Nepal's king pledges to restore power to the people

KATHMANDU - Nepal's King Gyanendra said last night after weeks of violent anti-monarchy protests he would restore political power to the people. However, the largest political party said he had not gone far enough and vowed more demonstrations.

At least 12 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in police action against protesters since a seven-party alliance launched a campaign on April 6 to demand restoration of multi-party democracy.

King Gyanendra sought to ease the crisis yesterday, announcing in a national address in the Nepali language that he would give the alliance the power to name a prime minister.

"Executive power of the kingdom of Nepal, which was in our safekeeping, shall from this day be returned to the people," said the king, looking serious and dressed in a Nepali cap and black jacket.

"We ask the seven-party alliance to recommend the name for the post of prime minister at the earliest for the constitution of a council of ministers, which will bear the responsibility of governing the country in accordance with the constitution."

The king appeared to rule out any change of the constitution to curb his own powers, which has been a primary demand of the political parties. They have said elections to a constituent assembly, which would make such changes, was critical.

Krishna Prasad Sitaula, a spokesman of the Nepali Congress, a key constituent of the alliance, said the king had not "addressed the road map of the protest movement".

"Our protest campaign will continue," he said.

The parties were to give a joint response later, possibly on Saturday.

Gyanendra sacked the government and took full powers in February 2005, vowing to crush a decade-old Maoist revolt in which more than 13,000 people have died.

Maoist rebels, who have a loose alliance with the seven-party alliance, have insisted on a new constitution prepared by a constituent assembly as a precondition to joining the mainstream.

Gyanendra, who came to the throne after the 2001 palace massacre when his elder brother, Birendra, was killed by his own son, the Crown Prince Dipendra, has been under tremendous international pressure to restore democracy.

The European Union and India both welcomed the king's pledge to hand over power.

US ambassador James Moriarty, speaking just two hours before the address, said the king had no choice but to relent to the parties' demands.

"If he doesn't do that, I think the monarchy will not last and ... we are going to see a revolution inside Nepal.

"It would mean wider chaos and it would mean a good chance for the Maoist insurgents to take over this country."

On Friday, protesters burned tyres and threw logs and barbed wire across the streets of the capital, Kathmandu, as a curfew imposed to prevent a march on the palace came into force.

Black smoke rose from several places in the city of 1.5 million people as protesters tried to block movement of police and troops.

Protesters burned a government revenue office on the outskirts of the capital and fought street battles with police elsewhere in the city. There was no word of serious casualties.

The curfew in Kathmandu began at 9am (3.15pm NZT) and was to continue until midnight (6.15am NZT), but was only being enforced within the city limits. On the ring road outside, tens of thousands marched, waved party flags and chanted slogans demanding the king leave the country.

Riot police, troops with automatic weapons and armoured cars stood at major intersections to bar protesters planning to march on the palace.

On Thursday, police opened fired on tens of thousands of demonstrators trying to enter the city. At least three people were killed and up to 100 injured.

The reactions of local residents to the king's address were mixed.

"The king has given all he can," said Bobby Singh, a pilot with Royal Nepal Airlines. "Now the ball is in the seven-party alliance's court."

Prominent women's rights activist Prabha Thakar said: "It's the best news in a while. It's not the be-all and end-all but at this point in time, I think there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel."

The constitution issue was troubling, said Uttam Ghimire, a teacher. "I don't think the seven political parties will agree with him because their main demand is a constituent assembly and he has not addressed this demand."

- REUTERS