New investigation of royal massacre urged

KATHMANDU, Nepal, July 23 (UPI) -- Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal called for a fresh inquiry into the June 1, 2001, palace massacre of the former Himalayan kingdom's royal family.

The prime minister, who Wednesday visited the Narayanhiti palace in Kathmandu, which is now been a museum, said an investigation would help unearth the real causes behind the incident, the Himalayan Times reported.

In the 2001 palace massacre Nepalese King Birendra and eight members of his family were gunned down during dinner. An official investigation found the act was committed by Crown Prince Dipendra before he turned the gun on himself.

Gyanendra, brother of the slain king, later ascended the throne but lost it following the political upheaval against his rule last year. Since then Nepal has become a republic.

Former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had pledged to reinvestigate the massacre but he Dahal resigned and no investigation was undertaken, the Himalayan Times reported.

The new prime minister also directed Finance Minister Surendra Pandey to rebuild the Tribhuvan Sadan, the site of the massacre in the palace.