Nepal parties plan new protests despite curfew

Kathmandu, Apr 9: Pro-democracy campaigners in Nepal vowed to defy a new, day-long curfew in the capital today and hold fresh protests against King Gyanendra's rule.

Yesterday, soldiers shot dead a protester at a rally in the west of the Himalayan kingdom, enraging activists who have called a four-day anti-monarchy strike that started thursday.

Nepal's seven main political parties, which have been leading the pro-democracy campaign, had planed a big demonstration against the king in Kathmandu yesterday but tough security meant that only a handful of small protests could be held in brief defiance of a curfew.

The royalist government announced another 11-hour curfew starting 7 a.m. 0645 hrs IST today and mobile phone services remained disrupted in a measure seen aimed at scuttling demonstrations.

''The people will not be cowed down like this. It shows the regime is already defeated,'' said Arjun Narsingh K.C., a top leader of the Nepali Congress, the largest political party.

''We will again try to march towards the city centre and protest.

We will continue until we succeed. Our protests will not stop,'' he told Reuters.

An hour before the curfew began, about a dozen men carrying political party flags gathered at a main street in an upmarket Kathmandu residential area, burned tyres on the road and shouted ''Long Live Democratic Republic''.

Security remained tight with soldiers and armed police patrolling the streets and armoured personnel carriers mounted with heavy machine guns stationed at some intersections.

Excessive force

The Home Ministry warned people against stepping out.

''If anyone comes out of their houses and compounds in defiance of the curfew, the security personnel will first give a warning and stop the person,'' it said in a statement.

''However, if the person does not heed to the warning and does not stop, the security personnel can even shoot the person,'' it said.

Reuters

Related Stories