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| Sunday, 25 September 2005 |
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Thousands welcome king's first walkabout KATHMANDU, Sept 23 (AFP)- Nepal's King Gyanendra called on all Nepalese to join nation-building efforts as thousands turned out to welcome his first public walkabout in the Kathmandu valley since his power grab almost eight months ago, witnesses said. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of the ancient capital Lalitur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, on Thursday to greet the royal couple. "Some foreigners are spending a large sum of money to create a chaotic situation in the country," Gyanendra told the Kathmandu Valley Development Council after strolling with Queen Komal through the streets. "You should be aware of this fact and cooperate in restoring peace in the country and in nation building," the king said. He did not identify the "foreigners" he accused of trying to undermine the world's only Hindu kingdom. Troops and police were posted at street corners and on rooftops as the king and queen snaked their way through the crowds, stopping to greet well-wishers. "We feel lucky and thrilled to touch the king's hands while greeting him with bouquets," elderly Buddhist priest Pragya Ratna Bajracharya told AFP. "We believe that touching the king's hand would rid us of our sins of the day," Bajracharya said. The tour of Lalitpur marks the first time the king has strolled among ordinary Nepalese since he sacked the four-party coalition government on February 1 for failing to quash a nine-year-old Maoist rebellion. However the monarch has toured parts of the west of the country. His walkabout comes at a time of growing street protests against the king organised by an alliance of seven political parties and student groups. It also comes amid a unilateral ceasefire called by the Maoists in a bid to forge an anti-king alliance with the political groups, who have demanded an end to violence before holding talks with the rebels. |
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