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Top Nepalese leaders placed under arrest

KATHMANDU: Nepal's royal Government imposed a dawn-to-dusk curfew in the capital on Friday, put top Opposition leaders under house arrest and detained some 200 pro-democracy activists to derail plans for a massive protest against the King's seizure of absolute power nearly a year ago.

Troops surrounded the homes of at least five top politicians from the alliance of seven major political parties trying to organise the protest rally in Kathmandu, while about 15,000 soldiers and police patrolled the streets of the capital and its suburb Lalitpur.

Communist Party General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said he was told he could not leave his home for 90 days and that he could receive no visitors during the period. Also placed under house arrest were Girija Prasad Koirala, Nepali Congress party president and a former Prime Minister; Bharat Mohan Adhikari, another Communist Party deputy leader; and Narayan Man Bijuchche of the Nepal Workers and Peasants' Party.

Police raided a building in east Kathmandu, arresting about 200 activists suspected of planning a rally in violation of a curfew and a ban on demonstrations.

The Government imposed an 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. curfew on Friday in Kathmandu.

The city was deserted after an initial burst of activity as residents rushed to buy groceries and drive to work before the curfew began. — AP

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