Casino staff to launch week-long agitation

KATHMANDU: Casino workers here will launch a week-long agitation starting Monday in protest against frequent police raids, which according to them were adversely affecting their business.
    
The demonstrating staff handed over a memorandum on Sunday to the Prime Minister Prachanda and asked to provide job guarantee to thousands of casino workers in the city.
    
Workers were agitating against Friday's police raid conducted at Anna casino where some Nepalese were allegedly involved in illegal gambling.
    
They have also announced one hour of 'Chakka Jam (traffic blockade)' on Monday starting from 10 am, two hours of 'Chakka Jam' on Tuesday and Kathmandu valley bandh on Saturday.
    
Referring to Friday's raids which evoked violent protest across the city, casino operators said in a statement that such actions will have negative impact on tourism business.
    
"It is regrettable that such an incident took place at a time when the five star hotels of Kathmandu are full of foreign tourists," the statement said.
    
Almost daily random police raid has not only harassed the casino operators but also scared the tourists staying in hotels and casinos. This has threatened the jobs of thousands of casino staff, it said.