Nepal rebels call a partial truce

[Janus]

Originally posted by BBC News
Nepal's Maoist rebels say they are suspending armed action in the capital, Kathmandu, for an indefinite period.
The move comes ahead of a planned anti-monarchy rally and general strike by a seven-party opposition alliance.

The government says the rally cannot go ahead because the Maoists plan to infiltrate and incite violence.

The alliance has been engaged in protests against King Gyanendra over his seizure of direct powers in February, 2005.

Conducive atmosphere

In a statement on Monday, the rebel leader, Prachanda, announced the suspension of armed hostilities in Kathmandu and two neighbouring districts.

The partial ceasefire is aimed at creating a conducive atmosphere for the anti-monarch rally planned by the seven-party political alliance.

The alliance has called for a four-day nation-wide shutdown beginning Thursday and a rally in Kathmandu on Saturday.
Security has been stepped up in recent days. Senior ministers have hinted that a curfew may be imposed to stall the protests.

Rebel leader Prachanda said the partial truce was aimed at foiling what he said was the government's conspiracy to crackdown on the opposition protests on the pretext of rebel infiltration.

The seven-party alliance has a loose alliance with the rebels to step up the pressure on King Gyanendra to end his direct rule.

But it has ruled out a collaboration unless the rebels renounce violence.

The rebels recently observed a unilateral ceasefire for four months.

The government refused to reciprocate saying that the rebels could not be trusted. Violence has escalated since the rebels ended the truce in January.

More than 13,000 people have died in the 10-year Maoist insurgency aimed at replacing the monarchy with a communist republic.

[Janus]

Evidence of Nepalese Army's brutality


Originally posted by BBC News
The Nepalese army says it has begun a court martial of 13 soldiers, including three officers, for abusing civilians in the south-west of the country.
The move follows a military inquiry into reports that the soldiers had beaten up villagers to avenge the murder of a fellow soldier.

The incident occurred amid national and international criticism of the army over its human rights record.

Four years ago the army took over the operation against Maoist rebels.

Excesses

The soldiers beat up the villagers in the district of Kanchanpur after a fellow soldier was murdered last week, the Royal Nepalese Army said.
The soldiers were angry with the villagers for allegedly not giving information about the murder, which they blamed on Maoist rebels.

Human rights groups have condemned the incident.

The army says it is committed to respecting human rights, preventing abuses and punishing violators.

It says 160 soldiers have been dealt with over the past four years. An army spokesman said punishments ranged from jailings, dismissed and demotions to warnings. The army took over the fight against the rebels four years ago after the less well equipped police had failed to control them.

More than 13,000 people have died since the Maoist insurgency was launched 10 years ago to replace the monarchy with a communist republic.

[Janus]

The Nepalese government has dismissed this move by the Maoists.


It comes ahead of a planned anti-monarchy rally and general strike by a seven-party opposition alliance.

The government says the rally cannot go ahead because the Maoists plan to infiltrate and incite violence.

Nepalese government spokesman Shrish Shumsher Rana said the rebels could not be trusted.

The Nepali language Rajdhani newspaper quoted him as saying that the government was not convinced that the opposition agitation would be peaceful despite the rebels' truce.

On Friday the government announced an indefinite ban on political rallies in some areas of Kathmandu.

Suspension

The government had also dismissed the previous four-month rebel ceasefire which ended in January.

The alliance engaged in protests against King Gyanendra over his seizure of direct powers in February 2005 has, however, welcomed the rebel truce.

A senior opposition leader said that the partial truce would help a peaceful agitation against the king.

A senior leader of the Nepali Congress-Democratic party, Gopal Man Shrestha, urged the rebels to extend the truce across the country.
In a statement on Monday, the rebel leader, Prachanda, announced the suspension of armed hostilities in Kathmandu and two neighbouring districts.

The partial ceasefire is aimed at creating a conducive atmosphere for the anti-monarch rally planned by the seven-party political alliance.

The alliance has called for a four-day nation-wide shutdown beginning Thursday and a rally in Kathmandu on Saturday.

Escalation


Security has been stepped up in recent days. Senior ministers have hinted that a curfew may be imposed to stall the protests.

The seven-party alliance has a loose alliance with the rebels to step up the pressure on King Gyanendra to end his direct rule.

