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Nepal cut off from world, situation worsening

King Gyanendra (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: King Gyanendra, who ascended to Nepal's throne in a bloody twist to royal inheritance in 2001, is known to be an astute businessman, almost autocratic and very impatient.

The impatience of Gyanendra surfaced yet again on Tuesday morning when he dismissed the Sher Bahadur Dueba government, assumed absolute powers for the next three years in the name of democracy and people's welfare.

Nepal thus plunged into yet another period of uncertainty and instability. According to reports, the King has declared a state of internal emergency, placed politicians under house arrest, cut-off phone lines.

The King's decision comes at a time when Nepal is reeling under a bloody Maoist insurgency that is fast spreading across the country.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the violence that is posing serious threat to the authority of Kathmandu over the impoverished Himalayan kingdom.

Poorest of the country side are joining the ranks of the Maoists, while the authorities try and withdraw in to protected cities.

The King's decision comes also at a time when mainstream political parties are agitating demanding elections to the 205-member House of Representatives and restoration of full democracy without King's interference. Double trouble for Deuba

Dueba, who was reinstated by King Gyanendra in June 2004, was originally sacked two years earlier by the King. Then and now the King's accusations against Deuba government have been almost the same: failure in dealing with Maoist insurgency.

This time around, the King is also accusing Deuba of failing to make arrangements for elections.

In fact Deuba had set a deadline of January 13 for talks with Maoists, but the latter did not respond even as it kidnapped hundreds of students and teachers in remote parts. And no serious arrangements were being made for the polls.

The King's concerns are genuine. But the way he went about sacking the government is a serious set back for Nepal's fledgling democracy, and the resultant chaos has only added to the troubles of world's only Hindu country.

Ever since the King's first crackdown against the Deuba government, the political parties have been agitating, boycotting most official functions, and demanding restoration of democracy.

In fact, King Gyanendra's decisions stand in contrast to that of his brother and late King Birendra who was patiently nurturing democracy amidst corrupt politicians and chaos.

King does a Musharraf in Nepal

New Delhi: King Gyanendra has taken Nepal on a dangerous course by sacking Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and taking over all executive powers, officials and analysts said, and likened his action to "doing a Musharraf."

The king's action is contrary to New Delhi's considered advice for a consensus between the monarchy and the political parties to deal with the Maoist problem, they said.

Although the developments were not completely unexpected, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed the situation in the Himalayan Kingdom with External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran.

The developments in the Nepal came a day after a senior Indian official expressed concern about the security situation there and emphasised there had to be a political solution to the Maoist problem.

India, which has been providing military assistance to Kathmandu to deal with the Maoist problem, has been pressing political parties to come together on a common platform.

New Delhi's position had been backed by both Washington and London who had been taking keen interest in the developments in Nepal. Both these governments urged the king to exercise caution and deal politically with the Maoists.

"There is need for a clear understanding between the monarchy and political parties to fashion a strategy to deal with the Maoist problem," the official said.

"There has to be a combination of military and political measures to meet the situation," he added.

Former Foreign Secretary Salman Haider described the king's action as a setback to the democratic process in the kingdom.

"It is a very difficult situation there. It is a setback to the democratic process in the country. In the last few years we have seen a progressive deterioration in the process," he said and noted the politicians had not been able to come together to challenge the king's actions.

"In taking the step, the king has put himself on a very dangerous course," C Raja Mohan of the Centre for South Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University said.

"But it was expected for some time that the king will do a Musharraf in Nepal," Raja Mohan said, referring to bloodless coup by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, then army chief, against the elected civilian government in 1999.

He said if the king succeeded in bringing the Maoists to the negotiation table, he might be able to assuage the unease in India and the international community to some extent.

"He is betting that once there is an accord the world will accept him. But going by the record it is unlikely that the king will show such wisdom at this stage," he added.

"Whether the king can find a solution to the country's problems is very, very doubtful. The tide is against him because of various problems - economic, political and the Maoists." said Arvind Deo, a former ambassador to Nepal.

Deo said New Delhi should help Nepal address its problems because instability there could lead to an exodus to India.

