Nepalese police fire rubber bullets at protesters

Nepalese police fired rubber bullets at hundreds of pro-democracy protesters on the outskirts of the capital today, wounding at least six demonstrators.

About 10,000 protesters had been marching just outside Kathmandu for hours - skirting a ban on demonstrations within the city limits – when police suddenly moved in and clashes erupted, according to United Nations observers at the scene.

After demonstrators on a hill in the Balkhu neighbourhood began throwing rocks, police opened fire with rubber bullets and began beating protesters with batons.

An Associated Press photographer on the scene said at least six people collapsed after being shot. The wounded were quickly driven to hospitals for treatment.

At least a half dozen rallies were reported in and around Kathmandu, as well as in other cities and towns across the Himalayan kingdom, according to officials and local media reports.

Protests against King Gyanendra’s rule have taken place daily since April 6, when an alliance of seven opposition political parties called a general strike and organised demonstrations.

Many of the protests have ended in clashes with security forces, who have fatally shot four people.

Kathmandu’s 1.5 million people, meanwhile, faced shortages of fresh food, cooking gas and gasoline on Sunday, as the general strike and protests aiming to force Gyanendra to restore democracy dragged on for an 11th day.

The general strike has forced trucks off the highways, the only means of transporting goods and supplies in this mountainous nation. Vendors said fresh green vegetables were unavailable, and they were running out of stored potatoes and onions. Only a handful of stores were open.

“We have not had a single truck come in the past 11 days. Whatever we are selling was what we had in stock, or grown locally in Kathmandu,” said Raj Maharjan, a vegetable vendor at the Baneswor market.

Vegetable prices have risen fivefold. Chicken and mutton prices have doubled, and cooking gas is scarce.

Police arrested about 20 journalists who were protesting in the heart of the capital demanding press freedom and the release of about a dozen journalists detained in similar demonstration the day before, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.

In the Kathmandu’s tourist hub, Thamel, at least four people were arrested from a crowd of about two dozen hotel, restaurant and trekking agency owners and workers who had come out to protest.

The protests are the worst unrest Gyanendra has faced since he sacked the government and seized power 14 months ago.

The king said he took control to restore political order and end a communist insurgency that has left nearly 13,000 people dead in the past decade, and made holding elections impossible.