted Nepal's Crown Prince Paras.
In the latest violence in the under-siege Kathmandu Valley, suspected Maoists gunned down a police sub-inspector at Chabahil on the capital's outskirts.
Prithbi Bahadur Singh, the head police guard posted to the Gopi Krishna cinema, was hit by two bullets to the chest when he entered the theater's front yard, a police official said.
He had no explanation as to the motive. The Maoists have regularly targeted businesses that do not pay "donations" to the rebel cause.
On Friday, the rebels bombed two buildings and opened fire on security forces, injuring a guard who remains in a serious condition, police said.
The Maoists have not forced the closure of transport, offices or shops inside Kathmandu, which on the surface has stayed tranquil with the lanes thronged by pedestrians and foreign tourists.
But residents worry that a prolonged shutdown could lead to a shortage of fresh produce, which mostly comes from outside the Kathmandu Valley.
Cabbage has shot up from 10 to 25 rupees (US$0.14 to US$0.36) a kilogram since the siege began and tomatoes from 15 to 24 rupees (US$0.22 to US$0.35) a kilo, according to figures given by the market association.
Vegetable seller Aniss Shrestha, sitting in his T-shirt amid piles of potatoes, onions and garlic in a busy downtown square, said the city was feeling the pinch but no one was panicking.
"Trucks deliver our produce every day and they're still coming in, although sometimes they can be a few hours late. It's a little hard but we still have plenty," Shrestha said, as he dumped a dozen potatoes into a black plastic bag for a customer.
The government Friday appealed for the Maoists to call off the blockade and return immediately to the negotiating table.
Information Minister Mohammad Mohsin promised to meet a key guerrilla demand to investigate the whereabouts of an unspecified number of leftist activists who have disappeared. He said the results would be made public within a month.
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