NEWS: Protests Against Nepal King Collapse After Communications Blackout, 57 Arrested

ap.tbo.com
On Friday, at least 36 people were arrested in Janakpur town and 13 in the Himalayan resort town of Pokhara, police said.

In the capital, activists from the opposition Nepali Congress guided journalists to protest sites. Eight activists eventually emerged from a narrow lane and started shouting slogans against the king in a busy Katmandu market.

"Death to autocracy! Down with the autocratic king!" they yelled.

But they fled within minutes as a column of police in blue raced down the lane with truncheons and shields, followed by police cars blaring loud sirens. All the demonstrators were arrested.

Hours earlier, the 55-year-old king celebrated Democracy Day, marking the end of autocratic rule in Nepal in 1951, by attending a military parade. Many residents of the capital city also participated.

In a message to the nation, Gyanendra said he took control of the country only to save democracy from communist rebels and corrupt politicians.

The Royal Nepalese Army had tightened security Friday, fearing attacks by Maoist rebels, spokesman Brig. Gen. Dipak Gurung said. Since the king's takeover, the rebels have refrained from major assaults, except for an attack on a jail. More than 10,500 people have been killed in Nepal's insurgency since it started in 1996.

The crackdown on demonstrators came a day after a U.S. State Department official in Washington said the monarch assured the Bush administration he will begin restoring democracy within 100 days. The official said Washington would consider suspending its security aid for Nepal if the king failed to follow through on that pledge.

Britain was considering similar action, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Friday during a tour of India.




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