--cntd There have been unconfirmed reports of at least a dozen clashes between the security forces and the Maoists in different parts of the country. According to the reports of Nepal Samacharpatra daily, the Royal Nepal Army has reported that the royal security forces killed at least 8 'Maoists terrorists' since 1 February 2005 in Lamjung (4), Sunsari (1) and Achham (3). The army has also confirmed that a major clash is taking place in Rasnalu, Salu and Doramba of Ramechhap district, and the Maoists launched an attack against the army in Jogbudha of Dadeldhura district. The Maoists reportedly set fire to vehicles along the east-west Mahendra highway. Although, there has been no effect of the bandh closure called by the Maoists in Kathmandu, reportedly, the rest of the country was virtually completely closed for three days, 2nd-4th February. National and international human rights organizations have documented the consistent and systematic disregard of human rights and humanitarian laws by the Royal Nepal Army ever since it was out of the barrack in November 2001 to fight the Maoist insurgency. This happened at a time when there were at least a relatively free press, active national and international human rights organizations monitoring the situation and some semblance of a civilian government. After 1 February 2005, it is extremely worrying that the RNA might go berserk and unbridled in the rural areas, given the fact that they have nakedly shown post February 1 they do not feel accountable to the national or international community and despise the idea of democracy, human rights and accountability. For instance, on Friday the RNA claimed that one wounded Maoist under their custody was shot dead as he tried to escape, in Fushre, Sunsari. They also reported that the three Maoists were killed in Accham in a 'sudden encounter'. In Lamjung, they claimed that they had found the corpses of four Maoists shot dead in the course of retaliatory fire, and claimed that there were many more deaths. In the absence of free media and monitoring by independent human rights groups, the following questions remain worryingly unanswered: (a) exactly where and in how many places did the clashes take place? (b) were non-combatant civilians killed and then labelled as 'terrorists'? (c) have there been extra-judicial killings, torture and arbitrary arrests and unlawful detentions of the captured Maoists even if they were combatants or Maoist political workers? (d) are the pro-democracy activists belonging to the parliamentary political parties arrested, detained, tortured, or extra-judicially killed in the name of the Maoists?, and (e) are the families of the RNA, Armed Police Force and the Nepal Police who might have died in the clashes deliberately denied the information about their deaths or abduction in the name of preventing 'loss of morale' among the state forces? There are reports that the RNA has started major operations in several parts of Nuwakot district adjoining Kathmandu. According to the report, the RNA is rounding up every one in the villages, killing civilian villagers indiscriminately, while the Maoists have escaped and regrouped elsewhere.