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Nepal seeks emergency powers as Maoist clashes kill over 280
The government of Nepal is to ask the king to declare a state of emergency after more than 280 people were killed in clashes between Maoist rebels and security forces in the past few days.
Officials say 200 Maoist rebels, 30 police officers and soldiers and two civilians were killed when the guerrillas attacked administrative, police and army facilities northeast of Kathmandu.
Nearly 50 people, mostly members of the security forces, had already died since Friday when the rebels broke a four-month-old ceasefire and launched attacks on police and army posts, banks and civil offices.
More than 2,000 people have died in violence since the rebels began their campaign in 1996 to overthrow Nepal's constitutional monarchy and establish a Maoist republic.
A state of emergency would allow the government to use the full force of the army against the rebels, something it has previously refrained from doing, fearing it could lead to civil war.
27/11/01 2:08:25 | ABC Radio Australia News
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