Kathmandu, April 22
A day after he offered to return executive power to people and was lauded by the international community, Nepal’s King Gyanendra on Saturday snapped phone lines, imposed curfew and retained shoot-at-sight orders to quell fresh protests. Dozens of demonstrators were injured here as security forces fired on unarmed civilians who began taking out rallies from the morning publicly rejecting the King’s call to the opposition parties to recommend a prime ministerial candidate.
The royalist government also clamped daytime curfew from noon to 8 p.m. and disconnected mobile phone services as well as Indian joint venture United Telecom Ltd’s limited mobility phone services to prevent protesters and opposition parties from coordinating their reaction.
The King’s offer, in a live television broadcast Friday, in which he defended his 16-month rule, saying the people supported him and blamed the political parties for the present crisis, was unanimously spurned by the parties, the people and Maoist insurgents.
The opposition parties on Saturday met at opposition leader Girija Prasad Koirala’s residence for a united official response, and decided to reject the king’s offer and continue their agitation.
“People’s sovereignty can be assured only by a constituent assembly (that would write a new constitution for Nepal),” in Madhav Kumar Nepal, leader of the biggest Communist Party, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, said.
“Unless the ground for a constituent assembly election is laid out, our agitation will continue.” Among the main demands of the
parties are dissolution of the present Cabinet chaired by the King, restoration of parliament and holding a constituent assembly election to determine if people want Nepal to remain a monarchy or become a republic.
The anti-King protests that began on April 6, include a nationwide closure, affecting schools, colleges, businesses, industries, transport, shops and markets. The government is losing at least Nepali Rs 3.5 billion each day due to the closure.
However, despite untold hardships, demonstrators on Saturday urged the parties not to compromise with the King till the stage was set for a republic.
“The King’s offer is a ruse to defuse the movement. Leaders, don’t be duped. We are with you and we will continue our struggle.” Lustily chanting these slogans, thousands of people began fresh protest marches in and around the capital.
Maoist guerrillas, too, denounced King Gyanendra’s call, saying they would not stop their decade-old armed rebellion till the king agreed to a new constitution.
Dismissing the royal address as meaningless and insignificant, rebel supremo Prachanda on Saturday said it was “an insult to the sea of humanity” that was clamouring for a republic and a constituent assembly.
The Maoists, he said, would not slacken their armed struggle till their minimum demand - returning sovereignty to people by agreeing unconditionally to a constituent assembly election - was met.
While common people said the king had not offered genuine reconciliation and should go, the international community called Gyanendra’s offer a positive step.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the 25-member European Union, the USA, India and Canada issued statements expressing the hope that the King’s gesture would lead to peace and development in the kingdom.
— IANS
