King Gyanendra to make Royal Announcement (Kantipuronline)


KOL Report

KATHMANDU, Feb 1 - King Gyanendra is to address the nation later this (Tuesday) morning. An official notice by the Press Secretariat of the Royal Palace said the King will issue a "Royal Announcement" at 10 a.m.(4:15 UT) Tuesday morning.
It is not clear what the announcement will deal with. However, it comes at a time when there is intense speculation over holding of elections.

On Monday evening, King Gyanendra met Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba followed by separate meetings with heads of different security wings .

Detail of that meeting is not clear. (rk)

http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=30549

Nepalese King Seizes Power But Denies Staging Coup By Patricia Nunan
New Delhi
01 February 2005


The King of Nepal has seized power- dismissing the government and deploying troops around the home of the prime minister. But King Gyanendra is denying his moves amount to a coup d'etat.

King Gyanendra says he will chair a new government for the next three years in what he called the interest of Nepal's people and democracy.

On state television Tuesday the king said the current government had been dismissed for failing to organize elections and establishing peace with the Maoist rebels.

Troops have surrounded the houses of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other government leaders. Communications in the capital Kathmandu have been cut off.

But the king denies this amounts to a coup.

King Gyanendra assumed the throne after the 2001 massacre of the royal family carried out by a prince. Since then, he has struggled to defeat a Maoist insurgency in the countryside and has been at odds with Nepal's political parties

Gyane - the thief in chief should have fired himself because he himself has failed to the same things that he accused the govt of failing to do, haina ra?

King of Nepal sacks government and takes over


Related News ?
? King of Nepal sacks government amid bloody Maoist insurgency
KATHMANDU : King Gyanendra dismissed Nepal's coalition government 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, said.

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 Monday 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," said King Jigme Singye Wangchuk.

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.

King's own voice for Time Magazine: Jan 26 2004

"But for that, the government of the day and the political leadership of Nepal must be pro-nation, pro-people. Everyone talks about the impasse between the "triangle" of the Maoists, the political parties and the palace. But this country is not a triangle. They are forgetting the most important component of any nation: the people. Who is going to talk for the people? If the Maoists are not, if the political parties are not, if they don't want to, then shouldn't the King? Someone must."

LETS ASSUME THE GAINT STEP BY THE KING WAS FOR THE PEOPLE AND TO THE PEOPLE OF NEPAL.

Looks like the king is taking away all the bad kiddies' toys. Netas are in time-out. Maoists are going to receive spanking. High time somebody did something.

Pisces, I agree with you here (after all that disagreeing on China thread).

Maybe the King will work towards strengthening the rule of law - a sine qua non for having a fully functional liberal democracy. I don't think there will be any big protest against this move. Just like Asoj 15's Nepali newspapers had messages of "Kritagyata" tomorrow's newspapers will have those. Its a classic case of people opting for extra constitutional means for crises.

1. People, no matter waht others here would like to believe, are still supportive of the King.

2. The Republican forces, except the Maoists, do not even count as of today, in Nepal's politics.

3. The Political Parties and their leaders have lost their mass appeal.

4. People are tired of this KichKIch of everyday.

5. More than voting rights, people want the living rights.

This move can actually help strengthen democarcy in Nepal by institutionalizing the rule of law regime and by making a transition from rule of law, liberty to democarcy with voting rights. I, like many scholars on this field, find this gradual shift/phase-wise manner to be the most effective way of institutionalizing democracy in countries with no previous tradition of democracy.

Also, I find it hard to believe that this move was a fully domestic move. This couldn't have been posisble without the support or go ahead signs from the US and India.

Now, I am all ready to read those wonderful heart-warminbg labels from all the democractic forces of Sajha.

