31 May, 2008
Beating Of Image
The Maoists find themselves cornered over the gruesome murder of a businessman within PLA captivity
By SANJAYA DHAKAL
Maoists have been used to occasional outburst of public anger over the atrocities committed by their cadres. Be it the Madi bomb blast, murder of journalist Birendra Shah or abduction of a hotelier from Kathmandu.
Bereaved family : Grief and anger
But the current episode of what has been established as a brutal murder of a Koteshwore businessman Ramhari Shrestha following his abduction and torture inside the UN-monitored People’s Liberation Army (PLA) cantonment in Chitwan, has continued to boil for past two weeks forcing the Maoist leadership to go on back foot.
As it comes amid Maoist preparation to hold the mantle of new government and their desire to demonstrate democratic credentials, the gruesome episode has smeared the party’s image. The daily demonstration by common people and workers of other parties demanding the scalp of Chitwan camp chief Kali Bahadur Kham ‘Bibidh’ and the public apology from Prachanda has forced the latter to issue two statements and meet with Shrestha’s relatives twice. Subsequently, he also signed a seven-point pact with the family promising action and compensation. The issue has also become an agenda in the ongoing dialogue among political parties to end the political deadlock. It has been raised by other parties as evidence of atrocities by Maoists especially its paramilitary units like YCL.
The Maoists suspended Bibidh from his position as commander of third division and agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the incident. But the family members have demanded the dead body of Shrestha, public apology and outright arrest of Bibidh. The family is holding protest in Koteshwore by staging fast.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, a body purported to be that of Shrestha was found at the bank of Trishuli River in Jugedi of Kabilas VDC. A Maoist brigade commander, Govinda Bahadur Batala 'Jibit' who is in police custody related with the incident has claimed that the body is that of Shrestha’s.
Probe Teams
Under street pressure, the government and the Maoists have, both, formed teams to investigate the killing of Shrestha.
The cabinet meeting on Thursday formed a three-member high level committee headed by former judge Rajendra Kumar Bhandari and including Additional Inspector General of Police Amar Singh Shah and joint attorney general Saroj Prasad Gautam.
On the other hand, the meeting of Maoist central secretariat formed a three-member probe committee headed by Central Secretariat member Post Bahadur Bogati and including central committee member Hitraj Pandey and state committee member Ekraj Bhandari as members.
A statement issued after the central secretariat meeting, last week, stated that the party will take action against anyone found guilty as per the report of the committee. The meeting also decided that relief and compensation would be made available as per the understanding with the family of Shrestha.
The issue generated such public anger that there was a total shutdown of valley on May 21. The valley bandh was called by relatives of Ramhari Shrestha, and supported by Nepali Congress (NC), Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF).
According to Gyan Kumar Shrestha, brother of Ramhari and coordinator of struggle committee, they demand immediate formation of high level commission, action against guilty and public apology from Prachanda.
Ramhari Shrestha, a local resident of Koteshwore and a sympathiser of Maoists, had been killed after he was abducted and taken to PLA camp in Chitwan. He was abducted on charge of being involved in theft of Rs 1.7 million from Maoist workers who used to stay in rented apartment in his residence.
Rights activists have raised concern over the rise of impunity in the country as shown by the murder of Shrestha. Sushil Pyakurel, a prominent human rights activist, said there is an urgent need to end all kinds of impunity in the country, but said the government has largely been seen helpless in this front. He also blamed United Nation Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) of failing to properly monitor the Maoist cantonments and said that the UN body remaining unaware of the brutal murder of businessman Shrestha inside Chitwan’s Shaktikhor located PLA cantonment “has raised question on its credibility.”
sajaya dhakal is reporter of bbc nepali service
Latin America news and views roundup -- April 9
President Calderon of Mexico (pictured) made what some commentators are characterizing as a huge political gamble yesterday, calling for a sweeping modernization of Mexico's state-owned oil company Pemex and outlining a series of reforms that would allow private firms to assume a greater role in the petroleum industry.
As Héctor Tobar writes from our Mexico City office, the move promises to spark protests and a "massive campaign of civil disobedience" in Mexico today from members and supporters of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, known as the PRD, who are against the "privatization" of Pemex.
