Saturday, April 8 2006 10:25 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Nepal's royal Government today (Apr 8, 2006) clamped a day-time curfew in the Kathmandu valley and cut mobile phone services in a bid to thwart a major protest show by opposition parties on the third day of their nationwide anti-King strike.

The administrations in all three districts of the valley Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur imposed the curfew from 10 am to 9 pm, according to a government notice broadcast on the state-run 'Radio Nepal'.

The curfew has been imposed to protect life and property as there is a possibility of terrorists and anti-social elements attacking public property and the general people, it claimed.

The Government also cut all mobile phone services from early this morning to foil the agitation.

Security has been further tightened in Kathmandu with heavy mobilisation of army and riot police. Security personnel are authorised to open fire if any one defies the curfew order, according to the government notice.

Home Minister Kamal Thapa had warned yesterday that the government could impose an emergency rule or curfew to control the situation, claiming that Maoists were infiltrating into the demonstrations organised by the seven-party opposition alliance against King Gyanendra's direct rule during their ongoing four-day general strike.

Police yesterday opened fire during demonstrations in Kirtipur and Lalitpur in which three activists were injured.

Dozens others were injured in different places as police baton charged and lobbed tear gas shells to control the protestors who defied the government's ban on demonstrations.

Around 800 people were arrested from across Nepal yesterday while over 1,000 were held on Thursday, the first day of the strike, which the opposition parties have organized with the Maoist support.

Today is also the anniversary of the 'People's Movement' that restored multi-party democracy in Nepal 16 years ago. The seven-party alliance had earlier announced a massive demonstration at Basantapur Durbarsquare on the occasion.

Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala and Nepal Communist Party-UML acting General Secretary Amrit Kumar Bohara, in separate statements on 'People's Movement Day', asked Nepalese to participate in the 'decisive' fight against autocracy to restore full-fledged democracy in the country.

Seven party activists planned to go ahead with protest shows in Kathmandu despite the government's announcement of curfew.

"Our programme will not stop despite the government clamping curfew," said a leader belonging to People's Front Nepal, a constituent of the seven-party alliance.