25,000 riot against king in Nepal

More than 25,000 pro-democracy activists rioted in the streets of a southern Nepalese town today, prompting police to fire shots that injured at least three people, an official said.

The protesters – who were demanding King Gyanendra restore democracy in the Himalayan kingdom – set fire to at least half a dozen government offices and forced riot police to retreat from the main square in Bharatpur, a government official said.

Bharatpur is about 90 miles south-west of the capital, Katmandu.

The demonstration at Bharatpur is the biggest so far in nationwide protests called by the country’s main political parties to protest the king’s rule. Rallies planned for Katmandu today were postponed after the government issued a curfew and said anyone violating it would be shot.

One person was killed and two were injured when police opened fire on protesters in the resort town of Pokhara, about 125 miles west Katmandu.