Over in Haiti meanwhile, hungry citizens tried to storm the residential palace yesterday, demanding the resignation of President Rene Preval in protest against rising food prices. Read about it here.
In the United States, presidential contender Hillary Clinton spoke out against a controversial free trade deal with Colombia at a Washington meeting of the Communications Workers of America union Tuesday. Her words followed news on Monday that President Bush was continuing to fight for congressional approval of the proposed pact with Colombia.
In Los Angeles, the family of Jamiel Shaw Jr., the Los Angeles High football star who was killed last month, are asking for changes to the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Order 40 so that police officers can routinely check the immigration status of known gang members who are crime suspects. Shaw was allegedly killed by an 18th Street gang member, Pedro Espinoza. Read the story here.Confused about Special Order 40? This Los Angeles Times editorial explains more here.
For Spanish-language links, both La Opinion and Hoy have reports today on this story.
And finally, MySpace -- the online social networking site -- announced from Miami yesterday that it is expanding its offerings for Latinos by launching eight new bilingual communities focused on bands and celebrities, soccer and other interests. Read about it here.
-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City
Photo by Sarah Meghan Lee for The Times
President Calderon of Mexico (pictured) made what some commentators are characterizing as a huge political gamble yesterday, calling for a sweeping modernization of Mexico's state-owned oil company Pemex and outlining a series of reforms that would allow private firms to assume a greater role in the petroleum industry.
As Héctor Tobar writes from our Mexico City office, the move promises to spark protests and a "massive campaign of civil disobedience" in Mexico today from members and supporters of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, known as the PRD, who are against the "privatization" of Pemex.
Over in Haiti meanwhile, hungry citizens tried to storm the residential palace yesterday, demanding the resignation of President Rene Preval in protest against rising food prices. Read about it here.
In the United States, presidential contender Hillary Clinton spoke out against a controversial free trade deal with Colombia at a Washington meeting of the Communications Workers of America union Tuesday. Her words followed news on Monday that President Bush was continuing to fight for congressional approval of the proposed pact with Colombia.
In Los Angeles, the family of Jamiel Shaw Jr., the Los Angeles High football star who was killed last month, are asking for changes to the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Order 40 so that police officers can routinely check the immigration status of known gang members who are crime suspects. Shaw was allegedly killed by an 18th Street gang member, Pedro Espinoza. Read the story here.Confused about Special Order 40? This Los Angeles Times editorial explains more here.
For Spanish-language links, both La Opinion and Hoy have reports today on this story.
And finally, MySpace -- the online social networking site -- announced from Miami yesterday that it is expanding its offerings for Latinos by launching eight new bilingual communities focused on bands and celebrities, soccer and other interests. Read about it here.
-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City
Photo by Sarah Meghan Lee for The Times
30 May, 2008
Mexican American journalist to be honored with U.S. postage stamp
Ruben Salazar's columns for the Los Angeles Times and his management of a major TV outlet helped shape the community's political and social identity.
By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer April 22, 2008
The U.S. Postal Service will issue a stamp today honoring Los Angeles newsman Ruben Salazar, who, through his reporting and opinion columns during the 1960s, became a provocative voice for a Mexican American community searching for its political and social identity.Among the first Mexican American reporters to work at a mainstream newspaper, Salazar was killed Aug. 29, 1970, struck in the head by a high-velocity tear gas projectile fired by a sheriff's deputy during an anti-Vietnam War demonstration in East Los Angeles. He was 42.
Photos: Remembering Ruben Salazar
Salazar stamp
Video: Ruben Salazar: His Life and Legacy
High school senior writes winning Ruben Salazar essay
A Times columnist and general manager of KMEX-TV at the time of his death, Salazar quickly became a cultural icon. Awards are granted in his memory, and roads, schools and parks have been named after him. His likeness appears on posters, murals and lithographs, including one by the famous Mexican painter David Alfaro Siqueiros. Folk songs were written about him.
