KATHMANDU – Nepal’s unpopular King Gyanendra marked his 61st birthday on Saturday as former Maoist rebels organised rallies demanding an end to the monarchy and a clash between the monarch’s supporters and Maoists left 10 people injured.
About a thousand of the king’s supporters, led by five small girls wearing traditional red gold-embroidered costor, stood for hours in the scorching sun outside the king’s pink palace to offer the monarch bouquets and gifts. Some beat cymbals, blew copper pipes and chanted ‘long live the king’ and ‘our king is dearer to us than our hearts’.A short distance away, about 5 000 youth and student supporters of the Maoists, who joined the government in April, protested by demanding the monarch leave the country.”Down with the monarchy…and down with Gyanendra,” read some of the placards carried by members of the Young Communist League, the Maoist youth wing.Nampa-ReutersSome beat cymbals, blew copper pipes and chanted ‘long live the king’ and ‘our king is dearer to us than our hearts’.A short distance away, about 5 000 youth and student supporters of the Maoists, who joined the government in April, protested by demanding the monarch leave the country.”Down with the monarchy…and down with Gyanendra,” read some of the placards carried by members of the Young Communist League, the Maoist youth wing.Nampa-Reuters
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