Archive for May, 2008
All Eyes On Palace For Nepal King’s Eviction
KATHMANDU: Holed up within his high-walled Narayanhiti palace, Nepal’s king Gyanendra kept a studied silence Friday after a historic assembly abolished his monarchy and gave him a two-week eviction order.
Quite when he will leave the pink-hued palace in the heart of Kathmandu is unclear, although royal-watchers said he was packing his bags and could leave Friday.
The royal flag was taken down early Thursday within hours of a constituent assembly voting to sweep away the monarchy and turn this Himalayan nation into a republic, ending 240 years of dynastic rule.
Gyanendra has a tight deadline to vacate the Narayanhiti palace, which the assembly — now dominated by former rebel Maoists — has agreed to turn into a museum.
“He is said to be leaving the palace on Friday,” said Kishore Shrestha, who is editor of the royal-watching Nepali-language weekly Jana Aastha.
The king has yet to comment on the constitutional assembly vote that ended his rule.
An estimated 1,500 army soldiers guard the king in his palace, but an army spokesman said they were ready to pull back the security when the government orders.
For now, the palace and its surrounding roads are heavily guarded by riot police. Demonstrations have been banned, but revellers celebrating Nepal’s new republican status skirmished with police Thursday on the road leading to the complex.
Police baton-charged and tear-gassed the revellers when they tried to climb a statue of the unloved king’s father in order to put a national flag on it.
Nepal has been brimming for weeks with rumours over the king’s plans, with each and every departure from the palace in recent days — including a weekend trip to his summer home and a drive to his sister’s house for tea — watched with bated breath.
“The king is going to have to leave within the next 10 days,” said Bimal Sharma, a shopkeeper strolling past the royal residence with his family.
“I don’t like this king. This wouldn’t have happened with the previous king,” said Sharma, referring to Gyanendra’s popular older brother Birendra, who was slaughtered in a palace massacre.
That 2001 massacre — most of the royal family was slain by the then crown prince Dipendra, who was allegedly fuelled by a cocktail of drugs and alcohol — was what led Gyanendra to ascend the throne.
Dipendra, who had been forbidden from marrying the woman he loved, gunned down his parents the king and queen, and seven other royals before apparently turning the gun on himself.
Gyanendra was at the centre of many conspiracy theories linking him to the killings, and his unpopularity only deepened when he sacked the government and embarked on a period of autocratic rule in early 2005.
Mass protests against Gyanendra’s rule led to a landmark peace agreement in 2006 that culminated with the abolition of the monarchy late Wednesday.
Many ordinary Nepalese are delighted to see the back of the dour, unpopular king as well as his son and would-be heir, Paras — notorious for his playboy lifestyle.
International reaction to the monarchy’s demise has focused on how the new political landscape could benefit the poor nation.
While the United States is not yet prepared to strike the Maoists from its terrorist blacklists, Washington has since reversed its previous policy of not negotiating with the group’s leaders.
Some 13,000 people were killed in the insurgency launched by the Maoists in 1996 to install a communist republic in the world’s only Hindu kingdom.
Britain, Nepal’s former colonial ruler, sent its congratulations after the assembly’s first session.
Foreign Office Minister Mark Malloch-Brown called it “another step toward the democratic and stable future that the people of Nepal justly deserve.” - AFP/ac
Channel News Asia
Republic Of Nepal Celebrates Abolition Of Monarchy
KATHMANDU: Nepal celebrated a new era as the world’s youngest republic Thursday after consigning its centuries-old monarchy to the history books and giving god-king Gyanendra two weeks to quit his palace.
In an unprecedented vote that caps a peace accord between Maoist rebels and mainstream parties, a new constitutional assembly voted massively to abolish the 240-year-old monarchy and establish a republic in its place.
It marks a key victory for the Maoists, who battled security forces for a decade to overthrow what they view as a backward, caste-ridden structure that has kept most of Nepal’s 29 million people living in dire poverty.
“The Nepalese people have been freed from centuries of feudal tradition and the doors have now opened for a radical social and economic transformation,” Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara told AFP after the vote.
Supporters sang, danced and whistled on Kathmandu’s streets after waiting all day for the vote, which was delayed by last-minute jockeying for position in the new political landscape.