FOR THE RECORD:Ruben Salazar: An article in Tuesday's California section about the U.S. Postal Service releasing a stamp in honor of Los Angeles newsman Ruben Salazar reported that he was general manager of KMEX-TV. He was news director. Also, the article quoted restaurateur Lucy Casado, whose husband was good friends with Salazar, as saying that when her husband learned of Salazar's death he had "grabbed a stick and scratched the words 'Ruben Salazar: 8-9-1970'" in wet cement. She actually said "8-29-1970," the date of Salazar's death. In addition, an image that ran on the front page and editorial page showed a Salazar stamp costing 41 cents. The image was of the stamp before a rate hike to 42 cents that takes effect in May. —
He is one of five American journalists being honored with stamps. The others are Martha Gellhorn, John Hersey, George Polk and Eric Sevareid.The work and death of the husky man with piercing eyes, wavy black hair and a penchant for Louis Roth suits continue to haunt and inspire people.Among them are a restaurant owner who for half a century has been helping Latinos campaign for political office, a professor writing a book about injustices Mexican Americans have suffered at the hands of law enforcement, a woman trying to separate myths from facts about her famous father, and a continuation high school student trying hard to get back on track.But after 38 years of reminiscing and interpretation, can the true personal, professional and political depths of Salazar's life ever be known?The truth, like everything else about Salazar, is complicated. Born in Juarez, Mexico, he was a political moderate who married a young white woman and lived in a middle-class home with a swimming pool in Orange County. Salazar was especially fond of dining on steak and corn with his wife, Sally, and their three children.Yet, Charlie Ericksen, the founder of Hispanic Link, a Latino news service that publishes a weekly newsletter, recalled, "The husband that Sally knew was so different from the man we knew that it was almost as though he changed uniforms while driving down the freeway on the way home from work."Sally said he didn't like tequila, he preferred Scotch, and that he didn't like 'that Mexican music,' " he said. "But the Ruben I knew often spent his last dollar on one more song by mariachis. He was mas mexicano than anybody."Ericksen, who was a staffer with the U.S. Civil Rights Commission in 1970, is among those who to this day believe that Salazar's death inside the Silver Dollar bar was not accidental, as determined by the Los Angeles County coroner.Just weeks before he was killed, Ericksen said, "Ruben called our office and said, 'I just want to go on the record with you guys that the police are out to get me; I know they are following me.' "About a year earlier, Salazar had left The Times, though he continued to contribute columns, to become news director for the Spanish-language station KMEX."We met up with him at a little place on Olvera Street that served great carnitas," Ericksen said. "My boss kidded Ruben about the threats he was getting. 'Ruben,' he told him, 'the community needs a martyr.' "A week later, Salazar was dead. Raul Ruiz, a Chicano Studies professor at Cal State Northridge who was among the marchers in East Los Angeles the day Salazar was killed, has been investigating the incident for nearly four decades."I'm going to release my own conclusions about what happened in a book to be published later this year," Ruiz said. "It's called 'Silver Dollar Death: The Murder of Ruben Salazar.' "Lucy Casado will never forget the hot and humid evening when the telephone rang at her El Adobe Cafe, a modest Mexican restaurant famous for attracting power brokers and rock stars. On the line was a City Hall insider with bad news for her husband, Frank, now deceased, a political activist and close friend of Salazar's."I started screaming out loud over and over, 'They've killed him. They killed Ruben Salazar,' " Casado recalled. "Filled with grief and anger, my husband ran outside, grabbed a stick and scratched the words 'Ruben Salazar: 8-9-1970' deep into a square of wet cement on the sidewalk near the entrance."
