KATHMANDU, April 4: Tens of thousands of anti-monarchy protesters packed Kathmandu for the fourth straight day on Sunday, clashing with police near the palace, as Maoists stepped up their campaign in the countryside against the royalist government.
Demonstrators chanting slogans against King Gyanendra tried to tear down a barricade guarding his palace but were dispersed by police who struck with batons and fired tear gas.
Some 150 demonstrators were struck with batons, a reporter said . One protester, Bamdev Gautam, was in serious condition after being hit in the head, a doctor in the hospital said.
A five-party alliance organising the protests has been emboldened since Friday when demonstrators first clashed with police outside the Narayanhiti Palace, leaving more than 200 people injured, according to rights groups.
The parties are demanding of the king to reverse his 2002 dismissal of the elected government. The protesters have received the moral support of Maoist rebels fighting to overthrow the monarchy.
The five-party alliance on Sunday appealed to the Maoists to call off a nationwide strike set for Tuesday to Thursday so as not to hamper the movement of demonstrators in Kathmandu. "We welcome your support and appeal to you to withdraw the three-day strike call to make this movement a success," the parties' statement said.
Police said rebels late Saturday bombed the home of Kamal Thapa, the interior minister in the royal-appointed cabinet, in the southern industrial town of Hetaunda, injuring two security guards. Thapa was not at the house, which he rented to the government's revenue service, police said. -AFP
