Nepali gov't set to nationalize royal property

Nepali government is preparing to nationalize all land and property belonging to King Gyanendra and the royal family, local leading media group's website eKantipur reported on Monday.

A council of ministers meeting on Monday has decided to set up a ministerial-level recommendation committee to this end.

The meeting, held Monday morning at Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's official Baluwatar residence in Kathmandu, decided that the King's controversial message to the nation defending his February-1 takeover on Democracy Day, 2005 was completely against the existing laws.

The ministers have asserted that the King no longer has the legal authority to deliver a public message.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Amik Sherchan, the meeting has also decided to "respect" the Interim Parliament's proposal regarding King's controversial message, and to implement the proposal in a "contextual" manner.

Source: Xinhua