Nepal monarchy abolished; King Gyanendra out
Lawmakers in the Himalayan nation declare a republic in a 560-4 vote।
By Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer May 29, 2008
NEW DELHI -- Nepal became the world's newest republic when a freshly elected assembly voted Wednesday to abolish the Himalayan nation's 239-year-old Hindu monarchy.King Gyanendra, the last of the Shah dynasty, is to become an ordinary citizen and was given 15 days to vacate the salmon-colored Narayanhiti Palace in Katmandu, where he has been holed up, virtually incommunicado.Thousands of jubilant Nepalese thronged the streets in anticipation of the vote taken in the assembly's maiden session late Wednesday.The vote itself, an overwhelming 560 to 4, was a foregone conclusion. Gyanendra's powers have been steadily curtailed since a disastrous period of absolute rule ended in April 2006 amid a popular revolt. The major parties had all agreed that jettisoning the monarchy would be the new body's first order of business."We have entered a new era today," Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala declared, the Associated Press reported.It did not happen without protest, however. A series of minor bomb blasts blamed on royalists have struck Katmandu, the capital, over the last few days. No one was killed.Getting rid of the throne, and the deeply reviled man who sat on it, was the most cherished goal of the Maoist rebels who waged a bloody 10-year civil war in which more than 13,000 people were killed.The rebels agreed to lay down their arms in November 2006 and join the political system. Their commanding victory in April elections stunned many fellow Nepalese, as well as international observers.The Maoists have yet to form a government. About 20,000 of their fighters remain in United Nations-run camps.The group's leader, who goes by the nom de guerre Prachanda, is likely to become president or prime minister.A wealthy businessman before ascending to the throne in 2001, Gyanendra was never expected to become king. But his reigning brother died in a shocking palace massacre allegedly committed by the crown prince, who then turned the gun on himself.Gyanendra declared absolute rule in 2005, saying it was necessary to suppress the Maoist insurgency. But after the restoration of democratic government, his face was removed from the currency, statues of him were taken down and he hardly appeared in public again.henry.chu@latimes.comSpecial correspondent Bikas Rauniar in Katmandu contributed to this report.
Lawmakers in the Himalayan nation declare a republic in a 560-4 vote।
By Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer May 29, 2008
NEW DELHI -- Nepal became the world's newest republic when a freshly elected assembly voted Wednesday to abolish the Himalayan nation's 239-year-old Hindu monarchy.King Gyanendra, the last of the Shah dynasty, is to become an ordinary citizen and was given 15 days to vacate the salmon-colored Narayanhiti Palace in Katmandu, where he has been holed up, virtually incommunicado.Thousands of jubilant Nepalese thronged the streets in anticipation of the vote taken in the assembly's maiden session late Wednesday.The vote itself, an overwhelming 560 to 4, was a foregone conclusion. Gyanendra's powers have been steadily curtailed since a disastrous period of absolute rule ended in April 2006 amid a popular revolt. The major parties had all agreed that jettisoning the monarchy would be the new body's first order of business."We have entered a new era today," Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala declared, the Associated Press reported.It did not happen without protest, however. A series of minor bomb blasts blamed on royalists have struck Katmandu, the capital, over the last few days. No one was killed.Getting rid of the throne, and the deeply reviled man who sat on it, was the most cherished goal of the Maoist rebels who waged a bloody 10-year civil war in which more than 13,000 people were killed.The rebels agreed to lay down their arms in November 2006 and join the political system. Their commanding victory in April elections stunned many fellow Nepalese, as well as international observers.The Maoists have yet to form a government. About 20,000 of their fighters remain in United Nations-run camps.The group's leader, who goes by the nom de guerre Prachanda, is likely to become president or prime minister.A wealthy businessman before ascending to the throne in 2001, Gyanendra was never expected to become king. But his reigning brother died in a shocking palace massacre allegedly committed by the crown prince, who then turned the gun on himself.Gyanendra declared absolute rule in 2005, saying it was necessary to suppress the Maoist insurgency. But after the restoration of democratic government, his face was removed from the currency, statues of him were taken down and he hardly appeared in public again.henry.chu@latimes.comSpecial correspondent Bikas Rauniar in Katmandu contributed to this report.
Nepal prepares to become republic
Many Nepalese are looking forward to becoming the world's newest republic
Nepal is due to become a republic and end 240 years of royal rule.
A newly-elected assembly is meeting in Kathmandu to discuss abolishing the monarchy. Voting is under way, after being delayed for several hours.
Ahead of the meeting, at least three small bombs went off in the capital - one on Tuesday and two on Wednesday - injuring at least three people.
Meanwhile thousands gathered on the streets of the capital and near the assembly in support of "republic day".
This is the people's victory - with today's declaration of a republic we have achieved what we fought for
Kamal DahalFormer Maoist guerrilla
Head to head: Nepal's monarchy
In pictures: End to royal rule
"Let's celebrate the dawn of a republic in a grand manner," a voice blared from one loudspeaker, Reuters news agency says.