La la isolated freak Nepal ma gayera PM wa RAjako mantri mandal ma Basera Sasan gare huncha....Badai cha timiharulai............ yo sunaulo chance aayeko ma...........

the king's step was coming and was due. i like the move but lets see how it works. i am not a democracy opposer and total king supporter but in the context of nepal i alwas thought the king was the best solution . now finally the king has made his move. i support the king and i hope he doesnt fail us. i hope peace restores in nepal which i am sure no so called democratic ledars would ever be able to achieve. king is the last ray of hope for nepalis or atleast me and i hope he desnt fail.
peace nepal. i hope that no more bandas and riots happen ever again and maoist come in the mainstream or get crushed.
long live the king
long live nepal

Just the way India is voicing its displeasure at the recent development (crisis even) of Nepal, wants me to support Gyaney and his move. Since when India did have the best interest of Nepal??

extra constitutional means for crises. = extra constitutional means for resolving crises.

Ok this is a more complete report from a newsgroup that I subsribe to.

Nepalese king ousts government

ISN SECURITY WATCH (01/02/05) - Nepalese King Gyanendra has dissolved
the country?s government and placed ousted government leaders under
house arrest, accusing them of failing to ?protect democracy?in the
restive Himalayan Kingdom. ?I have decided to dissolve [the
government] because it has failed to make necessary arrangements to
hold elections by April [2005] and protect democracy, the sovereignty
of the people and life and property,?the king said on Tuesday, after
ousting Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his coalition
government. The monarch denied that his actions amounted to a coup
d?etat. The king has declared a state of emergency in Nepal, and all
communication links with the outside world, including Internet and
telephone, were cut shortly after the declaration. The Associated
Press has reported that soldiers have already surrounded Deuba?s
residence and the houses of other government leaders in the capital
Kathmandu. Security forces have been deployed in front of all
government establishments including post offices, telecommunications
centers, and banks, according to Agence France Presse. King Gyanendra
has reportedly said a new Cabinet would be formed under his
leadership to ?restore peace and effective democracy in the next
three years". On Monday, The Himalayan Times (THT) reported that
Gyanendra had summoned the prime minister to an emergency meeting to
take stock of the situation on the ground and to discuss the
possibility of holding elections to the House of Representatives in
April. ?Deuba failed to convince the King of his efforts to garner
support for the polls from all coalition partners,?an unnamed source
close to the government told THT. He was fired for the first time in
October 2002 for failing to contain the Maoist insurgency, which has
ensued in the Hindu kingdom since 1996. Deuba was reinstated in June
2004 on two conditions: that he make peace with the Maoist rebels or
begin the polling process. Deuba failed on both fronts. Maoist rebels
rebuffed the government?s latest attempt to restart negotiations when
they failed to respond to a 13 January deadline to hold peace talks.
Since then, many members of the coalition government and opposition
parties have indicated an unwillingness to hold elections amid the
continuing bloodshed. The main coalition partners - the Communist
Party of Nepal and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party - have not voiced
their support for the elections, as the Maoist rebels have indicated
they would unleash a bloodbath if the poll took place. So far, the
ongoing conflict between government forces and Maoist rebels has
claimed more than 10?00 lives. The Maoists rebels have been fighting
to overthrow the monarch and institute a communist regime. King
Gyanendra ascended to Nepal's throne in June 2001 when then crown
prince Dipendra killed his father, King Birendra, and other members
of his family before killing himself in the infamous ?Palace
massacre? Kalim Bahadur, a former professor and a well-known
political analyst based in New Delhi told ISN Security Watch on
Tuesday that the latest development in Nepal was ?not conducive to
democracy? He suggested that the king was using the government?s
failure to ?protect democracy?as an opportunity to increase his own
power. He said the king had earlier displayed his tendencies
towards ?strengthening the authoritarian regime? In neighboring
India, officials reacted cautiously to the news. ?We will continue to
support the restoration of political stability and economic
prosperity in Nepal - a process that requires reliance on the forces
of democracy and the support of the people of Nepal. These
developments constitute a serious setback to the cause of democracy
in Nepal and cannot but be a cause of grave concern to India,?the
Indian Foreign Ministry said in a Tuesday statement. (By Animesh Roul
in New Delhi)

The Times says the Brits and Indians aren't too thrilled with the takeover/coup : http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1465846,00.html

Caveat: They may will probably come long if past expereince is anything to go by.


