NEPAL`S deposed monarch is willing to leave his pink-hued palace quietly to begin life as a commoner but wants help with housing and protection for his family, state-run media has reported.
"The king has expressed his wish to respect the constituent assembly`s historic decision and make a peaceful exit,`` said Pradeep Aryal, secretary at the now-dissolved Narayanhiti Palace secretariat, The Rising Nepal reported today.
Mr Aryal made the comment after the palace received a letter yesterday formally asking the unpopular ex-monarch to leave for a private residence within two weeks, in line with the newly elected assembly`s vote on Wednesday.
The body, which will rewrite the Himalayan country`s constitution, abolished the 240-year-old Hindu monarchy in a near-unanimous vote and transformed Nepal into a republic - capping a peace process that ended a decade-long civil war.
About 13,000 people were killed in the insurgency launched by Maoists in 1996 to install a communist republic in the world`s only Hindu kingdom.
All eyes have been on the king since then, who is still holed up in his heavily guarded palace in the heart of the city.
The government has asked the king to coordinate his departure with its officials so they can take "appropriate measures`` for his security, the report said.
But the king is apparently being hampered in his move by worries over what to do with his mother Ratna and 94-year-old great-grandmother Sarala, the state-run daily said.
He has suggested it would be easier for him to leave if they were provided with security and housing, the paper said.
The royal palace is still guarded by some 1,500 soldiers, but Nepal`s army - seen as a bastion of royalists - has said it will comply with any government orders to withdraw the security cover.
The king may also have to look for housing for himself, with his private residence occupied by former crown prince Paras, who is said to be on poor terms with his deposed father.
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