US embassy cable - 02KATHMANDU657

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000657 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS AND DS/OP/NEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC, PGOV, CASC, PTER, NP, Maoist Insurgency 
SUBJECT: MAOISTS REPORTEDLY POSTPONE FIVE-DAY STRIKE 
 
REF: A) KATHMANDU 0604 
 
1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  Late in the morning of April 1, the 
Embassy began to receive reports from usually reliable press 
and human rights sources that the Maoists have decided to 
postpone the five-day general strike, or "bandh," called for 
April 2-6, to April 23-27, in response to broad-based public 
discontent at the bandh's coinciding with national secondary 
school exams.  Shortly before 5:00 p.m. local time Embassy 
received a press release signed by Maoist supremo Prachanda, 
originally sent to BBC, confirming the postponement.  Text of 
Embassy's unofficial translation of the Nepali-language press 
release follows in Para 6 below.  News sources generally 
regard the press release and signature as authentic.  Septel 
details Embassy actions following an EAC meeting and 
preparations for April 2.  The insurgents' action offers a 
hopeful indication that they may sometimes be vulnerable to 
coordinated public pressure, and is an encouraging--and 
regrettably rare--demonstration of what well-concerted 
efforts by civil society in Nepal's generally fractious and 
self-interested political landscape can sometimes still 
achieve.  End summary. 
 
2.  (SBU) Late in the morning of April 1, just one day before 
the five-day national strike, or "bandh," called by the 
Maoists for April 2-6, the Embassy began to receive verbal 
reports from several press and human rights sources that the 
Maoists had decided to postpone the bandh till April 23-27. 
None of the sources contacted, however, had received anything 
in writing, and many--the Embassy included--were reluctant to 
take the verbal reports at face value without the typical 
accompanying press release to back them up.  Others, such as 
Kantipur FM radio station and the local AFP correspondent, 
began to report the postponement as fact, even without 
written verification. 
 
3.  (SBU)  An editor of a vernacular daily, who first 
contacted the Embassy Public Diplomacy section with news of 
the cancellation, identified his source as a known Maoist 
contact who had habitually supplied reliable information in 
the past.  The head of a local human rights organization 
described his informant in the same way, noting that the 
original information had come from the Maoist leadership "in 
India" to Kathmandu regional headquarters, and predicting the 
verbal report would be shortly followed up by something in 
writing.  Lila Mani Pokhrel, a left-wing United People's 
Front Member of Parliament, also told assembled MPs at an 
afternoon session of Parliament that he had received similar 
word verbally from Maoist sources, and expected to have 
written confirmation by late afternoon. 
 
4.  (SBU) Many sources contacted generally viewed reports of 
the postponement as authentic, despite the lack of written 
back-up, citing coordinated protests over the past several 
weeks by members of civil society, including human rights and 
teachers' groups, decrying the harmful effect of the bandh on 
a broad spectrum of Nepali society--secondary school students 
who have to take the compulsory national examinations, 
scheduled to begin the same day as the bandh, in order to 
qualify for higher education.  Subodh Raj Pyakurel, the head 
of the local human rights organization INSEC, in a prominent 
public statement predicted the Maoist bandh would create for 
the movement thousands of sworn instant enemies throughout 
the nation.  Other human rights groups followed up with 
public statements calling on the Maoists to cancel the bandh, 
citing the negative impact on Nepali youth from all strata of 
society. 
 
5.  (U) Shortly before 5:00 p.m. Embassy Public Diplomacy 
section received, via a contact at BBC, a copy of the press 
statement, apparently signed by Maoist supremo Prachanda. 
Most media and human rights sources contacted view the 
signature and press release as authentic.  Septel reports 
actions taken by the Embassy EAC on operating hours April 2. 
 
6.  (U) Begin text of unofficial translation of press release 
from Prachanda: 
 
Press Release 
 
It is well known to all about the announcement regarding the 
Nepal Bandh program from tomorrow, April 2-6, with the 
objective of fostering a unified struggle against the 
military dictatorship imposed by the feudal dictators, who 
changed the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) exam dates by 
some weeks.  The conspiracy of openly attacking the political 
outcome of the people's movement of 1990 by the feudal 
dictators in order to permanently establish a military 
dictatorship is plainly seen.  Not only our analysis and 
conclusion from the time of the royal massacre have been 
proved right, but the appeal made by us to the political 
powers inside and outside of Parliament for extensive, 
unified revolution against this conspiracy has also been 
strongly justified.  The feudal dictators and their 
supporters, who have shown insincerity and deceived the 
country and the people, have continued their campaign of mass 
killings and have shifted the date of the examination, 
instead of providing a secure future to students.  In this 
situation, our great and glorious party, CPN (Maoist), has 
shifted the Nepal Bandh program, which was announced by the 
party along with (other) concrete programs of the 
Revolutionary People's Council, from April 2-6, because we 
have realized our responsibility towards the future of the 
students and the request made by the academic community, 
parents and guardians (of students), and friendly political 
parties.  We have changed the Nepal Bandh program to April 
23-27.  We would like to seriously appeal as usual to all to 
help make the five-day bandh a success and a positive way out 
of the state of emergency.  We would like to reiterate our 
commitment that we would end all such programs, if an 
environment is created so that a positive political way out 
can be found.  If the killings of the sons and daughters of 
ordinary people continues every day, then there is no 
alternative but to retaliate extensively. 
 
Prachanda 
Chairman 
CPN (Maoist) 
April 1, 2002 
 
End text of unofficial translation of press release. 
 
 
7.  (SBU) Comment:  The Maoists originally called the bandh 
to coincide with the national secondary school exams, thereby 
hoping to embarrass the embattled GON and increase public 
dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of the emergency.  But 
they obviously did not count on the wide-spread outcry their 
plans generated from members of Nepali society in all walks 
of life.  By targeting the national secondary school exams, 
the Maoists managed to strike a chord that reverberated from 
the highest levels of society down to the lowest--and earned 
themselves some rather negative PR coverage in the process. 
That the Maoists have only postponed the bandh, rather than 
outright cancelling it, is regrettable, but at least the 
postponement puts the students out of the direct line of 
fire.  Local human rights groups are taking credit for 
pressuring the Maoists to call off the bandh.  If that is 
actually the reason for the withdrawal, it offers a hopeful 
indication that Maoists can be susceptible to public 
pressure, and is encouraging--and rare--evidence of what 
well-concerted efforts by civil society in Nepal's generally 
fractious and self-interested political landscape can still 
achieve. 
MALINOWSKI