Security forces under fire

Newspapers in Nepal have accused the government of failing to take sufficient measures to stem the violence which broke out in the capital Kathmandu on Wednesday following the murder of 12 Nepalese nationals in Iraq.

Several commentators point the finger at the authorities for failing to anticipate the level of emotion generated by the killings.

Some also express alarm at attacks on the media by so-called "anti-national elements".

"Nepalese are soft-hearted people," says the Annapurna Post. "They could not accept the tragedy brought on by the killings of their brothers by terrorists."

'Chaos'

"The manifestation of grief resulted in chaos," the Post continues, adding that there were insufficient security forces on the street and they were "slow in responding to appeals for security of life and property".

The state power that is supposed to quell such incidents is nowhere to be found Nepal Samacharpatra

"Such a weak crisis management will generate crisis of confidence," the English-language daily concludes.

The Nepalese-language Rajdhani criticises "the government's inability to make decisions, and insensitivity".

"If the government had beefed up security on time in anticipation of riots and chaos, at a time when the whole nation was in bereavement, the situation would not have spun out of control."

However, it welcomes the government's decision to pay compensation to the families of the murdered hostages.

For The Kathmandu Post, "Wednesday's incident in and around the city has proved that there is no government in this country".

And Nepal Samacharpatra laments that "the state power that is supposed to quell such incidents is nowhere to be found".

Media under fire

The Himalayan Times makes an appeal for calm at a time when it says "the familiar rhetoric of untruth and deceits gains extra momentum".

This is no time for remorse nor is it an occasion to witch-hunt The Himalayan Times

"This is no time for remorse nor is it an occasion to witch-hunt. This is a moment that should inspire solidarity, new resolve and logical approach to all outstanding issues besetting the country."

Nepal Samacharpatra also expresses concern at the series of "untoward incidents that occurred" blaming "anti-social elements who have shown recklessness by attacking media houses in Kathmandu".

The Kathmandu Post is similarly alarmed at the "anti-national forces" which "abhor an institution that has been persistently and effectively striving to integrate and empower the country"

"This time around, they have used spontaneous protest rallies against the murder of 12 innocent Nepalese in Iraq by terrorists as a cover to attack one of the pillars of the country, the fourth estate."

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.