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Nationwide blockade hits Nepalese traffic hard
4/7/2005
KATHMANDU, Apr 6 (AFP): A Maoist strike to blockade Kathmandu has slowed traffic on Nepal's highways to a trickle despite a heavy security force presence and armed escorts for all vehicles, police said Wednesday.
The government, in response to the 11-day blockade called by the rebels which began Saturday, has banned travel on the nation's major roads without armed escort and has slapped an overnight curfew on main highways between 9:00pm and 3:00am.
The Maoists, who have been fighting to topple the monarchy in an insurgency that has claimed more than 11,000 lives since 1996, called the strike to protest King Gyanendra's power grab two months ago.
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