US embassy cable - 03KATHMANDU1890

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 001890 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR CA/OCS/ACS/NESA JOHN PETERS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC, ASEC, PTER, NP 
SUBJECT:  AmCit Trekker Attacked and Robbed on Annapurna 
Circuit 
 
REF:  02 Kathmandu 2259 
 
1.  SUMMARY. On Saturday, September 27, 2003, American 
citizen Sean Gamble called the Embassy reporting that he 
had been attacked, injured and his passport stolen by a 
group of four assailants while trekking on the eastern 
portion of the Annapurna Circuit, near the village of 
Tal.  The attack apparently occurred September 25 or 26. 
Information on the incident is sketchy as his telephone 
call was interrupted and contact with Gamble has not yet 
been re-established.  Apparently suffering only minor 
injuries, Mr. Gamble appears to be continuing with his 
trek as planned.  One of the robbers, carrying Maoist 
pamphlets, has been arrested and has confessed.  As the 
trekking season begins, the Embassy is beginning to 
receive new reports of Maoist extortion of foreign 
trekkers, even on some of the popular, well-traveled 
trekking routes.  ConsChief recently hosted Consuls from 
the British, Australian, Japanese, French, German and 
Israeli embassies to discuss and exchange information on 
alleged Maoist extortion incidents and other security 
concerns on popular trekking routes.  Post's Emergency 
Action Committee will meet tomorrow to discuss this 
incident, as well as reports of alleged Maoist extortion, 
threats and an alleged recent attack on a French trekker. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  American Sean Joseph GAMBLE (DOB: Feb. 5, 1974, PPT 
#: 084223172) contacted Post One by telephone on 
Saturday, September 27 to report that he had been 
attacked and robbed on the eastern portion of the 
Annapurna Circuit.   Gamble stated several assailants 
attacked him in a wooded section of trail near the 
village of Tal.  He was beaten with a stick, suffered a 
gash on his head, and he was treated by an Israeli doctor 
(presumably also trekking in the area) in Dharapani.  The 
attackers rifled through his backpack stealing among 
other items, his U.S. passport.  It is unclear if the 
attacks occurred September 25 or 26.  Mr. Gamble has not 
signed a Privacy Act waiver. 
 
3.  Information on the attack is sketchy because the 
telcon was lost shortly after Post One transferred the 
call to ConOff and we have yet been unable to re- 
establish direct contact.  Our police contacts have 
informed us that one of the robbers has been arrested in 
the case.  He is 17 years old and not a resident of the 
area.  The boy was found with Maoist leaflets in his 
possession and reportedly has confessed to the assault. 
Reportedly, villagers of the area assisted local police 
in tracking down the boy.  Post has also asked the 
Himalayan Rescue Association, which has a high altitude 
health post in Manang, to keep an eye out for Mr. Gamble 
and to have him re-contact us immediately via their 
satellite phone if he comes through Manang. 
 
4.  We have not yet confirmed that the attacks were 
Maoist or if Mr. Gamble was attacked because he is an 
American citizen.   However, with the beginning of the 
Fall trekking season, reports are surfacing of Maoist 
extortion of trekkers.  On most occasions, Maoists 
reportedly have demanded 1000 NRs. (USD 13.50) per 
trekker and on occasion have issued receipts.  There are 
also scattered reports of a few trekkers being 
interrogated during Maoist encounters about their 
nationality and conveying verbal anti-American threats to 
trekkers of other nationalities. 
 
5.  Consuls from the British, German, Australian, French, 
Japanese and Israeli embassies met Friday, September 19 
on ConsChief's invitation to exchange information 
concerning the preliminary reports of Maoist encounters 
received to date.  We called the meeting after receiving 
second-hand e-mail reports written by British and 
Canadian trekkers, of a French trekker with head gash who 
had been beaten by Maoists in the Poon Hill area after 
reportedly refusing to pay the Maoist extortion demands. 
We have established an e-mail distribution list with 
counterpart embassies to facilitate regular information 
sharing about alleged security incidents on trekking 
routes and will maintain a database of reported Maoist 
robberies and assaults and other trail security 
incidents. 
 
6.  Post plans to hold an EAC meeting tomorrow to review 
trekking security issues (particularly in the Annapurna 
area), and to discuss possible changes to Nepal's public 
announcement language in light of recently reported 
incidents. 
 
Malinowski