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Nepal King Sacks Government, Assumes Power
india-defence ^ | 1/2/2005 | NDTV, BBC, Reuters

Posted on 01/31/2005 10:52:47 PM PST by Srirangan

Source: NDTV

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 (Kathmandu):

Nepal's King Gyanendra today dismissed the Sher Bahadur Deuba government and assumed power in the Himalayan Kingdom.

The monarch has accused the Deuba government of failing to restore peace and conducting parliamentary elections in the country.

"I have decided to dissolve the government because it has failed to make necessary arrangements to hold elections by April," the King said in a televised address to the nation.

The King maintained that the Deuba government had failed to protect democracy and sovereignty of the people.

King Gyanendra had appointed Deuba as Prime minister last year and asked him to conduct parliamentary elections and hold peace talks with the Maoist rebels.

Earlier, the King had sacked Deuba in 2002 for failing to hold elections, but asked him to form the government last year as the rebels stepped up insurgency in the Himalayan kingdom.

Nepal king dismisses government

Nepal's King Gyanendra has announced on state television that he has sacked the government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba.

He said he was taking over direct power because the administration had failed to fulfil its mandate.

Mr Deuba had been reappointed Nepal's prime minister last June, two years after King Gyanendra sacked him for failing to contain a Maoist insurgency.

The rebels recently failed to respond to a 13 January deadline set by Mr Deuba to hold peace talks.

The Associated Press reports that soldiers have surrounded the prime minister's residence and the homes of other government leaders.

"I have decided to dissolve the government because it has failed to make necessary arrangements to hold elections by April and protect democracy, the sovereignty of the people and life and property," the king said in his announcement.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu says the announcement has plunged Nepal into uncertainty.

'Selfish'

"A new cabinet will be formed under my leadership," the king said.

"This will restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years."

King Gyanendra also said the government had failed to restore peace with the Maoist rebels.

He accused the country's fractious political parties of behaving selfishly and of giving no thought to the Nepali people and the welfare of the country.

He himself, he added, was committed to democracy and multi-party rule.

Some 10,000 people have been killed in the nine-year-long Maoist insurgency.

Nepal King Sacks Government, Assumes Power

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepali King Gyanendra sacked the government and assumed power himself Tuesday, saying the leadership had failed to hold elections or restore peace amid an escalating civil war with Maoist rebels.

Indian television channel NDTV said the king had taken power for the next three years and placed many politicians under house arrest.

"I have decided to dissolve the government because it has failed to make necessary arrangements to hold elections by April and promote democracy, the sovereignty of the people and life and property," the king said in an address on state radio.

Shortly afterwards telephone and mobile lines were apparently shut down in Kathmandu and communications links closed between the country and the rest of the world.

No further details were available.

The strategic Himalayan nation sandwiched between India and China is locked in a bitter three-way struggle among the king, the Maoist rebels and political parties who are often bitterly divided among themselves.

The king is often accused of overstepping his powers, and reappointed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba only last June, two years after sacking him for the same reasons he cited this time -- inability to tackle the long-standing revolt against the monarchy and failure to call an election.

In January, Deuba had promised to go ahead with the election despite the civil war and the refusal of the Maoists to come to peace talks by a Jan. 13 deadline.

But many members of Deuba's own cabinet were known to be unhappy with the election plan on grounds it was unrealistic in a country where the rebels control much of the countryside.

The rebels have been fighting since 1996 to replace the monarchy with a communist republic in a revolt that has cost around 11,000 lives.

The king himself had promised that elections would begin by the start of the Nepali new year in mid-April. Indian television said he accused political parties of factional fighting.

This is the fourth time the king has sacked a prime minister in less than three years. Nepal has had no parliament since 2002. Nepal is one of the world's poorest nations and its only Hindu kingdom. Many people still view the king as a reincarnation of the god Vishnu.

But the monarchy's reputation nosedived in 2001 when the crown prince, Dipendra, killed his father, the popular King Birendra, and several other royals in a palace massacre. He then turned the gun on himself.

Gyanendra was crowned king after the massacre, but has never been as popular as his brother Birendra.

Tens of thousands of tourists visit Nepal each year as it has eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: asia; democracy; india; nepal; south
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The king has since then promised to install a stable democracy in Nepal, and vowed to fight and end the Maoist rebellion.
1 posted on 01/31/2005 10:52:48 PM PST by Srirangan
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Attention all planets of the solar federation:

We have assumed control.

We have assumed control.


