Nepal hopes King will act to defuse crisis

Kathmandu, Apr 13: Nepal's embattled king returned to the capital after a nearly two-month vacation and there are hopes he might make the first move to defuse a violent campaign against him, officials today said.

King Gyanendra returned to Kathmandu late yesterday from the western tourist resort town of Pokhara, a week after the Himalayan country came to a standstill after his opponents launched mass protests seeking restoration of democracy.

The king is due to give his traditional message to the nation on Nepali New Year day on Friday and analysts and political foes hoped he might use the occasion to reach out to his opponents.

Protests against him are at their most intense since he grabbed power 14 months ago and he has taken a hardline against demonstrators.

''If the king is getting his information correctly and if he is watching the situation correctly, the common denominator in all the opposition against him is that it is he who needs to take the initiative to end this crisis,'' a Kathmandu-based diplomat said.

''That is the opinion of the people, the political parties and the international community,'' he said.

Some analysts said that the 58-year-old king, in a bid to buy time, could announce cosmetic changes to his royalist cabinet or even a timetable for national elections he has said will be held before April 2007.

But that was unlikely to satisfy the seven-party alliance against him, which wants multi-party democracy restored and executive powers returned to an all-party government.

That appears unlikely for now.

Street protests against the king would continue for the eighth day today, the parties said, adding their movement was growing stronger with more ordinary people taking part and urged businessmen, troops and government employees to join. ''If they are punished by the government for joining the protests the new government will protect them,'' the alliance said in a statement.

''WOUNDED PROTESTERS MISSING''

Interest on bank loans of businessmen would also be waived for the period of the pro-democracy campaign, they said.

''We appeal to hospitals to treat wounded protesters and their expenses will be paid by the government after the restoration of democracy,'' they said.

''The democratic government will take care of the families of those killed during the protests,'' they added.

Four people have been shot dead by troops and hundreds wounded across the country over the past week in clashes with riot police.

In one of the most violent incidents, more than 100 people were wounded, several of them seriously, when troops opened fire and used rubber bullets in a Kathmandu suburb on Tuesday, the first time protesters had been shot at in the capital during the latest campaign.

One leading Nepali newspaper said today that 15 people wounded in the incident were missing while another put the number at 37.

Nepal, which has been battling a violent Maoist revolt since 1996, was pushed deeper into turmoil in February 2005 when King Gyanendra sacked the government and took power saying politicians had failed to tackle the insurgency.

More than 13,000 people have been killed in the revolt, which aims to topple the monarchy, and Nepal's economy has been wrecked under its impact.

The rebels and the seven political parties formed a loose alliance last November under which the Maoists are backing the latest anti-king campaign.

REUTERS