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Riot police kill Nepal protesters KATHMANDU: Police have opened fire on pro-democracy activists on the outskirts of Kathmandu, killing three people and injuring at least 100 others, police sources told CNN, as protests against King Gyanendra entered their third week. Thursday's clashes came hours after Indian diplomats met Gyanendra in an effort to defuse the civil unrest in the Nepalese capital that has resulted in 13 deaths. Police, wearing full body armor and carrying shields, estimated there were as many as 115,000 demonstrators ringing the capital, shouting slogans and chafing at the government restrictions. Police were ordered to shoot anyone trying to enter the capital. "We've seen bullets on the ground and blood on the streets," journalist Dan Rivers said. "It's a tense situation out of the (city) center. In the center of the capital, it's a complete lockdown." "At the moment the protesters are being held at bay by the security forces." The protesters say Gyanendra's rule is unconstitutional and want him to step down from power. "We'll be going to the king's palace and we will get democracy today," protester Preshu Ram Phokeral told CNN. Ian Martin with the Kathmandu office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees called it the worst government crackdown since Gyanendra assumed power. Martin complained to CNN that the restrictions on movement were making it difficult for UNHCR, other civil rights groups and journalists from adequately monitoring the protests. Martin was required to use a police escort. Kathmandu was described as a "ghost town" after the government imposed a curfew at 2 a.m. that was to last until 8 p.m. (2015 GMT Wednesday to 1415 GMT Thursday). There also were protests in other cities. Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and India's special envoy, Karan Singh, hand-delivered a letter to Gyanendra during a meeting at Narayanhity Palace, and relayed a message from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Karan Singh said "the ball is in his court now," referring to Nepal's king. "I wouldn't like to preempt what he may or what he may not do, but we have very clearly expressed our views and our concerns, and we are hopeful that the upshot will be positive," the envoy said. Saran met Wednesday with Nepal's army chief, Gen. Pyar Jung Thapa, who is considered the real power behind the throne. India, the world's largest democracy, shares a long border with Nepal and the two countries have close diplomatic and economic ties. While Martin urged the U.N. and the international community to insist Nepal's security forces "exercise restraint" on the protesters, Nepal's Information Minister Shirish Rana defended the security measures. "We can not afford a large unmanageable group of people entering the city that can be violent," he said. According to Rana, protesters are free to demonstrate as long as they stay outside the capital. Government officials said Maoist "terrorists" were among the protesters, and they blamed them for helping to incite the discontent. The Maoist rebels joined seven major political parties in calling for the general strike and protests April 6. They vow to continue until the king leaves. The Maoist rebel insurgency that began in 1996 has killed at least 13,000 people. Gyanendra justified his takeover of the government by accusing it of failing to control the rebels who sought to set up a communist regime. With shops closed and vehicles off the streets, food and fuel are running short in Kathmandu. Armored military vehicles brought supplies there Wednesday for the first time since the general strikes began.
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