2 posted on 01/31/2005 11:02:29 PM PST by flashbunny (Every thought that enters my head requires its own vanity thread.)
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To: Srirangan; All

It kinda sad that King have assume power second time in three years

That tell you something about govt don't want reform or crackdown or unable crackdown on terrorist
They are terrorists


3 posted on 01/31/2005 11:08:51 PM PST by SevenofNine ("Not everybody , in it, for truth, justice, and the American way,"=Det Lennie Briscoe)
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To: ValerieUSA
the monarchy's reputation nosedived in 2001 when the crown prince, Dipendra, killed his father, the popular King Birendra, and several other royals in a palace massacre.

The steady decline of monarchy worldwide continues to baffle social scientists.
4 posted on 01/31/2005 11:09:42 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Ted "Kids, I Sunk the Honey" Kennedy is just a drunk who's never held a job (or had to).)
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To: Srirangan

It's good to be the King.


5 posted on 01/31/2005 11:13:23 PM PST by Pylon (R)
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To: Srirangan
This is so ridiculous , and it seems to happen every six months. The people of Nepal should sack this King , not the King sack the Government (again!). This man is very bad luck for Nepal , he himself does almost nothing to end the Maoist
rebellion , preferring instead to keep most of the RNA around him in Kathmandu , to protect his reign from overthrow.
And worst of all , if something should happen to Guyendra
his evil son Paras would ascend to the throne. Paras is something like a Lite version of Uday Hussein and this would be a tragedy for Nepal. DUMP the King! Declare a Republic , call home all Gurkha's and soundly defeat the Maoists once and for all. Demand that India cooperate in this effort and stop secretly aiding and abetting the Maoists out of fear of their own Maoists.
Nepal is a mess today and this illegitimate King only makes it worse.
6 posted on 01/31/2005 11:14:39 PM PST by injin
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To: injin

>> Demand that India cooperate in this effort and stop secretly
>> aiding and abetting the Maoists out of fear of their own
>> Maoists.

That's one of the most uninformed statements I've read. India co-operates fully with Nepal in ending the Maoist rebellion in Nepal and the Naxalite rebellion in some Indian provinces.

Maoism is the fruit of China, not India. And I don't see any South Asian country in a position to 'demand' something from India.


7 posted on 01/31/2005 11:36:08 PM PST by Srirangan
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To: Srirangan

Whole lotta "sacking" going on over there. :)
Thanks for sharing the news.


8 posted on 01/31/2005 11:47:18 PM PST by LayoutGuru2 (Triskaidekaphobia ? Never heard of it !)
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To: Srirangan
Here you are very incorrect
These Nepalese Maoist strictly resupply from India not China.
There has never been any indication that China is giving them any material supply , whereas many many Nepali Maoists have been arrested (and then often released) in India . They use Indian hospital facilities for their wounded routinely.The Nepali Maoists arms flow from arms dealers in Burma from as far away as Cambodia and also via the Tamil Tiger networks in Sri Lanka , all of these routes pass thru India.
Indian negotiations with the Naxalites basically amount to a
ceasefire truce , with no Naxalites being disarmed and none required to ceases their Maoist activities , only to stop shooting at the Indian Police and Javans. There are many direct links and solid contacts between the Nepalese Maoists
and their Naxal brethren , few of these links are being challenged in any meaningful way by Delhi. I wonder what Delhi tells the Nepali King when he comes begging to Delhi to "Please! do something...." as he did just last month ?
9 posted on 01/31/2005 11:50:34 PM PST by injin
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To: Molly Pitcher; Jemian; Mr. Mulliner; Gengis Khan

FYI


10 posted on 01/31/2005 11:54:01 PM PST by kayak (Have you prayed for your President today?)
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To: dighton; aculeus; general_re; BlueLancer; martin_fierro; Tijeras_Slim
But the monarchy's reputation nosedived in 2001 when the crown prince, Dipendra, killed his father, the popular King Birendra, and several other royals in a palace massacre. He then turned the gun on himself.

Nepalese astrologers failed to forsee royal nosedive ping.

11 posted on 01/31/2005 11:56:06 PM PST by Thinkin' Gal
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To: injin

Well I believe it is you who are incorrect. The Nepalese border with Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh are very strictly monitored and patrolled. These states border western Nepal, which is in grip of the Maoist violence.

India has its own Naxalite rebellion, the states affected are Bihar, Jharkand, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Out of these states only Andhra Pradesh has a cease fire with the Naxalites. Geographically it would be impossible for the Naxalites in Andhra Pradesh to aid the Maoists in Nepal, as Andhra Pradesh lies in the far south of the country.

I do admit communism is a threat to the region, but it would be absurd to say India is supporting communism while India herself fights it. The mainstream communism in India has been democratized, and the rebel's make use of caste and ethnicity to fight democracy. But they too are fading away as prosperity and development reaches these people.

