King to continue immediately after election

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 16 March: The King will continue to stay at the Narayanhiti Royal palace after the result of the controversial 10 April constituent assembly that’s being held to decide the future of the 238-year-old monarchy that founded modern Nepal.
Sher Bahadur Deuba, who staked a claim Sunday to succeed Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, indicated this in an interview Sunday with newsmagazine ‘Nepal’.
“It can’t happen just like that; it takes time how to declare a president and other matters,” Deuba said in reply to a question the first plan was to declare a republic through the first session of a constituent assembly.
Deuba wasn’t also clear how a republic will be enforced.
“Don’t know what the king will do—whether he wants to stay in Nepal or go abroad,” the former prime minister said in reply to another question.
Two years have been set aside to draft a constitution.
Baburan Bhattarai said Congress and CPN-UML proposals for a ceremonial president after election was a ploy to save monarchy to which Maoists countered demanding an immediate declaration of a republic.
The second-ranking Maoist leader said this in Dolakha Saturday.
Chairman Prachanda said, “Americans are leading a conspiracy in Kathmandu to stop election” telling his audience Saturday in Rolpa from where Maoists launched their people’s 12 years ago, USA was working to stop a march to power by Maoists.
Prachanda said national and foreign elements and palace were conspiring to defeat Maoists at the hustings.
Deuba said Sunday he is the logical successor to Koirala who said he will quit politics after election because age and ill-health—but many don’t believe Koirala.
“Who else is there after me?” Deuba asked a reporter in reply to a question who will succeed Koirala.
Madhav Kumar Nepal Sunday called for the continuation of the seven-party alliance after the assembly election.
Premier Koirala also said earlier the present coalition should also continue to rule for another 10 years whatever the outcome of the vote—even if Congress gets a majority.
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Violence mars campaigning

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 16 March: Violence continued unabated Sunday even as Nepal’s first constituent assembly election is only 25 days away.
Maoists are responsible for most of the reported violence.
Congress charged CPN (Maoist) activists shot at Congress candidate Bal Krishna Dahal and his group in Okhaldungha; Dahal resigned as personal private secretary of the prime minister to contest elections.
Maoists assaulted another candidate of the prime minister’s party Saturday in Gorkha from where Dr Baburam Bhattarai is also contesting elections.
A candidate of conservative RPP Sunday was abducted, detained and released four hours later in ,Madi, Chitwan; he was released with a warning not to campaign in Chitwan where Maoists destroyed the party’s office in an arson attack last week.
Chief Election Commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokhrel briefed Premier Koirala if widespread violence especially in the tarai districts and demanded reinforced security for free, fair and impartial elections.
Pokhrel met Koirala one day earlier and told him some Maoist combatants had come out of seven cantonments housing them even as UN observers were overseeing them.
The combatants joined campaigning on behalf of Maoist candidates in clear violation of a peace accord between government and Maoists, earlier reports said.
A Maoist district leader Sukha Deb Shah was abducted in Saptari and one person as shot dead in Parsa.
Two school children were injured when a school was bombed in Birgunj Sunday.
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CPN-UML comes out against Tibetan refugee protests

Kathmandu, 16 March: CPN-UML Sunday denounced what it called anti-China protests by Tibetan refugees in Nepal.
The party issued the strong criticism in a statement against what it called a Nepal’s friendly neighbour.
Police last week forcibly stopped a refugee march to the Chinese embassy to protest a crackdown against monks in Tibet.
Refugees have been holding a protest sit-in at Baudhanath temple and police also stopped a march to the UN office in the capital to protest the forcible quelling on bloody riots in Tibet and demanding a halt to the Beijing Olympics.
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