Nepal rebels blow up PM's house

The government has been trying to guarantee safety

Rebels in Nepal have destroyed the family home of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

A group of Maoist terrorists ordered the housekeeper to go out and then blew up Mr Deuba's house

Local administrator

Reports say the Maoists blew up the house on Tuesday evening, on the first day of a five-day nationwide strike they have called in protest at the government's state of emergency.

The strike was said to be waning on Wednesday, with many businesses in the capital, Kathmandu, and elsewhere reopening.

President Bush's administration says it will seek approval from the US Congress for $20m of military aid for the government to combat the rebels.

The Nepalese Government has now offered rewards of $64,000 for the capture of three of the leading Maoists.

Ministers targeted

Prime Minister Deuba was in Kathmandu when the rebels attacked his family home in the town of Assigram, some 490 kilometres west of the capital.

"A group of Maoist terrorists ordered the housekeeper to go out and then blew up Mr. Deuba's house," local administrator Narendra Raj Sharma told the AFP news agency.

The rebels have carried out several attacks recently

The Maoists have targeted the houses of other ministers in recent weeks.

Mr Deuba has ruled out any resumption in peace talks until the rebels lay down their arms.

They broke off peace talks last November, resuming their attacks.

That prompted King Gyanendra to declare a state of emergency, freeing the army to join in the fight against the rebels.

Some 3,000 people have been killed since the rebels began their campaign to abolish the constitutional monarchy six years ago.

Much of Nepal was paralysed on Tuesday, the first day of the rebels' strike, with many ordinary Nepalis afraid of defying the call for a total shutdown of the country.

However there were clear signs of life returning to normal on Wednesday.

Traffic in Kathmandu was estimated to have returned to about 50% of normal levels. Domestic flights were running again.

Much of the east of the country was still said to be shut down though, and long-haul public transport was still affected.

In one eastern district, Mahottari, a group of rebels attacked a broadcasting station of the state-owned Radio Nepal, destroying costly equipment including transmitters.

Built in 1990 with Japanese assistance, this was the first radio station to be destroyed by the rebels.

Military financing

US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told journalists on Tuesday that his government was "reviewing several options for military assistance with Nepal".

"We've asked Congress for a supplemental appropriation of $20m in foreign military financing for Nepal, so that we can support more assistance," he said, AFP reports.

US military advisers have been touring parts of Nepal recently held by the rebels.

The Nepalese Government is waiting to see if its offers of $64,000 rewards for the capture or killing of three senior Maoist rebels will have any effect.

The bounty has been offered on the heads of Maoist supremo Pushp Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda, Mohan Vaidya, alias Kiran, and Baburam Bhattarai.

This is the first time Nepal has fixed prices on the heads of Maoist rebels.

The home ministry has offered rewards for other rebels as well.