"This is the people's victory," former Maoist Kamal Dahal, 22, told Reuters news agency.
Some 1,500 police, some with body armour and shields, ringed the conference centre where the assembly was meeting.
It has also been enclosed by a ring of razor wire.
Nepal stands on the brink of huge change, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in the capital Kathmandu.
Advertisement
function syncRoadBlock(src) {
BBC.adverts.empCompanionResponse(src);
};
People celebrating and marching on streets of Kathmandu
The Maoists, who emerged as the largest party in last month's elections, are committed to removing the monarchy.
They entered the political arena after signing a peace deal in 2006 ending a decade-long insurgency.
Leave the palace
The assembly is huge and Tuesday's ceremony, performed by an older member of the newly-elected body, saw 575 men and women being sworn in.
NEPAL'S MONARCHY
Has ruled for 238 years
Monarchs seen as incarnations of the Hindu God Vishnu
King Birendra killed in 2001 palace massacre by Crown Prince Dipendra, after which Birendra's brother Gyanendra becomes king
Oct 2002: King Gyanendra dismisses elected government, then a year later declares state of emergency
Feb 2005: Assumes complete control
April 2006: Mass demonstrations lead to end of direct palace rule
Q&A: Nepal's future
Profile: King Gyanendra
Many wore traditional clothing and used their mother tongues for the occasion in this ethnically mixed country.
The assembly has been given the initial task of rubber-stamping the abolition of the monarchy.
But the vote was delayed while the Maoists and the other main parties settled differences about distribution of power between the president and the prime minister in an interim period.
The assembly then has two years to come up with permanent arrangements for a new constitution.
Hindu militants
Reports said King Gyanendra and Queen Komal were seen driving out of the royal palace on Tuesday afternoon, but it was not clear where they were going or for how long they would be gone.
Nepal's progress towards becoming the world's newest republic has been marred by bombs being planted in the capital for three days running this week.
One person was injured when a bomb exploded at an open-air theatre in Kathmandu on Wednesday evening.
Another went off outside the assembly venue but no-one was hurt.
HAVE YOUR SAY
I don't know what is going to happen but I don't see a smooth road
Anu, Kathmandu
Send us your commentsOfficials say they will be given 15 days to vacate the palace.
On Tuesday, two explosive devices were left in a city centre park, but police said only one exploded, slightly injuring two people.
As before, pamphlets were found in the name of a little-known hardline Hindu group.
Some militant pro-Hindu and pro-royal factions are campaigning violently against Nepal's shedding of its royal - and its officially Hindu - status.
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
Many Nepalese are looking forward to becoming the world's newest republic
Nepal is due to become a republic and end 240 years of royal rule.
A newly-elected assembly is meeting in Kathmandu to discuss abolishing the monarchy. Voting is under way, after being delayed for several hours.
Ahead of the meeting, at least three small bombs went off in the capital - one on Tuesday and two on Wednesday - injuring at least three people.
Meanwhile thousands gathered on the streets of the capital and near the assembly in support of "republic day".
This is the people's victory - with today's declaration of a republic we have achieved what we fought for
Kamal DahalFormer Maoist guerrilla
Head to head: Nepal's monarchy
In pictures: End to royal rule
"Let's celebrate the dawn of a republic in a grand manner," a voice blared from one loudspeaker, Reuters news agency says.
"This is the people's victory," former Maoist Kamal Dahal, 22, told Reuters news agency.
Some 1,500 police, some with body armour and shields, ringed the conference centre where the assembly was meeting.
It has also been enclosed by a ring of razor wire.
Nepal stands on the brink of huge change, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in the capital Kathmandu.
Advertisement
function syncRoadBlock(src) {
BBC.adverts.empCompanionResponse(src);
};
People celebrating and marching on streets of Kathmandu
The Maoists, who emerged as the largest party in last month's elections, are committed to removing the monarchy.
They entered the political arena after signing a peace deal in 2006 ending a decade-long insurgency.
Leave the palace
The assembly is huge and Tuesday's ceremony, performed by an older member of the newly-elected body, saw 575 men and women being sworn in.
