Nepal's god-king wakes up a commoner

cowboy · 06-16-2008, 03:29 AM

Nepal's former king Gyanendra on Thursday began life as a commoner after leaving his sprawling palace home and army of servants for the last time.

He will have to adjust to living in a former hunting lodge on the outskirts of the capital, after leaving the Narayanhiti palace in the back of a black Mercedes with his wife late Wednesday.

Several hundred people gathered to watch the king's departure from the massive complex in the heart of Kathmandu, with most cheering the end of the monarchy, while a handful of royalists wept.

In his first comments since his 240-year-old dynasty was formally abolished late last month by a Maoist-dominated assembly, the ex-monarch said he respected the decision to turn Nepal into a republic.

"I have assisted in and respected the verdict of the people," he said in a short address in a hall decorated with stuffed tigers and rhino heads, adding that he "will not leave this country" and go into exile.

Narayan Wagle, the editor of the Kantipur Nepali language daily, who watched the address said it was a "graceful" end to the world's last Hindu monarchy.

"He has exited gracefully and peacefully and his message focused on garnering sympathy from Nepali people in the future," said Wagle.

During the address, Gyanendra hit back at charges he was behind the palace massacre that vaulted him to the throne in 2001.

He became king when his nephew Dipendra, the then crown prince, killed most of his family, including the king and queen, in a drink and drug-fuelled rage after being prevented from marrying the woman he loved.

He then apparently shot himself and was briefly declared king while brain dead before Gyanendra became monarch.

"My family and I have been continuously defamed with ill intentions which was saddening and still is. The accusations targeted against us were inhuman," he said.

Many in the country believed he plotted the palace killings, even though an official probe cleared him.

The former king was laying down a challenge for the government to reinvestigate the palace massacre, Yubaraj Ghimire, editor of Nepal weekly news magazine, told AFP.

"The way he expressed his opinions and presented the facts it is a challenge to the government to prove him wrong," Ghimire said.

The decision to abolish Nepal's monarchy was taken by a constitutional assembly formed as part of a peace deal between former Maoist rebels and mainstream parties who joined forces when Gyanendra tried to assume dictatorial powers.

He ended his period of authoritarian rule in April 2006 after massive protests organised by the parties and the Maoists.

The end of his reign and departure from the palace is the culmination of a peace deal signed in late 2006 between the groups, which ended the bloody insurgency that had killed at least 13,000 people.

06-16-2008, 03:29 AM	#1 (permalink)
cowboy Status: Super Moderator Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Vancouver, Can Age: 32 Posts: 4,819 Thanks: 21 Thanked 71 Times in 67 Posts	Nepal's god-king wakes up a commoner Nepal's former king Gyanendra on Thursday began life as a commoner after leaving his sprawling palace home and army of servants for the last time. He will have to adjust to living in a former hunting lodge on the outskirts of the capital, after leaving the Narayanhiti palace in the back of a black Mercedes with his wife late Wednesday. Several hundred people gathered to watch the king's departure from the massive complex in the heart of Kathmandu, with most cheering the end of the monarchy, while a handful of royalists wept. In his first comments since his 240-year-old dynasty was formally abolished late last month by a Maoist-dominated assembly, the ex-monarch said he respected the decision to turn Nepal into a republic. "I have assisted in and respected the verdict of the people," he said in a short address in a hall decorated with stuffed tigers and rhino heads, adding that he "will not leave this country" and go into exile. Narayan Wagle, the editor of the Kantipur Nepali language daily, who watched the address said it was a "graceful" end to the world's last Hindu monarchy. "He has exited gracefully and peacefully and his message focused on garnering sympathy from Nepali people in the future," said Wagle. During the address, Gyanendra hit back at charges he was behind the palace massacre that vaulted him to the throne in 2001. He became king when his nephew Dipendra, the then crown prince, killed most of his family, including the king and queen, in a drink and drug-fuelled rage after being prevented from marrying the woman he loved. He then apparently shot himself and was briefly declared king while brain dead before Gyanendra became monarch. "My family and I have been continuously defamed with ill intentions which was saddening and still is. The accusations targeted against us were inhuman," he said. Many in the country believed he plotted the palace killings, even though an official probe cleared him. The former king was laying down a challenge for the government to reinvestigate the palace massacre, Yubaraj Ghimire, editor of Nepal weekly news magazine, told AFP. "The way he expressed his opinions and presented the facts it is a challenge to the government to prove him wrong," Ghimire said. The decision to abolish Nepal's monarchy was taken by a constitutional assembly formed as part of a peace deal between former Maoist rebels and mainstream parties who joined forces when Gyanendra tried to assume dictatorial powers. He ended his period of authoritarian rule in April 2006 after massive protests organised by the parties and the Maoists. The end of his reign and departure from the palace is the culmination of a peace deal signed in late 2006 between the groups, which ended the bloody insurgency that had killed at least 13,000 people.

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