Seventeen Maoist guerrillas and six security personnel were killed in the deadliest gun battle in restive Nepal since the rebels ended a four-month-old truce three weeks ago, an army officer said yesterday. The news came as an alliance of Nepali opposition parties vowed to continue their protests, hours after police in Kathmandu clashed with crowds demanding that King Gyanendra restore democracy to the Himalayan nation.

The seven-party alliance called for a nationwide general strike on Thursday. The army officer said the bodies of the 17 dead Maoists and some of their weapons had been recovered from the site of the overnight clash at a remote village in Makawanpur district, 100 km east of Kathmandu. ?We suffered six casualties.? Another officer said clashes had also taken place in Syangja.

The latest violence comes a week after the guerrillas carried out coordinated attacks around the capital, killing 12 policemen. At least 73 people have been killed in insurgency-related violence since the Maoists, fighting a 10-year revolt to overthrow the monarchy, ended a unilateral ceasefire on Jan. 2, after Gyanendra's government failed to respond. The Maoists made no immediate comment on the clash.

Kathmandu saw fierce street protests on Saturday, a day after authorities imposed a curfew to thwart a mass rally, as thousands of anti-king activists fought running battles with riot police. Police said most of the 236 activists detained on Saturday had been freed.

Gyanendra seized absolute power in February last year, sacking a multi-party government and suspending civil liberties. He said the move was necessary to crush the Maoist insurgency, which has cost more than 12,500 lives since 1996. Minendra Rijal, spokesman for one of the opposition parties, said the strike called for Thursday was aimed at opposing the king's plans to hold municipal elections next month.?We'll continue to protest until democracy is restored.?

Gopal SHARMA