Tuesday, January 3 2006 17:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Three western Nepalese cities were rocked by near simultaneous blasts, hours after Maoists called off their four-month unilateral ceasefire blaming continued Army operations against the rebels.

No one was injured in the blasts, which occurred in Pokhara, a popular tourist spot in Kaski district, and in Butwal and Bhairahawa cities in Rupandehi district last evening, police said.

However, the District Education Office in Bhairahawa was damaged in the explosion, they said.

The blasts came hours after the Maoists declared an end to their unilateral ceasefire, accusing the army of terrorising people in Rolpa, known as their headquarters, by conducting aerial and ground operations that also left one of their leaders, Kim Bahadur Thapa, dead.

A country-wide alert had been issued after the rebels ended the ceasefire as the Himalayan kingdom was gripped with the fear of fresh resumption of violence.

"We express commitment to fight from the side of Nepalese people till the last minute so long as the Royal Army continues to create terror as it has done through Rolpa operation that led to end of ceasefire," Maoist chief Prachanda said in a statement yesterday (Jan 2, 2006).

He urged people to bring a hurricane of movement by both peaceful means and armed struggle to end absolute monarchy.

Prachanda, however, said his party was ready to reconsider its withdrawal of the ceasefire if the Government agreed to empower people by holding a national political conference, forming interim government and organizing constituent assembly elections.

In his reaction, Royal Nepal Army spokesman Brig Gen Nepal Bhushan Chand said Maoists' decision to call off the ceasefire has not affected the Army's regular patrol and operations.

"We have become more alert after the Maoists broke ceasefire but there is no need to become hyper-sensitive," he said.

"The Army will carry out its duty as per the authority provided by the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Control Ordinance (TADO). The Army deployed in all units will conduct the regular patrol as in the past and we have focussed our activity to defend life and property of the people," he said.

The security forces will have to conduct retaliatory operations for the purpose of self-defence too, he said.

Civil society members, human rights activists and the international community have expressed serious concern over the end of Maoists' ceasefire.

The state's 'indifference' led to Maoists to take such an extreme step which is very sad, said Devendra Raj Pandey, chief of the Citizen's Movement for Democracy and Peace.

The withdrawal of the truce ended all positive signs which were just emerging in the business community, international trade, the industrial and tourism sector, said Chandi Raj Dhakal, President of the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Veteran human rights activist Krishna Pahari said the Government did not reciprocate the ceasefire and invited war.

Nepali Congress General Secretary Ramchandra Poudyal, however, said the end of ceasefire will not affect the understanding reached between the seven-party alliance and the Maoists last month, and will remain in effect for establishing democracy. But the parties will not accept violence.

US embassy here expressed deep concern, saying the end of Maoist ceasefire will make things very unhelpful.