KATHMANDU, NEPAL, June 4, 2001: The assassination of the royal family members in Nepal is taking a strange turn as the Nepalese government issues a statement that the tragedy occurred when an automatic rifle went off “accidentally,” according to this report, which is fairly comprehensive. Other news reports suggest that the government is in a very difficult position because they are compelled by law to declare Prince Dipendra, who is believed to have shot his family, the king, as long as he is alive. But having declared the comatose Dipendra king, they can’t then accuse him of murder because it is not allowed to level any accusations or criticisms against the king in Nepal. Several reports suggest the country may become increasingly destabilized. One report said, “For months, tension over the proposed marriage had simmered between Dipendra, a stocky, belligerent young man, and his mother, a forceful character. The queen, 51, wished her eldest son to marry someone else, according to local diplomats, and the issue had come to a head. Other sources reported that the 55-year-old king, who has scrupulously maintained balanced relationships with Nepal’s neighbors, China and India, had warned his son that he would be passed over in the succession.”
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