Journalist murdered in Jhapa, bombs found in Kathmandu raise security concerns
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - Despite government claims, the security situation is getting worse in Nepal. A group of unknown assailants attacked and killed Yadav Poudel, a journalist based in Jhapa District (Eastern Region). Meanwhile, in Kathmandu police also found and defused seven bombs meant to explode near goverment buildings.
Yadav Poudel, 38, worked for various papers and TV channels, including Avenues TV and the Rajdhani daily newspaper. Although it is unclear why he was killed, his throat slit, police took into custody more than a dozen people in their stage of their investigation. His death has raised fear levels among journalists working in high-risk areas. Ten have already quit as a result.
Poudel's death has put the spotlight on the issue of security after a year of relative calm. His killing comes after the murders of Araun Signaniya, killed in Janakpur in March 2010, and Jamim Shah, killed in February 2011. Since 2002, 13 journalists have killed in Nepal.
For the past few months, the authorities have been bracing for attacks against people and property by Hindu extremists and criminal gangs opposed to the country's democratically-elected secular government.
The discovery of seven bombs found in central Kathmandu has raised doubts about the government's capacity to provide security.
The explosive devices targeted key assets in the city. Four were found on buses and had they exploded they would have caused a major loss of life.
Near the bombs, police found some pamplets with the name 'Nepal Communist Party People's War Group', a hitherto unknown entity.
After years of an uprising against the monarchy, Nepal became a republic in 2008 as part of a peace process involving a caretaker Nepali government and the United Nations. The plan included the disarming of Maoist fighters and the drafting of a new constitution.
However, this has not happened yet. With the country deadlocked, the national economy is tittering on the edge because of political in-fighting between the ruling Maoists, opposition parties and the military.
The deadline for the approval of the new constitution is 27 May of this year. Talks between political parties and social groups have been going on since 2008. The ratification of the constitution was postponed seven times as a result of stakeholders' failure to reach an agreement.
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