Btw, all major media outlets have this story on top of their headlines - it even made it to the top of algorithm-driven google news

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"Honey, I hit you only because I love you"

I must say that I'm very impressed by King G's courage. He knows it very well that he is taking the greatest risk by this action. I don't think there is an easy way out from this. Whether he makes it or breaks it. If he proves himself as ineffective as our leaders then that would probably end the monarchy in Nepal. This is the real risk and only a real MAN with courage can take such risks. That also makes him very strong. And only a strong leader can end the current crisis.

We have to wait to see the result but I can't wait to praise his courage. We have seen enough of leaders and let's see what the king is made of. For the love of my country, I would definitely give him a chance to prove himself. Nepal would rather be called strong country ruled by king than failed democratic state.

Here's what I feel:

I once read that Henry Kissinger reccomends books to our King.. I think the King recently finished reading a book that Kissinger ahs given a 5 star rating.. The Warrior politics: Why Leadership Demands A Pagan Ethos by Robert Kaplan.

Mitra 2,
You are looking at G Shah from a personality point of view, and that's all you see. Brave personality is good, but not always. You have to look at it as history and as future of Nepal. I'm rather dispaoointed at your thinking that the king means good for the country!
The king only means, "Jasko lauro usko bhainsi".
Please forgive me for saying the following, but no personal offense: if someone you know rape your sister in front of you, will you consider him brave, courageous and think that at last your sister will get life? I'm trying to see if I could shed light on the issue putting this way!
The same is happening to our Janmabhumshcha, aka Motherland.

Please do not take it personally (I can imagine your face, but your posting was not any better).

ISO and others King G supporters,

Without indulgeing too much over fruitless speculations on deep uncertainties, the thought that bewilders me the most, beyond my best comprehension, is:

What is the point of taking over something that He took over, and had complete control of since, 3 years ago when he first sacked Deuba in 2002?

I mean, aren't 2nd Dueba government's failures a reflection of utter incompetence on the part of the King himself? Afterall, King G himself, after proclaiming sheer failure of the "democratic" governments to reign in violence, dissolved the parliament and instituted a govenernment of HIS choice, with two PMs in 3 years.

So, in light of the fact that the past three years have heralded NO progress towards peace, development and democracy, how are we to believe that the same King, surrounded by the same old crooks with primitive ideas about governance, would be able to fulfill his promise of healthy democratic elections (that too, with peace at last!) in the next three years?

Well, I suppose we can debate unendingly about whether the move was right or wrong. However, the aspect that is utterly detestable, senseless to the core, is HOW he did it. I thought only old-fashioned tyrannies resorted to such extreme measures as shutting down all telecommunications in order to shove one's idea of doing the right thing down the throats of one's people. In an era when almost everything depends on phones, faxes and the internet, wouldn't he have, as a sane leader, even thought about how immense the negative effect would that have had on the country's economy? This to me only proves how SELFISH King G is!

This is not to say I have supported everythign the "democratic" leaders have done thus far. They too have proven bitterly ineffective in freeing themselves from the embroiglio of demagoguery. With every senseless move King G has taken, he is also casting himself to the same basket of selfish crooks.

Rise and soul search yourselves, Nepali haru!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We need to find and put in place a truly visionary, politically modern, sincere to the cause of the PEOPLE,door-darshi leadership! King G is definitely not one of them!

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What is the point of taking over something that He took over, and had complete control of since, 3 years ago when he first sacked Deuba in 2002?

The Oct. 14, 2002 was not a complete takeover. The King then did not dismiss the oppurtunity to work TOGETHER with the political parties to solve the Maoist problem. The Political parties did not wnat to work with the King. For almost 3 years, the King tolerated the parties with a hope that they will work with him. So the Oct. 14 was more ofa preview, this is the whole show.