But it has ruled out a collaboration unless the rebels renounce violence.

The rebels recently observed a unilateral ceasefire for four months.

The government refused to reciprocate saying that the rebels could not be trusted. Violence has escalated since the rebels ended the truce in January.

More than 13,000 people have died in the 10-year Maoist insurgency aimed at replacing the monarchy with a communist republic.

[Cheung Mo]

I see no reason for the Maoists or for the reformist opposition to denounce violence: I have no love for Mao or for Maoism, but I have a hard time disagreeing with the idea that the streets of Kathmandu should be bleeding red with the blood of royalist fascists and the neo-liberal interests that are backing them: The royalists have done worse: Both in terms of violence and economic oppression of the Nepalese people.

If the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Nepalese monarchy are the political faces of Hinduism, I don't think any much good can be said of it.

[WUOrevolt]

I see this move as kind of smart. Now that the Maoists have called a ceasfire for the demonstration against the monarchy, the king and his brutal RAN will have no excuse when they try to brutally repress the demonstrators.

[Janus]

the king and his brutal RAN will have no excuse when they try to brutally repress the demonstrators
They may have no excuse but they're still doing it.


Originally posted by BBC News
Police in Nepal have detained more than 100 people for planning to defy a ban on public rallies in the capital, Kathmandu, pro-democracy activists say.
The arrests come a day ahead of a planned anti-monarchy protest and four-day general strike by a seven-party opposition alliance.

The US and UN have said the arrests - including those of some 20 opposition leaders - violate human rights.

Meanwhile, six soldiers and one police officer died in a clash with rebels.

More than 13,000 people have been killed in violence in Nepal since Maoist rebels took up arms 10 years ago.

Rally ban

Activists in Kathmandu said police had begun their crackdown by arresting a number of senior political figures - including former ministers and the spokesman of a major party - at their homes.

Almost 40 professionals, among them doctors, lawyers and journalists, were then rounded up as they tried to stage a rally in support of the planned opposition protests, they said.



A number of students were also detained.

The arrests were made as a new government ban on political rallies in some areas of Kathmandu came into force. The authorities say they fear Maoist rebels plan to incite violence.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was "troubled" by the arrests, his office said, adding that "security considerations should not be the basis for denying citizens their right to peaceful protest".

The US embassy in Nepal also criticised the clampdown and urged the king to pursue dialogue with his opponents.

The seven-party opposition alliance has called for a four-day nationwide shutdown beginning on Thursday and a rally in Kathmandu on Saturday.

It will be the latest in a series of protests over King Gyanendra's seizure of executive powers in February last year.

The opposition recently formed a loose alliance with the rebels to step up the pressure on the king to end his direct rule.

Show of defiance

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu says arrests are common in Nepal, but the biggest waves tend to come in advance of major shows of defiance by the opposition.

While ordinary demonstrators tend to be released after a few hours, politicians and human rights activists are sometimes held for months without trial, he says.

The Maoist rebels say they have suspended activities in Kathmandu but the government says they have infiltrated opposition rallies.

Later on Wednesday, the authorities imposed a night-time curfew in parts of Kathmandu, starting at 2300 hours and lasting until 0300 hours on Thursday.

Jhapa fighting

In the latest fighting, a policeman and six soldiers were killed in the south-eastern district of Jhapa early on Wednesday.

The clash occurred when the rebels fired on a vehicle carrying examination papers after it hit a landmine on a highway in the town of Surunga, police said.

The soldiers and police travelling in the vehicle returned fire, authorities said.

The rebels reportedly fled after an army helicopter reached the area. Six rebels and two civilians were reported wounded in the clash.

Last week 12 students were injured in a bomb explosion, blamed on the rebels, at a school examination centre in a western district.

[RebeldePorLaPAZ]

Keep in mind, when they call a partial truce it is only their time to regroup organize and get things together. They already have the hearts of the people and the support is on there side. No need to rush things, just do them right.

