1. Nepal king clamps press censorship 3 february 2005
http://sify.com/news/international/fullstory.php?id=13661166 2. 'Nepal crisis cabinet' unveiled
The king pledged to restore democracy within three years
Nepal's King Gyanendra has unveiled a new cabinet - a day after sacking the government and declaring a state of emergency in the Himalayan nation.
The king plans to head the 10-member body himself, Nepal's state media said.
The monarch's moves have been condemned at home and abroad, but he said he had to act as the ousted government failed to protect Nepal from Maoist rebels.
With phone lines down, Nepal is still cut off from the world, although one or two flights have arrived.
3.
Sumi: An opposition politician told the Associated Press that a number of politicians had been arrested.
"We don't even know how many of our people have been arrested," Shovakar Parajuli of the Nepali Congress party said.
The move directly violates the constitution and is against democracy
Sher Bahadur Deuba
Sacked prime minister
4. Analysis: India's fears
King Gyanendra on Tuesday (February 2, 2005) placed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and members of his cabinet under house arrest.
Complete censorship of the media has been introduced and civil rights have been suspended, the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu reports.
Mounting concern
The new ministers, some
5.
oooh10: is delhi flight operating?
4 (continued)
Sumi: of whom have served in previous governments, are mostly the king's close associates, our correspondent says.
NEPAL IN CRISIS
June 2001 - Gyanendra is crowned king following royal massacre
July 2001 - Sher Bahadur Deuba becomes prime minister following Maoist violence
Oct 2002 - King Gyanendra sacks Deuba and assumes executive power
June 2004 - Deuba reappointed prime minister in place of Surya Bahadur Thapa
Feb 2005 - Deuba sacked, king assumes direct power
Among them, Ramesh Nath Pandey has been named as foreign minister.
The king said his new cabinet would "restore peace and effective democracy... within the next three years".
Nepal's closest allies - India, the US and UK - and also the United Nations - have all criticised the king's actions.
5: Chat notes:
Sumi: no not yet
Sumi: partha had gone back from half of the way
oooh10: so he did go on the flight, but the flight returned?
oooh10: is that correct?
Sumi: yah
Sumi: yes
Sumi: did u get my news?
oooh10: yes
Sumi: which i'm sending
4. news continued
Sumi: At the moment there is no possibility of any support," says Dr Parmanand, a Nepal specialist at Delhi University.
India's public stand has always been to back multi-party democracy in Nepal and that is unlikely to change.
"It's a theme that India has been harping on for a long time," says Dr Parmanand.
"It has observed that the previous government had curtailed powers and that parliament had been dissolved, so it is unlikely to extend its co-operation."
Sumi: Common threat
It is believed that King Gyanendra might have hoped to tap into India's growing concern over the Maoist insurgency in Nepal and hope for some backing for his position.
India is a major source of military assistance
India has recently declared that the Nepalese Maoists present a common threat to both countries.
Many Indian states are also fighting Maoist rebels who are believed to have links with their counterparts in Nepal.
Sumi: But not many believe that this is enough of a threat to make India change its position on Nepal, especially as there are doubts here over the king's possibility of succeeding where previous governments had failed.
Retired Indian army officer Maj Gen Ashok Mehta, a defence analyst, believes the Royal Nepalese Army is unlikely to perform any better under the king's direct control.
"A lot more troops will have to be committed to the Kathmandu Valley to ward off popular protests against the king, so there operations against the Maoists will be stretched," he says.
oooh10: got it
Sumi: ok didi
oooh10: can u give me ndtv news update?
Sumi: yes
Sumi: did
Sumi: didi
6. from NDTV Correspondent, Wednesday, February 2, 2005 (Kathmandu):
Flights to and from Kathmandu have resumed a day after Nepal's King Gyanendra dismissed the Sher Bahadur Deuba government.
All flights were cancelled yesterday. But phone lines are still not working. They have been down for over 24 hours now.
King Gyanendra today also named a new 10-member cabinet comprising mostly of his loyalists.
In an announcement carried by state television and radio, the monarch named Rames Nath Pandey as foreign minister.
The cabinet also includes a communist member, Radha Krishna Mainali, as sports and education minister.
The new line-up also includes Pravatar Shumsher Rana as finance minister and Dan Bahadur Shahi as home minister.
7. Sumi: World community
The king had dismissed the Deuba government saying it had failed to make peace with Maoist rebels and hold elections.
The international community has condemned the Nepal king's dramatic move.
The United States has asked Nepal to make an immediate move towards the restoration of multi-party democratic institutions under a constitutional monarchy.
The move has also been condemned by India. "These developments constitute a serious setback to the cause of democracy in Nepal and cannot but be a cause of grave concern to India," the MEA statement said.
9. Sumi: State of emergency
A day after Nepal plunged into a political crisis, Nepalese troops are patrolling the capital.
Checkpoints have been set up by the army at one of the city's entrances and armoured military vehicles with mounted machine guns were patrolling the streets.
The king has also suspended several provisions of the constitution, including the freedom of press, speech and expression, the freedom to assemble peacefully, the right to privacy, and the right against preventive detention.
Nepal's ambassador to India said in Delhi that there is no fear of the Maoists and political parties coming together against the monarchy.
9. Ascent to power
King Gyanendra is not new to controversy. He took over the throne in 2001 after his brother and the entire royal family were massa
Sumi: massacred allegedly by the then King's son, Dipendra.
Gyanendra's coronation was marked by protests, which were directed against his controversial son Paras who became the crown prince.
Some had even accused Paras of having a hand in the palace killings.
11. Power struggle
Since he took charge in 2001, this is the fourth time that the king has sacked a government.
For a large part of his reign, Nepal has been without a Parliament, despite several pro-democracy protests.
Gyanendra knows he will have to fight and win a three-way power struggle involving the monarchy, powerful Maoist rebels and Nepal's parliamentary parties.
His success now depends entirely on whether he will be able to bring the Maoist rebels back to the negotiating table and strike some sort of a deal in restoring peace in the country.
Sumi: thats all
--------
(Received at 4.30 PM on Feb 3, 2005 in Bangalore via chat. Sumi’s husband was to attend a workshop in Nepal on 2 February but could not, and was the first contact point for Jaya – who works closely with NGOs in Nepal)
-------------