December 04, 2001

KATHMANDU: Ten days after the Maoist attack on an army base in Salleri in eastern Nepal, the Defence Ministry Tuesday confirmed that at least 200 Maoists were killed in a military counterattack. It said rebel corpses, including those without heads were found in the forests surrounding the district headquarters of Solukhumbu.

The Ministry said it came to the conclusion after a body count and estimation of people cremated around villages in Solokhumbu district, the home of the Sherpas who have earned international famed for their exploits on the world’s tallest peaks.

One tourist quoted by Nepal Television Monday said he personally witnessed rebels hacking off the heads of their compatriots and feeling into the nearby jungle in district headquarters Salleri. This could be to hide the identity of the killed. Earlier, there was confusion on fatalities with different government agencies giving conflicting figures.

Area military commander Goverdhan Gauri of Lamjung, Gorkha and Tanahu districts in central Nepal was nabbed by security forces Tuesday, the Defence Ministry said. Reports of interception of explosives, weapons and arrests of rebels continue to pour in from various parts of the kingdom.

Night curfew also continues to be slapped in several districts after the declaration of an emergency three days after Maoists launched a fresh offensive that has claimed more than 2,300 lives in nearly six years.

Curfew was slapped around the Sun Kosi hydel project 40kms east of the capital after rebels overnight made a second abortive attempt to blow up the Chinese aided power station, the Defence Ministry said.

Independent confirmation of government reports were not available.