US embassy cable - 02KATHMANDU633

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000633 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PTER, PGOV, PINR, NP, Maoist Insurgency 
SUBJECT: MAOIST ATROCITIES AGAINST CIVILIANS ON THE INCREASE 
 
REF: (A)  KATHMANDU 0604; (B) KATHMANDU 0450; 
 
(C) KATHMANDU 0446 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (U) MAOIST ACTIVITIES HAVE TAKEN A MORE VIOLENT TURN, WITH 
ATROCITIES PERPETRATED AGAINST HELPLESS CIVILIANS ESCALATING BOTH 
IN NUMBER AND SEVERITY.  REPORTS OF THE MAOISTS DECAPITATING 
VICTIMS OR TORTURING THEM TO DEATH WITH KNIVES IN DISTRICTS 
ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE BECOME A HEART-RENDING COMMONPLACE IN 
NEPAL'S MEDIA.  OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS ALONE, AS DETAILED BELOW, 
THE MAOISTS HAVE BRUTALLY SLAIN CIVILIANS IN EACH OF NEPAL'S FIVE 
DEVELOPMENT REGIONS.  LOCAL HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS HAVE ATTEMPTED TO 
SHINE LIGHT ON THIS MOST HORRIBLE ASPECT OF THE INSURGENCY, BUT 
SOME OF THEIR INTERNATIONAL COUNTERPARTS ARE TO DATE APPARENTLY 
LESS MOVED BY THE DOCUMENTED HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES OF THE MAOISTS. 
 
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IN THE EASTERN REGION 
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2.  (SBU)  ON MARCH 21 MAOISTS ABDUCTED LEKNATH GAUTAM, A TEACHER 
AND MEMBER OF THE LOCAL CHAPTER OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, FROM 
HIS HOME IN PANCHTHAR DISTRICT.  HIS BODY WAS LATER FOUND NEAR AN 
ABANDONED POLICE POST THAT HAD BEEN DESTROYED IN A PREVIOUS 
MAOIST ATTACK.  THE LOCAL NGO HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE SOCIETY 
(HURPES) ISSUED A PRESS STATEMENT CONDEMNING THE KILLING.  HURPES 
MEMBER KRISHNA PAHADI ALSO TOLD POLOFF THAT THE NGO HAS 
TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED A PROGRAM OF  "PEACE" DRAMAS IN VARIOUS 
DISTRICTS AFTER RECEIVING THREATS FROM MAOIST SYMPATHIZERS.  THE 
NGO HAS ALREADY HELD SUCH DRAMATIZATIONS IN 16 DIFFERENT 
DISTRICTS, DRAWING CROWDS OF UP TO 2,000 IN SOME LOCATIONS. 
 
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IN THE CENTRAL REGION 
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3.  (U) A GROUP OF MAOISTS KILLED BHOLA SHAH TELI, AN ACTIVE 
MEMBER OF THE RULING NEPALI CONGRESS AT KARUNIYA IN RAUTAHAT 
DISTRICT ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH 22.  NEPALI CONGRESS ACTIVISTS 
HAVE BEEN FREQUENT TARGETS OF MAOIST VIOLENCE, ESPECIALLY IN 
OUTLYING AREAS. 
 
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IN THE WESTERN REGION 
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4. (U) MAOISTS ATTACKED AND BRUTALLY KILLED RAM MANI GYAWALI, 
CHAIRMAN OF KERUNG VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE (VDC), 
ARGHAKHANCHI DISTRICT, WESTERN NEPAL, ON THE EVENING OF MARCH 12. 
AFTER GYAWALI'S HANDS AND LEGS WERE TIED WITH A ROPE, HE WAS 
SLASHED WITH A KNIFE UNTIL HE DIED.  TRAUMATIZED FAMILY MEMBERS 
STATED THAT THEY WERE DETAINED BY THE MAOISTS WITHIN EARSHOT OF 
THE MURDER, THROUGHOUT THE TWO AND A HALF HOUR ORDEAL.  GYAWALI, 
WHO HAD RELOCATED TO KATHMANDU AFTER RECEIVING DEATH THREATS, HAD 
TEMPORARILY RETURNED TO THE VDC TO FOLLOW PROGRESS IN AN 
ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAM IN HIS HOME VILLAGE.  THE VICTIM'S SISTER- 
IN-LAW, A PROGRAM SPECIALIST AT USAID KATHMANDU, CONFIRMED THE 
NEWS OF HIS VICIOUS SLAYING. 
 
