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General Strike in Nepal... Ended(*)

Friday(5.07) afternoon in Kathmandu (according to an eye-witness):
Vigilante gangs broke off from civil society peace march, attacking protesters rocks and sticks. Police respond by tear-gassing canteen, beating Maoists who responded to the attack. Hindu-chauvinist groups attack Maoists with police assistance in the Terai, targetting leaders.... Don’t believe the mainstream press. They smear the movement, portraying right-wing gangs as local residents and protesters as outsiders.

Friday evening in Kathmandu (the same source reported):
UCPN(M) announces end of general strike. Violence from police and vigilante groups was widespread today. Nobody knows yet what this means – the new terms will be announced at mass meetings across the city on Sat./Sun...

NepalNews reported the following:

UCPN (M) withdraws general strike 'considering public woes and govt conspiracy'

After choking the nation for six consecutive days, the Unified CPN (Maoist) has decided to end its 'indefinite' general strike.

A meeting of the UCPN (M)'s standing committee held Friday evening decided to end the general strike "in view of the difficulties caused by the general strike to ordinary people" and the violent confrontations taking place during the demonstrations.

The party will organise mass meetings followed by demonstrations in the capital other major other cities across the country on Saturday and will picket Singha Durbar on Sunday.

"We have decided to stop the general strike considering the difficulty caused to the ordinary people, and also in view of the conspiracy hatched by this government to instigate violence. But we have not stopped our people's movement-III," Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal told media persons after the meeting.

Dahal informed that the party would carry out a series of protest programmes until May 28, the deadline to issue the new constitution.

UCPN(M) had enforced nationwide general strike from Sunday, a day after a it staged the mass rally to celebrate the May Day in the capital. The general strike brought the nation to a complete halt with transportation services, industries, educational institutions and marketplaces remaining closed down while the bandh was starting to cause shortage of food and vegetables in the capital and outside.

Initially, the General Strike was largely peaceful, but as the strike went on, there was increasing violence(**) between the Maoist agitators and those defying the General Strike.

But the General Strike wasn't unsuccessful, not at all! "Although Maoist led, the strike is supported by the majority of workers..", the Scottish Socialist Youth wrote last Wednesday...
And the consistent struggle for "People's Democracy"/"Liberation of the Exploited and Oppressed" has resulted in another important development, as NepalNews reported: "Dozens of popular artistes including movie producers, directors, actors and singers have joined the Unified CPN (Maoist). Party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal welcomed as many as 94 artistes and handed them party membership... Those joining the Maoists include movie producers and actors Yubraj Lama and Mausami Malla and popular directors Rajendra Khadgi and NB Maharjan. Emerging singer Anju Panta, who escalated to fame with her song ‘Na Birse Timilai’ also joined the Maoists."

* ...or rather suspended - for the time being!!

** At least since the 5th Day(5.06) of the General Strike the attacks (carried out by the ruling forces) against the striking people, especially against the Maoist activists were increasing, as the (bourgeois) TelegraphNepal reported:
While the youth cadres of ruling United Marxist Leninist and Nepali Congress parties led retaliatory actions against the Maoists’ cadres at various locations of the country, however, Birgunj, an economic center in the Tarai area, became the center of anti-Maoist violent demonstration. The youths affiliated to a Hindu organization not only vandalized a temporary camp established by the Maoist Party in Birgunj but set ablaze the camp...

Related articles:
☞ 6-day general strike was just a 'trailer' (NepalNews, 5.08)
☞ General strike ends, struggle continues (PSLweb, 5.09)
☞ Police, Maoists clash in Nepal, several injured (AP, 5.09)