Fresh pro-democracy protests broke out in Nepal on Friday despite King Gyanendra's pledge to hold elections in the Himalayan kingdom, as activists said he offered nothing new or substantive.
Groups of protesters took to the streets of the capital Kathmandu hours after the king's midnight message, chanting "Gyanendra, thief, quit the country" and "Down with autocracy, end police repression".
Riot police arrested about 20 demonstrators, but there was no violence. Scattered protests continued through the day, but were not as intense as in previous days because it was a holiday for the Nepali Hindu New Year.
Political parties leading the movement against the king were quick to reject his offer for elections, saying the monarch's new year message would not defuse the fierce campaign in which four people have been killed and hundreds wounded in the past week.
"It is our wish that in order to re-energise multi-party democracy there should not be any delay in reactivating all representative bodies through elections," the king said.
"May the efforts at ensuring sustainable peace and meaningful democracy in the interests of the nation and the people bear fruit during the new year."
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