"It's a Question of Survival"

In his first interview with the foreign press since he seized power on Feb. 1, King Gyanendra talked with TIME's South Asia bureau chief Alex Perry at Narayanhity Palace in Kathmandu.

TIME: Had you been planning a takeover for a while?
Gyanendra: There really was no plan. It was just something on the cards. The Nepalis clearly [had] a one-point aspiration: peace. And Feb. 1 was a fallout of these accumulating aspirations.

TIME: Were you surprised by the strong international opposition?
Gyanendra: Disappointed. Because what was the objective of Feb. 1? To fight...