Protesters demanding a One person was killed and at least two wounded when security forces fired at demonstrators in Pokhara, a resort town 125 miles west of the capital, Katmandu, said Gangadhar Baral, who was among those wounded. "We were protesting and some of us were throwing stones at the soldiers. Suddenly, the soldiers fired shots at us. One of my friends was killed instantly," Baral said. He spoke from the town's main hospital.
I guess this is the Nepalese version of bringing a knife to a gun fight.
Khadga Prasad Oli, deputy leader of the Communist Party of Nepal, called the curfew "unnecessary, illegal and illogical" and said the protesters would try to hold the rally on Sunday.
Bet the turnout is even lower than that of the Fresno Peace March last month....
Seven main political parties organized the rally as the high point of a four-day general strike that has shut down Katmandu, where King Gyanendra's refusal to give up absolute rule has led to growing unrest.
Protesters clashed with police in Katmandu and surrounding areas on Thursday and Friday. Hundreds of people were arrested and dozens were injured. The protesters have the backing of communist rebels, who are separately fighting against the king's rule and formed a loose alliance with the political parties in December.
Gyanendra dismissed the prime minister in February last year, saying he needed full powers to check the communist insurgency, which has killed some 13,000 people since 1996.
The rebels bombed government buildings and attacked a jail in the southwestern town of Taulihawa on Friday night, freeing 104 prisoners, officials said. Insurgents also attacked security bases in the nearby town of Butwal. Officials said the curfew was in response to information that the rebels would try to infiltrate the rallies and wage terror attacks against government targets.
Streets quickly emptied as the curfew began at 10 a.m. Saturday, except for soldiers patrolling the streets in vans, pickup trucks and armored cars. Tourists were cooped up inside hotels and allowed to travel only if they were going to or from the airport.
The curfew was to continue until 9 p.m. Saturday in Katmandu and two suburbs, the government announced on state-run Radio Nepal. Violators would be shot, it said. "We strongly oppose this," said Oli, whose party is not linked to the rebels.
Well, Oli, if you are really pissed off you could always take it to the street and lead the parade personally....
Authorities have cracked down forcefully on the protests. On Friday, police used batons and tear gas to beat back hundreds of demonstrators in Katmandu, many of whom who were throwing rocks.
A post office in Katmandu was set on fire Friday, and students at the capital's Tribhuwan University ransacked the dean's office and briefly held several officers hostage. The students were joined by workers, professionals and business owners, in what the opposition said was a sign of building momentum against the king. Protest organizers said the curfew order and other restrictions, for example on cell phone use, show the government is nervous.
Well, duh....considering you have already proven yourselves to be violence-inclined...
"It proves that we have been able to startle the government. We have not decided how we are going to respond to the curfew order but we will not be deterred by the government using these means to try quash our movement for
Of the more than 750 people arrested the past three days, 115 were sent to prison under a tough public safety law that allows authorities to jail people without charge for 90 days, Home Minister Kamal Thapa said. "The government is using minimum force to control the situation," Thapa told reporters. The rebels have promised not to carry out attacks in Katmandu during the strike, but have stepped up attacks elsewhere.
"Yeah...like somewhere where the soldiers aren't, 'cause we don't wanna get shot."
Gyanendra called for calm in a speech live Friday on national radio and television. "Let us all pledge today to devote time for establishing permanent peace," he said. "It is the need of today to establish permanent peace." The remarks were the king's first public comments on the daily protests and the escalating violence.