The royal proclamation is a sham: Protesters

KATHMANDU, Apr 22: Tens of thousands of people held anti-monarchy protests across Nepal today despite the king's promise to restore multi-party democracy, saying they wanted his powers limited by a new constitution.

''The royal proclamation is a sham,'' thousands shouted on the streets of Kathmandu, the capital. Protests were held in several district towns as well, but there were no reports of violence.

King Gyanendra yesterday said he was restoring political power to the people and asked the seven-party alliance spearheading the pro-democracy campaign to name a new prime minister.

The parties were holding a meeting later to figure out a joint response, but some leaders have already said the king had not done enough and protests would continue.

Krishna Prasad Sitaula, a spokesman for the Nepali Congress, a key constituent of the alliance, said the king had not ''addressed the road map of the protest movement''.

''Our protest campaign will continue,'' he said.

The king appeared to rule out any change of the constitution to curb his own powers, which has been a primary demand of the political parties. They have said holding elections to a constituent assembly, which would form a new constitution, was critical.

''A constitutional assembly is the least bloody way of choosing the people's government,'' said Ghan Bahadur Acharya Chettri, a schoolteacher at the site of some of the most bloody protests in recent weeks, Kathmandu's northern suburb of Kalanki.

''It's the way people can choose whether they want a monarchy or not.'' Around him, hundreds of youths chanted slogans and waved party flags. A curfew to prevent a march on the palace had been lifted, but few people were out on the streets other than the protesters.

At least 12 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in police action against protesters since the alliance launched a campaign on April 6 to demand restoration of multi-party democracy.

The impoverished kingdom has been virtually at a standstill since then with the movement of goods and people blocked by a general strike and crippling street protests across the nation.

INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE

Gyanendra sacked the government and took full powers in February 2005, vowing to crush a decade-old Maoist revolt in which more than 13,000 people have died.

Maoist rebels, who are loosely allied with the seven-party alliance, have insisted on a new constitution prepared by a constituent assembly as a precondition to joining the mainstream.

Gyanendra, who came to the throne after the 2001 palace massacre when his elder brother, Birendra, was killed by his own son, the Crown Prince Dipendra, has been under tremendous international pressure to restore democracy.

The European Union and India both welcomed the king's pledge to hand over power.

US ambassador James Moriarty, speaking to Reuters Television just two hours before the address, said the king had no choice but to relent to the parties' demands.

''If he doesn't do that, I think the monarchy will not last and ... we are going to see a revolution inside Nepal.'' The White House urged Nepal's political parties to act quickly and form a government in response to King Gyanendra's vow to restore political power to the people.

''We are pleased that King Gyanendra's message today made clear that sovereignty resides with the people of Nepal,'' said Frederick Jones, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.

Reuters