King Gyanendra: Setback

Kathmandu, Dec. 26 (Reuters): Police fired in the air and used tear gas to disperse rioting groups in a southwestern Nepal town today after they defied a curfew and ransacked shops and restaurants, officials and witnesses said.

The clashes between people from Nepal’s hills and those living on its southern plains erupted in the frontier town of Nepalgunj, 320 km southwest of Kathmandu, said Krishna Acharya, a senior local official. At least 12 people were wounded in the violence and a day curfew had been extended indefinitely, residents said by phone.

The trouble started after activists of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, a small political party in Nepal's ruling alliance, attacked vehicles belonging to people living in the hills during a strike the party had called yesterday.

It led to fresh violence today as rival groups defied a precautionary curfew and took to the streets of Nepalgunj, residents said. “Hundreds of armed police have been deployed,” said Krishna Adhikary, a local journalist.

The riots came as King Gyanendra cancelled a planned holiday after the Prime Minister advised him against travelling outside the capital due to fears it could spark trouble.

The monarch, accompanied by his wife, Queen Komal, was planning to spend a month in his palace in Hetauda, 50 km south of Kathmandu, starting this week.