Thursday, February 3, 2005 (Kathmandu):


Two days after the Nepalese monarch, King Gyanendera dissolved the elected government of Sher Bahadur Deuba, Nepal remains a country under siege.

The army is patrolling the streets of Kathmandu and has replaced the police in the city.

Flights to and out of the country have only been partially restored and phone and internet connections remain suspended.

Liberties suspended

Several political leaders are still under house arrest and the king has suspended most civil liberties, including speech and expression.

Newspapers too are being allowed to print only official government proclamations.

The suppression of basic human rights is being strongly resented by people in the country.

"The king is not the one who decides the fate of the leaders. The king is not the one to decide what we want," a local resident said.

"I think it's going in the wrong way. The king is taking the wrong steps to suppress the people, their basic rights. Their political and human rights are in danger," said Tila Ram Sapkota, a Nepalese student.

Maoists' stand

With communications cut, a three-day bandh call by the Maoists had little impact today, at-least in Kathmandu where many businesses remained open and traffic moved normally.

Meanwhile, the new ten-member cabinet sworn in on Wednesday says it wants to talk with the Maoists, who have been opposing the monarchy since 1996.

"Our first priority is to establish peace and we are considering how to move forward with the peace process and the dialogue with the Maoists," said Radha Krishna Mainali, Cabinet Minister.

However, that may prove to be difficult. In a surprise turnaround, the Maoists have now threatened to launch a countrywide rebellion against the monarchy, offering to join hands with the very same political forces they had also opposed till now.