Nepalese protesters dismiss King's pledge of democracy

What do the protesters in Nepal want?

Originally the protests called for the restoration of democracy and for King Gyanendra to revert to being a constitutional monarch. But most protesters have started to call for the monarchy to be abolished.

Who is behind the protests?

They were first organised by the seven-party alliance, a group of democratic opposition parties. But as they have grown, they have become a mass popular movement, and many of the protesters do not support the parties.

Where do the Maoists fit in?

The Maoist guerrillas, who have fought a 10-year civil war with the government, are in an open - if uneasy - alliance with the opposition. They have supported the protests. Claims by the government that they are infiltrating the protests to stage violent attacks have been rubbished by independent observers. The Maoists have signed up to a framework for peace talks with the seven opposition parties, but even the party leaders who negotiated with them say they are not sure if the Maoists can be trusted.

If Gyanendra has offered elections, why are the opposition parties saying the protests will continue?

Gyanendra is offering elections with his own place secure as a constitutional monarch. The parties now say they want a new "constituent assembly" to be elected to review the constitution and debate whether Nepal should have a monarchy at all.

What is Britain doing?

Britain is heavily involved in Nepal because of its colonial history in neighbouring India. Gurkhas are still recruited from Nepal for the British Army. Until he seized power last year, Britain was supporting Gyanendra and arming Nepalese security forces against the Maoists. But since the his onslaught on democracy, Britain has distanced itself from him and the British ambassador said this week that unless the King backed down, it could mean the end of the monarchy in Nepal.

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http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article359437.ece

Concessions unlikely to halt rebellion in Nepal
· Demonstrators demand abolition of monarchy

Randeep Ramesh in Kathmandu
Saturday April 22, 2006
The Guardian

Nepal's King Gyanendra vowed to give up power but not the throne yesterday in a last-ditch attempt to placate protesters and win over political parties who want to end the 237-year-old rule of the Shah dynasty.

A pale-looking monarch took to the airwaves last night to announce he would give up the absolute powers he seized 14 months ago and accept a government formed by the main political parties.

In a little more than two weeks the kingdom has gone awry. Demonstrators have poured on to the streets of the capital despite bans and curfews - more than 100,000 converged on the western edge of the city yesterday. At least 14 people have been killed in the violence and hundreds injured.

In an address broadcast on state television the monarch thanked the army for its "discipline and valour" but conspicuously did not refer to the dead or injured protesters. His concession was that "executive power ... shall, from this day, be returned to the people". Groups gathered around Kathmandu after the speech, with some marchers chanting "Hail democracy! Gyanendra leave the country!"

Within minutes the largest political party, the Nepali Congress, dismissed the king's gambit, saying the monarch had "not clearly addressed the road map of the protest movement". The demonstrations, which the party helped to orchestrate, would continue, the spokesman added.

Since last November the seven largest parties and the Maoist guerrillas have come to an understanding that would see the rebels give up the gun in return for elections to an assembly that would rewrite the constitution, making the crown powerless or obsolete. Sujata Koirala, of the Nepali Congress, told the Guardian that the king was not making "a major concession at all. We have asked to reactivate the parliament so that a new constitutional settlement can be worked out. He has not listened."

Analysts also pointed out that under the king's gesture the army would remain loyal to him, not the politicians. "This makes the politicians very nervous," said Yuvraj Ghimire, editor of Samaya, a political weekly. "The first issue for any new parliament is to put soldiers under their control and in the current constitution they are not. After all, what is to stop the king from just seizing power again?"

Whether the offer restores peace in the Himalayan state will depend on the reaction over the weekend from the crowds of young people who have presented the monarch with his most uncompromising foe. Most have grown up since democracy arrived in the country in April 1990 and in the intervening 15 years they have seen corrupt and feckless democrats, a decade-long bloody Maoist rebellion and, since February 2005, bruising direct royal rule.

Tens of thousands of people again tried to enter the city limits from the suburbs yesterday despite police orders that they withdraw. They burned tyres and tore up pavements. Many more endured charges by security forces. Most vowed that the battle would continue off the streets until Nepal became a republic.

Taking off his shirt to reveal a deep red welt across his back, Kamal Jirel said that he had been beaten as he ran from cane-wielding policemen, staggering into the arms of paramedics. "I do not know what happened. One minute we were protesting and the next they were beating us."

The 22-year-old marketing executive said that he returned to the rally in the eastern suburb of Chabel because the king had to go. "There is no other alternative. This is the end of the king in Nepal. We want a republic."

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1758808,00.html