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Nepal King is leaving the country: Reports

Submitted by CJ Reporter on Wed, 02/07/2007 - 12:42. Nepal News

Faced with a growing possibility that monarchy may be abolished in Nepal, King Gyanendra is contemplating leaving the country, a report said.

With the Maoist guerrillas starting a new campaign from next week for a republic and the nationalisation of the property of King Gyanendra and his family members, the monarch has been holding a series of hectic consultations with royalists to find a way out.

Nepal's unpopular King GyanendraThe king, who made the palace highly unpopular by seizing power and imposing an authoritarian rule for 15 months, is now ready to abdicate and leave the country to save monarchy, the Ghatana R Bichar vernacular weekly reported Wednesday.

Prior to the reports, there have been rumours that the king was ready to abdicate in favour of his grandson, Prince Hridayendra, a primary school student, since Crown Prince Paras is even more unpopular than the king.

At present, Nepal's new constitution has 'suspended' monarchy, giving the king's last remaining position as head of state to the prime minister. The final verdict on Nepal's 238-year-old monarchy will be delivered by June when a specially elected assembly will make the fateful decision.

Before the new constitution was promulgated, King Gyanendra reportedly tried to meet Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala with his abdication plan. However, the meeting is said to have fallen through at the last moment.

About two weeks ago, when Maoist chief Prachanda was addressing his guerrillas in Chitwan district in southern Nepal, he too talked about a proposed meeting.

Prachanda reportedly said the king had sent an emissary to him, suggesting a meeting and saying he was ready to abdicate.

'But he laid down some conditions and we were not ready to accept them,' the weekly reported Prachanda as saying. If the royal family leaves Nepal, London is regarded as their most desired destination.

A royal son-in-law, who was present in the palace in 2001 during the infamous massacre that killed the then King Birenedra, his queen and the entire royal family, has been living on the Nepal Embassy premises in London since then, reports say.

Though the king has royal relatives galore in neighbouring India, New Delhi's support to the opposition parties and the Maoists has come in the way of shifting residence in the southern country.

The quick-tempered crown prince, who tried to prevent his father from stepping down as head of government last year, however is said to have no qualms about losing his inheritance.

'I was never interested in being king,' the golf-playing, bike-riding prince is said to have told people close to him.

'I am ready to give up my claim if that will help preserve monarchy.'

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