Nepal announces extended curfew to curb protests

Nepal’s government announced tonight that a dawn-to-dusk curfew would be extended for a second day in the capital Katmandu in an attempt to foil a planned rally against King Gyanendra’s direct rule.

A notice on the state-run Nepal Television said the curfew would be imposed between 7am to 8pm in Katmandu and its surrounding areas after opposition parties announced plans to hold a rally on Sunday. It gives security forces orders to shoot any violators.

Today the government imposed a 10am to 9pm curfew in Katmandu and the suburbs of Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, saying it was necessary to ensure the safety of people and property. It also said violators would be shot.

Today was the third day of a four-day general strike called by an alliance of seven political parties which oppose King Gyanendra’s seizure of power last year.

There were several clashes between protesters and police in Katmandu and other towns in Nepal on Thursday, Friday and today. Hundreds of people were arrested and dozens were injured.

Earlier more than 25,000 pro-democracy activists rioted in the streets of the southern Nepalese town of Bharatpur, prompting police to fire shots that injured at least three people.

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.

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.

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.