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Nepal strike now indefinite

Killing of activists firms up political parties' resolve

PHOTO: AP

STRIKE CONTINUES: Police officers beat up an Opposition party supporter as hundreds took to the streets against King Gyanendra, defying a curfew in Kathmandu on Sunday. Curfew was imposed on the fourth day to thwart an attempt by Opposition parties to hold a large demonstration against the King.

Kathmandu: Nepal's main Opposition parties on Sunday said the four-day general strike which was to end on Sunday would now continue ``indefinitely'' even as one more person was killed when security forces fired at protesters taking the toll in anti-monarchy agitation to three and about 300 activists were arrested for defying curfew.

Representatives of the seven parties issued a statement after a meeting in Kathmandu which said ``the nationwide strike and protests will continue until further notice.''

The Government blamed the protests on Maoists rebels, saying ``the ongoing protest programme is clearly that of the Maoists. They are trying to create armed revolution so the Government has been compelled to impose the curfew,'' Home Minister Kamla Thapa told reporters. He also claimed that the police had arrested among the hundreds of protesters four men, who have been identified as Maoist rebels and were wanted by the police.

300 protesters held

``The terrorists have fired despite their pledge not to carry out violence in the capital. The security forces have recovered cartridges in Gangabu'' in northwest Kathmandu.

A third protester died when security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Banepa, 32 km east of Kathmandu where agitators raised slogans and hurled stones at security forces, reports said. Nepali Congress sources said at least 300 activists were arrested from across the country for defying curfew and restrictive orders. The police also arrested at least four dozen protesters in Kathmandu. Those arrested included Nepal Backward and Ethnic Community Chairman Lal Bahadur Bishwokarma and student leaders Madhusudan Poudyal and Asta Maharjan, party sources said.

The Government clamped daytime curfew in Chitawan and also in the Rupandehi district in western Nepal. It also imposed curfew in Pokhara, according to an official notice. Southwest Nepal's Butwal, Taulihawa and Bharatpur areas were also under curfew. Some 5,000 demonstrators vandalised the party office of Home Minister Kamal Thapa at Anaam Nagar, according to a local journalist. They broke into the office of the Rastriya Prajatatra Party's breakaway faction known as RPP (Thapa).

The house of Minister of Industry and Commerce Buddhiman Tamang was vandalised at Kapan on the outskirts of Kathmandu by angry protesters on the last day of the four-day nationwide anti-monarchy.

About 10,000 persons, defying curfew, marched from Samakhusi to Balaju, said eyewitnesses. They were raising anti-King and pro-democracy slogans.

In Kirtipur in southern Kathmandu, some 15,000 persons defied curfew and sat on the road despite the presence of army and police personnel with armoured vehicles, eyewitnesses said. — PTI

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