KATMANDU, 31 May 2008 — In further humiliation for the 240-year-old Nepalese monarchy, the Katmandu government has started an audit of royal palace property and sent a letter asking former King Gyanendra to vacate the palace within two weeks.
Home Minister Krishna Prasad Situala told reporters here yesterday that the letter had reached to the former king, who is preparing to move to his own palatial private home in the city.
“Nepal government today sent a letter to sacked king to vacate the Narayanhiti Royal Palace within the 15-day deadline given by the Constituent Assembly (CA), which declared the country a federal secular and democratic republic on Wednesday,” said Situala, who is scheduled to go to the palace on an inspection visit tomorrow. He confirmed Gyanendra has not left the palace so far.
Situala said the situation in Nepal was normal. Roads, markets and commercial complexes were busy yesterday except the roads leading to the palace, outside which some protesters held demonstrations demanding the government drive out the ex-king as early as possible.
Some Nepalese media reports said Gyanendra and his family members left the palace late Thursday night and some local TV reports also showed a fleet of vehicles leaving Narayanhiti Palace at 12:45 am, but it looked like the vehicles carried only the belongings of the Shah family.
Asked about government plans for the palace, Situala said the sprawling palace would be turned into a national museum, which will feature the historical treasures of Nepal.
Nepalese media reports say the palace has a rich collection of rare art works, statues, historical documents, valuable jewelry and coins. “No one really knows what items are there in the palace as it was closed for the public so far,” said Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel.
Politicians could not say how long it will take for the Constituent Assembly to install a new government. A senior Maoist leader has said that his party has claimed both the positions of president and prime minister. Baburam Bhattarai said that being the largest party, the Maoists deserve both positions.
The parties have agreed on an executive prime minister and “constitutional president”. The president will work on the advice of the prime minister. The president will also be the commander in chief of the army. But the composition of the new government is still not clear.
Prabhakar Rana, a local businessman, urged the leaders to act fast and ensure political stability in the Himalayan nation. “The local economy is in turmoil, especially the tourism industry,” said Rana.
