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Humbled king hands back power Celebrating crowds take to the streets as Gyanendra restores parliament in hope of clinging on to Nepalese throne(The Daily Telegraph, Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)THOUSAND of jubilant Nepalis poured on to the streets of Kathmandu this morning, proclaiming a "people's victory'' after King Gyanendra finally released his autocratic grip on power and restored parliament in an attempt to end weeks of violent protests. Flag-waving crowds converged on the heavily-protected palace in the capital and screamed: "We have got our sovereignty now'', as opposition leaders vowed to turn a protest planned for today into a party. Car horns sounded as police and soldiers looked on at the joyful protesters holding hands and dancing within 600 yards of the palace. The scenes of joy erupted after the king announced a humbling compromise with his democratic opponents to save his throne. "The dissolved house of parliament has been reinstated by this announcement,'' he said. "We offer condolences for the lives lost during the agitation.'' At least 14 people have been shot dead by security forces in protests against the king's rule. Diplomats from America and India, Nepal's giant neighbour, were involved in brokering the restoration of parliament, which was dissolved by feuding politicians in 2002 before Gyanendra seized absolute power 15 months ago. The king said parliament would sit again on Friday. Nepal's three largest opposition parties welcomed his comments, and the sounds of celebratory shouts and whistles could be heard in the streets of Kathmandu minutes after his speech. Gyanendra "has addressed the spirit of the people's movement'' and met the demands of the main opposition seven-party alliance, said Ram Chandra Poudel, general secretary of the Nepali Congress (NC). The alliance was due to meet this morning to officially call off the protests. The address effectively handed power back to elected politicians hours before the largest planned protest yet, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to attend. Political parties had called for two million people to take to the streets in defiance of curfew orders. A senior member of the NC said that during the negotiations security officials assured the opposition that they were willing to submit to civilian control, while the parties told them they would ultimately be punished if more civilians were killed in protests. Maoist rebels waging a 10-year insurgency against the monarchy flexed their muscles with a raid on a district capital on Sunday. Hundreds stormed the town of Chautara, 60 miles east of Kathmandu, and fought a six-hour gun battle that killed at least five rebels and a soldier. Diplomats had warned that if the king failed to reach out to his enemies his reign could come to an end within days as protests ran out of control. The recalled parliament is likely to call for peace talks with the Maoists. |