From rxpgnews.com
Nepal king to leave chilly Kathmandu for sunny south
By RxPG News Service,
Dec 13, 2006 - 5:34:50 PM
Kathmandu, Dec 13 - Driven by the sudden chill that has descended upon Kathmandu and heeding the advice of royal astrologers, Nepal's King Gyanendra is readying to leave the capital for the sunnier plains in the south, a report said.
Accompanied by Queen Komal, the king will head for Makwanpur district end of this month or early January, Nepali weekly Jana Aastha reported Wednesday.
The royal couple will stay at the Kantishwari palace in Hetauda town, it said, quoting unnamed official sources.
The Hetauda palace is being given a facelift to receive the royal couple. It is being painted, repaired and carpeted, with the work being supervised by royal aides.
It is not known immediately how much money is being spent on the renovations or who will foot the new bill. In the past, when the king was in power, hundreds of thousands were reportedly spent to upgrade a bathroom in an army accommodation where the royal pair stayed.
According to the weekly, the king's principal secretary Pashupati Maharjan met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Friday afternoon and informed him of the king's desire for a change of scene.
Koirala, once the king's most bitter critic but now regarded as the only man standing between the crown and the people's desire for its abolition, reportedly told the king after the fall of the royal regime that he should keep a low profile and say or do nothing to provoke further public animosity.
The king has apparently been heeding the advice, having attended only a couple of religious festivals since his ouster in April.
However, it has been a tension-filled time for the royal family, especially with the Maoists and leaders of the seven-party alliance scheduled to meet Wednesday to put the final touches to the new constitution.
The guerrillas want the prime minister or speaker to be the head of state in the new constitution while Koirala almost single-handedly is rooting for giving the position to the king till an election is held next year to decide if monarchy should be abolished.
The monarch, who ruled with absolute power for 15 months after staging a bloodless coup, has been forced to live with a series of humiliations as parliament has continued to axe his powers and privileges.
The latest blow came last week when he was made to pay tax - for the first time in the history of his 238-year dynasty - to collect a parcel of flashlights bought in the US and a hunting trophy for his son, Crown Prince Paras, sent from Vienna.
King Gyanendra still owes millions to the nation carrier, Nepal Airlines, for his junket abroad when he set himself up as head of the government.
Ironically, the junket was partially prompted by royal astrologers, who reportedly urged the superstitious king to take a trip overseas to combat evil stellar influences.
Now once again, it is the astrologers who have asked the king to go southward, the weekly said.
Apparently, there has been no such advice for the crown prince. Paras and his wife, Crown Princess Himani, will stay in their official residence in the capital to usher in the new year there, the report said.
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