US embassy cable - 03KATHMANDU2187

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KATHMANDU 002187 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS AND DS/IP/NEA 
STATE ALSO PLEASE PASS USAID/DCHA/OFDA 
STATE ALSO PLEASE PASS PEACE CORPS HQ 
USAID FOR ANE/AA GORDON WEST AND JIM BEVER 
MANILA FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA 
LONDON FOR POL/GURNEY 
TREASURY FOR GENERAL COUNSEL/DAUFHAUSER AND DAS JZARATE 
TREASURY ALSO FOR OFAC/RNEWCOMB AND TASK FORCE ON TERRORIST 
FINANCING 
JUSTICE FOR OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL/DLAUFMAN 
NSC FOR MILLARD 
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISA LILIENFELD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS, PTER, CASC, PGOV, NP, Maoist Insurgency 
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON NEPAL'S MAOIST INSURGENCY, NOVEMBER 1-7 
 
REFERENCE:  KATHMANDU 2022 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1. The local press reported that seventeen security 
personnel and sixty-six Maoists were killed in clashes this 
week.  Maoists reportedly killed seven civilians, including 
a fifteen-year-old boy, and abducted ten others.  In a 
statement issued on November 4, the Maoists reacted angrily 
to the USG's announced designation of them for asset-freeze 
sanctions, declaring the move "ridiculous."  Senior Maoists 
threatened "effective resistance" to Prime Minister Surya 
Bahadur Thapa's proposed elections.  The Royal Nepal Army 
(RNA) spokesman reported that 702 insurgents and 168 
security personnel have been killed since the breakdown of 
the ceasefire on August 27. Over five hundred teachers have 
abandoned their jobs due to security concerns and fear of 
Maoists, causing dozens of schools to be closed throughout 
Nepal.  The rebels have renewed their forced recruitment 
campaign, demanding one person from each house in the 
western district of Salyan, and in the eastern districts of 
Khotang, Ilam, and Udayapur.  According to the local press, 
the insurgents are demanding payments from tenant farmers, 
taking over forestry projects, and commandeering private 
vehicles and taxis for their own use.  End Summary. 
 
DEATH TOLL FROM CLASHES CONTINUES TO GROW 
----------------------------------------- 
 
2.  According to press reports, seventeen security personnel 
were killed this week.  Two Royal Nepal Army (RNA) soldiers 
were killed on November 3.  In the southwest district of 
Banke, one soldier was killed by Maoists and another soldier 
was killed in the northeastern district of Sindhupalchowk 
while attempting to defuse a bomb planted by rebels.  On 
November 2, ten RNA soldiers were killed after their vehicle 
drove over a Maoist landmine while traveling between the 
eastern districts of Bara and Parsa.  Six other soldiers 
suffered injuries.  Four RNA soldiers and a police officer 
were killed on November 1 in separate ambushes by Maoists in 
the eastern districts of Sindhuli, Bara and Nuwakot. 
 
3.  Sixty-six Maoists reportedly were killed this week in 
clashes across Nepal.  Five Maoists were killed on November 
6 in separate incidents including one in Udayapur District, 
two in the western district of Arghakhanchi, and two more in 
Sindhupalchowk.  On November 4, six rebels were killed in 
separate clashes in the eastern regions of Siraha and Ilam. 
Also on that day, two other insurgents were killed in 
Nuwakot, north of Kathmandu, and ten in the western 
districts of Banke and Dang.  On November 3 a Maoist was 
killed in Banke, while nine insurgents were killed on 
November 2 in the western districts of Kailali and Achham 
and two in the eastern districts of Sindhuli.  Thirty-one 
rebels were killed on October 31 and November 1.  On 
November 1 eight rebels were killed in separate incidents in 
the eastern districts of Taplejung, Bara and Nuwakot, while 
seven others died in clashes in the central and western 
districts of Makawanpur, Rukum and Nawalparsi.  On October 
31, twelve Maoists were killed in the western districts of 
Kailali and Achham, while four died in fighting in the 
eastern districts of Rautahat, Tehrathum and Sindhuli. 
 
4.  Maoists reportedly killed seven civilians during the 
week, including a fifteen-year-old boy.  One civilian was 
shot dead by security forces who mistakenly believed he was 
a Maoist.  On November 6, a fifteen-year-old boy was killed 
in Salyan District in a Maoist ambush meant for security 
forces.  On that same day, the body of an ex-Gorkha 
sergeant, abducted by Maoists a week before, was found. 
Both of the sergeant's hands had been chopped off.  On 
November 3, Maoists hacked to death the father of a former 
Village Development Committee (VDC) member in Saptari 
District in the southeast.  On November 2, in the eastern 
district of Sarlahi, Maoists killed a man in his residence, 
accusing him of being an informant for police.  Also on that 
day in the east, Maoists attacked and severely injured a 
Nepali Congress (NC) worker in Saptari District.  On 
November 1, the insurgents killed one civilian in Nuwakot 
District, while RNA soldiers shot and killed a civilian in 
the suburbs of Hetauda, mistaking him for a rebel.  Two 
Nepali Congress (NC) activists reportedly were abducted by a 
gang of over two hundred Maoists, tortured and then killed 
in Bardiya District on October 31. 
 
5.  Ten civilians were abducted by Maoists throughout Nepal. 
On November 4, two members of NC were abducted in Gulmi 
District, and on November 2 four civilians were abducted in 
Parbat District.  Rebels also abducted four women from 
Nuwakot District, just north of Kathmandu, on October 31. 
 
