HONG KONG - The Hong Kong authorities have arrested two men for publishing a 'hit list' in an alleged attempt to blackmail prominent members of the Nepali community there. The list names 20 Nepali businessmen, diplomats, airline officials and security guards as main 'enemies' and it was published last year in the name of Maoist rebels. It threatened those it named with violence, including being "fractured to death".

But, police investigation showed that the men were common thugs and were not associated to any terrorist organisation, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper. Early investigations had indicated that the list may have been prepared to fund the Maoist movement. The list was circulated under the letterhead of a group calling itself the Special Group Command and it was titled 'Hit List for Hong Kong' naming people including the staff of the Royal Nepal consulate and Royal Nepal Airlines and the editor of the Nepal newspaper. The document read: "Our attention is concentrated on Hong Kong because we are getting more evidence that our comrades are facing many problems. Some people who are working as agents against our peaceful people's war are regarded as our main enemy and listed."

The release of the hit list last October had caused widespread alarm among intelligence analysts because the listing of the names indicated that the Maoist insurgency had widened even outside the borders of Nepal. The Organised Crime and Triad Bureau has been investigating the extent of support for the Maoist rebels in Hong Kong and the possible presence of any hit squads. So far, they have found no link between the rebels and any group in Hong Kong.