Posted on 08/05/2006 7:23:12 PM PDT by nuconvert
Nepal to seize royal lands, king to be "normal citizen" by Deepesh Shrestha Sat Aug 5, 2006
Nepal plans to seize lands owned by King Gyanendra and other royal family members and distribute them to the poor as it moves toward treating the monarch like a "normal citizen," a minister said.
Legislation limiting the amount of property the king can hold will be drafted once an inventory of royal properties is completed, Land Reforms Minister Prabhu Narayan Chaudhary said on Saturday in Kathmandu, the capital of the impoverished Himalayan nation.
"The seized royal property will be nationalized and handed over to poor farmers and landless people," the minister told AFP, without giving a timeframe for the policy's implementation.
"The king and the royal family members will be treated just like normal citizens," he added.
Under the law, Nepalese people are allowed to own 7.45 hectares (18.4 acres) of land, the minister said.
But according to a preliminary land reform ministry report, the king and royal family members own 1,729 hectares (4,274 acres) of land, including palaces and forests, the minister said.
"In addition to this, we believe the king and his family members possess other land in the country. The government has directed all land revenue offices to furnish details within the next eight days," Chaudhary said.
News of the plan to strip the king of his land was praised in Kathmandu's streets, where there were massive street protests earlier this year that forced Gyanendra to give up absolute rule in April.
"The king has been enjoying a lavish life while we've been suffering. He should own property equivalent to that owned by a normal citizen," said 30-year-old school teacher Tek Narayan Jha.
"The move will show there is equal justice for all," Jha said.
The development was welcomed elsewhere too.
"The monarch's property is not his personal asset, it's provided by the state. It's good the government is taking a pro-people move by bringing the king under the law," said Rabindra Khanal, who teaches politics at Tribhuvan University.
Land is seen as an important source of livelihood in Nepal where employment is not guaranteed and there is no state security.
The announcement is the latest blow for the king who has already been stripped of his control over the army and legislative duties. He also faces a potentially massive tax bill.
The monarch, traditionally revered as the incarnation of the Hindu god of protection, Lord Vishnu, sacked the government and seized power in February 2005, saying the move was necessary to crush a deadly decade-old Maoist revolt.
But afterwards the sidelined political parties and Maoists formed an alliance to end his rule, staging huge demonstrations.
The Maoists are now set to enter mainstream politics after the new government agreed to a key rebel demand for elections to a constituent assembly to draft a fresh constitution that will, among other things, decide the future of the monarchy.
Republican sentiment has been rising. If the monarchy continues, the king is likely to occupy only a ceremonial role, analysts say.
Gyanendra was vaulted to the throne by the massacre of his popular brother King Birendra and most other members of the royal family in 2001
L
Boiling Nepalese frogs.
"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." After a revolution- nothing changes.
Now hold on a second.. if you were talking about some regular property owner fine.. but you are talking about a King. A line of people that ruled the land by force if necessary and took what they wanted.
Magna Carta ring a bell?
Kathleen Blanco went to Nepal recently and addressed the Nepalese parliment:
"You need to redistribute all Nepalese wealth to everyone in Nepal, Look at my wonderful city of New Orleans."
Yes, Sarcasm here.
:-)
"Now hold on a second.. if you were talking about some regular property owner fine.. but you are talking about a King. A line of people that ruled the land by force if necessary and took what they wanted."
I visited Nepal back when Birendra was still king. He was NOT what you'd call an enlightened monarch. The police would snatch people off the street and from their homes and beat them with canes for opposing the king. The roots of the Maoist uprising started a long time ago.
Has anyone noticed a pattern, first in Venezuela, then in Bolivia now hear, a socialist/communist leader gets popularly elected, holds a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution in thier favor, and then starts agrarian reform? When is the world going to wake up? How many more neo-communist nations are we going to have on this planet?
"Nepal plans to seize lands owned by King Gyanendra and other royal family members and distribute them to the poor as it moves toward treating the monarch like a "normal citizen," a minister said."
Rather, instead of treating him like a normal citizen with property rights, they seize the property from him and thus degrade him intentionally. Like they treated the last Tsar and his family. They're just conditioning themselves and I hope that the Nepalese King gets out before they execute him for 'crimes against the revolution' and begin bloodshed.
Well I didn't know that but people get so quick to break down a situation to simple terms and they should know life isn't that easy.
Redistrubtion of wealth from a King to his people can be just. Taking Bill Gate's money and giving it away in a system that was created to give everyone equal opportunity I wouldn't call fair.
A "Normal Citizen"? Isn't that what they called King Louis in France just before they helped him get a little weight off his shoulders?
The Communists could care less about the King or his subjects. The point is to destroy and then take over Nepal. Period. This method is referred to as a war of national liberation, and it adapts its tactics to the unique circumstances of each country. "Such a war can pit industrial workers against capitalists, as in Russia, Catholics against Protestants, as in Northern Ireland, blacks against whites, as in South Africa--or Arabs against Jews, as in Israel." The point is to further World Revolution.
Here's a little something to begin your education:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666922/posts
I am sure the King of Nepal has worked very hard to earn all his land a palaces.
I'm not sure who you are trying to fool here. Obviously China has been pushing a revolution there. However based on the fact that they had a king and not a democracy makes they ripe for a Communist takeover.
No need to blow smoke buddy.
You believe that?
And what number in line is this king? How many generations old?
I hope you were being sarcastic.
When a king is deposed or stripped his powers his riches are taken away. I am sure the people of Iraq are enjoying the placing once 'owned' by Saddam
The Palace once owned by Saddam.
==No need to blow smoke buddy.
The only smoke generated between you and I is the smoke coming out of your ears. Like I said, it is obvious you know next to nothing about Communist revolution. But then again, perhaps you do. You sound dangerously close to rooting for the Communists.
You're gonna love this guy.
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