And make no mistake, China is the seed of all communism, especially the Maoist version of communism.


12 posted on 02/01/2005 12:06:06 AM PST by Srirangan
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To: Pylon

Its good to be King!
13 posted on 02/01/2005 12:10:01 AM PST by Khurkris (That sound you hear coming from over the horizon...thats me laughing.)
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To: Srirangan
Damn! My airline tickets to Nepal don't have me leaving Alabama until February 3, 2005. My plan was to arrive there and simply declare myself leader. You haven't heard the last of me Senor Gyanendra!
14 posted on 02/01/2005 12:16:25 AM PST by Jaysun (An "exit plan" would tell the terrorist how much longer to hang on.)
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To: SunkenCiv

I remember that palace revolt. It reminded me of something that might have happened in ancient Egyptian times - but with a modern twist.


15 posted on 02/01/2005 12:31:04 AM PST by ValerieUSA
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To: ValerieUSA

Just in...King Dipendra has resigned in order to pursue further activities with the Janjaweed Militia in Sudan.

The DNC just shipped John Kerry and Barbara Boxer over to Nepal to restore order.

Sen. Kerry was quoted on arrival at Katmandu airport, "It IS good to be the new king, but I hope one wouldn't lose their head over it."

The retiring lady from California commented, "This is all obviously a plot by Karl Rove, President Bush and Condi Rice. We'll do everything possible to restore democratic party rule here with some help from CBS, Harry Reid, the North Korean politburo and the heroic revolutionary people of the New York Times."


16 posted on 02/01/2005 12:47:47 AM PST by Bulgaricus (Allah, Allah in Free)
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To: SunkenCiv
The steady decline of monarchy worldwide continues to baffle social scientists.

gee I wonder why, they've been so succesful in the past, you know with playing landgrab and all that...

17 posted on 02/01/2005 12:50:01 AM PST by William of Orange (slow change may pull us apart...)
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To: Srirangan
Well I believe it is you who are incorrect. The Nepalese border with Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh are very strictly monitored and patrolled. These states border western Nepal, which is in grip of the Maoist violence.

It's a sieve....people and material flow in the cross border trucking and on foot , all along the Terei.

India has its own Naxalite rebellion, the states affected are Bihar, Jharkand, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

From AP , up thru MP and Bihar anything can move , and does.
Same with across thru Assam . Any encounters can usually be settled with a few Rp. being offered to look the other way.

Out of these states only Andhra Pradesh has a cease fire with the Naxalites. Geographically it would be impossible for the Naxalites in Andhra Pradesh to aid the Maoists in Nepal, as Andhra Pradesh lies in the far south of the country.
Nothing is impossible for these terrorists. They have their networks and money makes them run , especially in India.

I do admit communism is a threat to the region, but it would be absurd to say India is supporting communism while India herself fights it. The mainstream communism in India has been democratized, and the rebel's make use of caste and ethnicity to fight democracy. But they too are fading away as prosperity and development reaches these people.

Here I absolutely hope you are right . India demonstrated that when her interests were directly challenged it could and would act against those other than in Kashmir , and that was in the combined OPs with Bhutan early last year . Very effective ! They need to do exactly the same with Nepal , but on a much bigger and sustained basis , with Gurkhas themselves leading the fight.

And make no mistake, China is the seed of all communism, especially the Maoist version of communism.

The 50's...the Nonaligned Movement ....arms from Moscow
to counter the Chinese pressure and influence...the Vietnam
War , the changing the name of the street that the US Embassy sits on...long long has India played paddy-cake with these commies and maoists. As they say in the States " the hens are comin home to roost"

To me it is so odd and crazy to see the Red Flag proudly walked in procession in Dehli and Kathmandu , when elsewhere in the world it has fallen into such disgrace. Are these people clueless? or do they just want to reinvent the wheel?
18 posted on 02/01/2005 12:52:21 AM PST by injin
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To: Srirangan
Earlier, the King had sacked Deuba in 2002 for failing to hold elections, but asked him to form the government last year as the rebels stepped up insurgency in the Himalayan kingdom.

Is this King Gyanendra or George Steinbrenner we're talking about here?

19 posted on 02/01/2005 1:53:29 AM PST by Imal (Saluting SPC Taylor Burk, a genuine hero and true American. d. 1/26/2005)
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To: kayak

Thanks for the ping.


20 posted on 02/01/2005 2:57:25 AM PST by Gengis Khan ("There is no glory in incomplete action." -- Gengis Khan)
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