The ban was imposed Thursday following a week of major public protests against King Gyanendra and a  two-day general strike called by the outlawed Maoist rebels April 6 and 7 which brought the nation to a standstill.

The tiny Himalayan nation has been locked in a bitter three-pronged battle between the King, who assumed executive powers in October 2002, politicians who want the restoration of democracy and the Maoists, who want the monarchy abolished.

The journalists arrested Monday were demanding the restoration of democratic rights. On Friday, over 1500 opposition activists were arrested for demonstrating against the king near his palace. They included several disabled people in wheelchairs. Most of the opposition parties have rejected the king's offer to hold multi-party elections in late 2005.

On Sunday, the government renewed for six months the Terrorist and Destructive Activities (Control and Punishment) Act, which allows the security forces to arrest and hold suspected terrorists for three months without an arrest warrant.

The government says this would help it deal with the Maoist rebels who have been attacking soldiers and government installations across the country. But human rights groups say this would only encourage the forces to indulge in extra-judicial arrests killings.