Police on Wednesday have arrested more than two dozen journalists from Bhrikuti Mandap in Kathmandu as they were protesting against the police atrocities and demanding total press freedom in the country.
Those arrested include Mahendra Bista, general secretary of Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), central committee members, Ramji Dahal and Binod Pahadi and journalists Rajendra Aryal, Krishna Humagain, Shyam Basnet, Chetnath Dhamla, Dambar Giri, Dev Raj Rimal, Ishwori Wagle, Ranjan Poudel, Surya Neupane, Nirmala Sharma, Sita Ram Baral, Kishore Shrestha and Bharat Raj Pokhrel among others.
According to FNJ, the demonstration was organised by the Kathmandu district committee of the FNJ against the government attack on media and freedom of expression.
Issuing a press release, the FNJ strongly condemned the arrest of journalists and asked for their immediate release.
Meanwhile, around 200 professionals including at least 21 journalists were arrested from Pokhara on Wednesday.
The arrested journalists include Gangadhar Parajuli, Vice-President of FNJ, Badri Binod Pratik, former vice president, FNJ and Rabindra Bastola, president, FNJ-Kaski Chapter among others.
They were arrested from a peaceful protest organized by Professional Alliance for Peace and Democracy (PAPAD) against the government imposition of curfew and restriction order on demonstration. nepalnews.com pb Apr 12 06
His Majesty King Gyanendra and Queen Komal returned to the capital, Kathmandu, from Pokhara on Wednesday upon completion of the informal visit of the western development region.
Their Majesties flew back to the capital by special helicopter this morning.
Their Majesties visited various districts of the region and received information about the state of affairs there.
Their Majesties were in informal visit of the western development region since the second week of February.
In Pokhara, His Majesty the King granted audience to people’s of different walks of life and received information about the state of affairs there.
Their Majesties have returned to the capital at a time when the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) is holding major protest programmes demanding early restoration of democracy putting an end to the direct rule of the King.
The King had assumed direct executive power through the February 1 royal takeover of last year.
International communities have been pressurizing the King to initiate dialogue with political parties to resolve the problems of the country.
Meanwhile, the local authorities lifted the day-time curfew of the capital from Wednesday. nepalnews.com pb Apr 12 06
Police have intervened into the interaction programme organised by the Reporters’ Club Nepal in Kathmandu on Wednesday morning.
The programme was organised on the road in front of the club’s office in Putalisadak to defy the prohibitory orders imposed by the local authority.
The security personnel baton charged artists Hari Bansha Acharya, Madan Krishna Shrestha, Bipana Thapa, Ashok Sharma, engineer Jib Raj Pokhrel, former home secretary Bhoj Raj Pokhrel and human rights activist Dr. Gopal Siwakoti who were invited as the speakers of the programme. Police also beat journalists Deepesh Kumat KC and Rishi Dhamala of Reporters’ Club and Suraj Acharya of Image channel.
The clash continued for about an hour bringing the transportation along the road to a halt.
Addressing the programme, Madan Krishna Shrestha called on the parties to continue the ongoing movement as it has now received overwhelming support from the people.
The artists also urged the parties not to withdraw the movement without the restoration of complete democracy.
When the local residents started rallying against the police intervention into the programme, the security forces did not arrest any one from the programme.
Meanwhile, in a press statement, Himrights has condemned the police intervention into the interaction organised by Reporters’ Club. nepalnews.com ia Apr 12 06
With no announcement of curfew during the day on Wednesday, people have heaved a sigh of relief in the capital and more vehicles were seen on the roads.
“The curfew clamped down within the Ring Road area of Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts has been lifted until further notice,” the state-run Nepal Television said.
Local authorities had imposed the day-time curfew in the capital valley on Saturday apparently to foil what the opposition parties said would be a huge rally in Kathmandu the same day. The government also closed down mobile phone services from early Saturday.
Mobile phones are still down.
People were glued to their radio and TV sets throughout this morning to figure out when the day-time curfew would be announced. UN vehicles, vehicles of journalists and other offices could be seen parked outside the Valley Traffic Police Office at Singha Durbar till 11 in the morning to get curfew passes.
Most of the people had predicted that the local authorities would again impose curfew to thwart the opposition’s programme to pay tributes to martyrs of the on-going movement at Tundikhel—a prohibited zone this afternoon.
The lifiting of curfew coincides with the return to capital of Their Majesties King Gyanendra ad Queen Komal from western town of Pokhara today. nepalnews.com by Apr 12 06
Police have taken into custody more than 100 leaders of seven agitating political parties from Kathmandu, while defying the prohibitory orders imposed by the government.
Police arrested more than 20 protestors including CPN-UML leader Pradip Gyawali and Prabhu Narayan Chaudhari of United Leftist Front. Likewise 15 protestors were arrested while they were moving to Thamel from Gongabu; over 12 including Tek Bahadur Chokhayal of NC arrested from Maitidevi and over two dozen protestors including Tirthaman Dangol and Ghanashyam Poudel were arrested from Mahabouddha.
They were scheduled to organize a condolence meet at Tundikhel—a prohibited zone to pay tributes to martyrs of the on-going movement.
Three demonstrators have been killed in the protest programme launched by the SPA from April 6.
Local authorities in Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts issued prohibitory orders, barring public assemblies and rallies within the Ring Road area from April 4 ahead of planned four-day general strike of SPA beginning April 6.