NEPAL'S MONARCHY
Has ruled for 238 years
Monarchs seen as incarnations of the Hindu God Vishnu
King Birendra killed in 2001 palace massacre by Crown Prince Dipendra, after which Birendra's brother Gyanendra becomes king
Oct 2002: King Gyanendra dismisses elected government, then a year later declares state of emergency
Feb 2005: Assumes complete control
April 2006: Mass demonstrations lead to end of direct palace rule
Q&A: Nepal's future
Profile: King Gyanendra
Many wore traditional clothing and used their mother tongues for the occasion in this ethnically mixed country.
The assembly has been given the initial task of rubber-stamping the abolition of the monarchy.
But the vote was delayed while the Maoists and the other main parties settled differences about distribution of power between the president and the prime minister in an interim period.
The assembly then has two years to come up with permanent arrangements for a new constitution.
Hindu militants
Reports said King Gyanendra and Queen Komal were seen driving out of the royal palace on Tuesday afternoon, but it was not clear where they were going or for how long they would be gone.
Nepal's progress towards becoming the world's newest republic has been marred by bombs being planted in the capital for three days running this week.
One person was injured when a bomb exploded at an open-air theatre in Kathmandu on Wednesday evening.
Another went off outside the assembly venue but no-one was hurt.
HAVE YOUR SAY
I don't know what is going to happen but I don't see a smooth road
Anu, Kathmandu
Send us your commentsOfficials say they will be given 15 days to vacate the palace.
On Tuesday, two explosive devices were left in a city centre park, but police said only one exploded, slightly injuring two people.
As before, pamphlets were found in the name of a little-known hardline Hindu group.
Some militant pro-Hindu and pro-royal factions are campaigning violently against Nepal's shedding of its royal - and its officially Hindu - status.
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
Nepal prepares to become republic
Many Nepalese are looking forward to becoming the world's newest republic
Nepal is due to become a republic and end 240 years of royal rule.
A newly-elected assembly is meeting in Kathmandu to discuss abolishing the monarchy. Voting is under way, after being delayed for several hours.
Ahead of the meeting, at least three small bombs went off in the capital - one on Tuesday and two on Wednesday - injuring at least three people.
Meanwhile thousands gathered on the streets of the capital and near the assembly in support of "republic day".
This is the people's victory - with today's declaration of a republic we have achieved what we fought for
Kamal DahalFormer Maoist guerrilla
Head to head: Nepal's monarchy
In pictures: End to royal rule
"Let's celebrate the dawn of a republic in a grand manner," a voice blared from one loudspeaker, Reuters news agency says.
"This is the people's victory," former Maoist Kamal Dahal, 22, told Reuters news agency.
Some 1,500 police, some with body armour and shields, ringed the conference centre where the assembly was meeting.
It has also been enclosed by a ring of razor wire.
Nepal stands on the brink of huge change, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in the capital Kathmandu.
Advertisement
function syncRoadBlock(src) {
BBC.adverts.empCompanionResponse(src);
};
People celebrating and marching on streets of Kathmandu
The Maoists, who emerged as the largest party in last month's elections, are committed to removing the monarchy.
They entered the political arena after signing a peace deal in 2006 ending a decade-long insurgency.
Leave the palace
The assembly is huge and Tuesday's ceremony, performed by an older member of the newly-elected body, saw 575 men and women being sworn in.
NEPAL'S MONARCHY
Has ruled for 238 years
Monarchs seen as incarnations of the Hindu God Vishnu
King Birendra killed in 2001 palace massacre by Crown Prince Dipendra, after which Birendra's brother Gyanendra becomes king
Oct 2002: King Gyanendra dismisses elected government, then a year later declares state of emergency
Feb 2005: Assumes complete control
April 2006: Mass demonstrations lead to end of direct palace rule
Q&A: Nepal's future
Profile: King Gyanendra
Many wore traditional clothing and used their mother tongues for the occasion in this ethnically mixed country.
The assembly has been given the initial task of rubber-stamping the abolition of the monarchy.
But the vote was delayed while the Maoists and the other main parties settled differences about distribution of power between the president and the prime minister in an interim period.
The assembly then has two years to come up with permanent arrangements for a new constitution.