"I mean, aren't 2nd Dueba government's failures a reflection of utter incompetence on the part of the King himself? "

In my opinion, no. because all the govts. formed after the royal move of Oct. 2002, wanted to work with the other parties. And the govts. formed after 2002 did make it claer that they wante dtow ork with the parties. The parties declined that.. so, I think the political parties are to be blamed than the King or the govts. formed after 2002.

"So, in light of the fact that the past three years have heralded NO progress towards peace, development and democracy, how are we to believe that the same King, surrounded by the same old crooks with primitive ideas about governance, would be able to fulfill his promise of healthy democratic elections (that too, with peace at last!) in the next three years? "

Just like Musharraf in Pakistan.

is HOW he did it?

Just like the Jordanian King did in the 70s. Just as Musharraf did in 1999. When there is no consensus among the players, then this is what happens. I seriously doubt that there will be any protest aganist this in Kathmandu or elsewhere in Nepal.

Of course when we read about teh French Revolution, democracy and Locke's liberty, we fall in love with those. And we analyze what's happening in Nepal and elsewhere based on our textbook readings. However we are cut off from the reality of Nepal. The King could do it because the public mood was for it. Poonte bro, you are a learned man.. and you have access to information. To understand the theoratical background of why coups get supported by the public, when you have time, please do see Berry Weingast's article on Dmeocracy and the Rule of Law.

"We need to find and put in place a truly visionary, politically modern, sincere to the cause of the PEOPLE,door-darshi leadership! King G is definitely not one of them!"

Arise ! Ye workers of the world UNITE... oopss Nepalis of the World Unite... !! :-)

What is the point of taking over something that He took over, and had complete control of since, 3 years ago when he first sacked Deuba in 2002?

The Oct. 14, 2002 was not a complete takeover. The King then did not dismiss the oppurtunity to work TOGETHER with the political parties to solve the Maoist problem. The Political parties did not wnat to work with the King. For almost 3 years, the King tolerated the parties with a hope that they will work with him. So the Oct. 14 was more ofa preview, this is the whole show.


"I mean, aren't 2nd Dueba government's failures a reflection of utter incompetence on the part of the King himself? "

In my opinion, no. because all the govts. formed after the royal move of Oct. 2002, wanted to work with the other parties. And the govts. formed after 2002 did make it claer that they wante dtow ork with the parties. The parties declined that.. so, I think the political parties are to be blamed than the King or the govts. formed after 2002.

"So, in light of the fact that the past three years have heralded NO progress towards peace, development and democracy, how are we to believe that the same King, surrounded by the same old crooks with primitive ideas about governance, would be able to fulfill his promise of healthy democratic elections (that too, with peace at last!) in the next three years? "

Just like Musharraf in Pakistan.

is HOW he did it?

Just like the Jordanian King did in the 70s. Just as Musharraf did in 1999. When there is no consensus among the players, then this is what happens. I seriously doubt that there will be any protest aganist this in Kathmandu or elsewhere in Nepal.

Of course when we read about teh French Revolution, democracy and Locke's liberty, we fall in love with those. And we analyze what's happening in Nepal and elsewhere based on our textbook readings. However we are cut off from the reality of Nepal. The King could do it because the public mood was for it. Poonte bro, you are a learned man.. and you have access to information. To understand the theoratical background of why coups get supported by the public, when you have time, please do see Berry Weingast's article on Dmeocracy and the Rule of Law.

"We need to find and put in place a truly visionary, politically modern, sincere to the cause of the PEOPLE,door-darshi leadership! King G is definitely not one of them!"

Arise ! Ye workers of the world UNITE... oopss Nepalis of the World Unite... !! :-)

Ok, that's all from me on this discussion.

aba j huncha dekha jayega.. sochana kya jo bhi hoga dekha jayega! :-)

Deuba fired out from his office along with his government for the second time....
......sounds really funny to me......

why it's only Deuba who has to be fired one more time form the PM's chair and by the same person ?
Looks like he is a very unlucky dude...

Prachanda dude and Baburam dude probably must have had been really exited by the news. There is no doubt these guys will use the Ganendra's move to score their own victory.