Agencies, Kathmanduepalese soldiers yesterday shot dead a demonstrator, a political leader said, as opposition parties postponed a pro-democracy rally in the capital following government threats to shoot curfew violators. At least two others were injured.
The army gunned down the demonstrator in the popular tourist town of Pokhara, 200km west of Kathmandu, Yogesh Bhattarai, a senior leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), said.
"He was shot in his head and he died instantly," Bhattarai said. More details were not immediately available.
Gangadhar Baral, who was injured in the firing, said a group of protesters were pelting stones at security forces when the soldiers shot at them.
``We were protesting and some of us were throwing stones at the soldiers. Suddenly, the soldiers fired shots at us. One of my friends was killed instantly,'' Baral said from Pokhara's main hospital where was taken by other protesters for treatment of face and head injuries.
A second protester was also taken to the hospital with leg injuries.
There was no comment from the army and no further details were available.
The reported shooting came after the government imposed a daytime curfew on Kathmandu and surrounding areas early yesterday and warned violators could be shot. Pokhara was not included in the curfew order.
Oli said the seven-party opposition alliance had rescheduled the rally, originally planned for yesterday, to today.
The rally is seen as the highlight of a general strike called to back demands for King Gyandendra to restore democracy after seizing power last year.
"Because of the curfew, people can't move freely and we're also worried about the risk to civilian lives," Oli said.
The decision to delay the rally came after the army said clashes with Maoist rebels left at least 14 dead in the west of the insurgency-racked kingdom.
Authorities cut mobile telephone services and imposed the curfew from 10am until 9pm in Kathmandu, neighboring Patan and other areas in the vicinity to force cancellation of the rally.
A similar demonstration was abandoned in January when authorities rounded up hundreds of activists, banned protests, cut mobile telephone services and imposed curfews.
"People should not come out of their houses during the curfew time. Security forces may shoot those who try to leave their houses during the curfew time," a newsreader said on state-controlled Nepal Television.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique