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57 Activists Arrested in Nepal

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From Associated Press

Police in Nepal arrested 57 opposition protesters Friday as King Gyanendra cut phone service to thwart nationwide demonstrations against his recent seizure of power.

The rallies, scheduled for the Himalayan kingdom’s annual Democracy Day celebration, were the first major protests since the king took sole control, dismissing the government and declaring a state of emergency. Only eight protesters showed up in the capital, Katmandu, and they were promptly arrested.

The poor turnout could be attributed to the communication blackout for almost 10 hours Friday and to the arrest of dozens of opposition leaders after Gyanendra assumed power Feb. 1.

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On Friday, at least 36 people were arrested in Janakpur town and 13 in the Himalayan resort town of Pokhara, police said.

In the capital, activists from the Nepali Congress Party guided journalists to protest sites. Eight activists eventually emerged from a narrow lane and started shouting slogans against the king in a busy Katmandu market.

“Death to autocracy! Down with the autocratic king!” they yelled.

But they fled within minutes as a column of police in blue uniforms raced down the lane with truncheons and shields, followed by police cars blaring sirens. All eight were arrested.

Hours earlier, the 55-year-old king marked Democracy Day, which commemorates the end of autocratic rule in Nepal in 1951, by attending a military parade.

In a message to the nation, Gyanendra said he took control of the country only to save democracy from communist rebels and corrupt politicians.

The crackdown on demonstrators came a day after a U.S. State Department official in Washington said the monarch had assured the Bush administration he would begin restoring democracy within 100 days.

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The official said Washington would consider suspending its security aid for Nepal if the king failed to follow through.

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