It has been nearly a year since the King suspended democracy in the country and began his crackdown on the political opposition; which, at this point, is every political party in the country. Earlier this month, the King of Nepal reinstituted a ban on political rallies that had been lifted late last year. In response, pro-democracy forces in the country have prepared a massive rally to protest the renewed political repression.

As if to prove them right, the King responded by cutting all communications in the country in an attempt to foil the organizers of the rally. Phone lines, cellulars, and internet lines are all down. Nepal is now completely cut off from the world. And then, in the dead of darkness before the break of dawn, just one day before the rally is to be held, royalist security forces arrested 300 pro-democracy politicians and activists in their homes all over the country. Interior Minister Kamal Thapa has warned of a much harsher crackdown on the democratic opposition should they choose to continue opposing the King and the municipal elections scheduled to be held on February 8 — though they’ll likely be marred by fraud.

KATHMANDU: Over 300 people, including key opposition leaders, were arrested early on Thursday across Nepal as King Gyanendra’s government again snapped telephone links and imposed a seven-hour curfew in the Kathmandu Valley for an indefinite period.

Minutes after curfew ended at 4am, security personnel began a spate of raids countrywide, arresting senior opposition leaders from their residences.

Former deputy prime minister Ram Chandra Poudel of the Nepali Congress party that is heading a seven-party opposition coalition was arrested from his residence.

Security forces arrested a clutch of former ministers of the former government of Sher Bahadur Deuba.

They included Prakash Sharan Mahat, former foreign minister, and Ishwor Pokhrel, former commerce, industry and supplies minister. The massive crackdowns came on the eve of a protest meeting called by the opposition parties in Kathmandu on Friday.

The ban was reimposed following the end of a four-month long ceasefire called by the Maoist insurgency, it’s dissolution being followed by a spike in violence, and the very reason for the King’s initial use of the emergency laws last February and the political repression now is to fight the insurgency. However, the King has had no better luck himself fighting the insurgency than the parliamentary government did. In fact, the repression has turned the political parties against him and it has led them to start negotiations with the Maoists. If anything, the insurgency has grown stronger and the country more unstable Who the hell would have thought?… Yes, that’s sarcasm.

One positive trend has kept up through the past year that I’ve seen. At the very beginning of the crisis, the United States was much more directly involved. But obviously, being where we are, our influence can be relatively limited in the larger scope of things. Because of it, we diverted to India to pressure the Nepalese government over political repression in the country. That seems to be upheld, with India slamming the move. It just goes to show that powerful democratic countries in various regions of the world can have a very positive influence on events. You don’t see China making a peep, do you?

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Paramendra Bhagat says that enough is enough, declaring that, “This king does not speak for Nepal, he does not represent Nepal, he does not lead Nepal.” He also has a list of many of the people arrested today.

United we blog! for a democratic Nepal is following events very closely.

International Nepal Solidarity Network has all the latest news.