Maoists harden stand, blockade

There was no place for immediate talks with the authorities, said Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Muhara and the rebels’ top leader, Prachanda. The Maoist demands for a constituent Assembly, an interim government and a round table conference were being refocused, Muhara told BBC, adding they would now focus on the abolition of monarchy.

Nepal’s military was on high alert to counter the blockade coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the Maoist insurgency, with armoured helicopters and Army convoys escorting fuel trucks and other vehicles that passed through Kathmandu valley. However, traffic around Kathmandu and western cities of Pokhara and Nepalganj was severely affected. But businesses was normal within cities.

The tough talk from Maoists came as the government ruled out any further appeals to them for negotiations.

‘‘The call made in the king’s proclamation is enough for them if they are serious about resolving problems amicably,’’ said Cabinet spokesman and Information and Communication Minister Tanka Dhakal in the first government press conference after the royal coup. —PTI