The parties concerned should sit at the negotiating table.

We fear for the future of Nepal, the kingdom in the Himalayas and familiar to the Japanese people that is battling a country-wide insurgency amid major political unrest. A little over a month has passed since King Gyanendra declared a state of emergency and seized control of the country by dismissing all his Cabinet ministers.

Politicians and activists who were critical of him have been put in custody. Media censorship is in force, too. The king called his actions a desperate attempt to restore peace, something that successive Cabinets had repeatedly failed to achieve.

Maoist insurgents have steadily gained ground in rural regions and other areas. It is estimated that 10,000 people have died in the unrest since 1996 when the insurgents took up arms to overthrow the monarchy and establish a communist state in its place.

So far, there are no signs of peace talks getting started between the government and the insurgents. Conditions in Nepal are growing more chaotic day by day.

Prompted by new freedoms that swept East Europe 15 years ago, Nepal took steps to become a democracy. A new Constitution was promulgated and general elections were held three times.

However, the major political parties kept squabbling in their struggle for power and to protect special interests. As a result, they failed in their mission to bring the fruits of democratization to the masses.

Nepal is a poor country with an annual per capita income of only $240 (25,200 yen).

Carrying out land reform to raise the farmers' living standard was an urgent task, but the politicians failed to do anything. The fact that the king's crackdown on politicians did not trigger much in the way of public protest is indicative of deep-rooted mistrust in the political system among the people of Nepal.

The carnage at the royal palace four years ago that took the lives of royal family members including King Birendra made messy domestic conditions even more chaotic. The culprit apparently was the then-crown prince who died of a gunshot wound. Thus, the truth of what really happened is still unknown.

It was under these circumstances that the present king took over.

King Gyanendra is poised to contain the Maoist insurgents by force of arms. The Maoists, on the other hand, have stepped up their armed struggle while calling on political parties to join hands with them in opposition to the king.

As things stand, the possibility of full-scale civil war cannot be ruled out. Once civil war starts, it will be too late. It is absolutely vital that the king, the Maoist insurgents and the political parties sit down at the negotiating table.

Nepal is a tiny country squeezed between two big powers: India and China. China says it has ``no truck with the self-proclaimed Maoists,'' while India has expressed its displeasure at the king's actions by suspending shipments of arms that it had been supplying.

Both Britain and the United States, which have assisted Nepal's attempt at eliminating the Maoists as part of the global fight against terror, protested by temporarily recalling their ambassadors and demanding that democracy be restored.

Nepal must try not to inflame the situation further. It should hold free elections with the help of the international community and decide what course the country should take on the basis of those election results.

Probably, it will take time for democracy to take root in Nepal. But there is no other way than taking the first step toward that end.

The Japanese government issued a statement calling for return of a constitutional monarchy. As Japan is Nepal's biggest donor, it must express its will more clearly.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 8(IHT/Asahi: March 9,2005)