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2ND LD: Nepalese police fire on protesters, killing at least 1+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)KATHMANDU, April 8_(Kyodo) _ (EDS: UPDATING) Nepalese army soldiers opened fire at a crowd of protesters, killing one person, in the western town of Pokhara on Saturday, while rallies to demand King Gynendra return power to the people were held in at least a dozen other cities, according to reports reaching the capital Kathmandu. The shooting came after Nepal's king-led government earlier Saturday imposed a daylong curfew in Kathmandu and adjoining cities to thwart plans by political parties to hold a massive anti-monarchy protest to commemorate the pro-democracy movement of 1990. In the Pokhara incident, two other protesters received bullet injuries, according to political party leaders who also reported the fatality. It happened as the protesters were rallying on the third day of a four-day strike called by the parties as part of their protest against King Gyanendra's rule. Activists and party leaders rallied in several places in the resort town Saturday. Police wielding batons and bursting tear gas shells intervened, triggering clashes in which dozens of people, including policemen, were injured. According to reports reaching the capital, hundreds of arrests have been made in various localities. In Kathmandu, protesters defied the curfew and shouted anti-king slogans in several parts of the city. "Long live democracy," and "King Gyanendra, you leave the country," they shouted. Some protesters burned tires to create roadblocks at intersections. Police baton-charged, tossed tear gas canisters and opened fire in the air to disperse protesters. The Nepali Congress Party, which is the dominant partner of the seven-party alliance that called the protests, said Saturday the protests would continue until full democracy is achieved. "It would not end until sovereign and state power is handed over to the people," the party said in a statement. Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur cities issued public notices on the curfew, which was be imposed from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Violators face up to one month of imprisonment, while serious violators could be shot. The government said the curfew has been imposed to maintain law and order in the capital in the face of violence and destruction over the past two days. A rally had been planned for Saturday in the capital to mark the 17th anniversary of the pro-democracy movement, which ended April 8, 1990, when King Birendra, Gyanendra's elder brother, lifted a ban on political parties following days of protests. King Gynandra seized government power in February last year, ostensibly to stem the Himalayan country's decade-old communist insurgency. The nation's political parties accuse him of returning Nepal to the autocracy of the old days. Maoist rebels have intensified attacks on government positions recently, but the king has repeatedly ignored calls to reach out to the political parties to tackle the insurgency, which has caused more than 13,000 deaths. The rebels exploded powerful bombs and opened fire in two towns in southwestern Nepal overnight, triggering firefights with government forces in which 14 people died, an army official said. He said the insurgents attacked a police office, army barracks and an army training center in Butawal town, about 300 kilometers southwest of Kathmandu. They broke the local government jail and freed over 110 prisoners. Government forces fought back, and on Saturday morning counted the bodies of seven dead rebels, the official said on condition of anonymity. Two army soldiers and one policeman were killed in the clashes, he said. On Friday night, Taulihawa, a town further to the west, also came under rebel attack, which was repulsed, leaving four rebels dead with no losses on the government side, the official said. |