Govt. to take over Nepal king's palaces

KATHMANDU, Nepal, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Nepal King Gyanendra, who has lost most of his powers as he fights to save his monarchy, must cede his Narayanhiti palace to government control.

A ministerial committee of the Himalayan kingdom’s multi-party transitional government, charged with nationalizing royal properties, has decided to bring the huge family residence of Gyanendra in Kathmandu -- and six other palaces around the country -- under government ownership, Nepalnews.com reported.

Government officials said the government will take over much of the land on which the palaces sit. Separately, the bank accounts of Gyanendra, Queen Komal and Crown Prince Paras have been frozen to prevent any transfer of money of the late King Birendra, brother of Gyanendra, and late Queen Aishwarya, the report said.

In other developments, the Nepal Army has begun removing portraits of Gyanendra and his queen from its offices, the report said.

Gyanendra’s problems began last year after he imposed a state of emergency to quell pro-democracy protests. The 10-year-old Maoist rebellion against the monarchy also sapped the royal resources.

The end of the rebellion helped bring about the current multi-party transitional government. The future of Nepal’s monarchy will be decided after the constituent assembly elections.