Maoists assure they have no intention of harming tourists during protests

A senior Maoist leader has assured that they have no intention of harming any tourist and are always supportive towards tourism industry.

Talking to a delegation of Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO), Dev Gurung, a politburo member of Maoists said that his party is with the tourism operators. The delegation had gone to meet him to request him to ensure smooth and free movement of tourists during any strike or protest.

"Our party did not harm a single tourist even during the insurgency. Neither do we have any strategy to hamper tourists and disturb their movement in the days to come as well," he said.

The NATO delegation informed Gurung that with announcement of protests by Maoists, foreign tour operators and visitors have become nervous and are in a dilemma of going ahead with their planned visits to Nepal. nepalnews.com sd Oct 03 07