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Monday, April 24, 2006

PARTIES GEAR UP FOR TUESDAY'S MASS DEMONSTRATIONS,PROFESSIONAL PLEDGE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

The seven-party alliance (SPA) has completed preparations for the mass demonstrations in Ring Road, Kathmandu, on Tuesday, as various professional groups and trade unions pledged active participation in the protests.
Separate meetings of the seven parties on Monday decided to mobilise their central leaders to lead the rallies at different places. A meeting of the Standing Committee (SC) of the CPN (UML) decided to send all SC members to lead the peaceful rallies while the Central Working Committee meetings of Nepali Congress (NC) and NC (Democratic) also decided to deploy senior central committee members to coordinate the rallies. Four other parties also made similar decisions.
The parties also urged their cadres to mobilise the masses in a peaceful way and keep and eye on the ‘government-sanctioned vigilantes’ who could provoke violence during the demonstrations. Issuing separate statements after the meetings, the parties also appealed to the general people and professional organisations to actively participate in the demonstrations against the royal proclamation of Friday.
As per the decision of the meeting of the Central People’s Movement Coordination Committee held on Sunday NC president Girija Prasad Koirala will address a mass gathering at Narayangopal Chowk, UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal a mass meeting in Kalanki, NC (D) president Sher Bahadur Deuba at Gongabu and Amik Sherchan at Satdobato. Similarly, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party chairman Narayan Bijukchhe, Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi) vice-chairman Bharat Bimal Yadav and United Left Front’s Bishnu Bahadur Manahandhar will address the mass meetings at Koteshwor, Sitapaila and Chabahil respectively.
The demonstrations will be carried out from interior parts of the city and along the stretch of Ring Road from 12:00 p.m., which will converge into mass meetings.
In a show of strength, the SPA has vowed to bring as many as 2 million people in the streets of Kathmandu. Mass demonstrations will be organised in all cities and towns around the country on Tuesday, according to the parties.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the eight student organisations appealed to all students in the Kathmandu Valley and outside to leave their studies for one day and actively join in the pro-democracy demonstrations on Tuesday.
Expressing full support to the ongoing movement of the parties, various professional organisations and trade unions have pledged active involvement in Tuesday’s mass demonstrations.
The Professionals Alliance for Peace and Democracy (PAPAD) asked all organisations associated with it to join in the peaceful demonstration. A statement issued by PAPAD today said doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers and other professionals would join in the rallies.
Similarly, Nepal Government Employees Union, National Private and Boarding Schools Organisation Nepal (N-PABSON), Nepal Trade Union, Nepal Trade Union Congress and G-Font have also asked their members to participate in the rallies.
In the same manner, Nepal Doctors Association and the Nursing Association in separate statements said volunteers would be stationed at various places to provide treatment to injured persons as there is a possibility of use of force by the security forces during the demonstrations.

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