BBC Sunday, 3 June, 2001, 03:41 GMT 04:41 UK
Nepal left guessing on
royal killings
Feelings are running high throughout Nepal following
the murders
The acting head of state in Nepal, Prince
Gyanendra, has given the first official
explanation of the killings on Friday of the king,
queen and at least seven other members of
the royal family.
In a message to the people, he said only that
the deaths had occurred after the sudden
discharge or explosion of an automatic weapon
inside the palace.
He made no reference to earlier reports -
including one by the deputy prime minister -
that Crown Prince Dipendra had opened fire on
his family and then shot himself.
Nor did the prince regent say who was holding
the gun at the time of the killings.
The crown prince is
now reported to be in a
coma, but he has
nonetheless been
named king in keeping
with Nepal's
constitution.
Prince Gyanendra, his uncle, has been
appointed regent.
A BBC correspondent in Nepal says it remains
to be seen whether the prince's explanation of
the deaths will satisfy a public experiencing
both grief and anger.
Grim task
Prince Gyanendra is a soft-spoken
conservationist who has long shunned the
royal spotlight.
His first duty was the
grim task of leading the
funeral procession for
his brother, King
Birendra, and other
royal family members.
If Prince Dipendra dies
Prince Gyanendra will
be made king.
Sources said Prince
Dipendra had been
declared clinically
dead, but was being
kept alive on a
respirator.
A decision on continuing life support could fall
to Prince Gyanendra.
Appeal for calm
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala appealed for
calm after Saturday's royal funerals, during
which leading politicians were booed by
sections of crowds who swarmed onto the
streets of the capital, Kathmandu.
Tens of thousands
lined the route of the
funeral procession, as
it wound its way for
12km (seven miles)
through the city to the
banks of the Bagmati
river for cremation.
The loss of so many
members of the royal
family in such horrible
circumstances, and the
thought that the new
king was involved in
killing has added to the
sense of crisis.
Public life will cease completely during the
five-day mourning period now under way.
Security will have to be tight, due to fears
that people might be more inclined to take part
in unrest or violence while normal life is
suspended.
It is expected that there will be a heavy police
and possibly army presence in the streets of
Nepal's cities in the coming days.
-- Anonymous, June 03, 2001
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/153/world/Nepal_s_new_leader_known_as_
en:.shtml
Nepal's new leader known as environmentalist
By Associated Press, 6/2/2001 14:34
KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) Prince Gyanendra, a soft-spoken conservationist
who has long shunned the spotlight in this Himalayan nation, was
thrust into a very public role when he was named acting king
Saturday.
His first duty was the grim task of leading the funeral procession
for his brother, King Birendra, and seven other royal family members
reportedly shot to death Friday night by Crown Prince Dipendra.
Gyanendra's wife, Komal Shah, was one of three people wounded.
Sources said Dipendra, 29, had been declared clinically dead from
self-inflicted wounds but was being kept breathing by a respirator.
Dipendra became king upon his father's death, but Gyanendra was made
acting king due to Dipendra's condition.
A decision on continuing life support could fall to Gyanendra, 53,
who would then become formal king in the event of his nephew's death.
The post has been largely ceremonial since the monarchy was stripped
of power in 1990 after a popular people's movement. The country is
now governed by a prime minister, but the royal family remains highly
popular.
In a quirk of fate, Gyanendra was briefly king when he was 3.
His grandfather, King Tribhuwan, joined a people's revolution in 1951
against the Rana clan, who were then the behind-the-throne rulers.
Tribhuwan fled to India and the Ranas named Gyanendra king. But the
Ranas relinquished power after Tribhuwan returned with India's
support and was restored to the throne.
Gyanendra, the second of three sons of the late King Mahendra and
Queen Indra Rajya Laxmi, is a passionate environmentalist.
Since 1994, he has been chairman of the King Mahendra Trust for
Nature Conservation, the largest conservation group in Nepal, which
as home to Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks is visited by
thousands of trekkers every year.
Gyanendra has been involved in many World Wildlife Fund conservation
programs to protect Nepal's flora and fauna. He was also chairman of
the Lumbini Development Trust in 1986-91, working for the
preservation of the birthplace of Buddha.
Educated at India's St. Joseph School in Darjeeling and Nepal's
Tribhuwan University, he was fond of writing lyrics under the pen
name G. Shah.
Since the establishment of democracy in 1990, Gyanendra has remained
mostly out of public life, making a handful of appearances during
conservation campaigns and public functions where all members of the
royal family were present.
His only son, Paras, is a source of embarrassment for the royal
family. Prince Paras has allegedly beaten up people, including police
officers. He was also a suspect in a hit-and-run fatality, but was
never charged.
-- Anonymous, June 03, 2001