MAOISTS' TERRORIST LISTING "RIDICULOUS" 
--------------------------------------- 
 
6.  On November 4, the Maoist leadership issued a press 
statement declaring as "ridiculous," the USG's decision to 
designate their organization as terrorists whose assets were 
to be frozen.  The statement further accused the USG of once 
again interfering in Nepal's internal affairs, and claimed 
that the USG seeks instability in Nepal to further its own 
agenda, which allegedly includes establishing a military 
base in Nepal in order to target China and India.  The 
Maoist party reiterated its policy of not attacking any 
foreign power, including America, "at the moment." 
 
MAOISTS AGAINST ELECTIONS 
------------------------- 
 
7.  On November 6, Maoist ideologue Baburam Bhattari said 
the Maoists would resort to "effective resistance" if the 
Government of Nepal (GON) proceeded with elections.  In 
response to Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa's 
announcement that preparations were underway to hold 
elections for almost 300,000 vacant local council seats, 
Bhattarai alleged that it was merely a way for the old 
regime to prolong its power.  Krishna Bahadur Mahara, also a 
senior Maoist spokesman, said the elections would only "add 
fuel to the current burning problems." 
 
RNA CLAIMS MAOIST DEATH TOLL OVER 700 
------------------------------------- 
 
8.  In a press conference held on November 6, Royal Nepal 
Army (RNA) spokesman Colonel Deepak Gurung said that 702 
insurgents and 168 security personnel have been killed since 
the breakdown of the ceasefire on August 27.  In addition, 
127 security personnel suffered injuries in clashes, and 
three were abducted.  Gurung further opined that the rebels' 
military strength is weakening, causing the Maoist cadres to 
resort to guerilla warfare and assassinations. 
 
9.  Gurung also denied charges that RNA soldiers killed four 
students at a Doti school last month (reftel).  Gurung said 
a preliminary report done by the RNA found that the Maoists 
had used the children as human shields, and that one of the 
deceased had been stabbed by the rebels, while another died 
from a bomb explosion.  He said the investigation was 
continuing to determine the cause of death of the other two 
children. 
 
SCHOOLS CLOSING, TEACHERS FLEEING 
--------------------------------- 
 
10.  Students in some parts of Nepal are being denied 
education due to the Maoist insurgency.  Maoists in Doti 
District shut down schools from November 3-6, and seventy- 
six schools have been closed indefinitely in Bajura District 
after rebels demanded "donations" of one month's salary from 
each of the teachers.  Teachers, unable to pay the 
exorbitant amount, fled fearing repercussions by the 
insurgents, as well as alleged harassment by security forces 
who warned them not to provide money to the rebels. 
 
11.  Schools in Ramechhap District have been closed for the 
past two months, affecting almost six hundred students. 
Staff at the school fled after rumors that Maoists would 
target teachers.  The local paper quoted a teacher as saying 
that "a cloud of fear dominates the area," despite Maoist 
assurances they would not target teachers. 
 
12.  A statement issued on November 4 by the Nepal National 
Teachers' Association (NNTA) claimed that most teachers are 
forced to pay twenty-five percent of their salaries to the 
Maoists to avoid physical harm, and that many have left 
their teaching posts to avoid the rebels.  On November 4 
Education Ministry Spokesman Laba Prasad Tripathee conceded 
to reporters that some schools had been affected by the 
teachers' departure, but that it "rests with civil society 
to have the schools opened."  An estimated 500 teachers have 
abandoned their jobs. 
 
13.  On November 3, Maoists bombed a training center for 
teachers in Bhojpur District, damaging the building and 
destroying all the computers and office equipment. 
 
YOUTHS IN FEAR OF MAOIST RECRUITMENT 
------------------------------------ 
 
14.  Maoists reportedly have stepped up recruitment 
campaigns again, demanding one person from each house in 
Ilam District, which borders India on the east.  To avoid 
recruitment into the Maoist army, many youths reportedly 
have fled Nepal.  The neighboring districts of Khotang and 
Udayapur, in the eastern region of Nepal, have also 
witnessed an upsurge in the number of youths fleeing their 
villages.  According to locals, almost one hundred and fifty 
people leave the countryside every day. 
 
15.  Fears of forced recruitment have also caused youths in 
the western district of Salyan to migrate to India. 
According to press reports, most of the young people in the 
district have left. 
 
MAOISTS TARGET LOCAL INDUSTRY 
----------------------------- 
 
16.  According to the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), 
almost thirty-five percent of its registered cooperatives in 
the Small Farmers Development Program (SFDP) have been 
victimized by Maoists.  Officials speculate that the Maoists 
mistakenly believe the government owns the co-ops, and are 
intent on damaging them, thus hurting the poor "whom they 
claim to be fighting for."  Seventy-six percent of the 
Nepali population is involved in agriculture, with the 
majority of those being small farmers.  Tenant farmers in 
the western district of Kailali, who traditionally give half 
of their crops to landlords, said that Maoists have warned 
them to stop paying.  The insurgents are demanding that they 
be paid instead, and have threatened to kill anyone who 
defies their orders. 
 
17.  Insurgents in the western district of Achham reportedly 
have taken over forestry projects in that region.  According 
to press reports, the insurgents have disbanded local 
elected committees and formed their own management.  The 
rebels also have begun collecting revenue from the sale of 
timber and forest products. 
 
18.  On November 1, the local press reported that Maoists 
have been commandeering taxis and other private vehicles. 
The insurgents reportedly use the cars for short periods 
late at night.  In the far western district of Dadeldhura, 
the Maoists continue extortion efforts, delivering letters 
to merchants demanding payments.  The insurgents also 
reportedly collect an average of USD 13 from trekkers in the 
Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), issuing receipts 
for the "donations." 
 
MALINOWSKI