Police arrested some 1,000 demonstrators Sunday, amid a nationwide transport strike, dpa quoted a minorities group as saying. The Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NFIN), the group responsible for calling the transport strike, said police had made the arrests in different parts of the country. The strike kept public transport off the streets, with only a few private vehicles on the move in some parts of the country. Schools, businesses and markets remained closed in the Himalayan nation on Sunday, the first working day of the week in the country. The federation has been organizing a series of protests since July, demanding that indigenous rights be enshrined in the new constitution. Nepal has been under an interim constitution since 2007. A constituent assembly was elected in 2008 to write a new charter, but political infighting has delayed the process. The assembly's term was extended by a year in May, after its initial two-year term expired without a constitution. A caretaker government is currently running the country. The parliament will hold an election Wednesday to choose a prime minister. Four previous attempts failed to produce a majority coalition.
