Post by ShineThePath on Feb 1, 2005 20:59:21 GMT -5
World - Reuters
Nepal King Sacks Government, Assumes Power
2 hours, 18 minutes ago World - Reuters
By Gopal Sharma
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's King Gyanendra sacked the government, declared a state of emergency and assumed power on Tuesday, saying the leadership had failed to hold polls and end an escalating civil war with Maoist rebels.
The king took power for the next three years and placed the prime minister and many other politicians under house arrest, Indian media said.
"I have decided to dissolve the government because it has failed to make necessary arrangements to hold elections by April and promote democracy, the sovereignty of the people and life and property," the king said in an address on state radio.
United Nations (news - web sites) Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) called for the immediate restoration of democratic institutions.
The United States and Nepal's neighbor India also condemned the action in Nepal, the world's only Hindu kingdom.
The king, who came to power after a palace massacre in 2001, said a new government would be formed under his leadership to "restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years," the Press Trust of India (news - web sites) (PTI) said.
Shortly afterwards, a state of emergency was declared, PTI said, quoting Nepal's state-run television.
Fixed and mobile phone networks were apparently shut down in the Himalayan kingdom and communications with the rest of the world disrupted. Nepali news Web sites also went down.
International flights were turned back from Kathmandu, but the airport opened late on Tuesday and a state-run Royal Nepal Airlines flight arrived in the Indian capital. It was not known when other flights would resume.
In Kathmandu, armored vehicles patrolled the streets and security was beefed up, PTI said. But the U.N. coordinator in Nepal said the situation seemed calm.
The rebels, who have been fighting to topple the constitutional monarchy since 1996, called for a three-day general strike from Wednesday to protest against the king's actions, PTI said.
CONDEMNATION
Nepal is locked in a bitter three-way struggle between the king, the rebels and bitterly divided political parties.
Sacked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was Nepal's 13th premier in 14 turbulent years as a constitutional monarchy. The country has had no parliament since 2002.
A spokesman for Annan said the U.N. secretary-general was "deeply concerned" by the king's actions.
"He does not believe that they will bring lasting peace and stability to Nepal. Steps should be taken immediately to restore democratic freedoms and institutions," spokesman Fred Eckhard said.
"He urges calm and restraint by all parties in the country so as to avoid actions that could worsen the situation."
Washington also called for a return to democracy and said the politicians should be released from house arrest.
"In addition to undercutting Nepal's democratic institutions, the actions, we feel, undermine the Nepalis' struggle with the Maoist insurgency, which is a very serious challenge to a peaceful and prosperous future for Nepal," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
India, Nepal's largest trading partner, said the move would bring the monarchy and mainstream parties into direct confrontation and strengthen the Maoists.
New Delhi had been trying to convince the king to form a front with political parties against the Maoists.
Britain summoned the Nepali ambassador in London.
Around 11,000 people have died in the insurgency.
Maoist chief Prachanda, who uses only one name, said Gyanendra's action smacked of "medieval feudal autocracy" and warned it would provoke more resistance, PTI said quoting a rebel statement.
MASSACRE
The king and his wife will attend a summit of South Asian leaders in Dhaka on Sunday, Bangladesh Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan said later on Tuesday.
Many people in Nepal still view the king as a reincarnation of the god Vishnu.
But the monarchy's reputation dived in 2001 when Crown Prince Dipendra killed his father, the popular King Birendra, and other royal family members before turning the gun on himself.
Gyanendra, Birendra's brother, was crowned king afterwards, but is frequently accused of overstepping his powers.
The king had reappointed Deuba last June, two years after sacking him for the same reasons he cited this time - inability to tackle the Maoist revolt and failure to call an election.
In January, Deuba had promised to go ahead with the election despite the civil war and the Maoists' refusal to come to peace talks by a Jan. 13 deadline.
But many cabinet members believed the poll plan was unrealistic in a country where the rebels control much of the countryside.
The king had promised elections would begin by the Nepali new year in mid-April.
