One dead in clash with Maoists in Nepal town

KATHMANDU, Jan 20 (Reuters) A 16-year-old boy was killed when a Maoist activist shot at a group of protesters during a strike in southeastern Nepal, an official today said.

The clash occurred late yesterday when protesters stopped a vehicle carrying former Maoist rebels whose leaders are now members of Nepal's provisional parliament in Lahan, 125 km southeast of the national capital, Kathmandu.

District official Chiranjibi Adhikary said one of the Maoists opened fire on the protesters, killing the boy.

The strike was called by a local Lahan group which said the country's interim constitution had little to offer for the development of people living in its impoverished southern plains.

Following the incident, protesters torched several vehicles in the area, prompting authorities to impose a night curfew.

''The situation is normal now and no fresh incident of violence has been reported,'' Adhikary said.

Nepal's new multi-party government, formed after King Gyanendra returned power to political parties last April, regretted the clash and appealed for calm.

The country's Maoist rebels this week joined a provisional parliament, ending a decade-old conflict against Nepal's monarchy which killed more than 13,000 people.

REUTERS SY DS1230