Nepal says king must go as nation marks 'democracy' anniversary

KATHMANDU : Nepal's new government celebrated on Tuesday the first anniversary of the end of King Gyanendra's absolute rule as Maoist chief Prachanda called for an immediate end to monarchy. "We want the interim parliament to declare a republic immediately," Prachanda told thousands gathered at a ceremony marking last year's victory of the "people's movement" that forced the monarch to relinquish direct rule. Polls to elect a body to decide the future of the monarchy and rewrite the constitution are due to be held this June, but the former rebel leader called for scrapping the monarchy without staging an election. "If it (the declaration of a republic) doesn't happen, we will come to the people and launch protests to declare a republic," said the once elusive leftist whose nom de guerre means "the Fierce One."

Last month, the rebels joined the government under a peace deal with mainstream parties ending a decade-long insurgency. The crowd thronged Durbar Square, the historic heart of old Kathmandu, for a rally commemorating what has become known as the "People's Movement." The movement forced King Gyanendra to agree to restore parliament on April 24, 2006, 14 months after he seized power in what he said was a bid to crush a Maoist revolt. "On this day, Nepali people successfully fought for their rights," Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said, as a helicopter showered flower petals over a flag-draped parade ground ceremony marking "Democracy Day" earlier on Tuesday. "This day has given us the responsibility to build a peaceful, prosperous and a new Nepal by ending all sorts of problems and conflicts," he said as an army band play lively martial music and children paraded past carrying banners. The army - once fiercely loyal to the monarch - played a central role in the celebrations, in what observers said was a signal aimed at dispelling talk about cracks in the peace process.

"It's a long way for a country to come after 10 years of bitter armed conflict," said Ian Martin, the head of the UN mission in Nepal. "The Maoists have come from the countryside into the political process, the Maoist army has placed its weapons under storage and UN monitoring and we now have the interim parliament and government that the Maoists have entered." As the former rebel leader called for an immediate end to the monarchy, King Gyanendra and his wife visited a temple on the outskirts of Kathmandu to sacrifice animals and offer prayers. The trip to the temple is an annual ritual for the monarch revered by devout Hindus as a reincarnation of the god Vishnu. King Gyanendra dismissed the government in February 2005 and seized absolute power, claiming that the country was headed for anarchy. But his heavy-handed crackdown on free speech - including mass arrests of protesters and tight media controls - led to a surge in anti-royal sentiment. The king has already lost his title as head of state and no longer is army chief.

"The king has been the biggest loser and he has nobody to blame but himself. He gambled the institution of monarchy for his own benefit," said Kapil Shrestha, who teaches politics at Tribhuvan University. At least 19 people died and 5,000 were injured in last year's protests, which forced the king to abandon direct rule. But a range of problems threaten to make the road ahead a rocky one. "The future looks bright and promising but greater challenges lie ahead," said Shrestha. The Maoists, who still feature on Washington's list of foreign "terrorist" groups, are facing continued allegations of mafia-like conduct including extortion, kidnappings and beatings. The government is also wrestling with fallout from deadly clashes between Maoists and Mahadhesis - a major ethnic group in the southern plains - with the leftists accusing the king of provoking the violence. - AFP/de

Source: Asia Pacific News, April 25, 2007