Opposition brands Nepal a police state

Thousands of protesters from the Nepalese People's Rights Protection Committee and Nepalese students unions carry anti-king placards during a demonstration in New Delhi yesterday. The head of the International Federation of Journalists demanded yesterday that Nepali King Gyanendra free all arrested journalists, end press censorship and restore democracy. PHOTO: AFP

But the military denied the allegations and said the army was functioning under the civilian council of ministers, and had no more power than before the king seized control of the government on Feb. 1.

"Anybody can be branded a terrorist now ... in the name of security. Every normal activity is under the control of the security forces _ the army and the police," Ram Saran Mahat, a top leader of the Nepali Congress, the country's largest party, told The Associated Press.

Gyanendra said he took power because he needed the authority to combat Maoist guerrillas who have fought since 1996 to abolish the constitutional monarchy. He also blamed politicians for being corrupt and inefficient, pushing the country into a "morass." Mahat said he accepted the king's assertion that Nepal's politicians had been squabbling for power and had governance problems, but said a state of emergency was not the answer.

"There were mistakes ... but you have to play the game by the rules. If politicians are bad, they can be thrown out by the people," he said

Mahat, who has worked as a senior cabinet minister under three prime ministers, is the most senior opposition politician working openly in Nepal. Most of the others have been arrested or have gone underground after the king sacked the government, declared a state of emergency and assumed power.

Opponents of the king and some human rights groups have said human rights violations have increased, and the army is making most decisions for the country. The military denies this.

"They are wrong. We have a council of ministers. We are under its control. The military's mandate hasn't changed, it remains the same as before," said Brig. Gen. Dipak Gurung, the chief spokesman of the Royal Nepalese Army.

The council of ministers was named by the king after he declared the state of emergency, and is composed of some of his staunchest supporters.

Opposition leaders, students, human rights activists, journalists and trade unionists have been detained.

"It's a very difficult time. The police and army are everywhere. They are raiding the homes of the student leaders because they know that we are the ones who can build up resistance," said Keshav Singh, president of the Nepal Students Union, the country's largest. Singh is underground, trying to avoid arrest as he marshals students across the country.

Meanwhile, over a hundred activists of opposition parties in Nepal have been arrested after they staged anti-government demonstrations across the country demanding an end to the authoritarian regime of King Gyanendra.

Those arrested include activists of the Nepali Congress, Nepal Sadbhavna Party-UML and Janmorcha Nepal, party sources said.