Nepal says Maoists storm police post, seize arms

KATHMANDU, Aug 10 (Reuters) Nepal's former Maoist rebels stormed a poorly equipped police post north of Kathmandu, tied up the policemen and stole their weapons, officials said today, in the first such case since they signed a peace deal last year.

Analysts said yesterday's incident in Phikure village, 40 km north of Kathmandu, showed that elements of the Maoist rank and file were not as committed to the peace deal as their leaders.

Dozens of Maoist activists went to the remote post, asked some policemen to go to a nearby village where someone had died, tied the remaining three policemen up with ropes and stole two bolt action rifles, 114 rounds of bullets and a revolver.

The policemen were freed by villagers after the Maoists left, said district administrator Bhanu Bhakta Pokharel.

The Maoists joined the government after a landmark peace deal last year ended a decade-long civil war that killed more than 13,000 people.

They have stored nearly 3,500 weapons in metal containers under United Nations monitoring.

But Nepali political parties say the former rebels have continued to kidnap, intimidate and extort money despite having joined a multi-party government under the deal.

They said the Maoists had to change their behaviour and help maintain the peace as elections approach for a special assembly meant to draw up a new constitution and cap the peace process.

The Maoist party has not commented on the incident but Hit Bahadur Tamang, a Maoist legislator from the area, said the activists involved had already left the group and the incident would not affect the peace process.

''Our party has no such policy. We are already in the peace process,'' Tamang said.

Yubaraj Ghimire, editor of the news magazine Samay, said Maoist leaders must bring their activists into line.

''This may have a fatal effect on the peace process if the Maoist leadership fails to ensure that the lower cadres follow the letter and spirit of the peace process,'' he said.

''Failure to do so will encourage others to follow what happened in Phikure.'' REUTERS RSA HS1642