Nepalese king assumes power, declares state of emergency
KATMANDU, Nepal -- Nepal's King Gyanendra dismissed the government, declared a state of emergency, and assumed power yesterday, saying the leadership had failed to hold polls and end an escalating civil war with Maoist rebels.
The king took power for the next three years and placed the prime minister and many other politicians under house arrest, Indian news reports said.
"I have decided to dissolve the government because it has failed to make necessary arrangements to hold elections by April and promote democracy, the sovereignty of the people, and life and property," the king said in an address on state radio.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for the immediate restoration of democratic institutions.
The United States and neighboring India also condemned the action in Nepal, the world's only Hindu kingdom.
The king, who came to power after a palace massacre in 2001, said a new government would be formed under his leadership to "restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years," the Press Trust of India said.
Shortly afterward a state of emergency was declared, it said, quoting Nepal's state-run television.
Fixed and mobile phone networks were apparently shut down in the Himalayan kingdom and communications with the rest of the world disrupted. Nepali news websites also went down.
International flights were turned back from Katmandu, but the airport reopened late yesterday and a state-run Royal Nepal Airlines flight arrived in the Indian capital. It was not known when other flights would resume.
In Katmandu, armored vehicles patrolled the streets and security was beefed up, the Press Trust said. But the UN coordinator in Nepal said the situation seemed calm.
The rebels, who have been fighting to topple the constitutional monarchy since 1996, called for a three-day general strike beginning today to protest against the king's actions, the Press Trust said.
Nepal is locked in a bitter three-way struggle between the king, the rebels, and bitterly divided political parties.
Sacked Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was Nepal's 13th premier in 14 turbulent years as a constitutional monarchy. The country has had no parliament since 2002.
A spokesman for Annan said the UN secretary-general was "deeply concerned" by the king's actions.
"He does not believe that they will bring lasting peace and stability to Nepal. Steps should be taken immediately to restore democratic freedoms and institutions," spokesman Fred Eckhard said. "He urges calm and restraint by all parties in the country so as to avoid actions that could worsen the situation."
Washington also called for a return to democracy and said the politicians should be released from house arrest.
"In addition to undercutting Nepal's democratic institutions, the actions, we feel, undermine the Nepalis' struggle with the Maoist insurgency, which is a very serious challenge to a peaceful and prosperous future for Nepal," US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
India, Nepal's largest trading partner, said the move would bring the monarchy and mainstream parties into direct confrontation and strengthen the Maoists.
New Delhi had been trying to persuade the king to form a front with political parties against the Maoists.
Around 11,000 people have died in the insurgency.
Maoist chief Prachanda, who uses only one name, said Gyanendra's action smacked of "medieval feudal autocracy" and warned it would provoke more resistance, the Press Trust said.
The king and his wife will attend a summit of South Asian leaders in Dhaka on Sunday, Bangladesh Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan said later yesterday.
Many people in Nepal still view the king as a reincarnation of the god Vishnu.
The king had promised elections would begin by the Nepalese new year in mid-April.
