Nepalese celebrate king's announcement to reinstate Parliament

Published: 2006-04-25

KATMANDU, Nepal (CNS) -- An early morning Mass turned into a thanksgiving service following an announcement by King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev that Parliament would reconvene for the first time since it was dissolved in May 2002. Father Justin Lepcha, parish priest of the Nepalese capital, Katmandu, said the Mass at Assumption Church April 25 "turned out to be a sort of thanksgiving Mass, thanking God for a peaceful end to the protests. After three terrible weeks, Nepal is finally in an Easter mood." The king announced April 24 that Parliament would reconvene April 28, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. Jubilant groups filled the streets of Katmandu around midnight. Continuing into the morning hours of April 25, people celebrated in the main streets of the capital, and the day turned into an unofficial holiday, with no curfew in force. During three weeks of protests, Katmandu and some other areas had been under day and night curfews.

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