Nepal police use tear gas to break up protest

Nepali police beat pro-democracy activists with rattan canes and fired tear gas yesterday to break up the largest anti-king protest in the capital since a campaign was launched 10 days ago.

The police charged when about 8,000 demonstrators marched into the city from a western suburb, chanting slogans against King Gyanendra and demanding the restoration of democracy.

At least a dozen people, including some women, were taken to hospital. Protesters threw rocks at police before scattering.

Earlier, the demonstrators sat cross-legged on the road for hours in the Kalanki suburb, shouting "Down with autocracy, restore democracy," as police watched. Onlookers in nearby shops and houses cheered.

Elsewhere in the city, police with batons charged a protest by local journalists and arrested at least a dozen people, witnesses said. Several journalists were hurt, they said.