Nepalese forces fire on demonstrators

SECURITY forces in a southern town shot into a crowd marching on the main highway to protest Nepal’s royal dictatorship yesterday, killing one and wounding five, a local administrator said.

The shooting was the fifth time in recent days that security forces have opened fire on demonstrators demanding that King Gyanendra restore parliament. Five people have been killed.

Few details were available about the bloodshed in Nijgadh, which is about 75 miles south of Katmandu, the capital of this Himalayan nation. The local official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters, said the wounded were in serious condition.

The official said the Nijgadh area is a stronghold of Maoist rebels who have been fighting since 1996 for a communist state and have lately thrown their support behind the protest campaign begun April 6 by seven major opposition parties.

Demonstrations have spread to most cities and towns in Nepal. A general strike has kept most trucks off the roads, leaving Katmandu low on fresh food and causing the government to ration fuel. The king was met with former prime ministers at the royal palace to discuss the crisis, independent Kantipur Television said. The meetings came a day after the king talked with ambassadors of the United States, India and China. Opposition parties involved in the protests said they had not been invited.

“We have not been asked by the palace, and even if we are called for the meeting we will not go,” said Krishna Sitaula, a senior member of the Nepali Congress.