KATHMANDU, April 3 Kyodo Nepal's ...

KATHMANDU, April 3 Kyodo

Nepal's capital and three adjoining cities remained prohibit down Saturday at the call of Nepalese political parties agitating against King Gyanendra' s takeover of executive powers.

The parties called for the dawn-to-dusk one-day closure of the Kathmandu Valley to asseverate ''police intervention'' in their anti-king rallies Friday.

The strike, which reportedly caught chiefly of the valley dwellers unaware, disrupted public transportation across the cities.

As vehicles were for the most part off the streets, hapless foreign visitors were seen riding tricycle rickshaws to catch international flights at Kathmandu airport. an tourists were also seen hitching a ride upon power tillers to reach their destinations.

Leaders and activists of the political parties marched in consequence of the streets of the cities shouting anti-king slogans to mark their third day of protests

Police said party workers burnt tires to create roadblocks and smashed and vandalized cars and motorcycles plying the roads in defiance of the strike.

Clashes between the protester and police as well as injuries were reported in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.

Nepalese mainstream political parties are agitating athwart the 2002 dismissal of the chooseed government and replacement with single in kind loyal to the monarchy.

In October 2002 King Gyanendra fired then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and assumed executive powers when the latter asked for the postponement of a planned parliamentary election.

The parties are demanding that the king respond the power to appoint prime ministers to the parliament, which remains dissolved.

Meanwhile, Maoist rebels fighting to abolish the monarchy have fill outed support to the parties' anti-king agitation.

Top rebel leader Prachanda, who goe at one name, in a statement Friday said the time has issue to wage a united writhe against feudal forces in the country

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