Tourists stranded by India strike

by Sanjay Jha | June 10, 2008 at 05:44 am | 67 views | add comment

In a flash strike called by a separatist group thousands os Indian and foreign tourists have been stranded in the Darjeeling hillstation of eastern India. The strike has been called to press for a separate state.

An indefinite strike called by a regional political party in India's tea-producing Darjeeling area has left thousands of tourists stranded.
The protest has paralysed life in all the three districts of the region.
On Monday, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) held a protest alleging attack on their supporters by activists of the state's ruling Marxists on Sunday.
The communists have denied the charge. Darjeeling is in the north of the eastern state of West Bengal.
The region is home to hundreds of tea gardens and produces Darjeeling tea which is coveted for its flavour.
The Gorkhas fought for a separate state through the 1980s but they later settled for regional autonomy.
The recently-formed Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) has revived the struggle for a separate state.
All three districts in the region - Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong - are affected by the strike call.
'Lost faith'
"We have asked all tourists to leave immediately," said GJM secretary Roshan Giri.
"We are forced to call this indefinite strike because we have lost all faith in the West Bengal government," he said.
"They are stopping us from holding rallies peacefully, they are trying to provoke an ugly situation. So we will continue this strike until we achieve a separate state for Gorkhas," he said.