King of Nepal takes over
By Kedar Man Singh in Kathmandu
February 01, 2005
KING Gyanendra dismissed Nepal's coalition government today and seized control of the country which is battling a Maoist revolt as political leaders accused him of staging a coup.
"I have exercised the rights given to the crown under the present constitution and dissolved the government in the larger interests of the people," the king said in an address on nationwide television.
He said he would chair a new government himself.
"For the larger interest of the Nepalese general public, the nation and democracy and people's fundamentals rights, we have decided to form a new government under my own chairmanship."
Opposition leaders said Gyanendra, who vaulted to the throne after a palace massacre in 2001, had carried out a coup.
"The king has staged a coup and taken over the country's administration and other powers into his own hands," Sujata Koirala, leader of the women's wing of the Nepali Congress and daughter of a former prime minister, told AFP.
State radio said later the king had suspended some articles of the 1991 constitution but did not say which ones.
Several key political leaders including those of the Nepal Communist Party United Marxist and Leninist, the main partners in the former coalition government, were under house arrest, party sources said.
The king accused political parties of "indulging in factional fighting".
"All the democratic forces and political leaders should have united to protect the country's democracy," Gyanendra said in his half-hour address.
"Innocent children were found massacred and the government could not achieve any important and effective results. The crown traditionally is held responsible for the protection of national sovereignty, democracy and people's right to live peacefully," he said.
"It is the duty of the crown to protect all these segments of society," he said.
The king summoned Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba for a meeting last night, a senior cabinet minister told AFP.
"The king discussed three pertinent issues with Deuba including the current law-and-order situation and the proposed elections," the minister and close confidant of Deuba told AFP.
Deuba had promised to hold long-postponed elections after the rebels, fighting to topple the monarchy and set up a communist republic, failed to respond to his mid-January ultimatum to agree to peace talks.
But Deuba had not yet set a date and his government coalition partners opposed holding a vote before peace negotiations resumed with the rebels, who had vowed to sabotage elections.
The king sacked Deuba in 2002 and branded him incompetent for failing to hold elections and fight the Maoist revolt. At the same time, he dismissed parliament.
But Gyanendra recalled the veteran politician last year, ordering him to hold elections and peace talks as international and domestic pressure grew on the monarch to restore democracy.
Bhutan's king warned last week of a "real threat" that the Maoist revolt in Nepal could escalate out of control with negative implications for neighbours India and his own country.
"We sincerely hope ... some initiatives will be taken by the political parties in Nepal to resolve the Maoist problem," King Jigme Singye Wangchuk said.
Gyandra ascended the throne in June 2001 after his brother King Birendra and most of the royal family were shot dead by the former crown prince, who was high on drink and drugs. The crown prince also killed himself.
The Maoist insurgency has claimed more than 11,000 lives since it began in 1996.
SOURCE:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12115785%255E1702,00.html
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