Communist rebels who bombed a UN food aid office in eastern Nepal said yesterday they regretted the attack and called it a mistake.
The rebels were targeting government buildings but erroneously bombed the UN office, said the statement posted on the rebel's Web site by local commander Rajendra, who goes by one name. He said it was not the policy of the rebels to attack any UN-run offices.
"We want to express self-criticism for the explosion, which we want to make clear was a mistake," Rajendra said.
On Thursday, two bombs were thrown at the office in Damak, about 500km southeast of the capital, Kathmandu, but no staff members were hurt. The building suffered some damage.
The UN condemned the bombing and closed all its offices in the area.
The UN World Food Program office has been working to distribute food to an estimated 105,000 Bhutanese refugees who have been living in UN-run camps in eastern Nepal.
Most were forced to flee Bhutan in the late 1980s, when the government there -- dominated by the ethnic majority Drukpa group -- accused the minority Lothsampas of being illegal immigrants.
Relations between Nepal and Bhutan have been strained by the refugee issue. The two small Himalayan kingdoms have held a series of talks, but there has been no breakthrough.
The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong (
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