Police also entered the Bhaktapur campus hostel and arrested five people, reports said.
Pro-democracy activists continued their agitation against the government demanding restoration of full democracy in Kathmandu and other parts of the country on Wednesday as well.
According to latest reports, protestors carried out rallies in different parts of the capital including Gongabu, Sitapaila, Chabhil, Patan and Kirtipur areas.
Police arrested more then 20 professors including chairman of Nepal University Teachers Association (NUTA) from a protest programme organized by NUTA in Tri-Chandra Campus.
Likewise, police also intervened a rally organized by writers at Old Baneshwore and took into custody over 25 writers.
Protestors also clashed with police in Thamel and Bhedasingh area as well.
Local authorities lifted the day-time curfew imposed in Kathmandu and Lalitpur from Wednesday.
Protestors carried out demonstrations in various districts of the country including Narayangadh, Chitwan, Tanahu, Dang, Biratnagar, Pokhara, Chitwan, Butwal among others.
Meanwhile, police arrested a group of rights activists, collecting money for the fund established for the treatment of injured people in the ongoing protest from Baghbazar area of the capital.
According to newspaper reports, over 300 protestors were injured across the country on Tuesday, while defying curfew orders imposed by local authorities. nepalnews.com pb Apr 12 06
The Canadian government has urged all sides in Nepal to enter into a dialogue for a peaceful and democratic resolution to the current conflict.
Issuing a press statement on Wednesday, the Canadian Ambassador to Nepal Lucie Edwards, who is based in New Delhi said, “Canada is extremely concerned by the increasing violence and reports of deaths during recent political demonstrations in Nepal.”
Expressing concern over the continuing indiscriminate arrests and detention of political party leaders and human rights activists, Edwards said, “Canada calls on the Government of Nepal to immediately release all those arrested and to respect the right of its citizens to peacefully protest, and calls on all protesters to engage in non-violent demonstrations.”
Earlier, issuing separate statements, the United States and European Union also expressed concern over recent political situation of the country and urged for reconciliation between the King and political parties. nepalnews.com pb Apr 12 06
The Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) has expressed its solidarity to the ongoing movement for restoration of peace and democracy.
In a press release on Wednesday, NCC general secretary Bhakta Bahadur Malla has asked the concerned authorities to initiate for establishment of peace and restoration of democracy so that the derailing economic sector of the country did not face further difficulties in the days to come.
“We urge all responsible players for safe landing of the current conflict prevailing in the country,” the release said.
The Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) on Tuesday had expressed its solidarity to the ongoing democratic movement. Several district chapters of the NCC have already said they support the current movement. nepalnews.com ia Apr 12 06
One pro-democracy activist was killed when riot police opened fire at a demonstration organised by the seven opposition political parties in Parasi Bazaar, the district headquarters of Nawalparasi, Wednesday afternoon.
Police opened fire at the demonstrators soon after both sides threw bricks and stones at each other, reports from Nawalparasi said. Bishnu Pandey, 28, who was rushed to the Lumbini Zonal Hospital in Butwal after being shot at, was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Pandey, who is the fifth person to be killed during the seven parties’ protests since last week, was a CPN (UML) cadre.
Four activists also received bullet injuries while 58 others were wounded in police beating, reports said. Thousands of people took to the street in Parasi, chanting anti-government slogans in the afternoon.
Quoting eyewitnesses, reports said police used excessive force to disperse the crowd of demonstrators. nepalnews.com mk/by Apr 12 06
The seven party alliance (SPA) has said the ongoing nationwide general strike will continue on Thursday as well.
A meeting of the Central People’s Movement Coordination Committee of the SPA held in Kathmandu on Wednesday announced to carry on with the general strike, urging the general people, political activists and the professional groups to join in the pre-scheduled protest rallies against ‘royal autocracy’.
A press release issued after the meeting said the general strike was successful despite firings of bullets and tear gas shells, baton-charging and arrests.
The meeting also declared Bishnu Pandy, a pro-democracy activist who was shot dead during a protest rally Parasi Bazaar of Nawalparasi this afternoon, a martyr and condemned the police killing.
The seven parties have been carrying out nationwide general strike since last Thursday in which at least five people have been killed, hundreds injured and over 1000 arrested. nepalnews.com mk Apr 12 06
Renewing its concern over the arrests of demonstrators during the general strike carried out by the seven opposition political parties since last week, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal on Wednesday asked the government to respect the right of the people to protest peacefully.
“OHCHR-Nepal is very concerned at reports of further arrests today in Kathmandu and Pokhara of people seeking to hold peaceful demonstrations, and continues to call on the Government to respect this right,” OHCHR-Nepal’s spokesperson Kieran Dwyer said in a statement.
Dwyer further said, “While it seems that violence has abated in many places today, by both demonstrators and the police, OHCHR-Nepal remains concerned at the grossly disproportionate use of force by police on Tuesday, and calls on the Government to ensure that police and security forces fully meet their obligations in this regard should demonstrations continue.”
Detention conditions for the hundreds of people take into custody from protest rallies are seriously unsatisfactory, Dwyer pointed out, informing that OHCHR observers were still visiting and monitoring the condition of those many people injured by police in recent days.
The UN rights body has been constantly expressing concern over the use of excessive force by the government’s security forces to frustrate the seven parties’ demonstrations.
Five pro-democracy activists have been killed, hundreds injured and over 1000 have been arrested from protests around the country since last week. nepalnews.com mk Apr 12 06