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.