KATHMANDU - Nepal's deposed king is to move from his main palace in the heart of the capital into a former royal hunting lodge on the edge of Kathmandu, a minister said Wednesday. Ousted monarch Gyanendra officially lost his crown last week when a Maoist-dominated constitutional assembly made Nepal a republic after an overwhelming vote in favour of ending the 240-year-old monarchy.
The assembly also issued a 15-day deadline for Gyanendra to vacate the sprawling Narayanhiti palace, now slated to be turned into a national museum.
"The cabinet meeting on Wednesday decided to provide Nagarjun palace to the ex-king Gyanendra for accommodation for the time being," Nepal's peace minister, Ram Chandra Poudel, told AFP. Nagarjun palace is one of seven royal properties nationalised last year. It is situated in an army-protected forest reserve eight kilometres (five miles) north of the centre of Kathmandu.
The move is a temporary measure until the king can make other arrangements, Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara said. "He won't be able to stay there for a life-long period. He will have to find another place for himself eventually," he said.
The government is currently auditing property inside the king's main palace which contains national treasures including a crown studded with diamonds and ringed with huge emeralds.
A security review is also under way and the government has agreed to provide the ousted king with police protection. It chose not to use the army to guard the ex-king as it is seen as an institution dominated by pro-royals. "He won't be getting any military security. We will arrange security from the police if he requests it," the Maoist spokesman said.
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