TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2004
Nepal cracks down on Easter celebrations
IANS
KATHMANDU: Nepal cracked down on Christians celebrating Easter in the city by detaining two of the organisers for questioning.
Samuel Sodemba and Isu Jung Karki, members of the Easter celebration organising committee, had booked the Tundikhel open theatre in the heart of the capital, the venue of most political rallies, to celebrate Easter on Sunday.
About 200 churches were taking part in the festivities with an attendance of nearly 16,000 Christians, the Himalayan Times reported.
Though the organisers said they had taken the permission of the chief district officer, they were rounded up by police and taken to the local station for questioning.
They were released the same day, but the celebrations were abandoned.
Tundikhel lies in a strategic part of the capital where the government has banned rallies, demonstrations and assembly of more than five people, to prevent protests by five opposition parties, which started their drive on April 1.
However, the government had said the ban was not applicable to religious processions.
Christians in Nepal say they are still regarded with suspicion, especially by the bureaucracy. While churches are allowed to function, conversions are a punishable offence according to the law of the land.
In 2000, Nepal Christians were the cynosure of all eyes with the jailing of four Christians on charges of proselytising. The men included three Nepalese and a Norwegian national, Trond Berg.
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