(Additional reporting by Surojit Gupta in New Delhi and Sonya Hepinstall in Singapore)
Nepal King Sacks Government, Assumes Power
2 hours, 18 minutes ago World - Reuters
By Gopal Sharma
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's King Gyanendra sacked the government, declared a state of emergency and assumed power on Tuesday, saying the leadership had failed to hold polls and end an escalating civil war with Maoist rebels.
The king took power for the next three years and placed the prime minister and many other politicians under house arrest, Indian media said.
"I have decided to dissolve the government because it has failed to make necessary arrangements to hold elections by April and promote democracy, the sovereignty of the people and life and property," the king said in an address on state radio.
United Nations (news - web sites) Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) called for the immediate restoration of democratic institutions.
The United States and Nepal's neighbor India also condemned the action in Nepal, the world's only Hindu kingdom.
The king, who came to power after a palace massacre in 2001, said a new government would be formed under his leadership to "restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years," the Press Trust of India (news - web sites) (PTI) said.
Shortly afterwards, a state of emergency was declared, PTI said, quoting Nepal's state-run television.
Fixed and mobile phone networks were apparently shut down in the Himalayan kingdom and communications with the rest of the world disrupted. Nepali news Web sites also went down.
International flights were turned back from Kathmandu, but the airport opened late on Tuesday and a state-run Royal Nepal Airlines flight arrived in the Indian capital. It was not known when other flights would resume.
In Kathmandu, armored vehicles patrolled the streets and security was beefed up, PTI said. But the U.N. coordinator in Nepal said the situation seemed calm.
The rebels, who have been fighting to topple the constitutional monarchy since 1996, called for a three-day general strike from Wednesday to protest against the king's actions, PTI said.
CONDEMNATION
Nepal is locked in a bitter three-way struggle between the king, the rebels and bitterly divided political parties.
Sacked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was Nepal's 13th premier in 14 turbulent years as a constitutional monarchy. The country has had no parliament since 2002.
A spokesman for Annan said the U.N. secretary-general was "deeply concerned" by the king's actions.
"He does not believe that they will bring lasting peace and stability to Nepal. Steps should be taken immediately to restore democratic freedoms and institutions," spokesman Fred Eckhard said.
"He urges calm and restraint by all parties in the country so as to avoid actions that could worsen the situation."
Washington also called for a return to democracy and said the politicians should be released from house arrest.
"In addition to undercutting Nepal's democratic institutions, the actions, we feel, undermine the Nepalis' struggle with the Maoist insurgency, which is a very serious challenge to a peaceful and prosperous future for Nepal," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
India, Nepal's largest trading partner, said the move would bring the monarchy and mainstream parties into direct confrontation and strengthen the Maoists.
New Delhi had been trying to convince the king to form a front with political parties against the Maoists.
Britain summoned the Nepali ambassador in London.
Around 11,000 people have died in the insurgency.
Maoist chief Prachanda, who uses only one name, said Gyanendra's action smacked of "medieval feudal autocracy" and warned it would provoke more resistance, PTI said quoting a rebel statement.
MASSACRE
The king and his wife will attend a summit of South Asian leaders in Dhaka on Sunday, Bangladesh Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan said later on Tuesday.
Many people in Nepal still view the king as a reincarnation of the god Vishnu.
But the monarchy's reputation dived in 2001 when Crown Prince Dipendra killed his father, the popular King Birendra, and other royal family members before turning the gun on himself.
Gyanendra, Birendra's brother, was crowned king afterwards, but is frequently accused of overstepping his powers.
The king had reappointed Deuba last June, two years after sacking him for the same reasons he cited this time - inability to tackle the Maoist revolt and failure to call an election.
In January, Deuba had promised to go ahead with the election despite the civil war and the Maoists' refusal to come to peace talks by a Jan. 13 deadline.
But many cabinet members believed the poll plan was unrealistic in a country where the rebels control much of the countryside.
The king had promised elections would begin by the Nepali new year in mid-April.
(Additional reporting by Surojit Gupta in New Delhi and Sonya Hepinstall in Singapore)