頻発するネパール反体制抗議行動の武装鎮圧
スカイプで英語を習っている。一年を越えてきたが、宿題がどんどん増えてくるのは嬉しい悲鳴だ。毎週、一テーマを読み通して要約文をつくり、emailで送信して、分からない語彙語句を整理して、スカイプタイムに用意することになっている。これ自体がいい勉強で、その範囲の中でいろいろと話題を回しあっている。日本語を教える場合には、もうテーマがそれほど拡散しても大丈夫というぐらいスキルが高くなっている相手なので、日本の面白いクリップを送信しておくぐらいで済む。今日は、このテーマで要約文をつくることにしょう。---------------------Clashes erupt at Nepal protests Opposition protesters have vowed to defy curfew orders Police in Nepal have used tear gas in clashes with hundreds of protesters who defied a curfew for a second day to rally against King Gyanendra's rule. A day earlier, two people died after police opened fire on rallies that attracted thousands of people. Police have been ordered to shoot anyone who violates the curfew in Kathmandu and surrounding cities. King Gyanendra took power 14 months ago, accusing political parties of failing to quell a Maoist insurgency. The Maoists have declared a ceasefire in and around the capital and - for the first time in their decade-old rebellion - have promised to co-operate with opposition politicians. Tight security Protesters have defied curfew orders at several points around Kathmandu, attacking government property and setting up barricades of burning tyres. Police used tear-gas to disperse them. Heavily-armed soldiers and police have been seen manning major roads and intersections in Kathmandu. Police opened fire on protesters in Pokhara, killing one of them According to Reuters news agency, thousands of marchers in the town of Pokhara tried to enter a hospital where the body of a man shot dead by soldiers on Saturday was being held. The army has said it opened fire to protect itself. A woman wounded when troops fired on a crowd in Narayanghat, a town 150km south of the capital, died on Sunday, according to a local doctor. 'Scary atmosphere' The BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu says the authorities are clearly nervous and are having trouble controlling the protests. Hundreds of opposition figures and activists have been arrested since Friday, according to police officials. The government has also tightened rules on granting passes offering exemption from the curfew. Many shops opened briefly before dawn on Sunday for people to stock up on supplies. Some people hurried or were ferried by their employers to their workplaces, Sunday being a working day in Nepal. The curfew means they will have to stay at work for 13 hours, as it is in force from 0700 to 2000 (0115 GMT - 1415 GMT). A housewife interviewed by AFP news agency said she was stocking food for the next few days. "The atmosphere is getting really scary," Sunita Shrestha said. Maoist attacks Nepal's King Gyanendra has meanwhile stressed the need for peace. "Let us all pledge today to devote time for establishing permanent peace," he told an international conference of Hindus in southern Nepal on Friday. However, he made no direct reference to the Maoist violence or the street protests by the opposition parties. Maoist rebels launched attacks in the west of the country early on Saturday, leaving at least five people dead. The rebels attacked security bases and government offices, the army said, striking in Butwal, 300km (185 miles) south-west of Kathmandu and Taulihawa, 340km (210 miles) to the south-west. At least one civilian and two militants are believed to be among the dead in Butwal. Some 13,000 people have died since the insurgency began.