Kathmandu,February 26, 2007

King Gyanendra could face action for his message to the nation on Democracy Day on February 19, which has been deemed as an “unconstitutional move that undermined the achievements of the mass uprising.”

However, the cabinet council, which met today to take decisions on a plethora of issues, has not yet decided on the nature of action, pending “political consensus on the issue.” The decision to initiate the action had come following uproar in the interim legislature and a resolution demanding stern action against the king for “speaking out of turn.” “The nature of action will be decided following a political consensus.

This shows the government is committed to taking action as pledged in the interim parliament,” Minister of State for Information and Communication Dilendra Prasad Badu told The Himalayan Times. While Badu refused to reveal what the ultimate action could be, he, said the action could be anything “including impeachment proceedings depending on the suggestions which the political parties come up with.” Also today, the Cabinet formed a task force to look into the nationalisation of property in the name of the late King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya.

The task force is headed by cabinet minister Gopal Man Shrestha and has Minister of State for Information and Communication Dilendra Prasad Badu and General Administration Minister Dharma Nath Prasad Sah as members.

5 Japanese awarded for helping Nepal

Kathmandu,February 26, 2007

The National Society for Nepal-Japan Friendship and Cooperation today awarded five people for their contribution to Nepal’s development and for strengthening relations between Nepal and Japan.

The five persons were awarded at a function organised to mark the golden jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Nepal and Japan. The NASO Golden Award 2006 was awarded to former Japanese PM Ryutaro Hashimoto posthumously for his role in cementing bilateral ties.

Japanese envoy Tsutomu Hiraoka was given the ‘NASO Diplomatic Award 2006’ for providing “economic and social support” to Nepal. Takushi Miyahara received the ‘NASO Award 2005’ for his contribution in the field of tourism. Koichiro Ohmori and Professor Emeritus JIRO Kawakita were given the ‘NASO Award 2006’ and ‘NASO Award 2007’ for their contribution in promoting Nepal in the world.

Deputy Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli highlighted the need of deeper Nepal-Japan ties. Tourism minister Pradip Gyawali said, “The peace process has opened doors of development for Nepal.” Son of former Japanese Prime Minister Hashimoto, Ryo Hashimoto, receiving the award on behalf of his father, said, “My father’s love towards Nepal has inspired me to extend help for the development of Nepal.”