Nepali gov't imposes 13-hour curfew in capital

The Nepali government declared on Sunday a 13-hour curfew in the capital of Kathmandu Valley starting from 7:00 a.m. (0100 GMT) .

Issuing separate public notices Saturday evening, the district administrations of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur announced curfew from 7:00 a.m. (0100 GMT) -8:00 p.m.(1400 GMT) on Sunday, citing possible violence and loss of property due to agitation instigated by the seven opposition political parties.

The curfew orders have been clamped within the Ring Road area, parts of Kirtipur and Bhaktapur. The district administrations said security personnel have been authorized to shoot at those defying the curfew.

The regular curfew hours, 11:00 p.m.(1700 GMT)-3:00 a.m.(2100 GMT), first announced on Wednesday, will remain effective, according to the notices.

The authorities of the three districts clamped curfew from 10: 00 a.m. (0400 GMT) to 9:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) Saturday as the situation was intensified after the seven-party alliance declared a four-day nationwide general strike on April 6-9.

Protesters defied the curfew orders and staged demonstrations in several places.

Protests were organized across the nation on Saturday. One person was shot dead in Pokhara city in western of the country during the protest.

Source: Xinhua