TMCnet News
U.S. calls on Nepal king to restore democracy+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)WASHINGTON, April 10_(Kyodo) _ The United States urged Nepal's King Gyanendra on Monday to "restore democracy immediately" after four days of demonstrations demanding a return to democracy have turned violent. "As a friend of Nepal, we must state that King Gyanendra's decision 14 months ago to impose direct palace rule in Nepal has failed in every regard," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement. The king fired the multiparty government and seized executive power in February 2005, saying the government was not doing enough to fight the Maoist insurgency. "The demonstrations, deaths, arrests and Maoist attacks in the past few days have shown there is more insecurity, not less," McCormack said. The government arrested demonstrators across Nepal on Thursday after political parties called for a general strike, and at least two protesters were shot dead by police in separate parts of the country during demonstrations Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, the government imposed a daytime curfew to curtail a rally called by political parties to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the country's pro-democracy movement. Meanwhile, Maoist rebels stepped up attacks on government positions in southwestern Nepal, exploding powerful bombs and engaging in fire-fights with government forces, and released a statement in support of the protesters. |