--Paz

[WUOrevolt]

They are set to strike: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4880646.stm

[WUOrevolt]

The Strike Has Begun (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4880646.stm)

[Tekun]

IMO, the Maoists should continue the attack
They've gained a considerable amount of ground and momentum
Why waste such an opportunity on a strike, that may or may not force the monarch from power?
In addition, in december the ceasefire ended because the Army attacked the Maoists
So..., let's keep it going comrade Prachanda

[Hiero]

Originally posted by [email protected] 6 2006, 07:34 PM
IMO, the Maoists should continue the attack
They've gained a considerable amount of ground and momentum
Why waste such an opportunity on a strike, that may or may not force the monarch from power?
In addition, in december the ceasefire ended because the Army attacked the Maoists
So..., let's keep it going comrade Prachanda
To take control of the capital by force would keep the protracted war going for another few years. Then once they gain control they will have all these other political parties against them.

The Monarchy is on it's last stand, the Maoist hope by a general strike to futher put pressure on the Monarch. They are basically trying to grow their support base and grow the anti Monarch movement. The general strike is something that all Nepal citizen's can participate in, including thoose in the urban area out of the reach of Maoist influence.

If the Maoist didn't join the alliance and didn't join the general strike they would created more enemies then they can make and stretch out the Monarchs days.

[Tekun]

^Good point

I overlooked the fact that the Maoists need support from all parties and sectors of society


However, I doubt that if they attacked the capital, the war would last a couple more years
They got the momentum and ground, they got the upper hand

But I guess unity and support from society is more important than giving the monarchy the coup de grace

[Janus]

Hundreds detained as general strike grips Nepal


Originally posted by AP
Nepalese police arrested scores of protesters as opposition parties, backed by Maoist rebels, launched a four-day strike for democracy against King Gyanendra's absolute rule.

Police were deployed in force along deserted streets in the capital and most businesses shut. Highways across the kingdom were also empty, witnesses said.

At least 300 people were detained, a protest leader told AFP, on top of around 100 held Wednesday including dozens of political leaders.

"Some 250 protesters were rounded up Thursday morning by police in the Kathmandu valley, and 50 more were arrested in Hetaunda," a town 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Kathmandu, said Rajendra Pandey, a leader from the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist).

Kathmandu police said around 200 people had been arrested during the day.

"No major violence occurred in the capital but police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in one area," said a police officer on customary condition of anonymity.

One protester died late Wednesday after taking part in a protest rally in southeastern Nepal, an activist told AFP.

"After being badly beaten by police Darshan Yadhav was taken to hospital where he later died from his injuries," said Rajendra Parajuli, from the Communist Party of Nepal.

Local police denied Yadhav died from a police beating.

"He died of a heart attack, according to doctors," said deputy superintendent of police Bishwo Pradhan, from Rajbiraj district.

The European Union condemned the crackdown Thursday.

"The government's actions further aggravate the atmosphere of confrontation in the country and are not conducive to constructive national dialogue for peace," a statement said.

Along with the nationwide strike, seven political parties have also called a mass protest in Kathmandu on Saturday. In response, authorities have banned public meetings and slapped a night-time curfew in the capital.

The new arrests came after 13 people were killed in clashes when the rebels attacked government targets in the southeast late Wednesday, the army and police said.

The Maoist rebels claimed they had shot down an army helicopter sent to back up security forces, but the military denied the claim, saying the chopper had crashed due to a technical problem.

All 10 soldiers on board were killed, the defence ministry said.

In the popular tourist town of Pokhara, shops shut and streets were clear of traffic.

"All the markets are closed and there are no vehicles except for press and emergency and security vehicles," said journalist Dinesh Regmi from the town located 200 kilometres west of Kathmandu.

King Gyanendra grabbed power in February 2005, saying the government had failed to quell a decade-long Maoist insurgency that has left more than 12,500 people dead.

In New York on Wednesday, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was "concerned about the confrontation developing in Nepal" and troubled by the arrests.

"Security considerations should not be the basis for denying citizens their right to peaceful protest -- a right for which virtually all avenues seem to be closing," his office said in a statement.

Maoist rebels have announced a ceasefire in Kathmandu to help the opposition with their protests. Home Minister Kamal Thapa branded it a "dangerous conspiracy" and said the government "would take stern and effective steps to check the general strike and protest."

Last November opposition parties and the rebels entered a loose alliance, further isolating the king, and called on him to hold talks on restoring democracy.

