M A I N   N E W S

KATHMANDU DIARY
Could King have shot Dipendra?
Tribune News Service

A day after the two-member Commission gave findings on the Narayan Hity Palace massacre the Kathmandu Post has carried a front page report saying that King Birendra made “a last minute effort to shoot at his own son and stop the then Crown Prince Dipendra from firing indiscriminately in the royal palace on June 1. Quoting statements given by the late King Birendra’s sister, Princess Shova Shahi and King Gyanendra’s son, Paras, the report says that the late King Birendra had “held the 9mm Caliber MP-5K automatic sub-machine gun which the then Crown Prince had thrown after his first attack in the billiard room. Late King Birendra was already hit by then.” The report says that “King Birendra picked up the small weapon MP-5K automatic gun which he (then Crown Prince) had thrown before entering the room and shooting at the late King and others the second time. But Princess Shova took away the weapon and pulled off the magazine.” Prince Paras said in his statement to the Commission.

Messy press conference
Journalists covering coverage of ongoing developments in Nepal will never forget the Press conference of by the Commission to make its report public. The conference began nearly half an hour behind schedule in a hall packed beyond capacity. Instead of circulating copies of the Nepali and English synopsis of the much sought-after report to local and foreign journalists, the Commission member and Speaker Taranath Ranabhat spent nearly 45 minutes reading out the synopsis in Nepali. Unable to comprehend even a word, foreign journalists looked around helplessly and even tried to steal glances at the notepads of their Nepali counterparts to make out the sum and substance of the findings. Scribes who requested for an English translation of the report were asked to log on to a site to download the Press release. After second thoughts, the Commission directed its staff to distribute the synopsis of the report that too in an unlit corridor . The chaos did not end here. In a hurry to meet the deadline, journalists climbed on to chairs to find their way out of the hall. Some even plucked out photographs Taken after the palace tragedy and during investigations. The photographs pasted neatly on chart papers had been displayed on the walls.

In memory of Dhirendra
The least talked about member of the Royal family and Late King Birendra’s youngest brother, Dhirendra may have been stripped of his royal title but he was paid warm tributes by the mourners. While signing the condolence book at Dhirendra’s residence (Jeevan Kunj) in Maharajgunj, this correspondent came across moving tributes as “Come back if you can and tell the world the truth” and “May God give him re birth.” Yet another message by Ravi Dhital, a resident of Mitrapart near Pashupati Nath temple states, “No matter what the foreign channels exaggerate, no matter what the Opposition says, alongwith you, all the Royal family will be honoured ever and forever.”

Supplement in memory of King Birendra
The Kathmandu Post published a 12-page highly readable supplement in memory of King Birendra. The supplement holds a mirror to various facets of the personality of the late Monarch and other members of the Royal family. Sprinkled with old and recent pictures of the King and other members of the Royal family, the supplement carries obituaries written by former Prime Ministers, Marich Man Singh Shrestha, Surya Bahadur Thapa and leader of the Opposition, Madhav Kumar Nepal. The supplement also includes an interview with former Prime Minister, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai who has described the late King as “one of the finest gentlemen.”