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Nepalis protest peacefully, hope king will act Thu Apr 13, 2006 2:35 PM BST
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By Y.P. Rajesh KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Nepalis held mostly peaceful demonstrations against King Gyanendra on Thursday, the eve of a broadcast to the nation which the monarch could use to defuse a violent pro-democracy campaign. Nepal's Hindu New Year day falls on Friday and analysts and political foes hoped that the king might use his traditional address to the nation to reach out to his opponents. "If the king is getting his information correctly and if he is watching the situation correctly, the common denominator in all the opposition against him is that it is he who needs to take the initiative to end this crisis," a Kathmandu-based diplomat said. "That is the opinion of the people, the political parties and the international community," he said. King Gyanendra, regarded by many as one of the most unpopular rulers in the history of the Himalayan kingdom, returned to Kathmandu late on Wednesday from the western tourist town of Pokhara, a week after the country was brought to a standstill by mass protests. Protests against the monarch and the clamour for the restoration of democracy are at the most intense since he seized power 14 months ago, despite the hard line he has taken against demonstrators. But hopes that King Gyanendra could take a conciliatory stand, even if cosmetic, were boosted by the restoration of mobile phone services on Thursday, a week after they were suspended in what was seen as an attempt to scuttle protests against the king. There was no reason given for the suspension or the services being restored. A text message to mobile phones on Thursday said: "Sorry for the inconvenience caused due to interruption of your mobile. Thank you for your support and cooperation, Happy New Year, His Majesty's Government, Home Ministry." The government also avoided imposing a day curfew in the capital Kathmandu on Thursday, the second day of free movement in the city and its surrounding areas after four days of restrictions. Beyond that, there was no indication yet if the monarch was beginning to soften. There was also no sign of protests against him abating, although on Thursday, the eighth day of the mass campaign, they were largely peaceful. LAWYERS BATON-CHARGED Thousands of people marched in the western tourist resort town of Pokhara in memory of one activist shot dead by troops during a protest last week. "My son-in-law gave his life for democracy. His sacrifice should not go waste," Uma Devi Poudel, the victim's mother-in-law, told the assembly as she tried to hold back her tears, a witness said. In Kathmandu, troops baton-charged, tear-gassed and fired rubber bullets to break up hundreds of lawyers who demonstrated against the king near the country's Supreme court and tried to breach a security barrier. More than 70 lawyers were detained and 19 wounded, the bar association said. Protests were also held elsewhere in the capital. "We want a democratic republic where people make policies, people make laws and people are the rulers," said Mukta Shreshta, a woman activist, as nearly 3,000 people cheered her in the Kathmandu suburb of Kirtipur. Thousands of people also took out a peaceful protest rally in the western town of Butwal, close to where one activist was shot dead by troops on Wednesday. Four people have been killed and hundreds wounded across the country over the past week in clashes with riot police. Nepal, which has been battling a violent Maoist revolt since 1996, was pushed deeper into turmoil in February 2005 when King Gyanendra sacked the government and took power saying politicians had failed to tackle the insurgency. More than 13,000 people have been killed in the revolt, which aims to topple the monarchy, and Nepal's economy has been wrecked under its impact. The rebels and the seven political parties formed a loose alliance last November under which the Maoists are backing the latest anti-king campaign. (Additional reporting by Gopal Sharma) © Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
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