Nepal bans radical Maoist party after bomb attacks

Nepal's government has banned a radical Maoistparty that carried out a series of bomb attacks in the capitalKathmandu, a minister said Wednesday.The announcement was made after the government's efforts to holdtalks with the party failed.One person was killed and two others injured last month when theCommunist Party of Nepal, led by a former Maoist guerrilla, detonateda bomb outside the office of a telecoms company in Kathmandu.The party, which splintered from the ruling Maoists five years ago,also set off a bomb at the residence of a businessman in Kathmanduover the weekend. Two people were injured in the blast."It's the state's responsibility to control such activities. So wehave decided to ban them," Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawalitold local media on Wednesday. Police also suspect the radical party of responsibility for a blastoutside municipal offices in the south-central town of Bharatpur lateTuesday.Maoist rebels fought an armed insurgency against state securityforces between 1996 and 2006 that killed more than 16,000 people. Apeace accord was signed in November 2006.