Maoists rape 25 women in southeast Nepal, newspaper reports

Kathmandu (dpa) - Maoist rebels raped 25 women in a low-caste community in southeastern Nepal last week, a Nepalese newspaper reported Tuesday.

The English-language Kathmandu Post said nine of the women recounted their rapes Monday to human-rights activists and journalists at a village in Saptari district, about 215 kilometres southeast of the capital.

The newspaper said the Maoists targeted the women of the Dalit, or untouchable, community in the village with the victims ranging in age from 22 to 35.

The newspaper quoted one of the victims as saying: "They first told us to prepare food. After they had eaten, they forcibly carried us inside the houses and perpetrated the heinous act in front of other family members.''

The woman was raped in front of her father and mother-in-law. The Maoists threatened to burn down the Dalit settlement if the residents informed anyone about the incident, leaving the locals terrified, the report said.

Only children, women and the elderly remain in the village as the other residents have left the area a long time ago because of increasing Maoist violence. After the news of the incident spread, the Maoist leadership of the area came to the victims and apologized.

According to the Post, "They prostrated themselves at the victims' feet, begging forgiveness, and also pledged to take action against those involved.''

The Maoists have been waging what they call a people's war since February 1996. The armed insurgency is aimed at setting up a communist republic in Nepal and has claimed more than 12,000 lives. dpa sb ls