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At least three protesters killed in Nepal

Police shot dead three people and wounded scores more yesterday as tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators defied shoot-on-sight curfew orders in Nepal's capital of Kathmandu, a doctor and witnesses said.

Huge crowds tested the resolve of armed police and soldiers stationed around the ring road to protect the inner-city curfew, several journalists at the scene reported.

Violence erupted at several spots as security forces dispersed demonstrators with a mixture of gunfire, tear gas and baton charges, leaving a trail of casualties.

At the royal palace a special Indian envoy told Nepal's King Gyanendra to restore democracy urgently, New Delhi's embassy said.

Outside on the streets, demonstrators were dying.

"Three of at least 40 injured protesters brought into the hospital have died," said Deepak Regmi from Kathmandu's Model Hospital.

"Most of the injured had bullet wounds. About 12 are in serious condition," he added.

"We are struggling to treat so many people. Because of the curfew we do not have many doctors. More injured are coming in but they are having to lie on the floor," he said.

Some 35 people were injured in the capital's northern suburb of Gongabu when police beat back a huge crowd with bamboo sticks, a reporter said.

At Kalanki, on the west side of the capital, police using self-loading rifles aimed and fired in the direction of the massed protesters, a photographer said.

One young man was left dead on the ground, blood oozing from his head, as the protesters retreated.

Witnesses and a human rights activist said they also saw a woman and child apparently lifeless.

Tear gas was also fired and at least three men had been beaten unconscious during a baton charge, the photographer added.

Thousands upon thousands of pro-democracy activists shouting slogans against Gyanendra had marched to Kalanki, a main entry point to Kathmandu.

"I can see a sea of people covering the road [for more than 3km]," said Rajendra Manandhar, who was watching from a rooftop.

At Gongabu, thousands more waved party flags and chanted: "Down with Gyanendra, long live democracy."

"We are ready to sacrifice our lives for democracy," said 22-year-old Sanyam Poudel.

"We are not scared of them," Sanyam said. "We gave many chances to the royal family but the king has misunderstood us."

At Chabahil to the northeast, an estimated 10,000 people also rallied to demand the restoration of democracy.

Despite the security blanket thrown around Kathmandu, political parties had insisted mass demonstrations would go ahead to mark the start of a third week of strikes against the king's absolute powers.

The curfew was declared after witnesses said four protesters were shot dead and many more wounded during clashes on Wednesday in eastern Nepal, the worst violence of the campaign to end Gyanendra's absolute rule.

The defense ministry said only two people died. Whoever was right, the death toll over the last two weeks has crossed into double figures.

International flights were in operation, an official at Kathmandu airport said, but domestic links had been cancelled.

India's special envoy in talks with the king, "stressed the need for genuine dialogue between the constitutional forces in Nepal, with the objective of urgently restoring multi-party democracy," an Indian embassy statement said.

This would "overcome the crisis that Nepal is faced with," the statement added.

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