Kathmandu,Aug.28: Home Minister Govinda Raj Joshi Sunday outlined government’s new ” forward policy” to re-open abandoned police outposts in districts affected by a communist insurgency that has claimed more than 1,400 in four years of protracted internal conflict.

The outposts mainly in west Nepal were abandoned by the police after heavy casualties following clashes with Maoists leaving rural areas beyond district headquarters in the complete control of the rebels who are running a parallel administration in the kingdom. The government has already re-established some of the outposts.

” A sense of insecurity amongst the people has developed and prevailed after the police posts were either merged or withdrawn, “Joshi said.” They must be re-opened.” Joshi was addressing a conference of senior officers at Dandapakha in Sindupalchowk. The statement is important not for any new insight on the ongoing guerrilla campaign of the Maoists but for the admission of the ” psychological impact” the temporary withdrawal tactics has had on the people.

Amid reports that police are refusing to take up assignments in rebel strongholds, action has been initiated against some officials, reports said. While the Army is training nearly 1,000 policemen in counterinsurgency tactics and equipping them more modern weapons to increase firepower, some police officers have been also been despatched to India for additional training to fight the Maoists.

The rebels last week targeted some points in the capital including the residence of Minister Joshi, Mahendra Police Club and the Modern Indian School owned and operated by the Indian expatriate community– all on the hit list of the rebels.

They torched three school buses but otherwise did not cause much damage. Despite calls for a negotiated settlement, the rebels have not seriously reacted to offers of former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to start a dialogue; both sides accuse each other for the stalemate.