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Curfew
IN THE capital
Late King Dipendra's funeral announced Kathmandu, June 4 - An official
announcement over Radio Nepal has said that the funeral of late King
Dipendra will take place later Monday afternoon local time. Kathmandu June 4 - King Gyanendra was born in July 1947 and is the middle brother of King Birendra who died in a shoot-out Friday. He is married to Princess Komal who is recovering from the shootout. They have a son and daughter. The King completed his Senior Cambridge from St. Joseph's College, Darjeeling, India, and graduated from Tribhuvan University with a B.A. degree. A former hunter, the King is now a keen conservationist who heads the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation and is member of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature Conservation. The Trust’s flagship work is the much-acclaimed Annapurna Area Conservation Project which has been credited with a sustainable eco-tourism programme. At the age of four, Gyanendra had been crowned king by the Ranas and was the figurehead monarch until King Tribhuvan returned from India a few months later. On Monday, King Gyanendra was crowned king for the second time. He was crowned amidst a slight drizzle, and he later rode a horse-drawn carriage to Narayanhiti Royal Palace past cheering crowds as cannons boomed in the air. The road had been cleared of protesters chanting slogans against the succession. Nepalnews.com/br/kd King Gyanendra crowned at Hanuman Dhoka KATHMANDU, June 4 -- Radio Nepal has carried a live broadcast detailing the ascension to the throne of King Gyanendra at almost exactly 1100 AM on Monday morning at the Nyasal Chowk of Hanuman Dhoka Palace. Amidst auspicious music in the background, the radio said the Bada Guru placed the crown on the new King. The King then sat on Nepal's Naga Throne amidst traditional splendor. Also present on the occasion were the Prime Minister, Chief Justice, senior government officials and other members of the Royal Palace and senior generals of the Royal Nepal Army, including the Chief of Army Staff Prajwalla SJB Rana. All passed in front of the throne and ceremonially placed silver coins on the ground before paying their respects ("daam rakhne"). In Tundikhel, cannons boomed in the air in a 31-gun salute. nepalnews.com/kd The full text of King Gyanendra's address to the nation: "Beloved citizens, I am extremely saddened to tell you that His Majesty King Dipendra is no more with us. In his tenure as King, we as Prince Regent had addressed you earlier. In that address, we had referred to the tragic incident at the Royal Palace on Friday, 19 Jestha 2058, but there were constitutional and legal difficulties in expressing what had actually transpired. Now that the situation has changed, we will make an investigation into the incident and urgently let the beloved citizens know the outcome. We are convinced that all Nepalis must be solemn and united in living through these tragic times. May Lord Pashupatinath Bless Us All. Jaya Nepal" Gyanendra Crowned King of Nepal In a ceremony held at Hanuman Dhoka at 11:00 am, Regent Prince Gyannendra Bir Bikram Shah has been crowned as the King of Nepal. Kathmandu, June 4 - The Raj Parishad, after an emergency meeting, made a brief announcement broadcast over radio and television Monday morning at 10:30 that Prince Regent Gyanendra has been declared King of Nepal. It added that King Dipendra had died at 03:45 in the morning at the Chhauni military hospital. There are demonstration on the streets of Kathmandu with hijacked taxis shouting slogans like "No one can kill our king" and "We won't accept Gyanendra as king". Police has forcibly dispersed some of the crowds, but they have been massing at the centre of the city. The road from Kanti Path to Hanuman Dhoka Palace where the official crowning is expected to take place soon has been cleared even of bystanders.In a message to the nation, King Gyanendra also said a thorough investigation into the massacre at the royal palace in which at least eight members of the royal family were killed would be made. He added that there had been difficulties in making that announcement earlier. nepalnews.com/kd Emergency
meeting of Raj Parishad called All members have
been asked to be present. Kathmandu, June 4 - King
Dipendra, the uncrowned king of Nepal, died very early Monday at an army
hospital in Kathmandu, palace and hospital sources said. The death is expected to be
officially announced during the course of Monday after a meeting of the Raj
Parishad, and Prince Regent Gyanendra may be declared King Monday. King Dipendra had been in a
coma since Friday night, after the Royal Palace shootout in which nine
members of the royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya
were killed. On Sunday, the Raj Parishad declared Crown Prince Dipendra
king and named Gyanendra Prince Regent. When Gyanendra is declared
king, it will be the second time in history that he will have been crowned.
