"Hang the king" and "Leave the palace, we will run the country"

King of Nepal's god-like status shaken

Sam Taylor | Kathmandu, Nepal


22 April 2006 07:36

Nepal's King Gyanendra, who has pledged to "return sovereignty to the people" after massive and violent street protests, has seen his god-like status badly shaken.

Now, with demonstrators' cries of "Hang the king" and "Leave the palace, we will run the country" still ringing in the air, the question remains whether the wily king can remain on the throne or even whether the monarchy as an institution will survive in the desperately poor nation.

King Gyanendra was vaulted to the throne in June 2001 in bizarre circumstances when his brother, King Birendra, and other royals were murdered at the palace in an attack blamed on a drunken crown prince who later shot himself.

But the unsmiling monarch never attained the popularity of his more genial, well-loved brother, who was seen as a symbol of unity in Nepal.

The monarch, traditionally revered as the incarnation of the Hindu god of protection, Lord Vishnu, sacked the government and seized power in February last year, saying the move was necessary to crush a deadly, decade-old Maoist revolt.

King Gyanendra gave himself three years to restore elected rule and end the insurgency. But instead he was forced on Friday to announce he was cutting short his absolute rule after just 14 months.


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http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=269841&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/

As Janeane Garofalo and Katrina vanden Heuvel say. (Echoing Margaret Sanger.)

I want an end to royalty.

Not only in places like Nepal and Saudi Arabia where royalty rules, but also in places like England and Denmark where they don't.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal."

Off with their heads.

Thousands of Nepalese Protesters Defy Kathmandu Curfew

By Patricia Nunan and Kate Pound Dawson
Kathmandu/Hong Kong
23 April 2006


Injured protesters lie as police baton charge pro-democracy protesters

Thousands of Nepalese protesters have gathered on the outskirts of Kathmandu for another day of rallies demanding the ouster of King Gyanendra and the restoration of democracy.

Police opened fire on one group of protesters, wounding at least three people.

The demonstrators are defying an 11-hour curfew imposed by the government Sunday in a bid to prevent unrest.

VOA's correspondent in Kathmandu (Patricia Nunan) says the protesters are largely sticking to the ring road surrounding the capital. She says the protesters are not trying to force their way into the city center, as they did the previous day.

More than 100,000 protesters defied a similar curfew Saturday as they tried to approach King Gyanendra's palace from the outskirts of the city. More than 100 people were injured as protesters clashed with police.


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http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-04-23-voa14.cfm