KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Nepal's king vowed Friday to return power to the people of this Himalayan kingdom after weeks of massive protests and mounting international pressure.
King Gyanendra said his dynasty had "unflinching commitment toward constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy" and he called on the seven main political parties to name a prime minister as soon as possible.
"Executive power . . . shall, from this day, be returned to the people," he said in the announcement that was broadcast on state television and radio.
While the king appeared to be giving up most - and perhaps all - of his power, it remained unclear if his announcement would mollify his political opponents who launched a general strike on April 6 and drew tens of thousands to the streets daily.
Political leaders were in meetings after his announcement and could not be reached for comment.
Just hours earlier, more than 100,000 pro-democracy protesters defied a government curfew despite shoot-on-sight orders and filled the streets on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal's capital.
As the tension grew, so did the international pressure on Gyanendra, who seized power in February 2005, saying he needed to crush the Maoist insurgency that has killed nearly 13,000 people in a decade.
Nepal's crisis has escalated steadily since the opposition launched a general strike and protesters began hitting the streets daily, leaving the Himalayan country paralyzed.
Despite the talk of possible compromise, the crackdown continued. Two senior opposition leaders involved in negotiations with communist rebels were arrested Friday as they tried to return to Kathmandu, said Amrit Bohara of the Community Party of Nepal.
The two men, Jhala Nath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam, both leaders of the party, have been important conduits in negotiations between Nepal's seven main opposition parties and the Maoist insurgents who control much of the countryside.
The Maoists remain the biggest unknown in the crisis. Although they have recently tied themselves to the political parties, their history of violence and political extremism worries even their allies.
Earlier, three separate groups of marchers - each numbering in the thousands - converged on the western edge of Kathmandu in an area called Kalanki, where police shot three demonstrators dead on Thursday and wounded dozens. The security forces ringing the city Friday were told to shoot any demonstrators trying to enter the curfew zone.
Government notices issued early Friday said the 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. curfew must be observed in Kathmandu, its suburbs of Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, and in the resort town of Pokhara, 200 kilometres west of the capital. The notices warned people to stay indoors or risk being shot.
The government said the curfew was imposed "to protect the people, property and peace." Kathmandu residents rushed to buy food and supplies before it began.
There was minor unrest at Friday's demonstrations, but no immediate reports of shootings.
A group of protesters destroyed a tin shack covered with barbed wire that was serving as a temporary police checkpoint. Another group vandalized a government office, throwing out portraits of Gyanendra before setting the building on fire.
At Kalanki, protesters claimed an area on the street with a message scrawled in large red and white letters that read, "Martyrs' square, long live the martyrs."
They waved the flags of opposition political parties and chanted, "Long live democracy! The blood of the martyrs will not go to waste!"
A protester who was wounded during Thursday's clashes died in hospital Friday, becoming the 14th person killed by security forces since opposition parties launched the strike. He was among 26 people shot during a protest in Gulariya, 480 km southwest of Kathmandu.
A Defence Ministry statement said security forces had to fire on the crowds because the protests were getting out of control. The statement said 13 policemen were wounded in clashes with protesters who vandalized government offices and tried but failed to set them on fire.
At the Model Hospital, where many of the wounded protesters were taken, doctors wore black bands to protest the shootings.
"It was terrible," said Dr. Sarita Pandey. He said 66 wounded people, eight in critical condition, were brought in Thursday. The injured included a 10-year-old boy with a gunshot wound and a five-year-old beaten by police.
Nepal's Hindu royal dynasty was once revered as godlike, and the recent chants of "Hang the king" are a major departure from past protests, like the 1990 uprising that led the king's older brother to introduce democracy.
Gyanendra ended that experiment last year, arguing the move was needed to restore political order and to crush the communist insurgency.
While many of Nepal's 27 million people - frustrated by squabbling politicians - at first welcomed the king's power grab, the worsening insurgency and faltering economy have fuelled discontent.
© The Canadian Press, 2006
Full text: Nepal king's speech
The text of Nepal's King Gyanendra address to the nation, broadcast by Radio Nepal, in which announced handing over political power to the people and asked a seven-party alliance to choose a new prime minister.
Beloved Countrymen,
You are all aware that given the situation prevailing in the country then, we were compelled to take the decision of 1 February 2005 to set in motion a meaningful exercise in multiparty democracy by activating all elected bodies, ensuring peace and security and a corruption-free good government through the collective wisdom, understanding and the united efforts of all the Nepalese.
By supporting our decision, the Nepalese people made amply clear their desire for peace and democracy and the civil servants demonstrated sincerity towards their duty. We are appreciative of this. We also have high regard for the dutifulness, valour and discipline displayed by the security personnel by upholding their glorious tradition.
By visiting different parts of the country we made honest endeavours to acquaint ourselves with the hopes and aspirations of our people, mitigate their hardships and boost their morale. We also called on the political parties to enter into a dialogue in the interest of the nation and the people afflicted by violence and terror. However, this did not materialise.
The ideals of democracy can only be realised through the active participation of political parties.
In keeping with the tradition of the Shah dynasty to reign in accordance with the popular will, in the greater interest of the nation and people and our unflinching commitment towards constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy, we through this proclamation affirm that the executive power of the Kingdom of Nepal, which was in our safekeeping, shall from this day be returned to the people and the exercise according to Article 35 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990.
As the source of sovereign authority is inherent in the people, harmony and understanding must be preserved in the interest of the nation and people in an environment of peace and security.
While safeguarding multiparty democracy, the nation must be taken ahead along the road to peace and prosperity by bringing into the democratic mainstream those who have deviated from the constitutional path. Similarly, a meaningful exercise in democracy must be ensured with the activation of representative bodies through elections as soon as possible.
We therefore call on the seven-party alliance to recommend a name for the post of the prime minister at the earliest for the constitution of a council of ministers which will bear the responsibility of governing the country in accordance with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990. The present Council of Ministers will continue to function until the appointment of the prime minister.
May Lord Pashupatinath bless us all.
Jai Nepal
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