Dear all
It’s a beautiful evening here in Katmandu – one of the few
days when there are no dark clouds in the skies over the city and the usual
late afternoon thunderstorm rolls in. Except, no one is on the streets as the
government has declared a curfew until tomorrow morning. I am sitting at my
desk at home desperately trying to get some news about the developments around
me. The Nepali TV is criminally silent on all issues – the two channels just
have still pictures of a temple in Katmandu – there has been no real news on
the state television except in the afternoon when the curfew was declared (in
Nepali). Before that, the coronation of the new king on Durbar Square was shown
without any comment. The state TV has not commented on any of the recent events,
the killings, the clashes, the supposedly ongoing funeral of the ‘weekend
king’, the son of the previous king and alleged killer of one arm of the royal
family.
In many western countries this would be a tragic event but
would not have major ramifications for the political life of the country.
That’s why most of the reports we see on CNN and BBC (the only two channels
left to see), seem to miss in their comments the major political implications
this whole affair has had on the country. The people of Nepal rightfully so
demand an answer to the question of what exactly happened Friday night in the
palace. With every day that goes by without answer, people become
disillusioned, angry and violent. Their beloved and respected king was killed
and in 3 days the official statement from the government and the royal palace
about the event has changed twice – none of which version the people here
believe, neither that the crown prince went on a shooting rampage nor that some
gun went off accidentally…. Initial sadness and sorrow now turns into
speculations, rumors and wild theories float on the streets of Katmandu
regarding that night. One response, though, is consistent no matter whom you
ask – ‘Dipendra, the crown prince and alleged killer did not do it…..’
When I passed the front gate of the palace this morning on
my way to the office, I was surrounded by young men on Durbar Marg outside the
palace gates, shouting and chanting and supposedly demanding an explanation.
They weren’t violent but you could tell their anger in their eyes. Some police
was there but as I passed the other side of the palace wall, massive police
reinforcements were truck loaded in… I was glad to come to the safe walls of
the UNICEF compound
The problem now is that the palace as well as the government,
which in the past months had been charged with corruption allegations and
repeatedly asked to step down, have started lying and ‘seemingly’ hiding the
truth (by issuing changing accounts of what happened). In this way, they have
already discredited themselves. The new king has not been so well received by
his people.
BECAUSE, the new king may have been behind the killings
(which is less likely) but his son and now new crown prince could have been
involved. He was in the palace that Friday night and he survived the killings
miraculously unharmed. He was also known for being a bully in the nightclubs of
Katmandu and has already killed three people in the past years. NOONE here in
Nepal likes him and MANY people suspect that he may have been behind these
killings, that wiped out one complete line to the throne and left his own line
surprisingly unharmed – his mother suffered minor wounds, he survived and his
father is now the king…. The same king that is now in charge of investigating
the events. Again, no one will believe the findings as everyone will suspect
that they will be manipulated.
To make matters worse, the government instead of demanding
an investigation and putting itself on the side of the people is collaborating
with the palace. The Prime minister is so weak that he needs the support of the
royals. There had been strikes and demonstrations against his rule and the
corruption in connection with a Lauda Air plane that Nepal leased and which
made some government officials very rich. The same prime minister is now not
able to demand a full and complete investigation and instead has allied himself
with a very feeble dynasty and a monarch that does not have the support of many
of his people and whose reign has started with a cloud of rumors and
allegations…
The implications of this supposedly family drama are wide
and many here predict unstable times ahead. Some parts of the country have been
under Maoist rebel control for many months now and the Maoist movement is
gaining popular support day by day. Now that the monarchy has discredited
itself the way they did and now that the Prime minister and his government are
too weak and self absorbed to bring about complete clarity about the events,
very soon, the Maoists will gain a much more support in a very short time
because people are disillusioned with the whole system – constitutional
monarchy. Previously, the then king had had the moral authority and could have
intervened at any time to save democracy and the country. This is no more the
case. The new king, his son and the mysterious killings of his brothers family
have taken away from him much of a moral authority that he could have had – He
is the commander in chief of the Nepalese army and can order the army out on
the streets… the blood shed would be tremendous.
The next few days will decide a lot here. I am hoping that
the truth about the killings will be announced very soon so that people here
are appeased. For most common Nepalese this is a huge tragedy, they loved their
king and his family and they don’t respect the current line. My household help
collapsed today in my kitchen when I told her that the former crown prince and
alleged killer had passed away in his state of coma.. she started crying and
was in a state of shock herself .., for her as for many other Nepalis a whole
world collapsed.. she tells me that this country, her native land, is not a
good place and we should all leave… she has lost all faith and hope – poor
thing… She was sitting on the kitchen floor, sobbing with tears in her eyes
unable to speak a word. When she finally got up all she said was ‘hei ram, hei
ram’. The king in her eyes is an incarnation of lord Vishnu and because of his
death, she had already fasted for the last two days. The news of the death of
his son, the crown prince, and moreover the whole climate of uncertainty and
lies have take their toll on her and many others here. What a country and what
a political elite! I just hope things
will not get more violent but I have a feeling they may. For today and tonight,
I will be confined to my apartment and the lawn outside my house. I am hoping
that tomorrow, I will be able to go out again and I am hoping that some wise
people in the ranks of the palace and the government will come to their senses
and understand the mood of the people here. Otherwise I fear things can get
really really nasty.. and of course, I am also glad I can be leaving this place
soon.. ..
The sun is now setting, the streets are still deserted, I
can see people on their balconies and roof terraces – in the distance towards
the center of town, black smoke is rising towards the sky… I have a feeling
that things may not be so peaceful after all… lets wait and see… tomorrow is hopefully a better day…. And I
just saw on Nepali TV that the ‘weekend king’ was cremated in Pashupathniath
after his motorcade was taken from one end of town to the other – through
deserted roads and along closed houses and shops. Not a soul on the street to
bid farewell to the dead monarch and former crown prince – what a spooky and
eerie atmosphere and what a contrast to the ‘parade’ just 2 days ago.
With these disturbing images, I shall close now …
So long..
Binod
P.S. If this curfew continues I will just continue writing
emails… nothing else to do really
No comments:
Post a Comment