Nepal

King Gyanendra of Nepal is promising to restore power to the people, while KLo is under the illusion that George Bush has ousted another long standing tyrant:

If I were Tony Snow, I’d totally give Bush credit for the freedom’s advance in Kathmandu.

Maybe KLo should learn more about the history of Nepal:

The declaration by His Majesty King Gyanendra himself as the de jure ruler of Nepal after dismissing Sher Bahadur Deuba led coalition government on 1 February 2005 has all the ingredients of a coup d’état. Emergency has been declared and all civil liberties including the right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly remain suspended … This is despite the fact that there has not been any democratic government since the dissolution of the parliament on 22 May 2002 and subsequent dismissal of the elected government of Sher Bahadur Deuba on 4 October 2002. The Narayanti Palace has been ruling Nepal with puppets – Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Surya Bahadur Thapa and Sher Bahadur Deuba … the latest developments bring international community and the de jure and de facto ruler, King Gyanendra into direct confrontation over democracy, human rights, rule of law and conflict resolutions. The excuses made by international community that they are dealing with a democratic government have partly contributed to the present imbroglio. Fortunately, international community including India can no longer make these excuses now. The democratic forces in Nepal are also responsible for the current mess. First of all, a draconian provision like Article 127 should have never found a place in the Constitution of Nepal. After a decade of misrule in 1990s, former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala never allowed his erstwhile deputy Sher Bahadur Deuba to function effectively after he was forced to resign over the Maoists violence in July 2001. King Gyanendra drew first blood when he dissolved the parliament on 22 May 2002, taking advantage of the split in the Nepali Congress, largely created by Koirala. There were murmurs but little visible protests to shake up the Palace. The King gave four months to Deuba before sacking him on 4 October 2002 on frivolous grounds and restoring his own rule through proxies. When Surya Bahadur Thapa resigned on 7 May 2004, the squabble between Koirala and Deuba continued with Koirala openly questioning the possible re-appointment of Deuba as the Prime Minister. Ultimately, Koirala refused to join the coalition government. Since Deuba was re-appointed as Prime Minister on 2 June 2004, Madhav Nepal of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Lenninist) was sucking up to the Palace to prove that he is more loyal than the King. Yet, international community conjured up a spectre of united democratic forces to confront the Maoists.

This particular account from a year ago ended with:

The United Nations must also act decisively. The members of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights should hold a Special Session on the situation of human rights in Nepal immediately and send an international investigation team to Nepal report to the forthcoming 61st session.

I don’t recall any decisive action either from the UN or the US. I’m hoping the citizens of Nepal can achieve democracy through peaceful means, but to suggest that President Bush has done a stellar job here is really bizarre.