NEPAL, April 15, 2002: Nepal’s King Gyanendra has called for national unity to fight the long-running Maoist rebellion. In a message to mark the Nepalese New Year, King Gyanendra said the continuing violence and destruction of the infrastructure had ruined the economy. His statement followed one of Nepal’s worst outbreaks of violence on Friday, in which more than 130 people were killed. Rebels attacked four western towns with guns, grenades and rockets, killing nearly 50 policemen and six civilians. Some unconfirmed reports said the death toll could be much higher. This marks one of the worst spells of violence in Nepal since King Gyanendra declared a state of emergency in November after the rebels withdrew from peace talks.
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