Nepal deployed "a massive number of troops" yesterday as the king appealed for unity in the Himalayan nation after weekend violence left 154 people dead.
Maoist guerrillas, who are fighting to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and install a "people's republic", attacked government installations killing mainly soldiers and police.
"We've deployed a massive number of troops," the defence secretary said; soldiers had encircled Mangalsen, a village where 110 people died in the raids.
The slaughter shocked the Hindu kingdom. "People are still stunned and terrified to venture out," Mr Chakra Bahadur Rawal, who runs a telephone booth, said. Ms Narendra Shah, a student, added: "There's a sense of fear and uncertainty. We can't sleep at night."
King Gyanendra appealed for unity as Nepal marked national democracy day. The king, who ordered the army into action against the rebels last November, said failure to unite would worsen the situation.
Nepal was going through a "vulnerable stage", said Gyanendra, who was hoisted on the throne last June by a palace massacre in which most of the royal family were slain by a drunken crown prince who later killed himself.
But "during this vulnerable stage, shortcomings in the political and administrative sectors could lead to the further deterioration in the situation," he added.
A government official said later the king was not taking sides in the heated debate about extending for another three months a state of emergency declared last November to tackle the revolt.
The ruling Nepali Congress needs opposition support to extend the state of emergency in a vote expected later this week. It holds a majority but under the constitution requires approval of two-thirds of the 205-member lower house.
The co-ordinated weekend raids appeared to be timed to coincide with the national holiday.
The revolt intensified after the death of the hugely popular King Birendra, whose killing the Maoists alleged was the result of a conspiracy hatched by "imperialist and expansionist" forces.
Gyanendra, commander-in-chief of the army, ordered the soldiers into action against the rebels after they broke a truce with a spate of bloody raids. Until then, the fight had been waged by the ill-equipped, poorly trained police.
The government has said there can be no peace talks unless the rebels, led by a reclusive figure known as Comrade Prachanda whose name translates as "awesome", lay down their arms. - (Reuters)