[che_diwas]

The maoist have attacked 2 major district headquaters in Eastern Nepal on Wednesday night. They have also hit and destroyed the royal army helicopter with latest arms and ammunation. 12 armies in the helicopter are dead.

the maoist have killed 15 soldiers while attacking the base camp and all government offices of the district. they have abducted more than a dozen security personnel along with the Chief District Officer.


While the seven parties are concentrating on the general strike in Capital, the Maoist are increasing their attack in the cities outside of the capital.

An activist of Unified Marxist Lenninist party has been killed by a brutal beating by a royal police in western Nepal.


These are the latest...

[Janus]

There have been fresh protests against the monarchy.


Originally posted by AP
Hundreds of Nepali students fought pitched battles with police on Friday, braving tear gas, hurling stones and chanting pro-democracy slogans as a four-day general strike against the king's rule entered its second day.

The strike and protests have been called by the Himalayan kingdom's seven main political parties in what they hope will be a definitive campaign against King Gyanendra, who sacked the government and took control of the nation last year.

Students shouting "Death to Gyanendra" charged at riot police in the Tribhuvan University campus in the capital, as dozens of tear gas shells were fired at them.

Carrying a Communist Party flag, hundreds of students hurled stones at police. Some beat up a constable who got separated from his comrades while others destroyed two statues of the king's grandmother on the campus.

Riot police also fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets at protesters in Lalitpur town in the capital region, where the government had banned protests.

Protesters set fire to a post office, which was doused. Tyres were thrown on the road and set on fire at some places.

"Vacate Narayanhiti, Democratic Republic is arriving," some activists shouted, referring to the royal palace in Kathmandu.

"We want Democracy," "Down with Gyanendra," "Gyanendra leave the country," others chanted.

Large but peaceful protests were held elsewhere across the country, political parties said, adding that about 200 activists were detained in the capital region on Friday.

CURFEW LIKELY

Although pro-democracy protests have become routine since King Gyanendra took power in February 2005, political parties say the latest demonstrations will be the largest so far and hope they will be decisive in bringing democracy back.

The latest campaign is backed by Nepal's Maoist insurgents, who have been waging a bloody battle since 1996 to topple the monarchy and establish communist rule.

But the rebels are not taking part in the protests and have announced an indefinite ceasefire in the Kathmandu region to help the political demonstrations.

The main rally is due in Kathmandu on Saturday, April 8, the day multi-party democracy was established 16 years ago.

"There will be massive demonstrations on Saturday. This movement will not stop until the people's rights are restored," said Shobhakhar Parajuli, a top Nepali Congress official.

But the government was likely to impose a curfew in and around Kathmandu on Saturday to thwart the rally, one senior government official told Reuters.

"The government has been restrained. We want to maintain law and order by using as little force as possible," Home Minister Kamal Thapa later told a news conference.

"The government has several options provided by the constitution and law. It can be curfew, imposition of an emergency and there are others," he said without elaborating.

The royalist government says it does not trust the Maoist guerrillas to stay out of the picture and has thrown a security blanket over the hill-ringed capital of 1.5 million people, including stationing armored vehicles on some main streets.

The Maoist revolt has killed more than 13,000 people, wrecked the economy of one of the 10 poorest countries in the world and forced thousands of people to flee the fighting in the countryside, largely controlled by the rebels.

The king justified his 2005 takeover saying political parties had failed to crush the Maoists and hold elections. But his arguments have failed to convince leading nations, who want him to hold talks with the parties and restore democracy.

"There is no logic to support the king, there is no reason to support the king, he's done a travesty to democracy," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said at a business conference in New Delhi.

[Dreckt]

I don't the maoists will realize their plans. If people want democracy, then they will get it. If a state similar to China-pre-capitalism was established, then those people would revolt against it.

[Janus]

If people want democracy, then they will get it. If a state similar to China-pre-capitalism was established, then those people would revolt against it.

Some of the Maoists want a socialist state to be set up but Prachanda has stated in an interview that his goal was to establish a multi-party democracy. In fact, several Maoists were expelled from the party after criticizing Prachanda's moderate line.

[Janus]

In recent developments in Nepal, hundreds more protestors have been arrested.


