US embassy cable - 03KATHMANDU2248

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 002248 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, PGOV, PREL, KMDR, NP 
SUBJECT: WEEKLY NEPAL MEDIA REPORT: November 11 to 17, 
2003 
 
 
-STATE FOR NP, AC, PM 
-STATE FOR IN/R/MR 
-STATE FOR SA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO 
-STATE FOR SA/PPD 
 
1.  POLITICAL AFFAIRS 
 
-- Parties to go in forceful and comprehensive manner: 
The five political parties protesting against the royal 
takeover of October 4 last year have decided to 
continue with the protest programs in a more forceful 
and comprehensive manner in days to come. (Centrist 
"Kantipur FM" radio, 11/15) 
 
-- Parties' split over NC (D) inclusion: A serious 
fissure has emerged among the five agitating political 
parties over the issue of including Nepali Congress 
(Democratic) in their joint agitation against 
regression". While the UML and Nepal Sadbhawana Party 
(NSP) strongly pressed for an unconditional inclusion 
of NC (D), Nepali Congress in the movement against 
"regression," Nepal Workers and Peasants party (NWPP) 
and People's Front of Nepal (PFN) strongly objected. 
They instead demanded that NC (D) first acknowledge 
that its recommendation to the king to dissolve the 
House of Representatives was a mistake. (Centrist 
"Kathmandu Post," E/D, 11/15) 
 
-- NC (D) not to join five parties' alliance: Nepali 
Congress (D) president Sher Bahadur Deuba said the 
party had no interest in taking part in the mass 
movement led by five political parties.  "We have never 
said that we will cooperate with them (parties) and we 
also don't need any invitation to join the alliance," 
said Deuba. (Centrist "Kantipur," V/D, 11/16) 
 
-- China says no "evidence" on U.S. setting up military 
base in Nepal: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Sun Heping 
said as the Maoist problem was an internal affair of 
Nepal, China would pursue non-interference policy in 
the matter.  China would support the measures taken by 
the government to maintain peace and security in the 
country.  China has no "evidence" that the United 
States is setting up a military base in Nepal, as 
alleged by the Nepali Maoist rebels, the ambassador 
told reporters Friday. (Major media reports, 11/15) 
 
-- UML's conditions to Maoists: The CPN-UML has said 
that it is ready to welcome the Maoists to join the 
stir only if they abandoned their policy of violence 
and terror. (Media reports 11/14) 
 
-- Parliamentarians and Maoists preparing to talk: The 
five political parties and the Maoists have decided to 
hold talks to find political solution to defeat the 
regression. (Media reports, 11/12) 
 
-- AI flays Govt. plan to set up rural peace 
committees: Amnesty International (AI) has raised 
strong objection to the government's plans to set up 
"Rural Volunteer Security Groups and Peace Committees." 
In a letter sent to Thapa, the international human 
rights organization expressed fears that such a step 
can place the civilian population in grave danger by 
seriously compromising their neutrality, the 
organization said in a statement released in Kathmandu 
Tuesday. (Media reports, 11/12) 
 
-- All-party govt. and election: Raj Parishad's advice 
to King: A Raj Parishad member who took part in the 
recently concluded Dhangadhi conference claimed Sunday, 
the Parishad decided to advise the King to constitute 
an all party government, which will hold elections in 
the country. (www.neDalnews.com, 11/15) 
 
-- Royal Council active after 30 years: The king's 
advisory body, Raj Parishad [Royal Council] is holding 
political conferences in all five development regions 
of the country to gather suggestions and 
recommendations from people on the current [political] 
problems and to pass them to the king.  This is the 
first time that Raj Parishad is holding such assemblies 
since the restoration of democracy in 1990.  The 
present Constitution is mum on the roles, rights and 
duties of Raj Parishad.... Leaders of major political 
parties have commented that the Parishad's renewed 
activism...is an "unconstitutional" and "ominous 
development" contrary to the spirit of democracy. (The 
Kathmandu Post, 11/11-12) 
 
-- House restoration unconstitutional, says PM: The 
restoration of the dissolved House of Representatives, 
as demanded by the parliamentarian parties, is 
unconstitutional, said Prime Minister Surya Bahadur 
Thapa in an interview to a popular Nepal Television 
talk show.  The PM also said the government was 
preparing to hold the general elections at the earliest 
possible time. (State-owned "Nepal Television," 11/10) 
 
2.  MAOIST POLITICS 
 
-- Maoists swear by people's democracy: Maoist Chief 
Prachanda on Thursday called upon the political parties 
knot to doubt the Maoists' commitment to multiparty 
democracy."  Labeling the Americans as "modern Hitler," 
Prachanda blamed the Americans for the failure of the 
peace talks.  "By announcing the so-called campaign on 
terrorism, reaching a five-year accord with the old 
regime, and also by directing the leaders of the army 
for Doramaba killings at a time when negotiations were 
going on, American imperialism has conspired to derail 
the peace talks," he said.  He said that the U.S. was 
trying to set up military base in Nepal to have control 
over the entire South Asian region and China.  (Major 
reports, 11/14) 
 
