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Maoists end three-day strike in Nepal
Kathmandu, Dec 22 (IANS)
The three-day general strike called by Nepal's former Maoist guerrillas ended formally Tuesday with a ''victory meeting'' in the capital.
After paralysing the country for two days and a half and shutting down transport, industries, markets and educational institutions, protesters Tuesday brought out "victory rallies" from different parts of the capital that converged in front of the interim parliament.
Watched by hundreds of riot police guarding the house, Maoist chief and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda awaited to announce the party's future strategy while lesser leaders flayed the coalition government of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal as a "wooden puppet".
Maoist MP Netra Bikram Chand said the protests were for the implementation of a true people's constitution that would include the intelligentsia as well as squatters. The former rebel leaders flayed foreign intervention in Nepal without, however, taking the name of India, their prime target.
The three-day closure cost the country a loss of NRS 1.2 billion daily and sent conflicting images to tourists abroad at a time the government is planning to attract one million visitors in 2011.
Prachanda has warned of an indefinite general strike in future if the government fails to heed his party's demand.
The Maoists are demanding an apology from President Ram Baran Yadav, who caused their government to fall in May by stopping them from sacking the chief of the army. The former rebels say by espousing the "insubordinate" general, the president has paved the way for military rule in Nepal.
After paralysing the country for two days and a half and shutting down transport, industries, markets and educational institutions, protesters Tuesday brought out "victory rallies" from different parts of the capital that converged in front of the interim parliament.
