Nepal king's vow of democracy met with demonstrations

KATMANDU, Nepal -- A visibly uncomfortable king of Nepal promised Friday to bring democracy back to this Himalayan nation, trying to end a bloody political crisis that has engulfed the country. His efforts, though, met only with an opposition pledge of more demonstrations.

With more than 100,000 protesters filling the streets and a top envoy warning the government could be nearing collapse, King Gyanendra's promises showed little sign of mollifying the political opposition -- or a public desperate for change 14 months after he seized power.

The king, though, insisted in his speech he was acting on behalf of the nation his family has ruled since the 18th century.

'Unflinching commitment'

His dynasty, he said, has an "unflinching commitment toward constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy," and he called on the seven main opposition political parties to quickly name a prime minister.

"Executive power ... shall, from this day, be returned to the people," he said in the announcement broadcast on state television and radio.

Gyanendra, never an electrifying public speaker, looked particularly uncomfortable during Friday's speech, frozen rigidly in front of a cloth backdrop and staring directly into the camera as he spoke.

His glumness is unsurprising. In a country where kings were revered as godlike just a few years ago, Gyanendra is deeply unpopular, isolated in a collection of palaces and has lost control of much of the rural areas to a Maoist insurgency that has left nearly 13,000 people dead as it tries to create a communist Nepal.

Power vacuum

Observers fear the country could, at its worst, descend into chaos, creating a power vacuum into which the Maoists, with their long history of violence, could step in.

In addition, many demonstrators are increasingly demanding that he give up all his power -- something the king is clearly loathe to do.

Late Friday, the U.S. State Department urged the king to follow up his promise to restore democracy to the country of 27 million people, a place once famed for its spectacular mountain ranges and hippies in search of Eastern spirituality -- but now known for its chaotic, bloody politics.

"The people of Nepal deserve a democratic government that can return stability and peace to their country," spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement.

Opposition leaders saw little in the speech to resolve the crisis, which began when the king seized power in February 2005, saying he needed to crush the Maoist insurgency.

"This is incomplete," said Minendra Risal of Nepali Congress Democratic party, one of the seven opposition parties that have joined with the Maoists to protest the king's seizure of power.

The king, he noted, fell short of a key opposition demand -- the return of parliament and creation of a special assembly to write a constitution. The constitutional assembly "is the aspiration of the people."

Most opposition leaders want a constitution that would make the king a ceremonial figure or eliminate the monarchy entirely.

But they saw other problems too: Under the new plan, the king would retain an undefined political role in a constitutional monarchy and apparently keep control of the military.

"This looks like another attempt by the king to fool the people," said Subash Nemwang of the Communist Party of Nepal. "It is a desperate attempt to save the regime."

In the streets, the reaction was angrier.

On the outskirts of Katmandu, scene of the most violent protests, many said Gyanendra could not be trusted.

Other demonstrators voiced cautious optimism. "We have won the battle, but we still must win the war," said Grihendra Shrestha.

Late Friday, the coordinating body of the seven-party alliance issued a short statement, though it was unclear whether it was a direct reaction to the speech. "The general strike and other protests will further intensify," it said.

Nepal's crisis has escalated since a general strike called by the parties and the Maoists began two weeks ago. Protesters have filled the streets daily, leaving the country paralyzed, stores emptied of goods and the situation dangerously volatile. Security forces firing at protesters have killed at least 14, and wounded many more.

Reflecting the king's unpopularity, at least a half-dozen protests broke out Friday in and around Katmandu, all in defiance of a curfew. In the largest, more than 150,000 protesters filled the streets on the outskirts of the city.

In the Kalanki neighborhood, where police fatally shot three demonstrators Thursday, shouting and whistling crowds called for the king's downfall despite the presence of hundreds of heavily armed police and soldiers.

One group of protesters destroyed a police checkpoint -- a tin shack covered ringed by barbed wire -- then vandalized a government office, throwing out portraits of Gyanendra before setting the building afire.

Doctors wore black bands in protest at Katmandu's Model Hospital, where many wounded demonstrators were taken Thursday -- including two boys aged 5 and 10.

As the tension grew, so did the international pressure on Gyanendra.

"His time is running out," U.S. Ambassador James Moriarty told reporters hours before the king's speech. "Ultimately the king will have to leave if he doesn't compromise. And by 'ultimately' I mean sooner rather than later."

Despite the talk of compromise, the crackdown persisted. Two senior opposition leaders were arrested Friday as they tried to return to Katmandu, said Amrit Bohara of the Communist Party of Nepal.

The two men, Jhala Nath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam, both leaders of the party, have been important conduits in negotiations between the opposition and the insurgents.

The Maoists remain a major unknown. Although they have recently allied themselves with the political parties, their violent history -- they only recently were killing politicians -- worries even their allies.

Shortly before his arrest, Khanal said he only hesitantly trusted the guerrillas.

"They talk about democracy now, but violence is a part of their philosophy," he said in New Delhi.

When Gyanendra claimed direct control over the government 14 months ago, he argued that he had to bring order to a corrupt political scene and end the communist insurgency.

While many initially welcomed the king's move, hoping he would bring stability, his popularity waned badly as the insurgency worsened and the economy faltered.

"It's not enough for us. We are demanding a new constitution with a presidential system -- a republic," Prakash Thapa, a teacher, said Friday after the king's speech. "This country does not need Gyanendra, the thief."