-- UN concerned: The United Nations has expressed "deep 
concerns" over reports of detention in Nepal.  Fred 
Eckhard, a spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan, 
told a press briefing in New York that the three 
rapporteurs had sent 31 urgent appeals in the past two 
months to the Nepal government relating to the alleged 
detention of 56 people, including journalists, in 
unknown locations, it reported. (Major reports, 11/14) 
 
-- Maoists' surrender: Thirty-nine Maoists surrendered 
to the administrator of the western region Thursday, 
Radio Nepal said. (11/14) 
 
-- Maoists forcibly enlist students: The Maoists in 
eastern Achham have forcefully mobilized more than 1000 
students to participate in their organization expansion 
campaign.  The guerrillas have formed 11 teams out of 
these students and mobilized them to VDCs.  The 
students are forced to wear red band on their head with 
Maoist sign and made to engage in a 10-hour publicizing 
campaign everyday. (The Kathmandu Post, 11/14) 
 
-- Systematic planning needed to defeat enemies, Badal: 
Maoist leader Ram Bahadur Thapa alias Badal has said 
that the mainstream political parties and Maoists are 
coming closer in their fight against the "common 
enemy."  In an interview to the Maoist mouthpiece 
"Janadesh," Badal has stressed on the need to plan and 
move ahead in a consolidated manner.  He also said that 
such alliance should not be limited within the 
boundaries of the country but need to be 
internationalized to fight against the American 
imperialism. (Centrist "Rajdhani," V/D, 11/13) 
 
3.  MAOIST INSURGENCY 
 
-- Indian cops seize seven tons of Sulphur:  Indian 
police seized seven tons of Sulphur, raw material used 
for making explosive, meant for Maoists at the Nepal- 
India border of Belhiya.  The Sulphur worth Rs. 4 
million was recovered after carrying out a raid in a 
house located about eight kilometers west of the 
Belhiya customs point.  Earlier also the Indian police 
had seized a huge amount of explosives and other raw 
materials from the Nepal-India border. (The Kathmandu 
Post, 11/17) 
 
-- Maoists kill brigadier general, wife and two army 
men: Maoists killed Brigadier General Sagar Bahadur 
Pandey, his wife and two unidentified army personnel 
and injured nine other army men in an electric mine 
blast laid by the Maoists in Makwanpur district. 
Pandey is the highest-ranking army officer killed by 
the Maoists till date 
.  Pandey was serving as the 
Director of Military Materials Manufacturing 
Directorate that looks after the production and 
procurement of ammunitions for the Royal Nepal Army. 
(Major reports, 11/16) 
 
-- Tourists looted: two unidentified Maoists in 
Taplejung attacked a Spanish tourist with khukuri 
[curved knife]. (11/17)". Maoists, at gunpoint, looted 
Rs. 1,000 from each of seven Australian tourists in the 
Kanchenjunga base camp area, Taplejung.  This is the 
first incident of the Maoists robbing foreigners since 
the Maoist insurgency began. (The Kathmandu Post, 
11/12)". Meanwhile, Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur 
Mahara, in a statement, said murder of civilians and 
forceful donations against tourists were against party 
policy. (Media reports, 11/16) 
 
-- Maoists slaughter 80-years old: Maoist rebels have 
killed an 80-years old resident of Taplejung by slicing 
off his neck for failing to give donations as demanded 
by them.  (Centrist "Nepal Samacharpatra," V/D, 11/13) 
 
-- 20 sharp shooters enter Nepal: Security forces said 
that 20 sharp shooters belonging to the group Maoist 
Communist Center (MCC) (India) had entered Nepal from 
the bordering town of Nepalgunj.  The forces have 
alerted all. (Leftist "Jana Aastha," 11/12) 
 
4.  NEPAL-FOREIGN 
 
-- UK aid will come, rider attached: British Ambassador 
to Nepal, Keith Bloomfield, has said that any future 
assistance to Nepal would depend on functioning of 
democracy and the human rights situation. (The 
Kathmandu Post, 11/15) 
 
-- Netherlands to stop aid: The Netherlands has decided 
to remove Nepal from its list of countries that get 
aid. (Nepal Samacharpatra, 11/14) 
 
5.  BUSINESS/ECONOMY 
 
-- Nepal's entry into PRGF okayed: The International 
Monetary Fund approved (11/15), in principle, Nepal's 
entry into its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility 
(PRGF) program.  Under the program Nepal will receive 
about 72 million dollars for the next three years. (The 
Kathmandu Post, 11/16) 
 
6.  OTHERS 
 
-- U.S. justice system worth emulating: The U.S. has 
been effectively implementing the rule of law and 
discussion was held on how we can implement the concept 
of rule of law effectively in Nepal, said Chief Justice 
Kedarnath Upadhyaya to RSS.  The Chief Justice returned 
to Kathmandu yesterday after completing a two-week long 
visit of the USA at the invitation of the State 
Department. (RSS news in major newspapers, 11/17) 
 
MALINOWSKI