Coup in Nepal

February 1, 2005 5:20 PM

Nepal is shut off from the world as King seizes power in 'coup'. Just as Iraq finishes voting, Nepal has taken a step in the opposite direction. India is concerned.
posted by homunculus (15 comments total)

Is this the same King that just had almost his entire family gunned down by his predecessor?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 5:31 PM on February 1, 2005

With the vast deposits of oil in Nepal one would think this would be a top Bush Administration priority that... oh... wait there are NOT vast deposits of oil? My bad. Carry on.
posted by tkchrist at 5:38 PM on February 1, 2005

Sendero Luminoso: Don't call it a comeback.

Everyone knows it's stupid to get involved in a land war in Asia, tkchrist.
posted by gsh at 5:42 PM on February 1, 2005

Why so glum, chum?
posted by stonerose at 5:53 PM on February 1, 2005

“This will restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years.”

Oh, sure. Has Bush been giving him democracy lessons?
posted by amberglow at 6:13 PM on February 1, 2005

What have i just stepped into - the fucking maniac clubhouse?
posted by luckyclone at 6:24 PM on February 1, 2005

Those sissies just want to be included in the "Axis of Evil" so they can get some economic boost from the U.S. once they're conquered in the "War Against Terror".

Soon every little piss-ant country will be staging coups and terrorist ops, all the while, falling right into Bush's evil plan.
posted by snsranch at 7:03 PM on February 1, 2005

Nepalese Bliss... You better turn it down, blow your head right off. That stuff is so strong it's religious.
posted by basicchannel at 9:56 PM on February 1, 2005

Is this the same King that just had almost his entire family gunned down by his predecessor?

The King's nephew Dipendra, heir to the throne, machine-gunned his father (the brother of the present king) and several other members of the royal family. It has been viewed as somewhat suspicious that Gyanendra was out of the country at the time.

The Nepalese monarchy has frequently cancelled democratic reforms since its restoration in a 1950 coup. Despite a disappointing human rights record, the Nepalese state is a recipient of military aid; a recently-passed law puts tight restrictions on that aid if human rights conditions deteriorate. Last month, the US released monies to Nepal it had already allocated.
posted by dhartung at 9:58 PM on February 1, 2005

Did anyone else notice that Star of David on the flag behind him? What's up with that?
posted by Sangermaine at 1:30 AM on February 2, 2005

Israel does not own a copyright on the symbol. For example, see here:

Satkon
The Satkon is composed of two sets of overlapping triangles. One is the symbol of Shiva, which stands for eternal being (static by nature), and the other is a symbol of Shakti, the most active female. This popular symbol of the union of Shakti and Shiva, that indicates the union of the two, is represented in several Nepali works of art like the Mandala paintings, windows and doors etc. The beautiful temple residence of Devi Annapurna Ajima, at Bhotahiti Tol in Kathmandu, has one of the most exquisite Satkon patterns in its windows. Many people seem to mistake the Star of David, which has nothing to do with it. The Satkon signifies the five basic senses and the extra sensory perception, that significantly makes it the six -pointed star. This symbol is believed to have originated from ancient tantric Hinduism. On the other hand the Buddhist story about the Satkon says that it symbolizes the perfection of the highest form of wisdom (Pragya), however, the Mahayanists accept it as a great symbol of Pragya (knowledge or enlightenment) and Upaya (active force or the power of the female principal) united. This ancient symbol appears to be the central core of all the highly sophisticated symbols in Nepali religious culture.

Note, also, that the next symbol on that page is the swastika:

Swastika
Swastika, a Sanskrit word which means doing good for all, is a very ancient oriental symbol. This symbol can be seen in wood -carvings, bronze castings, thangka paintings and many other traditional forms of art.

In Buddhism, the four hands of Swastika signifying Maitree (friendship), Karuna (compassion), Mudita (happiness) and Upershya (indifference), are four divine merits or talents. This theory is very dominant in our culture. According to Sadhanmala(one of the most authentic Buddhist texts), the four merits represent four ideal ways to Nirvana every aspirant should mediate on.

It is believed that the Mahayanists, in due course of time, developed an iconography based on all those four merits and soon created Swastika to proudly add to their pantheon of gods. The many deities were all given the same merit names like Maitree, Karuna, Mudita and Upekshya. Hindus as well Buddhists worship them in Nepal. Among many such deities of Nepal, the four most beautifully built bronze statues of these merit gods can be seen in Hiranyavarana Mahavihar (Golden temple) of Patan built by Vaskar Varma in 12th century.

posted by pracowity at 1:45 AM on February 2, 2005

You know, maybe he's just tired of the Maoists starting shit.
posted by Pressed Rat at 6:26 AM on February 2, 2005

Too scared to protest in Nepal
posted by homunculus at 5:37 PM on February 2, 2005

The Maoists will be the ultimate beneficiaries of the coup in Nepal and not the King, the political leadership or the people.
posted by homunculus at 9:55 PM on February 2, 2005

For Nepal, a brutal return to a feudal past
posted by homunculus at 10:37 PM on February 4, 2005