MANAMA, 2 September 2004 — Gulf Air announced yesterday it was suspending flights to Nepal for 24 hours after attacks on Arab targets in Katmandu that followed the murder of 12 Nepalese hostages in Iraq.
The airline, which operates daily flights to the Nepalese capital, “has taken immediate steps to secure the safety of its passengers and crew and closed its offices in the city,” a statement said.
“An interim ticketing facility is being set up at the airport to assist passengers and to provide commercial services,” said the airline, owned by the governments of Bahrain, Oman and Abu Dhabi.
“We are watching developments closely,” said president and chief executive James Hogan. “The safety of our passengers and crew remains our foremost priority and we will take all steps necessary to ensure their well being,” he said.
Thousands of people rampaged through Katmandu yesterday, setting fire to Arab targets and ransacking employment agencies after the 12 Nepalese hostages were murdered.
An employee at Qatar Airways, one of the main airlines used by Nepalese seeking jobs in the Middle East, said dozens of angry people stormed into their premises and smashed furniture before setting the building on fire.
Mohammed Rasooldeen adds: A Nepalese diplomat in Riyadh said yesterday the situation in the Nepalese capital has been brought under control and the government has provided maximum security to Islamic places of worship and foreign airline offices.
“It is true that there was strong backlash over the incident but the protesters were showing their wrath against the government for its failure to negotiate with the captors and on overseas recruitment offices,” Lok Bhadur Thapa, the charge d’affaires at the Nepalese Embassy, told Arab News. He said there were no attacks against Muslims or Islamic institutions.
However, television footages showed crowds of protesters attacking Katmandu’s main mosque and charging through the streets shouting “Down with Islam” yesterday.
About six percent of the 24 million Nepalese population are Muslim.
Referring to the killing of the hostages, Thapa said it was a very sad event for the whole nation. “We never expected that such an end would befall on our workers since the captors did not come out with any demands nor did they give an ultimatum,” he added .
