INTERVIEW-Nepal strikes threaten UN operations, staff
* U.N. says work curtailed by frequent strikes
* U.N. considers scaling back staff
By Nita Bhalla
NEW DELHI, July 3 (Reuters) - More frequent and violent strikes in Nepal are undermining the security of United Nations staff and their ability to carry out humanitarian activities in the country, the U.N. operation head said on Friday.
The impoverished Himalayan nation saw a rise in the number of strikes in recent years where everything from transport, government offices, businesses, schools to hospitals shut down.
There were 254 days of strikes or "bandhs" last year, according to Nepalbandh.com, a website which monitors strikes. In the last three months, there were more than 200, it said.
"Our people are moving around the country, doing activities such as food distributions or human rights monitoring, and they are constantly being stopped by road blockages, burning tyres and mobs of people who are increasingly refusing to let them pass," Robert Piper, U.N. Nepal humanitarian coordinator, said.
"As a result, the U.N.'s work is dramatically curtailed on bandh days and as the bandhs become more violent, we are getting more concerned about staff security," he told Reuters. Continued...
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