Originally posted by AP
Hundreds more protesters were arrested in Nepal on the second day of a general strike calling for King Gyanendra to restore democracy as demonstrations left two dozen injured.

"Some 200 protesters from the Nepali Congress Party and more than 150 from the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) have been arrested and 12 injured during protests," said Nepali Congress Party secretary Shovarkar Parajuli.

He vowed the opposition-party sponsored protests, which have seen more than 750 people officially detained since Tuesday, would go on.

In addition, 12 policemen also were injured as around 300 students at Tribhuvan University on the outskirts of Kathmandu battled riot police during the afternoon.

The students hurled stones and chanted slogans against Gyanendra. Police responded by firing dozens of tear-gas canisters and baton-charging the protesters.

"Around a dozen vehicles including two police vans were vandalized and about 12 policemen have been injured in clashes with protesters," a police officer said on condition of anonymity.

International criticism of the government has mounted, with the United States, the European Union, India and Japan all expressing concern and urging the government to release those detained.

Nepal's home minister dismissed the criticism Friday.

"The government takes any kind of reaction from the international community very seriously but the reactions were not based on ground realities," Home Minister Kamal Thapa told a news conference.

Despite the arrests and clashes, the royal government remained confident it could contain the four-day general strike and protests.

"The government has several options including curfews and the imposition of emergency rule," Thapa said.

Similar anti-royal protests in January were thwarted when the government rounded up hundreds of activists, banned demonstrations, cut mobile phones and called an around-the-clock curfew.

"Since April 4, 751 people have been arrested," Thapa said.

Thapa said the seven-party protest movement was infiltrated by Maoist rebels and the government had captured guerrillas sent to Kathamndu to foment violence.

A protest leader said the government's claim was baseless.

"The government has resorted to violence and is trying to derail the peaceful movement of the seven-party alliance," Krishna Prasad Sitaula, spokesman for the Nepali Congress party, told AFP.

The streets of the capital were deserted again Friday apart from the heavy security presence and sporadic protests usually by small numbers of people.

Defying a ban on public meetings, opposition parties have called the general strike against the royal power grab and have paralysed the Himalayan kingdom.

The government has locked up dozens of political leaders and arrested hundreds of people this week for breaking the ban.

"This is the final push of the movement. The days of the king are numbered," said Sova Sapkota, an activist with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) as she prepared to take part in a protest in the capital.

"We will continue to defy the ban order," she said.

Newspapers issued ominous warnings about the government crackdown.

"The present aggressive course of the government is certain to escalate conflict and deepen instability further," the Himalayan Times said in an editorial, adding the government would have to agree to a political solution "sooner or later."

A major demonstration was set for the capital Kathmandu on Saturday amid rising anger over the deteriorating situation since the king seized absolute power in February 2005.

The action was called by opposition parties and has the support of rebel Maoists who have formed a loose alliance with politicians to restore democracy.

[Cheung Mo]

Why can't a multi-party democracy be leftist?

And look at this for objective reporting:

"The Maoist revolt has killed more than 13,000 people, wrecked the economy of one of the 10 poorest countries in the world and forced thousands of people to flee the fighting in the countryside, largely controlled by the rebels."

Yeah right....And Nepal was Happy Freedom Land thanks to the royalists.

[Janus]

Protest in Nepal Turns Violent; 1 Killed


Originally posted by AP
Security forces fired on anti-monarch demonstrators in separate marches Saturday, killing one and wounding five as the government escalated its crackdown on those seeking a return of democracy.

Authorities said they would extend a dawn-to-dusk curfew in the capital to a second day Sunday after opposition parties announced plans to hold a rally.

The curfew will be imposed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Katmandu and its surrounding areas, and gives security forces orders to shoot any violators, a notice on the state-run Nepal Television said.

On Saturday, the government had already imposed a curfew in Katmandu and its suburbs, saying it was necessary to ensure the safety of people and property.

Meanwhile, thousands of activists rampaged through the southern town of Bharatpur, burning government offices and forcing riot police to retreat from the town square before officers opened fire, a government official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Police fired bullets and tear gas to disperse the protesters, who are demanding that King Gyanendra restore democracy in this Himalayan kingdom. Three women bystanders were injured, the official said.

