The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 14, 2006, Page 4, Image 4
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In a message'for Nepal’s
new year, Gyanendra called
for “the active participation
of all political parties
committed to peace and
democracy,” and he again
said the country should hold
a general election, although
he did not specify a date.
The king’s call for
elections is in line with a
roadmap back to democracy
he announced shortly after
seizing power in February
2005. It has been roundly
rejected by his opponents,
who demand that a special
assembly be convened to
rewrite the constitution and
possibly limit his role, if he
is given one at all.
Sentiment in this
Himalayan nation is
apparently hardening against
.1 1 •
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Police on Thursday fired
rubber bullets and tear
gas at lawyers protesting
royal rule in the capital of
Katmandu while thousands
of other demonstrators
marched to chants of “Hang
King Gyanendra!”
Gyanendra said he took
control of the country 14
months ago to stamp out
political corruption and end
a communist insurgency that
has left nearly 13,000 people
dead in the past decade.
Many of Nepal’s 27
million people at first
welcomed the move. But
the insurgency has since
intensified and the economy
has worsened, fueling the
discontent seen in the
protests that have gripped
Nepal since its alliance of
seven main political parties
called for a general strike
starting April 6 to demand
the king restore democracy.
The government has
responded harshly, and the
Himalayan haven has been
transformed by scenes of
bloody, ragged protesters
hurling -bricks at police and
soldiers through clouds of
tear gas.
Four people have been
killed by security forces
firing at the protesters and
hundreds have been injured.
The U.N. has condemned
Nepalese security for
excessive use of force.
At an opposition rally on
the outskirts of Katmandu
on Thursday, speaker
after speaker called for
Gyanendra’s ouster. A
banner hung over the stage
from which opposition
leaders spoke read “Long
live the democratic republic
of Nenal” - a strone message
from an alliance of political
parties that only months ago
said they would settle for a
constitutional monarchy.
After hours of speeches,
thousands of people then
marched up and down a
stretch of the ring road that
skirts Katmandu, chanting,
“People and police come
together! Hang King
Gyanendra!”
“We’re going to march
to the palace,” said one
protester, 23-year-old
university student Gopal
Chandra “We’re going to
tear the palace down.”
While demonstrations
are prohibited on the road,
the hundreds of riot police
keeping watch did not
interfere with the march and
it ended as night fell.
Earlier in the day, when
about 500 lawyers came
out of the Nepal Bar
Association’s office, in the
heart of the Katmandu
and just a few steps from
a compound of high-level
government offices, waving
banners and shouting anti
government slogans.
The lawyers marched just
a few yards before police
stopped them, beat them
with bamboo batons, and
fired tear gas and rubber
bullets.
Two lawyers were hit by
the rubber bullets and one
with a tear gas canister, said
Radhika Ghimire, a nurse
at Model Hospital, where
dozens of wounded lawyers
were taken. At least 70
were also arrested, the bar
association said.
Peaceful protests that
attracted thousands also
took place in, other towns
and cities. The opposition
vowed more demonstrations
on Friday.
In New York, the top
U.N. human rights official
expressed shock at the
Nepalese security forces’
excessive use of force against
protesters.
High Commissioner
for Human Rights Louise
Arbour said she planned
to notify the U.N.
peacekeeping department
about abuses by Nepalese
forces, who have taken part
in peacekeeping operations
around the world.
The protests also
prompted the U.S. Embassy
in Katmandu to allow family
members of staffers and
non-emergency American
employees to leave the
country. The embassy’s
consular office and a library
were closed.
The United States has
called the king’s takeover
“an abject failure.”
MS • CORTinUED FRQfn I
body parts while you are
still alive has the possibility
to fall into the wrong hands
by some sick, psychotic
people,” Mayer said.
The United Network for
Organ Sharing revealed
91,927 people in the nation
are waiting for organs and
tissues.
After looking at the site’s
counting clock, Brandon
Bronars, a fourth-year
marketing student, said he
understands the motivation
behind the illegal trade.
“It really sheds the light
on the need for organ
donations, whether it is
legal or illegal,” Bronars
said. “People are going
to find a way to obtain the
organs they need no matter
what the consequence or
the risk associated may be.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu
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David Robinson has worked as a USC security guard for only four days. Robinson’s
duties include maintaining the logbooks and watching the entrances.
LIFE • COflTinUED PROfll I
before I come to work” is
when Robinson says he
finds time to sleep, although
many security guards have
days off in between shifts.
To become a USC
security guard, Robinson
had to go through a training
course. He is termed an
unarmed USC night guard,
but only one important
step remains to becoming
an armed guard. Robinson
said that to become an
armed guard he’d have
to “go to a shooting
range and score a certain
percentage” to qualify. He
also said if he moved to an
armed position, he would
not work as a USC night
security guard in a dorm,
but would probably be
moved to another location.
Working as a USC night
security guard is only a
temporary position for
Robinson, as he is taking
time to prepare for summer
courses in radiology.
“I went to Orangeburg
Wilkinson High School
and then technical college,”
Robinson said. “I hope
to either take classes this
summer or get a job at a
hospital.”
His career aspiration is
to own a radiology clinic in
Orangeburg.
When Robinson isn’t
working as a security guard
or taking steps towards
his radiology goals, he
enjoys participating in drag
racing, which he said is his
passion.
“I love going fast,”
Robinson said of
experiences he has in his
souped-up, purple, 1972
Vega. Sometimes “there are
thousands of people at the
drag strip in Orangeburg”
all cheering for the two
racers.
“Quarter mile races are
what I prefer,” Robinson
explained, “but you can go
for an eighth of a mile, too,
if you want.”
Robinson said he enjoys
the instant thrill and cheers
from the crowd.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu
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