Nepal to seize royal lands, king to be 'normal citizen'

Legislation limiting the amount of property the king can hold will be drafted once an inventory of royal properties is completed, Land Reforms Minister Prabhu Narayan Chaudhary said in Kathmandu, the capital of the impoverished Himalayan nation.

"The seized royal property will be nationalized and handed over to poor farmers and landless people," the minister told AFP, without giving a timeframe for the policy's implementation.

"The king and the royal family members will be treated just like normal citizens," he added.

Under the law, Nepalese people are allowed to own 7.45 hectares (18.4 acres) of land, the minister said.

But according to a preliminary land reform ministry report, the king and royal family members own 1,729 hectares (4,274 acres) of land, including palaces and forests, the minister said.

"In addition to this, we believe the king and his family members possess other land in the country. The government has directed all land revenue offices to furnish details within the next eight days," Chaudhary said.

News of the plan to strip the king of his land was praised in Kathmandu's streets, where there were massive street protests earlier this year that forced Gyanendra to give up absolute rule in April.

"The king has been enjoying a lavish life while we've been suffering. He should own property equivalent to that owned by a normal citizen," said 30-year-old school teacher Tek Narayan Jha.

"The move will show there is equal justice for all," Jha said.

The development was welcomed elsewhere too.

"The monarch's property is not his personal asset, it's provided by the state. It's good the government is taking a pro-people move by bringing the king under the law," said Rabindra Khanal, who teaches politics at Tribhuvan University.