KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) -- Nearly every day, angry people fill the streets of Katmandu, demanding a return to democracy in their Himalayan kingdom. Nearly every evening, hundreds of those same people pack the city's jails. Most are freed after a few hours under arrest. And the next day, the cycle begins again. Nepal, a country famous for its high mountain peaks, has turned into a place known for chaos, where protesters routinely shut down the capital and Maoist rebels control wide swaths of the hinterlands.
On Monday, police in the capital arrested more than 300 protesters rallying against King Gyanendra and demanding the restoration of democracy in the Himalayan kingdom.
About 10,000 people marched in the center of Katmandu chanting slogans denouncing the king for his October 2002 dismissal of Nepal's elected government.
On Friday, the five largest parties backing the protests rejected an appeal for talks from the king, calling it a ploy to make the demonstrations fizzle out.
"We have decided that the king is not serious about resolving the issues," said Madhav Kumar Nepal, leader of the United Marxist Leninist Communist Party of Nepal.
The protesters are demanding the king remove the monarchist Cabinet he installed after dismissing Parliament in 2002, and restore a government by the people.
The king's actions were a sharp turnaround for Nepal, where the absolute monarchy came to a peaceful end after similar street protests in 1990.
While it remains unclear whether the protesters can accomplish that again, the king's offer to negotiate shows he may be worried.
In an April 13 message commemorating the Nepalese New Year, King Gyanendra said the "highest priority" should be put on bringing back democracy before the year is over. "Let us make it a year of peace," he said.
Most observers believe it's time for some sort of talks.
Nepal has been in turmoil since King Gyanendra suddenly assumed the crown in June 2001 after his brother King Birendra was gunned down in a bizarre shooting massacre at the royal palace, apparently by Birendra's son, the crown prince who then reportedly took his own life.
The king was widely criticized for taking power, and soon after he was crowned, riots erupted in the streets of the Katmandu and the fighting between Maoist rebels and government troops intensified.
The unrest, which has continued to flare intermittently since the king dissolved Parliament, has grown much larger in recent weeks, with opposition parties bringing in hundreds of additional supporters from villages.
This year, though, with the unrest coming right in the middle of the spring trekking season, plenty of people are avoiding Nepal's rugged mountain beauty. Many of the nations that send high-dollar tourists, including the United States, Britain and Australia, warn their citizens to stay away.
Many of the most popular trekking routes have been abandoned in recent years, because of threats from Maoist rebels, who have been fighting since 1996 for a communist state.
While the rebels haven't harmed any foreign tourists, they have taken money and cameras from them.
The rebels have escalated their attacks since pulling out of a seven-month cease-fire in August, after three rounds of peace talks.
The Nepalese government has so far refused to hold talks unless the rebels give up arms and come forward for talks. The rebels now say they will only allow mediation through the United Nations.