"The king is risking not only the stability and security of Nepal, he is risking the integrity of the country which he is trying to save," he said

Flights turn back as Nepal shuts main airport

NEW DELHI: International flights to Nepal were turned back on Tuesday as the airport in the capital Kathmandu was closed after King Gyanendra sacked the government and assumed power, airline officials said

Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport was apparently shut down, along with telephone and mobile phone networks in the Himalayan country, largely cutting it off from the rest of the world.

We are told that Kathmandu is shut down today due to a general strike after the King fired the government," an official of state-run Indian Airlines said.

It was not immediately known when air links would be restored. Of four daily flights between New Delhi and Kathmandu, operated by different airlines, three were not allowed to land while the fourth, leaving later in the day, was cancelled.

"Our aircraft returned and all our flights to Kathmandu are cancelled until further notice," the Indian Airlines official said.

A Thai Airways official in New Delhi said its flight from Bangkok to Kathmandu had also gone back to the Thai capital without landing in Kathmandu.

Road links between India and landlocked Nepal were, however, open, an Indian customs official said.

"The border is open. Trade is taking place and there is movement of people," a customs inspector told Reuters by telephone from the border town of Jogbani in Bihar.

"So far there is no problem. Everything looks normal."

Gyanendra sacked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's government saying it had failed to hold long-delayed elections or restore peace amid an escalating civil war with Maoist rebels.

No-nonsense monarch can't match his dead brother's popularity

KATHMANDU: Nepal's King Gyanendra, who put himself in charge of the nation on Tuesday amid an intensifying war with Maoist rebels, has run the country behind the scenes since a 2001 palace massacre ( http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3DNepal%2BRoyal%2B%2BFamily%2B%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3DFP-tab-img-t%26fl%3D0%26x%3Dwrt&h=264&w=300&imgcurl=www.tribuneindia.com%2F2001%2F20010603%2Fnepal01.jpg&imgurl=www.tribuneindia.com%2F2001%2F20010603%2Fnepal01.jpg&size=32.6kB&name=nepal01.jpg&rcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tribuneindia.com%2F2001%2F20010603%2Fmain2.htm&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tribuneindia.com%2F2001%2F20010603%2Fmain2.htm&p=Nepal+Royal++Family&type=jpeg&no=6&tt=99

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vaulted him to the throne.

Gyanendra became the constitutional monarch in June 2001 after his brother, King Birendra, and other royals were murdered at the palace by a drink-fuelled crown prince who later shot himself.

On Tuesday, Gyanendra pledged to restore democracy in the impoverished Himalayan kingdom, where a nine-year Maoist battle to topple the monarchy and install a communist republic has become increasingly savage.

It was a promise Nepalese had heard before from the 57-year-old. In October 2002 Gyanendra sacked Deuba, appointed his own government and said it was all necessary to crush the insurgency that to date has claimed over 11,000 lives.

But last June the king, under mounting international and domestic pressure to restore democracy, reinstated Deuba in what was dubbed a "second coming", with orders to stage elections and hold peace talks with the rebels. The push for democracy did not last long.

Gyanendra kept a low profile before his ascent to the throne. He has never attained the popularity of his well-loved brother, who was seen as a symbol of unity in Nepal. Gyanendra, best known before he became king for the nighclub antics of his errant son Paras who is now crown prince, missed the 2001 massacre because he was away. Paras was present but escaped unscathed.

Maoist rebels have accused Gyanendra of stage-managing the killings. An official probe found that Crown Prince Dipendra shot and killed his parents and half a dozen other relatives.

At his coronation, crowds chanted slogans against him and tried to block the motorcade to the palace.

Some observers have compared Gyanendra's style to that of his autocratic father, King Mahendra. Gyanendra, Mahendra's middle son, was educated at a Jesuit school in Darjeeling and graduated from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, in 1969.

In May 1970 he married Princess Komal, sister of Queen Aishwarya, slain in the massacre. During political upheavals in 1950, he was declared monarch at the age of five after being left behind as insurance when then-king Tribhuvan — his grandfather — fled to India. The crown reverted to his grandfather when the family returned and Birendra took over the throne in 1972.

Nepal will achieve social stability, economic development and national reconciliation. Given the current situation, we respect the Nepalese