NEW DELHI, March 8 (UPI) -- Nepal's King Gyanendra is a busy man these days. After assuming absolute powers by sacking a government five weeks ago, Gynanedra is finding himself fighting a multi-pronged battle.
While the Royal Nepalese Army is fighting a bloody battle with the Maoist rebels in the countryside, Gyanendra's newly appointed team of cabinet members are trying to win over international recognition in the face of a royal coup.
Nepal's military says it has killed at least 30 Maoist rebels over the weekend in one of the bloodiest clashes since the royal coup.
Over the weekend, a joint team of Nepalese army and police repulsed an attack by Maoist guerrillas at the center of Arghakhanchi district in western Nepal, killing 30 rebels.
It took the military four days to announce the bloody gunfight with the rebels. Observers see that delayed statement as an attempt by the security forces to boost morale on the eve of Army Day, being celebrated in the capital Tuesday along with International Women's Day.
After assuming powers on Feb. 1, King Gyanendra vowed to finish the Maoist rebellion and restore peace and democracy in the country. The new regime has imposed emergency rule and suspended civil liberties, including press freedom. With press censorship in force, no one is allowed to criticize the monarch or the army.
Reporters are banned from writing about the Maoist activities, and they have to report what the troops say. Most of the top political leaders of Nepal are under house arrest so they do not rally people against the King's moves.
Gyanendra's move invited international condemnation led by the United States, Britain and India. The most often used route for land-locked Nepal's men and goods is through India. The three countries have temporarily recalled their ambassadors from Katmandu.
Unmindful of the criticism, Gyanendra says he was forced to take the action after successive governments had allegedly failed to contain the Maoist insurgency. The world remains unconvinced about his motives, with many nations asking him to restore democracy.
India has suspended military assistance to the Royal Nepalese Army and has said it would review the decision only after the monarch reinstates multi-party democracy, releases all detainees and restores fundamental rights.
Nepal's new Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey is in New Delhi to present his regime's case, but India remains unconvinced.
A statement issued by the India's Foreign Ministry said Monday, "The events since February 2005 had only served to demonstrate that not only had the security situation in Nepal not improved, but that the country was now facing a deteriorating economic situation as well.
"This is likely to be further worsened by decisions of some donor countries to suspend aid to Nepal."
India had been pumping military aid to the Royal Nepal Army to help it hunt down Maoist rebels who have been fighting since 1996 to replace the monarchy with a Communist dictatorship. More than 12,000 people have been killed in the insurgency in mostly hit-and-run attacks.
The rebels control most of the countryside but are unable to gain control of Katmandu and other cities in this nation of 23 million people. Until a few years ago, the Maoists were seen as a fringe force who looted guns and ammunition from the police and claimed to give quick justice to the villagers. But now they have upgraded their weaponry mostly seized from the troops, and they are expert in guerrilla warfare.
Five weeks after the coup, the violence has increased and bloody clashes between troops and Maoists have become routine. But with press censorship, it is not known how many troops have been killed. The world is being told one side of the story by the government.
With the political uncertainty looming large over the poor nation, the economy is likely to face a nosedive. Sandwiched between two giant neighbors, India and China, Nepal is among the poorest of poor nations, its annual per capita income hovering around $250. Thirty-seven percent of Nepalese earn less than a dollar a day.
The worst victims of all this political turmoil are Nepal's poor people, who are caught between rebels and inconsistent governments with 13 prime ministers in 14 years. The violence has led to loss of jobs, and the economy is getting worse with each passing day.
It remains to bee seen how long Gyanendra can run the government on the basis of his empty state coffers. And not many foreign countries would send their committed aid funds if the monarch continues to muzzle democracy and press freedom.
While the former King Birendra was loved by the people, his younger brother -- King Gyanendra -- is not as popular with his subjects.
Gyanendra ascended to the throne in June 2001 after a mysterious royal family bloody shootout in which the entire clan of former King Birendra was wiped out and Gynanedra's family escaped unhurt. Maoist leaders, who model themselves on Peru's Shining Path guerrillas, blamed Gyanendra for stage-managing the massacre in which 10 members of the royal family were killed.
