The party has been extorting Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 from small businessmen, Rs 100,000 to Rs 1,000,000 with big entrepreneurs while private educational institutions have been forced to pay anything between Rs 50,000 to Rs 3, 00000. [break]
Similarly, the Maoists have demanded a month´s salary with the teachers and government employees in the districts. The party is also collecting donations from every Village Development Committee (VDC) offices in Gorkha. They have also begun door to door campaign in Tanahun, Lamjung, Gorkha and Chitwan districts to collect donations.
In Tanahun, government employees on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Chief District Officer Harikrishna Poudel demanding security. “The security team comprising Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel will punish those involved in the extortion drive,” said CDO paudel. He, however, said that the local administration alone cannot stop Maoists´ from collecting donations.
The Maoists have demanded donations from 66 VDCs in Gorkha district. “Each VDC has been asked to donate anything between Rs 20,000 to 50, 000,” said a VDC secretary on condition of anonymity.
The Maoists, however, have refuted such allegations. “People are donating voluntarily. We have not forced them to donate,” said Chudamani Khada (Prakash), secretary of Gorkha district, adding, “We have only requested government employees, teachers, businessmen and various institutions to provide financial, physical and moral support for to our movement,” he added.
5 persons face Maoist wrath for refusing to donate
Meanwhile, the Maoists thrashed ordinary people in Tanahun and Gorkha for refusing to donate to their party. The Maoist cadres attacked three people in Gorkha and five in Tanahu on Tuesday night.
Bhim Singh, Rakesh Batas, Krishana Shrestha, Mani Thapa and Tara Rana were injured in the attack.
However, Bishwajeet, Maoist in-charge of Tanahun constituency-3, claimed that they were not attacked for refusing to pay donations. Businessmen on Wednesday closed Bhimad Bazaar protesting the attack.
Likewise, the Maoists attacked 72-year-old Kuber Singh Dawadi in Gorkha after he refused to donate Rs 10,000 as demanded by the Maoists. Earlier, the Maoists had attacked two teachers in the district for refusing to pay donations. Deu Bahadur Gurung of Mahadev Primary School and Suk Bahadur Baram of Chandrakala Lower Secondary School were injured in the attack.
“They thrashed us after we refused to pay donations,” said Baram.
Extortion in restricted area as well
The Maoists have also been collecting donations from tourism entrepreneurs in Chitwan district. “The Maoists have demanded up to Rs 200,000 donation form each of us,” said Shankar Saiju, chairman of regional hotel association. Saiju said he was also asked to pay Rs 100,000 by the Maoists.
“Some one-and-half dozen tourism entrepreneurs in this area have lodged complains at the association following Maoist extortion terror,” he added. He said Maoists has asked them to pay both in cash and kind.
Hotel Wild Life Camp, Baghmara, Wild Life Resort, Royal Park, Jungle Safari, Nepal Resort and Green Mansion in Sauraha were asked to donate anything between Rs 100,000 to Rs 150,000. Last year, the entrepreneurs had declared Sauraha a “donation-restricted zone” following the Maoist extortions.
The regional hotel association said that the flow of tourists has decreased by 80 percent following rumors about Maoists´ indefinite strike.
Some hotel entrepreneurs based in Sauraha said they would rather close their hotels than pay donations to the Maoists.
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