Nepal’s deposed King Gyanendra vowed yesterday not to flee the country but to stay on and work for the good of its people.
“I have assisted in and respected the verdict of the people,” Gyanendra said, addressing his first-ever press conference at the Narayanhity royal palace in Kathmandu, which he was scheduled to leave later yesterday.
“I have no intention of leaving the country and will stay in Nepal and contribute to the independence and prosperity of the Nepali nation,” he said.
A specially elected assembly voted overwhelmingly to abolish the 239-year-old monarchy two weeks ago and ordered Gyanendra out of his palace and into an old royal hunting lodge just outside the capital.
Gyanendra, looking composed in a traditional white, black and red Nepali cap and black jacket, as he sat in a chair surrounded by hunting trophies — two stuffed tigers and rhino head — said he had already handed over the diamond and ruby-studded crown and a ceremonial scepter to the government.
The comments were the first from Gyanendra since Nepal was declared a republic on May 28.
Gyanendra used the address to dismiss reports that he had amassed a huge fortune, as well as the widely held view in Nepal that he was linked to a palace massacre in 2001 that led to his coronation.
“In 2001 I did not even get to mourn the deaths of my brother and sister-in-law and my nephews and nieces,” he said. “The accusations that were targeted against us were inhuman.”
Gyanendra ascended the throne in June 2001 after the massacre, in which the crown prince — who was drunk and on drugs and furious at being prevented from marrying the woman he loved — killed most of the family and himself.
Many Nepalese, however, believe Gyanendra was linked to the killings.
“There was also an accusation that I have lots of property and money abroad. All my properties are in Nepal. All the properties I have are nationalized. In the last seven years I have not gathered any money or property,” he said.
Earlier, more than 100 people had gathered outside the venue of the constituent assembly meeting to demand Gyanendra not be allowed to live at the hunting lodge.
“Give alms, not palace, to the beggar,” some placards read.
In a counter-demonstration, however, around 300 people demanded that Nepal, officially a secular state since 2006, be made a Hindu nation once again.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique