22 April, 2006 |
NEPAL
Police fire on crowds as protests rage
by Prakash Dubey
Dozens of people have been wounded. The opposition described the king’s overture yesterday as “ambiguous” and the “umpteenth attempt to fool” the people. More than 200,000 people are marching on the royal palace, in defiance of the daytime curfew. Police are prepared to prevent their march on the royal palace that is protected by tanks and helicopters. Fear and discouragement prevail among the people.

Kathamndu (AsiaNews) – Yesterday’s overture by King Gyanendra to “restore power to the people” has not served to placate tension in Nepal. According to latest reports, around 200,000 people are out on the streets protesting against the monarchy, defying the daytime curfew that expired at midday (local time). It is feared that they are headed for the royal palace in Kathmandu, protected by tanks and helicopters. The police, who had orders to shoot on sight, opened fire on the protesters. According to provisional tolls, there are around 80 people injured, including 12 with critical injuries.

Anti-riot police have formed a cordon around the centre of Kathmandu. Many protesters were brandishing tree branches and communist flags.

For more than two weeks, the capital has been the venue of huge rallies organized by an alliance of seven main opposition parties (SPA). Just this morning, the alliance officially rejected the king’s offer and pledged to go ahead with the protests. In a joint statement, they said: “In his proclamation, the king did not address issues raised in the opposition’s roadmap and in the agreement reached with the Maoist rebels.” Shortly beforehand, the former premier Girija Prasad Koirala – chairman of the largest party of the alliance, the Nepali Congress – had said: “The declaration of the king does not make sense.” On TV last night, the monarch invited the opposition to form a government and to appoint a prime minister.

Gyanendra seized full powers on 1 February 2005, justifying the decision by citing the need to stop the revolt of Maoist rebels that has claimed around 15,000 victims since 1996. The opposition is calling for the reopening of Parliament, closed since 2002, for the creation of a multi-party government and for elections for a Constituent Assembly.

Meanwhile, anxiety is high in Kathmandu. Indra Kishore, a fruit vendor, did not dare to open his shop today because of “the fury of the protests”. Kishore, with a note of desperation in his voice, said: “Even if the SPA leaders had decided to form the government, the agitating masses would not have approved and violence would have proliferated. I can’t predict what this country’s destiny is. Perhaps more curfews and violence?”

Reactions from politicians reveal that they cannot stomach Gyanendra’s “arrogance”. “He is behaving like a victor and showing magnanimity by giving power to the people,” said Ram Ekbal Choudhary, a human rights activist. “He has lost the bloody battle he waged against the people 14 months ago. He should now rather seek mercy from the people; only then will they allow him to live in peace.”

Opposition representatives said the initiatives of the king were too ambiguous.

Sher Bahadur Deuba, of the Nepali Congress, said he was “skeptical about the honesty of the king.” He added: “How power will be transferred to the people is not clear.” Subash Nemwang of the Communist Party of Nepal, described Gyanendra’s move as "yet another attempt by the king to fool the people and save the regime”