Nepal's king of the disappearing

Human Rights Watch has accused Nepal's security forces of being behind the disappearances of hundreds of Nepalese civilians since King Gyanendra's seizure of power a month ago.

Nepal has been in the grip of a Maoist insurgency since 1996. As the Maoists have advanced and taken control of more territory - they are now only a few kilometres from the capital, Kathmandu - Nepalese security forces have responded with increasingly heavy-handed and repressive tactics.

Hundreds of civilians have disappeared. In 2003 and 2004, says the United Nations working group on disappearances, Nepal had the highest rate of disappearances in the world.

Over the past five years, more than 1200 disappearances have been documented by local human rights groups.

The Human Rights Watch report warns that King Gyanendra's seizure of power may exacerbate the situation.

One of his first moves after sacking the entire Government and placing ministers under house arrest was to prohibit any criticism of the armed forces and to suspend basic human rights, including freedom of speech.

"The King's suspension of fundamental constitutional rights accompanied by the targeting and repression of human rights activists and journalists has set the stage for even greater abuses and further increased the risk of 'disappearances'," said Brad Adams of Human Rights Watch.

"Given the Army's record and increased Maoist activity, there is every reason to fear for the safety of Nepali civilians."

The report includes detailed investigations of 200 disappearances.

In "almost all the cases", Human Rights Watch says, witnesses' testimonies confirmed that individuals who "disappeared" had last been seen in the custody of Government security forces.

The report includes the testimony of the father of Jangu Tharu, who describes the disappearance of his son.

"The soldiers came to our village in the evening and burst into our house.

"As they were dragging my son to the street, I came out of the house, asked them where they were taking him, and begged them not to take my son away.

"But they pointed a gun at me and said they would shoot me if I did not go back into the house.

"They took him to the edge of the village, along with three other men, and an hour later we heard two long rounds of gunshots from there. But when we came, we found nothing there."

In many cases, it is likely that the disappeared "were the victims of extra-judicial execution while in the custody of the security forces", says the report.

The report does not ignore the abuses committed by the Maoists.

"In order to achieve the maximum deterrent effect on the population, the Maoists often execute their victims in public, forcing the victim's relatives and other villagers to observe the killing,"it says.

The report calls on Britain, the United States and India, who have been propping up Nepal's Army against the Maoists, to cut military aid unless the human rights situation improves.

- INDEPENDENT