Convoy of U.S Ambassador to Nepal Attacked

On Friday, May 25 U.S Ambassador to Nepal, James F. Moriarty's car was attacked when he was on the way to visit Bhutanese refugee camps in Damak, Jhapa district, by members of the Young Communist League (YCL). According to Reuters, stones were hurled at the car he was traveling in, but he escaped without any injuries.

The YCL is affiliated with Maoists, whom Moriarty has long criticized for their violent ways.

Before April of 2006, Nepal was embroiled in a decade long civil war. The Maoists were fighting the state, demanding the monarchy be abolished and significant reforms in the government, social and civil services.

Since the historic "April Revolution", peace agreement has been reached and Maoists have joined the government lead by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala but they seem unable to curb the violent ways of their affiliate organizations.

Recently, Nepali newspapers have reported several incidents where members of YCL have been reported to have been involved in violent disruptions. The most recent incident, according to Nepalnews, on May 28, YCL members disrupted a training program for a political party in Kusmabazaar.

On May 27, KantipurOnline, reported that police have arrested three people believed to have been involved in attacking the Ambassador. Their identity has not been released and authorities are saying that they are still looking for other suspects.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Kathmandu Nepal has released a statement on the incident, Kantipur says. They say, "We understand the people that threw stones at the vehicle...were YCL". The YCL, however, deny that they were behind the incident.

Sources:

AlertNet. URL:(http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL214914.htm)

Wikipedia. URL:(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_democracy_movement_in_Nepal)

NepalNews. URL:(http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/may/may28/news02.php)

KantipurOnline.URL:(http://kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=110800)