Nepal parties call off protests, name leader

by reposted

Tue, Apr 25, 2006 7:08AM

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's seven-party alliance called off crippling pro-democracy protests on Tuesday after King Gyanendra announced he was reinstating the dissolved parliament.

The parties, speaking as thousands of people cheered and danced on the streets, named former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala as the new head of government and said the first job would be to ensure Maoist insurgents fighting a decade-long rebellion joined the political mainstream.

A huge protest rally called for Tuesday has been converted into a victory parade, and hundreds of thousands of people were expected on the streets of the capital Kathmandu later in the day.

"We have called off the general strike and protest," said Krishna Prasad Sitaula, spokesman for the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the alliance.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060425/ts_nm/nepal_dc_67

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§ Nepalis celebrate end of protests

by BBC (reposted)

Tue, Apr 25, 2006 7:10AM

Thousands of Nepalis are holding a victory rally in the capital Kathmandu after the king gave in to their demands to reinstate parliament.

The seven-party opposition alliance said it had called off its weeks of demonstrations and a nationwide strike.

It has chosen former Prime Minister GP Koirala to head a new government.

But Maoist rebels behind a 10-year insurgency rejected King Gyanendra's deal with the opposition, and vowed to continue blockading the capital.

People gathered for the victory rally, waving party and national flags, and shouting slogans against the king from the roofs of vehicles.

"Gyanendra, thief, leave the country," shouted some protesters who had gathered near the royal palace, saying they would not stop demonstrating until the king was stripped of his powers.

'Ploy'

Meanwhile the city began to return to normal, after a crippling strike. Taxis were back on the streets, shops were reopened, and mobile phone connections were restored. Riot police were still in evidence, though.

Despite the hardships imposed by the strike, Nepalis insisted it had been worthwhile.

"It is only a small sacrifice for the good of the country," said Sabita Tamang, who has earned nothing from her grocery store for three weeks.

"The prices of food went up so high I had to cut down on what I eat," said Rajendra Sahi, a college student.

He added: "The people have done their part. Now it is the leaders who need to do theirs."

The king assumed direct powers in February 2005, saying opposition parties were failing to manage the Maoist insurgency.

Communist Party (UML) leader Madhav Kumar Nepal told the BBC the formation of a new government would be "the first step towards a constituent assembly", which would be tasked with redrawing the constitution.

Maoists' next move

But the Maoists said in agreeing the deal with the king, the opposition had betrayed an agreement it made with them in November, which called for fresh elections and an end to an "autocratic monarchy".

The king's concession was "a new ploy to break the Nepali people and save his autocratic monarchy", said Maoist leader Prachanda in a statement.

Until the November agreement was implemented in full, they would blockade Kathmandu and all district capitals, the statement added.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Nepal says all eyes are now on the Maoists and what their next move might be.

But he says the November agreement could be grounds for optimism that the opposition and the Maoists will work out their differences, and eventually lead to an end to the bloody rebellion.

King's address

During the recent protests, the demonstrators had repeatedly defied shoot-on-sight curfews despite the deaths of 14 people.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4942078.stm

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§ Nepal protests give way to joy

by more

Tue, Apr 25, 2006 7:22AM

Nepal's seven-party opposition alliance called off a massive protest planned for Tuesday, replacing it with a "victory rally" following the king's decision to restore democracy in the Himalayan kingdom.

CNN's Satinder Bindra, reporting Tuesday from the capital of Kathmandu, said officials were expecting a rally of 700,000 to 800,000 in the city of 1.5 million.

King Gyanendra announced late Monday he was reinstating the Parliament he dissolved more than a year ago, giving in to demands of the alliance that launched the protests three weeks ago.

News services, however, reported Tuesday that Maoist rebels rejected the king's offer to reinstate Parliament.

Additionally, the Reuters news service reported that the Maoists announced a blockade of Kathmandu and district capitals.

Maoist leader Prachanda called on the Nepalese people to continue peaceful street protests until elections were called for a special assembly to write a new constitution, Reuters reported.

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http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/04/25/nepal.protests/index.html

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