US embassy cable - 04KATHMANDU439

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000439 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR POL/GURNEY 
NSC FOR MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2014 
TAGS: MCAP, MOPS, PHUM, PREL, NP, U.S-Nepali Relations 
SUBJECT: NEPAL:AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO VILLAGE DEFENSE 
COMMITTEE 
 
REF: A. A) US DAO KATHMANDU IIR 6 867 0043 03 (NOTAL) 
     B. B) US DAO KATHMANDU 03 IIR 6 867 0028 03 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Michael E. Malinowski for reasons 1.5 (B, D). 
 
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SUMMARY 
======= 
 
1.  (SBU)  In an effort better to understand Nepal's 
controversial, new "Village Defense Committees," Ambassador 
Malinowski and the Defense Attache on March 2 visited by 
helicopter one of the Royal Nepal Army's (RNA) pilot projects 
located in Lamjung District (in a remote area northeast of 
Pokhara).  Within the Nepalese government and the 
international donor and non-governmental organization 
community there has been much debate on the RNA's concept for 
helping the civilian population to defend itself against 
Maoist depredations.  Despite many fears and 
misrepresentations, the project visited functions like a 
"neighborhood watch," involving retired British/Indian Gurkha 
officers carrying their own licensed weapons, like shotguns 
(NOTE: The RNA indicates that they have not provided 
villagers with any military-grade weapons.  END NOTE.) 
Currently, the RNA has established just two such "Village 
Defense Committees" in Lamjung and Sarlahi Districts. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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Lamjung Village Defense Committee 
================================= 
 
2.  (C) On March 2, Ambassador Malinowski, Defense Attache 
and other Embassy officers visited one of Royal Nepal Army's 
(RNA) Civic Peace and Development Mobilization Committees 
(commonly referred to as "Village Defense Committees") 
located in Lamjung District (in a remote area northeast of 
Pokhara).  The Village Defense Committee in Lamjung District 
is comprised of five villages with a RNA outpost located on a 
strategic ridge outside the village of Pasgaun.  All five 
villages are populated exclusively by members of the Gurung 
ethnic group.  This adds to the cohesiveness among the 
villagers.  (Note: The network of villages has a total 
population 15,000 with a considerable number of retired 
Indian/British Gurkha residents.  End Note.)  The 
five-village network is located along a frequently-used 
Maoist route between the Maoist heartland in the western part 
of Nepal and Kathmandu. Fearing being identified by security 
forces as friendly to the Maoist cause, the five villages 
volunteered to be included in the RNA's pilot project.  The 
Village Defense Committee in Lamjung has had one encounter 
with the Maoists in the past, but has not seen Maoists for at 
least two months. 
 
3.  (C)  Despite its name, the Village Defense Committee is 
not an armed paramilitary force.  Rather, in this particular 
example, the Village Defense Committee seems to function like 
an early warning/neighborhood watch system.  In Pasgaun, the 
village that Emboffs visited, four or five residents patrol 
nightly with dogs and alert security forces with light 
signals and runners if anything is out of the ordinary.  The 
security forces patrol separately. 
 
4.  (C) In Pasguan, out of a population of 1500, about 70 to 
80 residents participate in the Village Defense Committee. 
The head of the committee is a 70-year old retired Indian 
Gurkha officer, who also happens to be the village patriarch. 
 He is assisted by two other retired Indian Gurkha soldiers. 
(COMMENT: Retired as the rank of a Warrant Officer Second 
Class, he still embarks on a three-day walk to Pokhara every 
month to collect his military pension check.  He has fought 
in six wars, including the Sino-Indian War of 1962, 
Indian-Bangladeshi War in 1971 and in all the conflicts 
between India and Pakistan. END COMMENT.)  The residents of 
Pasgaun indicated that committee members use their own six 
12-bore shotgun rifles, which they have had licensed by the 
Government of Nepal to conduct patrols. 
 
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COMMENT 
======= 
 
5.  (C) There has been much debate within the NGO, 
international donor community and the GON on what the Village 
Defense concept means in practice.  The Ambassador's visit to 
Lamgunj District Village Defense Committee was only the most 
recent effort by the Embassy to determine what, in fact, was 
being done to implement the village self-defense concept. 
Although definitely not a "one size fits all" model, the 
pilot project in Lamgunj does appear to function well.  The 
five-village network in Lamjung may be unique, with a 
strategically important location and a cohesive and reliable 
network of trained ex-Gurkha soldiers.  This model may be 
difficult to replicate in other villages.  We will encourage 
the Government of Nepal to proceed cautiously and to find the 
best ways to build upon carefully identified villages' 
strengths. END COMMENT 
 
(NOTE: A copy of a RNA brief describing the Village Defense 
Committee will be forwarded to Nepal's desk officer in 
SA/INS.  END NOTE.) 
MALINOWSKI