Nepal king to lose guards after "goddess" blessing
KATHMANDU, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The Nepali government is to withdraw half of the 2,000 soldiers guarding King Gyanendra's sprawling palace after his controversial trip to a temple to seek blessings from a "living goddess", a minister said on Tuesday.
The move came two days after the 60-year-old monarch sought the blessings of Kumari, who some believe to be a "living goddess", in an annual ritual considered important to preserving the king's power.
The surprise gesture by the king, who has been stripped of almost all powers since being forced to end his absolute rule last year, has sparked criticism from political parties including the Maoists who want immediate abolition of the monarchy.
The government says the king had provoked a political confrontation by undertaking the unauthorised visit to the temple. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala had already performed the ritual and replaced the monarch at the ceremony.
"The number of remaining soldiers will also be reduced gradually," Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel said.
Elections are due on Nov. 22 for an assembly to decide the future of the monarchy -- a key demand of the Maoists during their revolt -- and draft a new constitution.
The former rebels and other political parties that want to turn the Himalayan nation into a republic are cautious about any move by the king to regain influence.
The Maoists pulled out of the government last month to press for an immediate declaration of a republic saying the king and his supporters were trying to stop the polls.
The ex-rebels ended their decade-long revolt last year -- a conflict that caused more than 13,000 deaths.
On Tuesday, Kantipur Publications, a privately run publisher, said the publication of the Nepali daily Kantipur and the English language Kathmandu Post newspapers had been stopped for a second day by Maoist-affiliated workers who had attacked its printing press demanding better service terms.
