Nepal govt's birthday gift to Gyanendra 9 Jul 2009, 1746 hrs IST, TNN

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s new government Thursday virtually handed over a gift to ousted king Gyanendra, who turned 62 this week, by shelving the Maoist plan to begin a fresh investigation into the palace massacre that nine years ago enabled him to ascend the throne. When he was prime minister, Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda had said a high-level probe would be initiated into the June 2001 shootout in the Narayanhuty royal palace in which King Birendra and nine more royals perished. Though Birendra’s son Dipendra was held responsible by an inquiry commission, it was rejected by the nation that still considers the killing to be a complex conspiracy. In its policies and programme for the financial year 2009-10, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s government instead settled for a lesser investigation into the properties of the formal royals. “The property belonging to the former royal family, both within the country and abroad, will be investigated and utilized for national benefit,” the government said. It is a feeble threat since the new government that came to power following the fall of the army-backed regime of King Gyanendra in 2006 had pledged to nationalize the royal family’s assets but failed to make a dent. Except for the palaces and extensive lands belonging to slain king Birendra, a succession of governments failed to make any headway in its effort to take over royal property. Repeated letters to Gyanendra to disclose his income went unanswered. Neither could officials trace the former royals’ assets in foreign banks, including in India. The 27-page document was tabled in parliament Thursday after a hiatus of two months by the president, Dr Ram Baran Yadav. The Maoists, who had obstructed the house since May to show their anger over Yadav’s support for the army chief they had sacked, allowed him to present the document but only two of their lawmakers attended the session to show their disapproval. After the document is discussed by legislators, finance minister Surendra Pandey will table his budget Monday. India and China were given special mention in the document, which reiterated that the government’s foreign policy would be conducted “on the principles of the UN Charter, Panchasheela, and Non-alignment keeping national interest on the top”. “Friendly and cordial relations with neighbouring countries, particularly with India and China will be further strengthened on the basis of mutual respect, equality, co-operation and cordiality” and “Nepalese territory will not be allowed to be used against any neighbouring and friendly country,” the document added. Concerted efforts will be made to return the Bhutanese citizens living in Nepal as refugees to their country with dignity and respect. The relations with other friendly countries will also be strengthened and expanded. Nepal’s participation in the UN peacekeeping will be given continuity. source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/South-Asia/Nepal-govts-birthday-gift-to-Gyanendra/articleshow/4758861.cms

नारायणहिटी मैले छाडेपनि नेपाल शान्त, सम्बृद्ध भएन र नेपालीहरु सुखी भएनन

परिवर्तित परिबेशमा पनि देश र प्यारा देशबासी दाजुभाई दिदीवहिनीको स्थीतिमा सुधार आउन नसकेकोमा म उग्दीन, चिन्तीत र मर्माहत छु । हाम्रा पुर्खा र सम्पूर्ण नेपालीहरुको प्रयासबाट निर्मित हिमाल, पहाड र तराई रहेको यो नेपाली पुष्पमाला आन्तरिक बिग्रह तथा बाह्य बिद्वेषबाट नचुँडियोस भन्ने मेरो आग्रह छ ।–ज्ञानेन्द्र शाह

काठमाडौं, २ जेठ (दैनिकी)

