Nepal’s anti-monarchy protests have spread to the usually off-limits Thamel tourist district of Kathmandu, with hundreds of people chanting slogans against King Gyanendra and burning tyres on the street, reported The Australian, sourcing the news to Reuters.



The days of the autocracy and King Gyanendra are numbered in Nepal amidst the widespread unrest in the country, spreading even to the countryside and the international pressure on the king to succumb to the popular demand to restore the democracy in the country.



Police arrested four people during the protest in the Thamel district, a maze of alleys full of backpacker hotels, bars, curio shops and trekking and travel agencies which is a magnet for most tourists entering the country.

Thamel is usually insulated from street protests in Nepal, because of worries they will affect the tourist trade which makes up a large chunk of the impoverished nation’s earnings. Many visiting the kingdom trek in the Himalayan mountains, while those on expeditions to Mount Everest usually stay in the capital for some days to stock up on equipment. Thamel is in the centre of the capital, and less than one kilometre from the Narayanhity Palace where King Gyanendra lives.



King Gyanendra sacked the government and assumed full power in February 2005. A seven-party political alliance, which has been opposing him since then, launched a general strike on April 6, bringing the nation to a standstill.