Protesters appeared in masks carrying banners saying “enough is enough”
Kathmandu:
On Saturday, Nepalese police arrested 10 protesters, including foreign nationals from Australia, the United States and China, while hundreds of people held a demonstration in Kathmandu against the government’s handling of the virus crisis.
Protesters challenged a nationwide lockdown for several days this week to demand better tests and quarantine facilities for returning migrant workers.
Police chief Sushil Kumar Yadav told AFP that seven of those arrested were foreigners. Three of them were Chinese, with one each in the United States, Australia, Canada and Norway, he said.
“It has not been decided if they will be charged,” added Yadav.
Saturday, during the demonstration, the participants presented themselves under masks, carrying banners indicating “enough is too much”.
“This is a time of crisis and we need our government to be responsible,” said 23-year-old student Alisha Shrestha, who was not arrested.
As the protest ended peacefully, police used water cannons, batons and tear gas to disperse the protests near the Prime Minister’s residence earlier this week.
Nepal imposed a nationwide lockdown in March to stop the spread of the pandemic. There are currently 5,062 COVID-19 cases, with 16 deaths.
The Interior Ministry warned that protesters could face a six-month prison sentence if they organized rallies during the lockout.
Tens of thousands of migrant workers, however, returned from India and the Middle East after losing their jobs, crushing the test and quarantine facilities.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
