International unease over Nepal unrest

India has led international mourning

Unrest in Nepal following the deaths of the king, crown prince and other members of the royal family has caused alarm abroad, with India and Britain paying close attention to the latest events.

Delhi has offered to help the Nepalese prime minister deal with the crisis and is said to be monitoring the situation for possible anti-Indian incidents.

Vajpayee: Promised co-operation

The British Foreign Office has issued a warning to tourists and other non-essential travellers not to visit the kingdom.

A spokeswoman said the British embassy in Kathmandu was organising a bus with a police escort for visitors trapped at the airport following a ban on traffic in and out of the capital.

Co-operation pledge

The Indian Government described the situation as "tense and delicate".

The new king is seen as hostile by some Indians

"We are seriously studying the developments in Nepal," Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was quoted as saying.

"We are confident that the situation will improve.

"I have spoken to the Nepalese prime minister and we have assured them of our co-operation."

But no warning has as yet been issued to Indians about travel to Nepal.

Mourning period

India led international reaction to the deaths of the King Birendra and Queen Aiswarya on Friday, announcing a three-day period of national mourning.

But there has been no reaction from Delhi to the coronation of the new king, Gyanendra, whom some sections of the Indian establishment perceive as hostile.

Quoted by the Indian news agency PTI, Nepalese ambassador Bhakh Bahadur Thapa said India and Nepal would remain strong friends and urged the Indian people not to "indulge in speculation based on rumour or pre-conceived notion".