Police fire rubber bullets at pro-democracy protesters in Katmandu
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BINAJ GURUBACHARYA KATMANDU, Nepal Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at pro-democracy demonstrators on Sunday in Nepal's capital, television footage showed. Witnesses and Nepali media also reported protests in dozens of other towns and cities.
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[Video] Kathmandu Unrest
Thousands defied a curfew and shoot-on-sight orders and marched in at least four different parts of Katmandu, demanding that King Gyanendra step down. Youths marched in the streets and threw stones at police before being forced back by tear gas. The private Kantipur Television showed footage of police shooting rubber-coated bullets, hitting at least one protester. A group of demonstrators marching from a suburb into Katmandu was blocked by a line of policemen, and minor scuffles brokeoutbetween the two sides, a police official at the scene said over the telephone. The police, however, managed to stop the rally from moving inside the city limits, the official said, asking not to be named because of the political climate. More than 2,000 people rallied in the southern town Bharatpur, angered by the death of demonstrator shot by security forces a day earlier. On Saturday, roughly 25,000 protesters set fire to at least a half-dozen government offices and forced riot police to retreat from the main square of the town, which is 140 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Katmandu. A second protester was fatally shot Saturday in Pokhara, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Katmandu. Sunday was the last day of a four-day general strike called by an alliance of the country's seven main political parties and backed by Maoist rebels, who want to replace the king with a communist state. The parties and the rebels formed a loose alliance in December, and this markedthe first opposition strike with the Maoists' backing. Saturday was the 16th anniversary of the introduction of democracy in Nepal, an experiment that collapsed last year when Gyanendra took control of the government and promised to crush the Maoist rebellion and hold elections within three years. Many Nepalis at first welcomed the king's move. But the insurgency since has worsened and the economy has faltered, fueling the discontent that has been on display in recent days as thousands of workers, professionals and business people have for the first time joined students and political activists at protests. Apart from Saturday's shootings, the government has arrested more than 800 people since Wednesday. Police were seen Saturday detaining another 20 rights activists for defying the curfew. The crackdown on the opposition has prompted condemnations from the United States, Japan, the European Union and neighboring India, all of which have been critical of the king's seizure of power.
2006/04/09 오후 5:47 © 2006 Ohmynews
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