Nepal's new government moved ahead yesterday with dismantling remnants of King Gyanendra's unpopular authoritarian rule, amid growing calls that his senior officials be held accountable for their role in suppressing dissent.
"We strongly urge the government to keep the suspected [officials] in suspension," wrote the Kathmandu Post in an editorial yesterday that echoed calls from other newspapers.
Responding to the growing sentiment, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's new Cabinet decided on Sunday to cancel all political appointments made during the king's 14-month direct rule.
The king yielded power on April 24 and restored democracy in the face of a violent, countrywide campaign against him.
A judicial commission is investigating human-rights abuses allegedly carried out by the military and senior officials during the king's crackdown on a movement to oust him from power that resulted in the deaths of at least 19 people.
But more action was being sought.
"The government has to do much more to reverse the regressive decisions of the past and remove existing obstructions," the Himalayan Times newspaper said in an editorial yesterday, adding that there should also be a review of how judges responded to the political crisis.
Home Minister Krishna Sitaula also announced on Sunday that Nepal's ambassadors to the US, India, Japan, Britain, France and other countries were being recalled.
The government has said it will dismantle legislation, appointments, decrees and other actions taken after the king grabbed power in February last year. It earlier scrapped municipal elections that were held three months ago.
Even state-run the Rising Nepal, which had earlier slammed anti-king protesters, joined the chorus.
An editorial in the paper cited "numerous atrocities" and said those responsible should "not be allowed to go unpunished."
Nepal's parliament also has committed to elections for a constituent assembly that will rewrite the Constitution, a key demand of Maoist rebels who joined forces with a seven-party alliance to play a key role in the three weeks of often-bloody demonstrations.
But while the rebels appear to be headed for a role in the political mainstream and have agreed to hold peace talks with the government, their impatience for quick action is mirroring the general public's sentiments.
A news report on Sunday quoted the rebels' leader, Prachanda, as saying an interim constitution should be enacted immediately, even before the special assembly is elected.
"There should be an interim constitution and an interim government," Prachanda was quoted as saying by Nepal magazine.
"We have not made any official decision on the issue but we are in agreement that it would be fine just to remove some clauses from the existing constitution," said Gopal Man Singh, minister for physical planning and works.
The rebels have made it clear they have differences with the new government despite their partnership in bringing down the royal regime.
A Zurich city councilor has apologized and reportedly sought police protection against threats after she fired a sport pistol at an auction poster of a 14th-century Madonna and child painting, and posted images of their bullet-ridden faces on social media. Green-Liberal party official Sanija Ameti, 32, put the images on Instagram over the weekend before quickly pulling them down. She later wrote on social media that she had been practicing shots from about 10m and only found the poster as “big enough” for a suitable target. “I apologize to the people who were hurt by my post. I deleted it immediately when I
The governor of Ohio is to send law enforcement and millions of dollars in healthcare resources to the city of Springfield as it faces a surge in temporary Haitian migrants. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Tuesday said that he does not oppose the Temporary Protected Status program under which about 15,000 Haitians have arrived in the city of about 59,000 people since 2020, but said the federal government must do more to help affected communities. On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost directed his office to research legal avenues — including filing a lawsuit — to stop the federal government from sending
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is to visit Russia next month for a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) said on Thursday, a move that comes as Moscow and Beijing seek to counter the West’s global influence. Xi’s visit to Russia would be his second since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but it has backed the Kremlin’s contentions that Russia’s action was provoked by the West, and it continues to supply key components needed by Moscow for
Japan scrambled fighter jets after Russian aircraft flew around the archipelago for the first time in five years, Tokyo said yesterday. From Thursday morning to afternoon, the Russian Tu-142 aircraft flew from the sea between Japan and South Korea toward the southern Okinawa region, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said in a statement. They then traveled north over the Pacific Ocean and finished their journey off the northern island of Hokkaido, it added. The planes did not enter Japanese airspace, but flew over an area subject to a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia, a ministry official said. “In response, we mobilized Air Self-Defense
RSS