400 protestors held in Nepal

23 Apr, 2004

Around 400 anti-monarchy protestors were rounded up in Nepal's capital Thursday, police said, as King Gyanendra met with party leaders amid a crisis over his 2002 sacking of the elected government.
Organisers claimed up to 900 protesters had been arrested on the 22nd day of street protests aimed at pressuring King Gyanendra to reverse his October 2002 decision to sack the government for "incompetence".
But a police spokesman police said the protests, which were in defiance of a ban on demonstrations, had been more low-key than usual and that "around 400 protestors" had been arrested.
Those rounded up in the daily protests by activists from five political parties and seven students unions are usually released a few hours later.

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