Shoot on sight curfew continues in Nepal
A message I received today from the Canadian Embassy in Nepal:
The Government of Nepal has imposed another day curfew in Kathmandu (and parts of Kirtipur and Bhaktapur) from 11:00 to 18:00 on Monday, April 10th. Day curfews are expected to continue in the days ahead. Curfew timing may change. The indefinite night time Curfew in/around Kathmandu from 23:00 to 0300 remains unchanged. Curfew are also in place in several towns across the country. There is a curfew in Pokhara today (10-Apr-06) from 09:00 to 20:00. Curfew will likely be imposed in Pokhara in the days ahead. Curfew timing may change. Canadians in Nepal are urged to respect the curfew.
Yikes. I’m not sure if I wish I was back in Kathmandu or not. Seems almost exciting, if you can avoid being shot, as these protests may finally force king Gyanendra into political isolation and remove him from power. United we Blog! for a Democratic Nepal, who has folks on the ground in Kathmandu and across Nepal. These folks are full of excitement, suggestingthat latest demonstrations are the beginnings of a People’s Revolution akin to the events of 1990 that forced a constitutional monarchy.
In terms of the protests, Yahoo News is reporting that about 1500 protesters defied the curfew by gathering in Kirtipur and blocking a road with boulders, to which Nepalese “security forces” responded with tear gas. This is the third consecutive daytime curfew. Yahoo news also suggests king Gyanendra’s government has, in the last week, arrested numerous protest organizers, cut mobile telephone service, and, of course, banned public assembly — an eery flashback to tactics Gyanendra employed during his infamous royal takeover last February.
I suppose we’ll see who’s going to back down first — though if Gyanendra actually did kill his brother’s entire family in order to gain the kingship, one would suspect he’s not planning to relinquish control any time soon.
