KATHMANDU, Feb 15 (Reuters): Nepal today rejected international criticism of King Gyanendra's decision to assume full power, saying the step was crucial to fight Maoist rebels.
Tulsi Giri, a former royalist premier who Gyanendra named yesterday as one of his deputies on a ruling council, said it was unfortunate that India and the United States had criticised the king for trying to stop Nepal's slide into chaos.
"There is a compulsion.
There is a chaotic law and order situation in the country because of terrorism," said Giri, who was brought out of decades of political obscurity by the king.
"What are we expected to do? Will you allow killings to go on?" he asked Reuters.
King Gyanendra sacked the government on Feb 1, blaming it for failing to tackle the Maoists.
He assumed direct charge, setting aside multi-party democracy that was introduced in 1990 and suspended civil liberties including press freedom.
Giri described the Maoist rebels as terrorists and said in fighting terrorism, Nepal was just trying to do what other countries around the world were doing.
More than 11,000 have been killed in the nine-year-old revolt by the rebels, who are battling to replace what they see as a feudalistic, autocratic monarchy with one-party communist rule in one of the world's poorest countries.
Giri's comments came a day after the United States, Britain and France recalled their ambassadors and Washington demanded the restoration of civil liberties.
India also summoned its envoy back to New Delhi for consultations and urged Kathmandu to release political leaders, journalists and activists, who were detained after the king seized power, and restore multi-party democracy.
Political wrangling and the insurgency in landlocked Nepal, wedged between India and China, have raised concern about its stability and fears that foreign militants could take advantage of the chaos and set up hideouts there.
"What did America do after 9/11? What is India doing in Kashmir," Giri said, referring to the U.S.-led war on terrorism and India's battle against militants in its Jammu and Kashmir state.
"Every country has a problem which it is trying to solve, but then it's not justice that you make comments on how Nepal is dealing with it." Giri said the government would have no choice but to go after the guerrillas if they kept rejecting peace talks.
"If they cooperate, it's OK.
Otherwise, what's the alternative?" he asked, apparently alluding to tougher military action.
Interior minister Dan Bahadur Shahi said last week the king's takeover offered an opportunity for direct talks with the Maoists who rejected dialogue with previous governments saying they were puppets of the king.
But the rebels, who hold sway over large parts of the countryside, have rejected talks with the king and have instead launched a nationwide transport strike, crippling domestic trade.
Giri said the state of emergency imposed by the king was temporary and political leaders would be freed soon.
"There are a few arrests here and there, detentions are not in massive numbers.
Some have been released and more will be freed soon." The leaders of main parties are either under house arrest or in detention which analysts say is to prevent them from organising protests against the monarch.