Thimphu: As the Bhutanese wait with eagerness to experience life under a democratic setup, Nepal- based militant groups have stepped up activities to frighten voters and disrupt the Himalayan country's first general election on March 24, the police have said. An explosion near a fuel station in the busy industrial town of Pasakha on March 17 was the latest in a series of bomb blasts across the country this year.

The blast injured one Indian worker and left the people in the area a little more nervous with the approach of election day. The Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) have said they expected more blasts as the rebels will "attempt to discourage people from participating in the historic parliamentary election".

A number of Nepal-based rebel groups were allegedly trying to create chaos during the general election and to instigate a revolt against the government, a RBP spokesman was quoted as saying by the Kuensel newspaper. The first act of violence in the country this year was reported on January 20 when four near-simultaneous bombs were detonated in four districts, including one in the capital, in which one woman was injured.

A group calling itself the United Revolutionary Front of Bhutan (URFB) sent e-mail messages claiming responsibility for the blasts. Soon after, there was an explosion behind the renewal natural resources office in Ghumauney in Samtse district on February 3. The office was used as a polling booth in the December 31, 2007, National Council election and officials resided in the compound.

Source : PTI