म ६३ बर्षको जीवनकालमा आइपुगेको छु । दुनियाँ जसदेखि राजी रहन्छन र मेरो देश बाँचिरहोस भन्ने पुर्खौली आदर्शप्रति मेरो हार्दिक दृढता छ । त्यही आर्दशमा निष्ठावान हुँदै राष्ट्रियता, राष्ट्रिय एकता र युगसम्मत प्रजातन्त्रप्रति म सदैब प्रतिबद्ध छु ।
मैले नारायणहिटी छाडेको पनि एक बर्ष पुगीसकेको छ । छोडनुको कारण देशमा शान्ति सुरक्षाको अबस्थामा सुधार आइ नेपाल शान्त, सम्बृद्ध र सुन्दर होस अनि नेपालीहरु सुखी सन्तुष्ट रहुन भन्ने नै थियो ।
यो कालक्रममा म र मेरा पुर्खाप्रति सकारात्मक र नकरात्मक दुवैखाले टिप्पणी गर्नेहरुप्रति म जानकार छु । र, सकरात्मक सोचाई राख्नेहरुप्रति आभार ब्यक्त गर्न चाहान्छु ।
परिवर्तित परिबेशमा पनि देश र प्यारा देशबासी दाजुभाई दिदीवहिनीको स्थीतिमा सुधार आउन नसकेकोमा म अत्यन्त उग्दीन, अन्यत्त चिन्तीत र अन्तन्त मर्माहत छु । हाम्रा पुर्खा र सम्पूर्ण नेपालीहरुको प्रयासबाट निर्मित हिमाल, पहाड र तराई रहेको यो नेपाली पुष्पमाला आन्तरिक बिग्रह तथा बाह्य बिद्वेषबाट नचुँडियोस भन्ने मेरो आग्रह छ ।
राष्ट्रिय राजनीतिमा संलग्न, राज्य संचालन शक्तिसंग आबद्ध स्वदेशीहरु र बिदेशी हितैसीहरुप्रति नेपाल र नेपालीहरुप्रति सच्चा दिलले माया गरिदिनुहुन पनि मेरो आह्वान छ ।
हाम्रो नेपाली माटो, हाम्रो हिमाल र हाम्रो समथर भुभाग तथा हाम्रा नद नदी, तालतलैया र मनोरम हराभरा प्रकृति मेरानिम्ती सदैब पि्रय छन् ।
यही मनोहरी प्रकृतिमा म र मेरा दरसन्तान सदैव नेपाली आत्मीयजनसंग रहिरहुँ भन्ने मरो पबित्र आकांक्षा छ । मेरो जन्मदिनका सन्दर्भमा मेरो दिर्घायु तथा सुख स्वास्थ्यको सुभेच्छा राख्ने सवै देशी, बिदेशी शुभचिन्तकहरुलाई हार्दिक धन्यवाद दिन चाहान्छु ।
ज्ञानेन्द्र शाह

source:

http://www.dainikee.com/newsdetail-8543.html

Nepal awaits Gyanendra's birthday 25 Jun 2009, 1721 hrs IST, Sudeshna Sarkar, TNN

KATHMANDU: With peace and stability eluding Nepal even a month after the formation of a new government and the dogged opposition by the Maoist party delaying the writing of a new composition, all eyes are now on former king Gyanendra after a tabloid reported that he would break his long silence next month. On July 7, when the last king of Nepal celebrates his 62nd birthday as a commoner, he would be indicating his views on the turmoil that continues to plague the country even three years after the fall of his army-backed government, Nepali weekly Ghatana R Bichar said. Quoting unnamed palace sources, the weekly said that a committee has been formed under the former Nepal ambassador to Thailand, Khilendra Prasad Pandey, to mark the birthday with pomp, which will include offering specialworship at Nepal’s famed temples. The committee also has a slogan: Save nationalism and democracy, restore monarchy.” Last month, the only royalist party in parliament, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal (RPP-Nepal), kicked off a campaign for a referendum on monarchy. “The election in 2008 was held to write a new constitution, not to take decisions on issues of national importance like monarchy and state religion,” RPP-Nepal’s leader and former mayor of Kathmandu Rajaram Shrestha told TNN. “Most people in Nepal still regard the crown as the factor unifying a nation with so many diverse cultures. We are proposing a referendum to decide if Nepal should have a king and Hinduism as the state religion. All citizens above 18 should be allowed to take part. Only that will be the authentic national stand on monarchy and secularism. Otherwise, conflict will persist even after a new statute is promulgated.” The RPP-Nepal and other royalist groups will have to act now since the new constitution is to be in place by May 2010. The former king, whose long visit to India in February-March, was regarded by the Maoists as a ploy to enlist the help of the Indian government for having his grandson Hridayendra declared the baby king of Nepal, has remained silent since an unseemly tussle between the Maoists and the priests of the hallowed Pashupatinath temple. After the former rebels tried to end the tradition of employing Indian priests at the shrine, the former king made an exhortation to keep the revered temple above dispute. But since then, there has been no more public statement from him. Though his son, the unpopular former crown prince Paras, said during his sojourn in Singapore that he would launch his own party, nothing more has been heard about his political plans as well.

source:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Nepal-awaits-Gyanendras-birthday/articleshow/4702060.cms