By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Hundreds of schools closed, roads were empty and shops were shuttered in districts in Nepal's southern plains on Wednesday at the start of a strike by ethnic Madheshi groups to press for regional autonomy. Violent ethnic protests in the region last year claimed at least 45 lives, throwing a shadow over Nepal's peace process after a decade-long civil war with Maoist rebels ended in 2006. Three Madheshi groups, saying they represent the dominant ethnic community of the fertile Terai plains, also called the Madhesh, have called the indefinite strike aimed at blocking roads to Kathmandu and other hilly areas of landlocked Nepal. Organisers say the strike is the "final battle" to get their demands met before national elections set for Apr.10 for a constituent assembly meant to map the country's political future. The groups are demanding electoral reforms, more government jobs including in the army, and peace talks with armed groups engaged in low intensity but sustained insurgency in the region. Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel called the Madheshi groups for "meaningful talks" but Rajendra Mahato, president of the Sadbhavana Party, one of the three groups, rejected the offer saying the government was not sincere. "The government must make its views about our demands clear before we sit for a meeting. We will not participate in any negotiation that is aimed at weakening our protests," Mahato said. Residents in the Terai said life in Parsa, Bara, Rautahat, Dhanusa, Siraha and Saptari districts in southeast Nepal was hit due to the closure. "Even the backstreet tea shops are closed in response to the strike. It has turned into a ghost town," said Ram Kumar Choudhury, a resident from Lahan in southeast Nepal. Terai, home to nearly half of the country's 26 million people, is Nepal's bread basket. Any prolonged tension in the area from where nearly 90 percent of Nepal's foreign trade passed could result in serious disruption of supply of many basic goods like oil. "The strike will bring life in the Terai to a halt and paralyse the rest of the country," Mahato said. (Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Sanjeev Miglani)
Activists from a hardline Hindu group burn Valentine's cards during a protest in the northeastern Indian city of Siliguri February 12, 2008. Valentine's Day, which is celebrated around the world on ...
