Katmandu, Nepal – About 7,000 students, social workers, teachers and lawyers marched Wednesday in the Nepalese capital, calling for peace in Nepal, where a communist insurgency is escalating.
The rally marked the International Day for Peace, which organizers said was part of similar effort in other South Asian nations.
As a large number of police officers kept close watch, the marchers carried banners saying, “We want peace. Peace is our right. End violence.”
Fighting has escalated between government troops and Maoist rebels in Nepal since King Gyanendra took over absolute power earlier this year, promising to wipe out the insurgents.
Although the rebels have declared a temporary cease-fire, violence has not completely ended and the government is not willing to suspend its offensive against the rebels.
The rebels, who have been fighting since 1996 to replace the monarchy with a communist state, claim to be inspired by Chinese communist revolutionary Mao Tse-tung.
The insurgency has left more than 11,500 dead.
There have been street protests almost every day in Katmandu, organized by the seven major political parties, which have formed an alliance to protest the king’s direct rule over the Himalayan kingdom. They demand that he give up power and restore democracy.
