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U.S. blasts Nepal over arrest of strikers+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)WASHINGTON, April 6_(Kyodo) _ The United States on Thursday condemned Nepal's arrest of striking political party leaders, activists and students in Kathmandu and other major cities. "We're seriously concerned about the government's ongoing curbs on civil liberties and human rights, which has led to serious unrest in Nepal," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. About 500 strikers were arrested across Nepal on Thursday, protesting King Gyanendra's direct rule. The government said it was cracking down because the protestors intended to help the decade-long Maoist insurgency overthrow the king's rule. "The United States calls on the government of Nepal to release these and other detained activists show have been held for voicing their opposition to autocratic rule in Nepal," McCormack said. Businesses, schools and shops closed, and roads were quiet Thursday, the first day of the four-day general strike called by opposition political parties. The king fired the multiparty government and seized power in February 2005, saying the government was not doing enough to fight the Maoist insurgency. |