In November 1950, the then Rana prime minister had made him king at the
age of four after King Tribhuvan and King Mahendra secretly left Kathmandu
for India to return in February 1951 to restore the House of the
Shahs in Nepal. Not counting Gyanendra's brief kingship then, he will
be the 12th Shah king of Nepal in a dynasty that stretches back to Prithvi
Narayan Shah, the unifier of modern Nepal. The massacre on Friday has
now wiped out the entire family of King Birendra: his wife, two
sons and daughter. Neither Dipendra nor Nirajan were married. Princess Sruti
has two daughters, and her husband was wounded in the attack. Tensions have risen because
of street demonstrations by mourning youth in support of monarchy on Sunday
and more protests are expected on Monday as the news of the death of
Dipendra spreads. In one incident outside the Royal Palace on Sunday, youths
chased foreign journalists and raised slogans against international television
news that had said Dipendra had killed his family. Royal Palace spokesman
Chiran Thapa told BBC World on Monday morning that the shooting was an
accident, following the official line announced Sunday morning by
Gyanendra that the deaths occurred because of a "'sudden discharge of
an automatic weapon". Domestic news broadcasts in Nepal are only
official, but print media have been publishing graphic eye-witness accounts
of what transpired inside the palace that fateful Friday, first of
June, 2001. Injured royals moved out of ICU Kathmandu, June 3: Several injured family members injured in Friday's shooting in the royal palace have been moved out of intensive care to a VVIP unit at the army hospital in Chhauni, Nepal Television announced. Princess Komal, wife of Regent Prince Gyanendra and sister of the late Queen Aishwarya, late King Birendra's only surviving sister Princess Shoba, late Princess Sruti's husband Kumar Gorakh Rana, and King Birendra's cousin Keytaki Chester have all been moved out following improvements in their condition. NTV said Prince Dhirendra's condition continues to be critical. Late King Birendra's youngest brother was serious wounded and has gunshot wounds on the right side of his chest, sources said. King Dipendra himself is in critical consdition and in life-support in the same hospital. nepalnews.com br/kd
Condition of King Dipendra continues to be very critical Demonstrators calls for investigation Kathmandu, June 3: The late King Birendra was sincerely interested in Nepal’s development, as displayed by his attempts at reforming the education sector, and the social system. The late king’s division of the country into five development regions, a major development initiative, was designed specifically to improve the lives of the people of neglected west Nepal. King Birendra ascended the throne on 31 January 1972 but was only crowned on 28 February 1975. In 1980, five years after the late king inherited the partyless Panchayat system from his father King Mahendra, he put it to test in a referendum, in which people voted in favour of continuing the panchayat system with reforms. He enjoyed absolute power until 1990 when a popular movement toppled the system and restricted the power of the monarch. In an interview with this correspondent on the eve of the promulgation of the constitution on November 9, 1990 the king had admitted: "I am moving into uncharted territory." In the last 11 years the king earned a lot of respect at home and abroad, and was commended by political parties for supporting democracy. One of King Birendra’s biggest achievements was his role in forming the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC). He is credited by many with taking the initiative in creating South Asia’s biggest co-operation alignment. However his foreign policy initiative to declare Nepal a Zone of Peace was abandoned without explanation by successive governments after the restoration of multi-party democracy despite the support of 116 countries, excluding India. The king pushed for friendly ties with immediate neighbours China and India. King Birendra’s love for his country and people was openly displayed in his numerous visits to different parts of the kingdom. The king, a paratrooper and an experienced helicopter pilot, had flown or travelled by foot to many parts of the country. During the Panchayat era he paid annual regional visits setting up camp at the five regional district headquarters to get a first hand knowledge of local problems and issues; the practice was discontinued after 1990. The king was a widely travelled man and established personal rapport with world leaders who have mourned his death. Local and many international newspapers Sunday gave banner coverage to the death of the king, queen and other members of the royal family. There is even news that a man in Narayanghat committed suicide after receiving news of the royal family killings. Nepalnews.com/br Condition of King Dipendra critical Kathmandu, June 3: In its first official statement on the subject, the Royal Palace said Sunday that the condition of King Dipendra is "very critical". Prince Regent Gyanendra said in a message to the nation Sunday morning that the King is not able to conduct his duties as head of state. A nation still in shock was home watching news about Nepal in foreign television news because state controlled radio and television was giving out only sketchy information on the Friday night shooting in which at least eight members of the royal family were killed. Six other members of the royal family were injured and Crown Prince Dipendra, who has been declared King, is struggling for his life at the Birendra Military Hospital. Shops reopened after a voluntarily closure Saturday and vehicles were again plying the busy streets. The King, Queen and other members of the royal family were cremated Saturday night with full state honours at Pashupati's Aryaghat as the biggest crowd in recent memory gathered along the streets to bid a tearful farewell to the royal couple and their two children. The crowd shouted pro-monarchy slogans and against Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala whose car was pelted with stones as police restored to firing in the air at several points during the funeral procession Saturday. World leaders continued to mourn the death of a popular monarch. After statements from India and the United States, Pakistan's Chief Executive Gen.Pervez Musharraf said: "The late King was a popular monarch who made a singular contribution to the democratic evolution of Nepal and will hold a very special place in the history of his country." The UN Secretary General isaid he was "profoundly shocked by the reported killing Friday evening of King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya as well as other members of the royal family. He is deeply saddened tragedy. The Secretary General extends his heartfelt condolences to the people of Nepal and calls for calm and stability." The UN Secretary General isaid he was "profoundly shocked by the reported killing Friday evening of King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya as well as other members of the royal family. He is deeply saddened tragedy. The Secretary General extends his heartfelt condolences to the people of Nepal and calls for calm and stability." Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, Pope John Paul II and others also expressed their condolences. Russai's flags flew at half mast. A regional meeting of seven foreign secretaries of SAARC to be held in Colombo this week has been postponed. nepalnews.com br Kathmandu, June 3: Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said King Birendra contributed immensely to restoration of multi-party democracy. " The highly tragic and painful death of beloved Their Majesties who contributed immensely to the restoration and development of constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy will continue to shock the Nepali people for a long time to come. " I appeal to all the Nepalese brothers and sisters within and
outside the country to gather courage to face the situation and to exercise perseverance in times of the national mourning," Koirala said Male officials have been asked to shave their heads as a mark of
respect for the King and Queen. Condition of King Dipendra critical Kathmandu, June 3: The condition of King Dipendra is" very critical," a statement issued by the Royal Palace said Sunday. This is the first official statement on the condition of King Dipendra. Regent Prince Gyanendra said in a message to the nation Sunday the
King is not able to conduct his duties as head of state. The Regent also said the King, Queen and others members of the royal |
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