Gyanendra orders review of palace security

KATHMANDU, JUNE 18. The royal palace has commissioned a high- level task force to review the security within the Narayanhity Palace complex, scene of the June 1 massacre, even as Opposition parties are gearing up to take on the G.P. Koirala Government on the issue of ``mishandling'' the incident in the forthcoming Budget session of Parliament.

The task force, led by the palace's former Principal Military Secretary, Lt. Gen. Santa Kumar Malla, would not only review the security lapses that fateful Friday night in which King Birendra and nine other royals were killed, but also modify the present security set-up, official sources said.

The palace presently is guarded by a crack unit of soldiers totally under the command of the royal palace. The unit comprises two battalions of the Royal Security Military Police and a unit of ADCs. Following the killings, both the media and the Opposition parties had called for a thorough review of the security arrangements at the palace, including frisking of even royals seeking access to the King.

Many eyebrows were raised at the fact that the drunken Crown Prince Dipendra could freely carry highly-sophisticated weapons and gun down the royals, as mentioned in the official probe report. At present, weapons of the Army and other security agencies in the palace remain in the garrison and royal family members can take any available weapons without any receipt, which is mandatory for others.

Meanwhile, the Budget session of Parliament, likely to begin on June 25, is expected to be ``stormy'' with the main opposition Communist Party of Nepal demanding Mr. G.P. Koirala's resignation, charging the Government with total ``inefficiency'' in handling the massacre and the subsequent developments.

``Mr. Koirala has proved to be a failure on all fronts. He will have to go,'' said Mr. Jhalanath Khanal, senior leader of the CPN(UML). While the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) has a comfortable majority in the Lower House, it is keen to avoid a confrontation with the Opposition and has initiated a dialogue with all major parties to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament.

Commenting on the dialogue, senior CPN leader, Mr. Bharat Mohan Adhikari, said, ``We have put one condition that the captain of the ship (Mr. Koirala) has to step down, and if they (the NC) do that, then we are ready for any kind of talks and discussions (on parliamentary business).''

The party also made a scathing attack on the Government for not taking ``effective steps to bring the facts of the incident before the masses and to protect the bodies of the slain royals, besides safeguarding evidence''. In an assertion of opposition solidarity and an indication of putting up a joint front in the Lower House, the CPN(UML) has joined hands with the third largest party, the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party, led by the former premier, Mr. Surya Bahadur Thapa, for coming elections to the National Assembly.

- PTI

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