CK Lal ('This way or that?', #312) wrongly implies that King Gyanendra decided to seize power on February 1, 2005 because he 'began listening to [me] and gambled on [my] support'. This interpretation stands the facts on their head.

Long before 1 February, 2005, I told the King that any attempt by him to seize power would be a serious mistake and would do great damage to Nepal. I further told him that my government would not support, and instead would condemn, any such move on his part. The King ignored this advice.

On the day he seized power, the United States declared it was "deeply troubled" by the King's move, which it called "a step back from democracy." Two weeks later, the State Department recalled me to the United States to show our government's displeasure. The King's action was indeed a bad gamble, but neither my government nor I ever encouraged it.

James F Moriarty,
US Ambassador

. You have either woken up to the fact of tyre power (Editorial, #312) a little too late or you have wilfully chosen to neglect the issue until it worked in your favour. I would have loved to see you denounce it sooner when the streets were filled with calls for free press or democracy. Then you kept quiet, and now you say things need to follow process and policy. The present democratic government is a result of street power, not by ballot or due process. If I remember correctly, it was fully supported by the media. Were you placing your bet on the very short memory of us Nepalis?

Rahul Shrestha,
email

. The profits of the international petroleum products price hike goes directly to the Arab world and the US multinational companies. The government should heavily tax imported petroleum products and then spend the income for developing indigenous alternative power resources.

Shree Om Prakash,
Hetauda

. Baburam Bhattarai in the interview you translated from a tv show says he never killed anyone ('Revolution from cities', #312), but perhaps the guruji would like to explain how he is guiltless of exploiting the frustrations of the young who, having grown up with a series of governments that squabbled instead of planning for the young job market, were quite willing, and angry enough, to take up arms. All they needed was a Brahmin to tell them who was to blame and where to point the gun.
K A Tamang
Middlesborough

.There goes Baburam Bhattarai again justifying violence and the needless deaths of 14,000 Nepalis. His comment in the Bahas show "People would have died anyway" is callous and insensitive.

Gyan Subba,
Kumaripati

.I am not sure if Baburam Bhattarai is joking, lying or if he is plain foolish. But one thing seems to be very clear: he and his comrade Prachanda have not learnt anything from history. As a former citizen of the ex-German 'Democratic' Republic, I have heard these theories for 30 years. I know the former eastern European communist countries, the so- called 'People's Republic' of Laos, Cuba and some African countries very well. But even the leaders of those countries don't have the nerve to say that they will turn their countries into Switzerland. These countries were ruled or are still under the predominance of communists, Marxist-Leninists, Stalinists or Maoists for decades. and up to now there are no Swiss living conditions, full employment, equal rights, freedom of speech or other democratic fundamental rights. Instead there is widespread poverty, oppression, contempt of human rights, and torture. So Baburam, do your country and millions of ignorant Nepalis a favour: start telling them the truth.

B Mueller,
Germany

. The draft statute submitted by the now-defunct interim constitution drafting committee is spoilt broth. 'If you try to please all, you please none' is a good adage for this sensitive issue. If things go this way, what can we expect out of the all-inclusive new interim government, much talked-about alternate legislature and the constituent assembly? It's high time our leaders stopped listening to the Moriartys and Yechurys. The only solution is national reconciliation.

P Sharma,
Mumbai