Nepali police flood troubled town

Police into a troubled Nepalese town yesterday to reinforce a local police detachment that fired on protesters the day before, killing three people.

A daytime curfew was also imposed three hours after dawn in Lahan, where police opened fired on hundreds of protesters who were storming a station on Monday, according to Sashi Shrestha, the chief administrator of Siraha District, which is 250km southeast of the capital, Kathmandu.

The deaths are the latest outbreak of violence to hinder a peace process designed to end years of Maoist insurgency in Nepal.

People the southern plains have long complained of discrimination by people living in the mountains, saying they have been left out of development and policy-making decisions.

Activists the southern plain have led a series of protests alleging that people there are being left behind as Maoist rebels enter mainstream politics.

Under peace deal, the rebels have joined an interim parliament and their fighters have begun to hand over weapons to UN arms monitors, leaving behind a decade of bloody insurgency.

The protests in Lahan were mounted to condemn the killing of a high school student during a strike last week for the rights of the people in the southern plain.

The death fueled protests that led to several vehicles and government buildings being set on fire over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Nepal's sidelined King Gyanendra made a rare public appearance yesterday for a Hindu festival, his first outing since fiercely republican Maoists were admitted to parliament earlier this month.

The king was whisked into a 16th century palace in the historic heart of Kathmandu amid tight security for the festival of Basanta Panchami, which marks the advent of spring, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

Government who tra-ditionally attend the festival with the king were absent this year, as were the crowds of people who used to line streets approaching the palace in Kathmandu's Durbar Square.

Devout Hindus venerate Gyan-endra as a living incarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu god of protection.

In April last year, Gyanendra was forced to give up absolute powers in the face of large protests.

At yesterday's festival, however, he was saluted by army officials after they played Nepal's old pro-royal national anthem -- also set to be replaced as part of the changes sweeping the impoverished Him-alayan nation.

The Maoists have said they want to scrap the 238-year-old monarchy altogether, but some in the seven-party government wish to see the king retain a ceremonial role.

The king' fate will be decided after an election -- to be held before June -- that will select a group to rewrite Nepal's Constitution.