Nepal protests

Nepali police broke up a pro-democracy rally and arrested dozens of protesters in Kathmandu yesterday as some 200 students defied a ban on demonstrations.

Protesters shouting anti-king slogans and demanding the restoration of democracy were dragged into vans and taken to detention centres.

"Long live democracy. Down with the royal proclamation," shouted the activists before being hauled from the heart of the capital, barely 500 metres from the king's sprawling palace.

In February, King Gyanendra seized power, detained political leaders and suspended civil liberties under a state of emergency law, saying the move was required to quell an anti-monarchy Maoist revolt in which nearly 12,000 people have died.

He lifted the emergency rule late last month but retains extraordinary powers.

Seven political parties have vowed to step up protests against the power grab and force the monarch to restore democracy.

The latest crackdown came as Maoist rebels in western Nepal abducted at least 450 school children over the past three days and beat local aid workers prompting foreign donors to suspend some operations, officials said.

The army said the pupils were taken in Palpa, Tanahun and Baglung districts.

The Maoists regularly abduct school children in remote areas for indoctrination or to boost numbers in pro-Maoist rallies. The children are generally returned after a few days unharmed.

Violence has continued in the Himalayan kingdom since King Gyanendra seized power. The Maoists have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the Hindu monarchy and set up a single party communist republic.