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Home Page Headlines World News National U.S. Opinions Business Politics Sports Technology & Science Health Entertainment Travel Weather In Depth Italian Elections Bird flu Israel Votes Turkish Web Directory About Us Advertise Feedback |  | # Hundreds more arrested in Nepal protests 04-07-2006, 04h52 KATHMANDU (AFP)
Nepalese riot police form a line as they patrol a street in Kathmandu. Anti-royal protesters have vowed to pursue a strike that has paralysed Nepal with sporadic violence and mass arrests as authorities launched a crackdown on rallies against the king's absolute rule. (AFP)

Hundreds more protesters have been arrested in Nepal on the second day of a general strike amid violent demonstrations demanding King Gyanendra restore democracy.

"At least 100 people from Nepali Congress and 100 from the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) were arrested Friday morning" in the capital, said Nepali Congress Party secretary Shovarkar Parajuli.

He vowed the protests, which have seen several hundred people arrested over the past two days, would go on.

A demonstration in Patan, which adjoins Kathmandu, turned violent Friday with more than 100 protesters throwing stones and bricks at police who responded with tear gas and baton charges.

Some protesters were badly beaten as they were arrested, AFP reporters at the scene said.

The streets of the capital were deserted again Friday apart from the heavy security presence and sporadic protests usually by small numbers of people.

Defying a ban on public meetings, opposition parties have called a four-day general strike against King Gyanendra's power grab over a year ago and have paralysed the Himalayan kingdom.

The royal government has locked up dozens of political leaders and arrested hundreds of people this week for breaking the ban.

"This is the final push of the movement. The days of the king are numbered," said Sova Sapkota, an activist with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) as she prepared to take part in a protest in the capital.

"We will continue to defy the ban order," she said.

Newspapers issued ominous warnings about the government crackdown.

"The present aggressive course of the government is certain to escalate conflict and deepen instability further. Sooner or later the government will have to agree to a political solution," the Himalayan Times said in a Friday editorial.

International criticism of the government has mounted, with the United States, the European Union, India and Japan all expressing concern and urging the government to release those detained.

A major protest was set for the capital Kathmandu on Saturday amid rising anger over the deteriorating situation since the king seized absolute power in February 2005.

The action was called by sidelined opposition parties and has the support of rebel Maoists who have formed a loose alliance with political leaders to restore democracy.

King Gyanendra took over saying the politicians had failed to tackle a Maoist insurgency which has raged since 1996 and left around 12,500 people dead.

Police said late Thursday that some 200 people had been arrested at several demonstrations during the day, but political activists said that at least 300 had been detained while a UN rights body put the tally at 160.

"Our teams... have not been able to cover all demonstrations and all arrests. We can verify from our own monitoring over 160 arrests on Thursday," said Kieran Dwyer of the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Despite the tough stance taken by authorities -- demonstrators said one protester died in southeast Nepal Thursday after being beaten by police, who said the man had died of a heart attack -- the strike and protests are set to continue.

"Our movement will not stop until complete democracy is restored in the country and we are confident that people will actively participate in our protests," said Parajuli of the Nepali Congress Party.

AFP

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