Nepal's Maoist rebels launched a blockade of Kathmandu and other cities yesterday, leaving roads deserted and piling fresh pressure on King Gyanendra who seized power 13 months ago.
Security forces were on high alert and troops offered protection to vehicles defying the blockade.
Fear of rebel reprisals rather than physical action was keeping many drivers off the road. Those breaking the blockade order covered license plates to avoid retribution.
"The army has been escorting vehicles at various points along the highway," said a soldier at Nagdhunga checkpoint, the usually jammed main entry to the capital.
"Security around the valley has been heightened," said a police officer on condition of anonymity.
The Maoists targeted Kathmandu and other big centers as part of their drive to topple Gyanendra, who seized power in what he said was a bid to end the insurgency. But analysts say he is no closer to his goal.
In past blockades, Maoists torched trucks and booby-trapped roadblocks but no similar incidents have been reported so far, an army headquarters official said.
Maoists are believed to keep records of vehicles breaking their blockades and to punish those defying them.
The blockade came as the royal government offered top rebel leaders US$14,000, an amnesty and a land plot if they surrender before June 15, the Himalayan Times reported.
"The government will guarantee an independent life with physical, financial and legal security to those who surrender," Home Minister Kamal Thapa told the daily.
The Maoists have been fighting a "people's war" for the last decade in the impoverished kingdom in which at least 12,500 people have died.
Thapa urged citizens to ignore the blockade, but reporters around the country said highway traffic was minimal.
By midday, just 200 vehicles had left Kathmandu valley, home to 1.7 million of Nepal's 26 million people, through the main checkpoint, said a police officer logging traffic.
"Usually around 3,000 vehicles per day come through here," he said at the checkpoint 15km southwest of the capital.
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