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"Good evening. Today, my first day as your new King, I'm here to announce all borders are closed, Congress is being detained for questioning, and the new guillotines are on their way! It's morning in BuchananLand!" |
Posted on 02/02/2005 7:05:43 AM PST by Agnostic
KATHMANDU, FEB. 1. King Gyanendra today dismissed Nepal's Government and declared a state of Emergency, cutting off his Himalayan nation from the rest of the world as telephone and Internet lines were snapped, flights diverted and civil liberties severely curtailed.
The move was the second time in three years that the King has taken control of the tiny South Asian constitutional monarchy, a throwback to the era of absolute power enjoyed by Nepal's monarchs before King Birendra, King Gyanendra's elder brother, introduced democracy in 1990.
King Gyanendra denied his takeover was a coup, although soldiers surrounded the houses of the Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and other Government leaders.
The King also suspended several provisions of the Constitution, including the freedoms of press, speech and expression, the freedom to assemble peacefully, the right to privacy and the right against preventive detention, according to a statement from the Narayanhiti Palace.
"Violates Constitution"
"We will oppose this step," Mr. Deuba, who was not allowed to leave his house, told reporters. "The move directly violates the Constitution and is against democracy."
The Nepali Congress, the country's largest party, said that the King had "pushed the country toward further complications" and called for a joint protest.
Britain expressed concerns about the political developments. "This action will increase the risk of instability in Nepal, undermining the institutions of democracy and constitutional monarchy in the country, " said the Foreign Office Minister, Douglas Alexander. Armoured military vehicles with mounted machineguns were patrolling the streets of Kathmandu. Many flights into the city were cancelled amid the uncertainty or turned back by the authorities, although the airport remained open.
People worried
Long lines quickly formed at grocery stores and gas stations, as worried residents stocked up on supplies. "We are so confused. We don't know what is going on or what will happen," said Narayan Thapa, a Government worker. "I am worried I can't reach my family on the phone."
In an announcement on State-run television, the King accused the Government of failing to conduct Parliamentary elections and being unable to restore peace in the country, which is beset by rebel violence.
"A new Cabinet will be formed under my leadership," he said, accusing political parties of plunging the country into crisis. "This will restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years."
Later, State-run television reported that a state of Emergency had been declared.
The monarch, who is also the supreme commander of the 78,000-member Royal Nepalese Army, said security forces would be given more power to maintain law and order. But he insisted that human rights would be respected.
The King fired Mr. Deuba as Prime Minister in October 2002, sparking mass street protests demanding the restoration of a democratically elected government. He reinstated Mr. Deuba last year with the task of holding elections by March 2005 and conducting peace talks with the Maoist rebels.
Nepal has been in turmoil since King Gyanendra, 55, suddenly assumed the crown in 2001 after his brother, Birendra, was gunned down in a palace massacre apparently committed by King Birendra's son, the Crown Prince, who also died. Ten members of the royal family were killed.
Riots shook Kathmandu after the killings. Soon after, fighting intensified between Government forces and the rebels, who control large parts of Nepal's countryside.
The rebels, who draw inspiration from the late Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been trying since 1996 to overthrow the Government and establish a socialist state. They have refused the Government's invitation to come into the mainstream of Nepalese politics and end the violence. More than 10,500 people have died since the fighting began.
King Gyanendra's late father, King Mahendra, established a rubber-stamp government and Parliament but retained absolute power and outlawed political parties. The absolute monarchy ended when street demonstrations forced the King to give way to a multiparty government in 1990.
Now if he rounded up lawyers as well, he might be on to something...
"Old School" Monarchy.
It is goog to be king.
Google is King? All Hail King Google :)
^
"mouse on the moon" alert.
Kill him now before his power grab solidifies. A nice car bomb should do the trick.
King Gyanendra is widely perceived as a weak leader and prior to his assention to the throne, he was a disliked royal known for his 'playboy' lifestyle.
Since the democratization of Nepal, the endless factions have done a great job of paralyzing effective leadership and the commies have not been loath in making use of the situation.
While openly present since 1990, the commies have stepped up their action in recent years. Last fall, in a demonstration of power, the Maoists severed all land connections to Khatmandu and all traffic stopped. King Gyanendra is trying to stem the disintegration of his hold on the country through this action.
Like the British FO Minister said "This action will increase the risk of instability in Nepal, undermining the institutions of democracy and constitutional monarchy in the country..." I tend to agree since the solidity of the Monarchy has been shakey for over a decade and further shakeups and rearrangements of government without results in stemming the communists will only serve to strengthen the idea of a disposable government
Nepal, small as it is, is pretty important considering an annexation by communists would only tend to advance Chinese confidence in controlling the region. Alternatively, Nepal is a border country between China and India and as such acts as a buffer between two nations that desperately hate each other and, secretly, wish to control South Asia.
In short, this is a bad thing unless King Gyanendra can pull his fat from the fire. Four years of his bungling doesn't offer much promise.
That would be the exactly wrong thing to do. You might as well give the nation to the commies tied up with a ribbon and bow.
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"Good evening. Today, my first day as your new King, I'm here to announce all borders are closed, Congress is being detained for questioning, and the new guillotines are on their way! It's morning in BuchananLand!" |
Yep & not part of the royal family,but the rulers themselves.The "OFFICIAL" version is that crown prince Dipendra used his Uzi to mow down his father,the late King Birendra(very popular,pro-democracy,pro-India),his mom & 2 siblings & a handful of courtiers.THe reason given was that he was not allowed to marry the girl he wanted.That bloodbath brought the current King Gyanendra(unpopular,pro-monarchy & pro-Chinese) to the throne.An evangelist who works in Nepal once told me that most people in Nepal believe that Gyanendra & his son had some definite role in orchestrating the palace massacre.Nepal is not about the monarchy vs. the maoists-the bigger issue is whether it will bring India & China to loggerheads.
Right now he wants to smoke the peace pipe with the Maoists.
Check out
http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/03/stories/2005020303221400.htm
Reuters and CBC say the strike called by the commies didn't quite succeed.
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/050203/w020312.html
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP103663.htm
Tough call for the Nepalese. Encourage a democracy where communism grows or support the monarchy against commies and get shot at by snipers.
Remember, Nepal was a fledgling democracy & the feudal system is still entrenched there.It takes time for the institutions of democracy to gather momentum & unfortunately,the maoists were not willing to wait for that to happen.India has faced maoist uprisings & movements even before the British(some folks say even before Mao's time!!)-but most of such movements have never spread beyond their state.Most of the major movements in India like the ones in Bihar & Madhya Pradesh are over 40 years old & have consistently been losing their grip on the rural populace & many leaders have joined the democratic process.In short,the Maoists in India have been weakened by the democratic system-you cannot compare them to a semi-feudal state like Nepal.The King's actions will take that nation backward in the long run,even if the maoists are weakened(which is unlikely).
"Kill him now before his power grab solidifies. A nice car bomb should do the trick."
Are you a communist?
Im a communist because I would advocate killing a dictatorial monarch? Are you an idiot?
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