“I am overjoyed,” said an ecstatic Rajesh Subedi, a 21-year-old student and Maoist supporter. “This is the most important day of my life.”
Many ordinary Nepalese are delighted to see the back of the dour, unpopular king as well as his son and would-be heir, Crown Prince Paras — notorious for his alleged playboy lifestyle in one of the world’s poorest nations.
The royals have been told to leave their heavily-guarded Kathmandu palace within 15 days and adapt to life as common citizens.
The constitutional assembly also ordered that the palace be turned into a museum, and the Maoists have repeatedly warned Gyanendra that he faces “strong punishment” if he refuses to bow out gracefully.
But there was no immediate reaction from the palace, and sources close to the king said it was unclear what Gyanendra’s next move would be.
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon welcomed the vote, saying Nepalese “have clearly spoken for peace and change,” but called on all parties “to continue working in a cooperative manner.”
The United States, which continues to list the former rebels as a foreign “terrorist” organisation, declined to comment on the vote, but urged “forward political developments” in the nation.
“Certainly, it’s a situation we continue to watch and we continue to urge forward political developments in that country,” US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said in Washington.
The vote in the 650-member assembly late Wednesday saw just four lawmakers oppose the declaration transforming Nepal into “an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular and an inclusive democratic republic nation.”
“All the privileges enjoyed by the king and royal family will automatically come to an end,” the declaration states, noting that the day will be known as “Republic Day.”
The ultra-left Maoists, who signed up for peace in 2006 after a decade of armed struggle that left at least 13,000 people dead, won most of the seats in the assembly in elections last month.
They are also set to lead Nepal’s new government, although many people are still sceptical of a movement whose loyalists are regularly accused of using violence and intimidation.
As for Gyanendra, he ascended the throne amid grief and suspicion in 2001 after most of the members of the royal family were slain in a palace massacre by the then crown prince, Dipendra.
Dipendra, who had been forbidden from marrying the woman he loved, gunned down his parents, the king and queen, and seven other royals before apparently turning the gun on himself.
Gyanendra was at the centre of many conspiracy theories linking him to the killings, and his unpopularity only deepened when he sacked the government and embarked on a period of autocratic rule in early 2005.
That came to an end after weeks of deadly nationwide protests organised by the Maoists and the mainstream parties he sidelined, who teamed up to sign a peace agreement.
“His powers have already been clipped over the last two years, but now the institution has become illegitimate and no one now has a political basis for trying to revive it,” said Prashant Jha, a journalist and political analyst. - AFP/ac
Channel News Asia
Sexually Active Women Advised To Use The Pill To Reduce Abortion Rate
SINGAPORE: Doctors are calling for more women to use the Pill to protect against unwanted pregnancies and ovarian cancer.
At present, just seven per cent of sexually active women in Singapore use the Pill as a contraceptive, compared to 27 per cent in the US and 33 per cent in the UK.
This call to sexually active women was made on Wednesday at the launch of a survey by the Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society to find out young women’s attitudes towards contraception, and how they practise it.
The society will survey 1,000 women, aged 20 to 35, over a three-month period to find out if lifestyle factors affect a woman’s choice of contraception. The results of the survey will be released in the final quarter of this year.
The society also wants to promote sexual responsibility and inform women about the risks and complications of abortion.
In 2006, the abortion rate rose to more than 12,000 cases, after a 10-year decline. Teenagers accounted for 1,391 of the abortions.
The society’s survey in 2007 showed that 75 per cent of sexually active women were not prepared for an unwanted pregnancy, but only 54 per cent used some form of contraception.
Doctors said that while condoms are the best protection against sexually transmitted infections, the Pill is better at preventing unwanted pregnancies.
The Pill has a success rate of more than 99 per cent compared to 85 to 98 per cent for condoms, depending on how they are used. So for the best protection, sexually active women should use both, as the Pill also has health benefits.
Dr Christopher Ng, council member, Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society, said: “The benefits of the Pill outweigh the risks. And one of the benefits in particular is the prevention of ovarian cancer. We know that the longer you are taking the Pill, (it) reduces your risk of ovarian cancer.” - CNA/vm
Channel News Asia