Nepalese police arrest democracy activists

Nepalese police raided a hide-out and arrested a democracy activist on their most-wanted list and two other student leaders who had eluded capture since the king’s crackdown on dissidents in February, officials said today.

An estimated 3,000 politicians, human rights campaigners, trade unionists and journalists have been arrested since King Gyanendra’s takeover on February 1, but the three student leaders eluded authorities by frequently changing locations.

They gave speeches to small gatherings and organised protests against the king’s moves to sack the government, suspending civil liberties and imposing emergency rule.

The three, including most-wanted leader Gagan Thapa, were arrested yesterday. They are all members of the Nepal Student’s Union, the student wing of Nepali Congress, the largest party in Nepal.

They were being held at a police station in Katmandu and have not been allowed to meet anyone, said Purushotam Basnet, a party spokesman.

The monarch’s takeover condemned by the US, India, Britain and other nations. Since then, the government has aggressively quashed any dissent.

Although the government has released some opposition figures in recent weeks, many politicians are still in custody.

Meanwhile, the Nepal Communist Party, the second largest political group in Nepal, accused the police of illegally breaking into its offices in Katmandu and vandalising them yesterday. The party said officers broke down doors and some party supporters were injured in a scuffle with police.