5.  (U)  THE INSURGENTS ALSO ATTACKED AND WOUNDED HARI DHAKAL, A 
TEACHER IN SUNWAL VDC OF NAWALPARASI DISTRICT, MARHC 14. 
ACCORDING TO ASSISTANT CHIEF DISTRICT OFFICER (CDO) OF 
NAWALPARASI, DHAKAL WAS SHOT IN THE HEAD, AND IS IN CRITICAL 
CONDITION.  A GROUP OF MAOISTS SET FIRE TO THE HOUSE OF DEVI 
PRASAD NEUPANE, VICE CHAIRMAN OF CHANDRESWORE VDC OF LAMJUNG 
DISTRICT ON MARCH 15.  NEUPANE IS A LOCAL LEADER OF THE NEPALI 
CONGRESS PARTY.  THE DISTRICT POLICE OFFICE IN GORKHA CONFIRMED 
THAT MAOISTS KILLED YAM KUMARI ALE OF MANKAMANA VDC OF GORKHA 
DISTRICT ON MARCH 20.  SHE HAD EARLIER SURRENDERED TO THE 
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION OFFICE AND DISSOCIATED HERSELF FROM 
MAOIST ACTIVITY ABOUT TWO MONTHS BEFORE.  IN KASKI DISTRICT, TWO 
FEMALE FAMILY MEMBERS OF DEVENDRA THAKURI, A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL 
NEPALESE ARMY, WERE KILLED AFTER MAOISTS BOMBED HIS HOUSE IN 
THUKMI THE NIGHT OF MARCH 26. 
 
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IN THE MID-WESTERN REGION 
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6.  (U) IN DANG DISTRICT, A GROUP OF MAOIST INSURGENTS BEHEADED A 
BUS OWNER IN KAVRE VDC ON MARCH 14.  HIS BODY WAS RECOVERED NEAR 
THE PREMISES OF THE LOCAL POST OFFICE, ACCORDING TO DANG'S 
ASSISTANT CDO.  MAOISTS MURDERED LAL BAHADUR GHARTI, WARD 
CHAIRMAN OF SAHIGA VDC IN DANG DISTRICT, ON MARCH 15.  DANG'S CDO 
DESCRIBED THE KILLING AS MERCILESS, NOTING THE DECEASED HAD 
SEVERAL KNIFE CUTS ON HIS NECK AND BODY.  DANG DISTRICT POLICE 
AND CDO ALSO REPORT MAOISTS DECAPITATED SHANKAR GHARTI OF 
TRIBHUVAN MUNICIPALITY, DANG DISTRICT ON MARCH 19.  A GROUP OF 
ARMED MAOISTS SHOT DEAD GANESH BAHADUR SHAHI, A DISTRICT CHAIRMAN 
OF NEPAL TRADE UNION CONGRESS, SURKHET DISTRICT, ON MARCH 27. 
 
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IN THE FAR-WEST 
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7.  (U)  MAOISTS KILLED PREM BAHADUR BISTA, VICE CHAIRMAN OF 
MANILEKH VDC IN DADELHURA DISTRICT OF THE FAR WESTERN HILL 
REGION, HACKING HIM TO DEATH WITH A KHUKURI KNIFE ON MARCH 14, 
THE SPOKESMAN OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE CONFIRMED.  THE LOCAL 
PRESS ALSO REPORTED THAT MAOISTS STABBED TO DEATH VDC CHAIRMAN 
PADAM SINGH BADAL AND UDAYA SINGH DHAMI OF HIKILA VDC, DARCHULA 
DISTRICT, ON MARCH 16. THIS REPORT COULD NOT BE CONFIRMED THROUGH 
THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, AS TELEPHONE CONNECTIONS TO THAT 
REMOTE AREA HAVE BEEN DISRUPTED. 
 
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COMMENT 
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8.  (SBU) MAOISTS HAVE TORTURED AND MURDERED HELPLESS CIVILIANS 
FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE INSURGENCY IN FEBRUARY 1996.  THE 
MAOISTS' CAMPAIGN OF INTENSIFYING BRUTALITY TOWARD INNOCENT 
CIVILIANS REVEALS AS SPURIOUS THEIR CLAIM TO REPRESENT THE BEST 
INTERESTS OF THE COMMON PEOPLE.  THE TIMING OF THE MAOIST CALL 
FOR A GENERAL STRIKE (REFTEL A), COINCIDING WITH THE ALL- 
IMPORTANT NATIONAL SECONDARY SCHOOL EXAMS, REINFORCES THIS 
CONCLUSION.  SUBODH RAJ PYAKUREL, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE LOCAL 
HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION INSEC, DESCRIBED THE IMPACT OF THE 
STRIKE AS PARTICULARLY HARMFUL, SAYING "THE ATTEMPT TO DISTURB 
THE EXAMINATION WITH WHICH THE FUTURE OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS IS 
LINKED, IS A CRIME BIGGER THAN MURDER."  APPARENTLY UNABLE TO WIN 
SUPPORT FOR THEIR MOVEMENT THROUGH PERSUASION, THE MAOISTS ARE 
TURNING TO TERROR AND INTIMIDATION TO QUASH POPULAR OPPOSITION. 
WHILE MANY LOCAL HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS PUBLICIZE AND PROTEST SUCH 
ATROCITIES, WE ARE CONCERNED BY THE COMPARATIVE LACK OF 
COMMENSURATE COVERAGE GIVEN MAOIST ABUSES BY INTERNATIONAL HUMAN 
RIGHTS GROUPS. 
 
MALINOWSKI