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Nepal's Monarchy Rejects Witness Account of Deaths
Washington Post Foreign Service Saturday, June 9, 2001; Page A16
KATMANDU, Nepal, June 8 -- Nepal's monarchy today disavowed the account of a royal witness to the murder of Nepal's king June 1 and said it was launching an investigation into his actions, a move that perplexed and alarmed many Nepalis who have waited anxiously for an explanation of the palace massacre. Army Capt. Rajiv Shahi, who is married to a Nepali princess and was at the royal palace when King Birendra and eight members of his family were gunned down, told journalists Thursday that the king's son, Crown Prince Dipendra, had committed the murders and then killed himself. Shahi held a news conference at Katmandu's military hospital under tight security, and his account squared with initial government versions of the murders. But today, angry palace officials said they had not known about or approved his statement, and there were unconfirmed reports that Shahi had been detained and may face a court-martial. Although Shahi's public presentation was reported today in the independent Nepali media and by foreign news agencies, the government ordered state-run TV, radio and newspapers not to report it and they obeyed, according to officials at state news outlets. "This shows that the authorities are quite confused and don't know how to handle the situation," said a senior manager at one state media agency. Although Nepal is a parliamentary democracy with formal press freedoms, "When they say kill [a story], it still means kill," he said. The palace murders have deeply embarrassed Nepal's monarchy, and palace officials have said they were accidental. But several witnesses, including Shahi, have given similar public accounts that describe Dipendra, who later died of a gunshot wound, as having shot his father and other relatives to death in a drunken rampage. The palace has ordered an investigation into the murders and named a panel of prominent officials to conduct the inquiry. But the panel reportedly has not yet interviewed any witnesses, including several wounded survivors now sequestered in the military hospital. Shahi appeared to be speaking for them on Thursday. Sources close to several survivors confirmed today that Shahi had acted without palace approval, and they said his account squared with what they had witnessed. The palace's abrupt disavowal of Shahi's statement and the possibility that he may be punished for it have raised concern that the new monarch, King Gyanendra, is trying to quash dissent and assert power over Nepal's elected government. The disavowal also raised concern about a possible split between the army, which was loyal to the late king, and the new monarch. Shahi, an army doctor, could not have addressed the media at the military hospital without approval from his superiors, analysts said. But today, the army published full-page ads in all major newspapers congratulating Gyanendra, the late king's brother, and pledging to serve him loyally. The ads warned that "misleading" information had come out about the murders, and it said the army remained "alert and disciplined" in the face of any threats to national security. Some analysts suggested that the palace was engaging in a clumsy effort to preempt negative public reaction to the government panel's findings. There were widespread and violent protests in the capital after the murders, with people condemning the new king. Other observers said they believed the palace was trying to protect the panel's integrity by blocking premature public accounts of the murders. But palace officials have already weakened the commission's credibility by insisting that the palace slayings were the result of accidental gunfire. The public is also suspicious because the bodies of the victims and the alleged assassin were quickly cremated without any forensic investigation. It now appears that no matter what the government's ultimate version, the facts will remain in dispute, lending credence to rumors that Birendra was slain in a plot that may have involved the new king and other members of the royal family "Whatever they say or do now, it's already too late," said a printing company worker who was discussing the murders with his colleagues at a tea shop. "There was no postmortem, and nobody was allowed to see [Dipendra's] body" before it was cremated, he said. "Nobody believes he did it, and nobody will believe it."
Related Links Full Asia Coverage Latest World News From Britannica: Introduction to Nepal The Land of Nepal History of Nepal |
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Nepal
Captain Rajiv Shahi, seen here giving his eyewitness account of the murder of the Nepali royal family to reporters on Thursday, was repudiated by country's monarchy Friday deepening confusion surrounding the massacre.
(Jewel Samad - AFP)
