Nepal's Paras leaves hospital

Nepal's crown prince left hospital on Wednesday after recovering from a major heart attack he suffered last week, his doctor said.

Photo: Nepal's Paras leaves hospital

Crown Prince Paras, 35, was rushed to the Norvic hospital in the capital, Katmandu after complaining of chest pains at his home last Thursday. Doctors treating the prince found his right artery was blocked.

Paras' doctor Yadav Bhatta said the prince was recovering well but had been advised to rest at home for the next three weeks.

The prince greeted several supporters waiting outside the hospital as he walked to a car before leaving with his wife and children.

In a brief press statement, Paras thanked his supporters, the media and his doctors for their support.

Paras, whose father came to power in 2001 in the wake of a palace massacre.

The widely criticized prince has been involved in frequent drunken brawls at nightclubs and discos and has been dogged by allegations of involvement in two vehicular homicides, including the killing of one of Nepal's most popular singers.

There have been several street demonstrations against Paras, but he has never faced criminal investigations or charges.

Paras' father, Gyanendra, assumed the throne in June 2001 after his elder brother, the late King Birendra, was killed along with his family in a massacre inside the royal palace.

Gyanendra seized absolute power in 2005, saying he would bring stability to the country that had fought a bloody communist insurgency that had killed nearly 13,000 people in the past decade. But the country quickly turned against him. Widespread anger and mass protests forced the king to cede power in April 2006.

Soon afterward he was stripped of his responsibilities by an interim parliament. A special assembly scheduled to be elected in November is to decide whether Nepal will abolish the monarchy altogether.