The protest at Bharatpur, about 90 miles southwest of Katmandu, was the biggest in the ongoing four-day anti-monarchy protests nationwide by the country's main political parties.

In the resort town of Pokhara, protester Gangadhar Baral said he was among a group of people pelting stones at security forces when the soldiers shot at them.

"We were protesting, and some of us were throwing stones at the soldiers. Suddenly, the soldiers fired shots at us. One of my friends was killed instantly," Baral said at the hospital in Pokhara, about 125 miles west of Katmandu. A hospital doctor confirmed the death.

In Katmandu, the government's curfew and shoot-on-sight orders crushed opposition plans for a massive anti-monarchy rally, emptying the roads and sending demonstrators indoors after two days of violent protests.

Streets quickly emptied, and soldiers patrolled the streets in vans, pickup trucks and armored cars. Tourists were only allowed to travel to or from the airport.

A key protest organizer objected to the curfew.

"The imposition of a curfew is unnecessary, illegal and illogical. There is no ground for this," said Khadga Prasad Oli, deputy leader of the Communist Party of Nepal.

The rally in the capital was intended to be the high point of a four-day general strike called by Nepal's seven main opposition parties to pressure Gyanendra to restore democracy.

Gyanendra seized power in February last year, claiming the government failed to quell a growing communist insurgency. Some 13,000 people have been killed since the Maoists launched their insurgency in 1996.

Authorities have cracked down forcefully on the protests. On Friday, police battled protesters in the narrow alleys of Katmandu, using batons and tear gas to beat back stone-throwing students. The number of pro-democracy advocates arrested swelled to 751, a government minister said.

Gyanendra called for calm in a speech broadcast live Friday on national radio and television.

The rebels had promised not to wage attacks in Katmandu during the strike but have stepped up their attacks elsewhere. Hundreds of communist rebels fought a fierce battle against government troops in two southwestern towns, and at least nine guerrillas and three security personnel were killed, officials said.

The opposition strike, which runs through Sunday, shut down public transport, shops and schools.

[Cheung Mo]

Washington, Beijing, and London are directly responsible for the death of any protesters, democracts, and revolutionaries and for the theocratic despotism that rules Nepal: They have provided the armaments and the funding of fascism!

[Janus]

Clashes continue during the curfew


Originally posted by BBC News
Police in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, have used teargas and batons against stone-throwing protesters defying a curfew.
Three people have died in two days of unrest, part of widespread anti-government protests.

Both Maoist rebels and opposition political parties have said they will intensify their campaigns.

The protesters want the end of the direct rule imposed by King Gyanendra 15 months ago.
The authorities called a curfew from 1100-1800 (0515-1215 GMT), the third straight day of curfew aimed at halting the protest.

But the shorter curfew hours suggest the government may be nervous about demonstrations, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu.

Several demonstrations took place in and around Kathmandu, despite the curfew.

"People are getting killed anyway. I am not afraid of death," one protester, Ashok Rana, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

"The king has pushed the country into a deep ditch," another protester, Raj Kumar Chhetri, said.

Maoist backing

In an email statement signed by their top two leaders, Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai, the Maoists said they backed the nationwide strike.

"We... announce we will join the general strike," it said.

The rebels said they would take control of the country's roads and destroy all royal statues.

All sign boards saying "His Majesty's Government" would be removed and action would be taken against those paying taxes to the royal government, it added.

Some 13,000 people have died since the Maoist insurgency began in 1996. On Friday attacks left at least five people dead.

The rebels announced a ceasefire in and around the capital, Kathmandu, during the strike.

Open-ended protest

Home Minister Kamal Thapa told reporters the government had been "restrained even during the curfew".
We will get stricter now to preserve law and order and keep the situation normal," he said.

Hundreds of opposition figures and activists have been arrested since Friday, according to police officials.

The king took power 14 months ago, accusing political parties of failing to quell a Maoist insurgency.

The seven main political parties said on Sunday they were extending the strike indefinitely.

Three deaths were confirmed at the weekend:

In Banepa, a town to the east of the capital, one man was shot dead as protesters clashed with police on Sunday

In Bharatpur, a woman was apparently shot by police on Saturday while sitting on her balcony near the scene of a mass protest

A man was shot dead on Saturday in the resort town of Pokhara during mass protests.