| Until the commies take over ... |
KATHMANDU - Nepalis will not allow their freedom to be hijacked again, the prime minister said on Tuesday as people beat cymbals and danced to celebrate the first anniversary of the end of King GyanendraÂ’s absolute rule. At least 22 people were killed and thousands wounded during pro-democracy protests last year before the king gave in, restored parliament and handed power back to political parties that led the campaign.
“It is a historic day achieved through the courage, resolve and sacrifice of the people,” Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said at the government-sponsored celebrations joined by thousands of Nepalis and school children. ”This is a day when the people of Nepal made the struggle for the protection of their rights a success,” the veteran politician said.
“No one can hijack it again,” Koirala said as an army helicopter showered flower petals on the venue in the heart of the hill-ringed capital.
Hours later, thousands of people, some limping on crutches, marched through the city calling for an end to monarchy, which was the war-cry of protesters last year. “We must unite to turn Nepal into a republic through parliament,” Maoist chief Prachanda, who uses only one name, told the gathering at an ancient temple square in the heart of Kathmandu. “That day will be a real democracy day.”
| And the next day will be a dictatorship of the proletariat. |
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