KATHMANDU: Nepal’s royalist government detained dozens of activists and politicians in Kathmandu on Wednesday in a crackdown ahead of a general strike and protests planned against King Gyanendra’s seizure of power last year. Nepal’s seven main political parties have joined with Maoist insurgents to call for a four-day nationwide strike from Thursday and a day of protest on Saturday, April 8, the day multi-party democracy was established 16 years ago in the Himalayan nation.

The government of King Gyanendra has banned rallies in Kathmandu, the centre of the campaign, and vowed to crush any protests, saying that it had evidence Maoist rebels would use the occasion to infiltrate the capital.

Witnesses said about two dozen lawyers, journalists and doctors were detained when they defied the ban and staged a small protest on Wednesday morning.

Police also raided the homes of several political leaders and activists in a pre-dawn crackdown and detained many of them, party officials said.

“I have been handed over a detention order saying I am being detained for 90 days under the Public Security Act,” Minendra Rijal, a senior member of the Nepali Congress (Democratic) party, told Reuters by telephone as he was pulled from bed and taken away by police.

Although anti-monarchy protests have become a regular feature in the country since the king’s coup in February 2005, the latest rallies are expected to be the biggest so far.

The campaign has also gained weight as it comes after the political parties and Maoist rebels ironed out their differences and reaffirmed their commitment to a loose alliance struck last November that seeks to end the king’s absolute rule.

On Monday the Maoists, who have been fighting since 1996 to establish a communist republic, responded to an appeal by political parties by ordering a unilateral ceasefire in Kathmandu Valley. —Reuters