US orders Nepal staff withdrawal

athmandu (dpa) - At least a dozen protesters were hurt Monday in Kathmandu as demonstrations against King Gyanendra were held in defiance of a daytime curfew and ahead of a rally scheduled for Tuesday that the opposition said would be the largest since the protests began nearly three weeks ago.

The seven-party alliance organizing the pro-democracy protests said it hoped Tuesday's demonstrations would draw 2 million people. Such a turnout would be a big jump from weekend rallies that drew up to 150,000 people.

The alliance said at least 12 people were hurt in Monday's demonstrations, held during a seven-hour curfew that began at 11 a.m. It was the fifth-straight day authorities in Nepal had imposed a daytime curfew on the capital.

Monday's demonstrations took place as the United States government ordered all of its non-essential staff and their family members to leave Nepal while also warning all other US citizens to depart as soon as possible.

The US embassy closed its consular section on April 12, and visas were being issued from the US embassy in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, the seven-party alliance was organizing Tuesday's rally, which was to be focussed around Kathmandu's Ring Road. The top leaders of the parties are to address the demonstrators at different points on the road that encircles the city centre.

The opposition said similar protests were also to take place across the country while adding that its protests would be peaceful but there were fears that violence might erupt.

More than a dozen people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in the 19 days of the opposition-called general strike and daily demonstrations.

The opposition wants the king, who dismissed the government and seized power 14 months ago, to relinquish all powers immediately, reinstate the dissolved parliament and hold elections for an assembly to draft a new constitution.

But an influential member of an opposition party called Monday for the alliance to compromise.

Shailja Acharya, a leader of the Nepali Congress party, said it should should "take the middle path" to avoid delays in resolving the crisis.

Acharya said in a statement that the confrontation of extremes - left and right - would prove harmful to the country.

Her statement came after the opposition alliance turned down an offer made Friday night by the king. Gyanendra offered to hand over power to a prime minister of the seven parties' choosing, but the parties said they would not accept because his offer didn't include the reinstatement of parliament or the formation of an assembly to draft a new constitution.

Acharya also called for a return of the House of Representatives, dissolved in 2002.


http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=92594

AUSTRALIANS have been warned officially not to travel to Nepal.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade today raised its travel warning to the highest level – "Do not travel".

The move came after 19 days of strikes and violent protests that have rocked Kathmandu in an attempt to end nearly 15 months of absolute rule by the world's only Hindu monarch, King Gyanendra.

"We advise Australians against travel to Nepal because of the dangerous security situation created by widespread civil unrest," the DFAT warning said.

The department said anyone concerned for their safety should leave Nepal or stay indoors and avoid all rallies and public demonstrations, as they may turn violent.

It is also feared a large demonstration planned in Kathmandu for tomorrow may turn violent.

A DFAT official said the Australian embassy may be closed without notice because of the violence.

http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,18918282-5001028,00.html

Washington ordered all non-emergency US Embassy staff and family members to leave Nepal today after opposition parties leading street protests against the rule of King Gyanendra called for a decisive show of strength.

The State Department also advised all other American citizens that they should leave the Himalayan kingdom "as soon as possible" because US diplomats were no longer in a position to protect them.

The evacuation order - seen as a signal that the situation in Nepal could deteriorate sharply - came on the 19th day of strikes and violent protests in which at least 14 people have been killed, and hundreds more injured.

King Gyanendra offered in a televised address on Friday to return power to an alliance of seven political parties, but that was rejected as too little, too late and opposition parties have called for a mass rally tomorrow in the heart of Kathmandu, less than a mile from the royal palace.

The King seized absolute power in February 2005, claiming that the move was necessary to crush a Maoist insurgency that has cost 13,000 lives in the past ten years. But the guerrillas’ grip on rural Nepal has since escalated while the monarch has accelerated his curb on civil liberties.

A spokesman at the US Embassy in Kathmandu said that the the order would reduce staff levels at the US mission by about half. The State Department has allowed non-emergency staff to leave the Himalayan kingdom at their own discretion since April 12.

The State Department said that it was concerned by threats to safety from "political instability, civil disorder, demonstrations" and lack of supplies. In a statement released by the Embassy it added that stone-throwing protesters had attacked vehicles including diplomatic cars and lengthy curfews made it difficult for Embassy staff to provide help.

"Under ordered departure, mission family members and non-emergency American employees would depart Nepal as soon as possible," the statement said. "American citizens should also depart Nepal as soon as possible."

The UK Foreign Office already advises against "all but essential travel" to Nepal.

Yesterday, riot police fired rubber bullets and teargas at anti-monarchist protesters who defied a curfew to march on Kathmandu.

In a mass rally in the suburb of Gungabo, Bamdev Gautam, a senior Communist leader, told thousands of Nepalis that the King had only "a few more days" left in the palace.

Mr Baldev, who was imprisoned overnight last week for meeting Maoist guerrillas, said that the King only ruled the city inside the ring road, not the country outside it.

Mr Baldev told a jubilant crowd that the people would soon "capture" the ring road and march on the palace. "The King is a burden to the people. We have to remove him forever," he said. "We’re not going back. We’re not scared of the King’s bullets."

The monarch’s offer to hand over power to an alliance of seven parties has failed to quell protests. Many want the return of parliament and the appointment of an assembly to rewrite the constitution to limit the powers of the monarchy or even to abolish it.

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25689-2149761,00.html