“MAKE A BETTER NEPAL”
Protests fed into longstanding economic woes in Nepal, where a fifth of people aged 15-24 are unemployed, according to the World Bank, with GDP per capita just US$1,447.
At least 21 protesters were among those killed, mainly on Monday during the police crackdown on demonstrations against corruption and poor governance that was sparked by a ban on social media.
Parliament, major government buildings and a Hilton Hotel were among the sites set ablaze by protesters on Tuesday.
More than 12,500 prisoners who escaped from jails across the country during the chaos “are still at large”, police spokesman Binod Ghimire told AFP.
Nepal’s army said it had recovered more than 100 guns looted in the uprising, during which protesters were seen brandishing automatic rifles.
Soldiers patrolled the largely quiet streets of the capital Kathmandu for a third day on Friday.
“I was very afraid and stayed locked inside my home with family and didn’t leave,” said Naveen Kumar Das, a painter-decorator in his mid-40s.
He was among many ordinary residents of Kathmandu who took advantage of a brief lifting of the curfew to stock up on supplies.
Food stores, tea stalls and pharmacies bustled with customers after people spent days inside.
“It was a really tense time and we just stayed indoors,” said Laxmi Thapa, 32, on a motorbike as her husband filled its fuel tank.
“We came out as things have improved.”
James Karki, 24, who was among the protesters, said he was hopeful for change.
“We started this movement so we could make a better Nepal,” he said.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/nepal-ex-chief-justice-sushila-karki-named-next-pm-5346911