Hindu militants
Reports said King Gyanendra and Queen Komal were seen driving out of the royal palace on Tuesday afternoon, but it was not clear where they were going or for how long they would be gone.
Nepal's progress towards becoming the world's newest republic has been marred by bombs being planted in the capital for three days running this week.
One person was injured when a bomb exploded at an open-air theatre in Kathmandu on Wednesday evening.
Another went off outside the assembly venue but no-one was hurt.
HAVE YOUR SAY
I don't know what is going to happen but I don't see a smooth road
Anu, Kathmandu
Send us your commentsOfficials say they will be given 15 days to vacate the palace.
On Tuesday, two explosive devices were left in a city centre park, but police said only one exploded, slightly injuring two people.
As before, pamphlets were found in the name of a little-known hardline Hindu group.
Some militant pro-Hindu and pro-royal factions are campaigning violently against Nepal's shedding of its royal - and its officially Hindu - status.
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
Many Nepalese are looking forward to becoming the world's newest republic
Nepal is due to become a republic and end 240 years of royal rule.
A newly-elected assembly is meeting in Kathmandu to discuss abolishing the monarchy. Voting is under way, after being delayed for several hours.
Ahead of the meeting, at least three small bombs went off in the capital - one on Tuesday and two on Wednesday - injuring at least three people.
Meanwhile thousands gathered on the streets of the capital and near the assembly in support of "republic day".
This is the people's victory - with today's declaration of a republic we have achieved what we fought for
Kamal DahalFormer Maoist guerrilla
Head to head: Nepal's monarchy
In pictures: End to royal rule
"Let's celebrate the dawn of a republic in a grand manner," a voice blared from one loudspeaker, Reuters news agency says.
"This is the people's victory," former Maoist Kamal Dahal, 22, told Reuters news agency.
Some 1,500 police, some with body armour and shields, ringed the conference centre where the assembly was meeting.
It has also been enclosed by a ring of razor wire.
Nepal stands on the brink of huge change, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in the capital Kathmandu.
Advertisement
function syncRoadBlock(src) {
BBC.adverts.empCompanionResponse(src);
};
People celebrating and marching on streets of Kathmandu
The Maoists, who emerged as the largest party in last month's elections, are committed to removing the monarchy.
They entered the political arena after signing a peace deal in 2006 ending a decade-long insurgency.
Leave the palace
The assembly is huge and Tuesday's ceremony, performed by an older member of the newly-elected body, saw 575 men and women being sworn in.
NEPAL'S MONARCHY
Has ruled for 238 years
Monarchs seen as incarnations of the Hindu God Vishnu
King Birendra killed in 2001 palace massacre by Crown Prince Dipendra, after which Birendra's brother Gyanendra becomes king
Oct 2002: King Gyanendra dismisses elected government, then a year later declares state of emergency
Feb 2005: Assumes complete control
April 2006: Mass demonstrations lead to end of direct palace rule
Q&A: Nepal's future
Profile: King Gyanendra
Many wore traditional clothing and used their mother tongues for the occasion in this ethnically mixed country.
The assembly has been given the initial task of rubber-stamping the abolition of the monarchy.
But the vote was delayed while the Maoists and the other main parties settled differences about distribution of power between the president and the prime minister in an interim period.
The assembly then has two years to come up with permanent arrangements for a new constitution.
Hindu militants
Reports said King Gyanendra and Queen Komal were seen driving out of the royal palace on Tuesday afternoon, but it was not clear where they were going or for how long they would be gone.
Nepal's progress towards becoming the world's newest republic has been marred by bombs being planted in the capital for three days running this week.
One person was injured when a bomb exploded at an open-air theatre in Kathmandu on Wednesday evening.
Another went off outside the assembly venue but no-one was hurt.
HAVE YOUR SAY
I don't know what is going to happen but I don't see a smooth road
Anu, Kathmandu
Send us your commentsOfficials say they will be given 15 days to vacate the palace.
On Tuesday, two explosive devices were left in a city centre park, but police said only one exploded, slightly injuring two people.
As before, pamphlets were found in the name of a little-known hardline Hindu group.
Some militant pro-Hindu and pro-royal factions are campaigning violently against Nepal's shedding of its royal - and its officially Hindu - status.
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
29 May, 2008
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