The bloody fight for the streets of Nepal entered its 12th day on Monday with no end to the pro-democracy protests in sight. A widespread general strike has brought the country to a virtual standstill with the capital Kathmandu experiencing food and fuel shortages as demonstrators try to force King Gyanendra to lift the absolutist rule he imposed on the country in February 2005 .

Once again on Monday, the protests in the capital took a violent turn with police in the tourist district of Thamel firing teargas into the crowds and making liberal use of their batons. An additional 2,000 people were reported marching into the city center from nearby Bhaktapur. In the southern Nepali town of Nijgadh, police opened fire on demonstrators, killing one and injuring five more. Since the demonstrations began 12 days ago five people have died in clashes with the police, while 1,300 have been arrested, including 25 journalists and 10 tourists.

Also on Monday, clerks and other workers at the country's Supreme Court walked out of their offices to join the strike. "We are here to show our support for the ongoing movement for democracy," court clerk Janardan Purush Dhakal told Associated Press. The last time the Supreme Court workers joined in political protests was in 1990 when democracy was established for the first time in the Himalayan country.

The current round of strikes and protests began on April 6, the anniversary of then monarch King Birendra's introduction of democracy. When sacking the government early last year, King Gyanendra claimed he needed to impose absolute rule to combat the Maoist insurgency that has plagued Nepal for the past decade, killing more than 13,000 people. The Maoist leadership has given its support to the current strike though it was originally called by a seven-party political alliance which asked shops, businesses, schools, and colleges to close. They have also asked people to stop paying their taxes and utility bills until democratic government is reintroduced.

The government has offered security and financial incentives to truck drivers to break the strike and start to deliver supplies. "We will provide armed escorts to trucks transporting essential goods to Kathmandu," Dipendra Thanda, an official at the Ministry of Works and Transport told the Associated Press.

The biggest demonstrations so far took place across the country on Sunday, with some 50,000 Nepalese taking to the streets to demand an end to the monarchical dictatorship. There were two big rallies in the capital alone -- one peaceful march of around 15,000 and another of 10,000 which descended into violence when riot police tried to block off the march and fired rubber bullets into the crowd. Around 13 people were injured and 30 arrested.