US embassy cable - 02KATHMANDU803

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 000803 
 
SIPDIS 
 
CA/OCS/ACS/NESA, DS/OP/NEA AND DS/DSS/ITA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC, PTER, ASEC, NP, Maoist Insurgency 
SUBJECT:  New Peril on the Trails - Maoist Banditry 
Against Foreigners 
 
Ref:  01 Kathmandu 2323 
 
1. Summary.  Three recent incidents of Maoists demanding 
"donations" from American citizens in Nepal's 
backcountry, coupled with an increase in reported 
robberies from other Western tourists, create a new area 
of concern for the security of American citizens 
traveling in Nepal's remote areas.  Questions about 
whether previous robberies were perpetrated by local 
hoodlums rather than Maoists no longer apply.  Clear 
evidence indicates that in all three of these attacks 
against American citizens (and other Westerners who have 
been robbed recently) the perpetrators were Maoists. 
End Summary. 
 
Sudden End for Karnali River Raft Trips 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
2. ConOff received a phone call this weekend from an 
anxious AmCit requesting Embassy assistance to get out 
of Nepal early after his rafting excursion was held up 
by armed Maoists on the Karnali River in Western Nepal. 
The incident occurred two days prior to the end of the 
nine-day raft trip, below the confluence of the Seti and 
Karnali Rivers in Kailali District when armed Maoists 
(first five, then 30 in number) entered the group's 
evening camp. 
 
3. The raft company's managing director later confirmed 
to ConOff that the Maoists, armed with guns and socket 
bombs, spouted Maoist philosophy to his staff while 
demanding they give up one of the expedition's rafts "as 
help for the country".  The Maoists' initial demands 
also included 50 USD per "client"  -- they settled for 
10,000 rupees total (approx. 130 USD) plus several life 
jackets.  The raft company's director, who also serves 
as President of Nepal's Rafting Association, has told 
all other rafting companies to cease running the Karnali 
River for the indefinite future.  This rafting run is in 
a rather remote area within striking distance of the 
Maoist heartland.  We were frankly surprised to learn 
that the Karnali River was still being run by rafting 
expeditions. 
 
Maoists Hit Climbing Expeditions to Makalu 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
4. On April 20, a Nepali daily newspaper reported an 
American climber's web-site description of Maoist 
robberies hitting three international expeditions during 
their approach to climb the world's fifth highest peak, 
Makalu.  The Himalayan Times story, entitled "Now, 
Maoists target tourists", states in pertinent part: 
 
     According to the Associated Press, one of the 
     mountaineers, who wrote about the incident on the 
     Internet website on Friday, said climbers belonging 
     to three teams were forced to give Rs 10, 000 ($128) 
     each to the guerrillas.  The teams were robbed on 
     their way to the base camp, from where they posted 
     their report on the website. [Note: website is 
     located at EverestNews.com] 
 
     "A group of five Maoists - four wearing special 
     jackets and carrying grenades along with an armed 
     Maoist carrying an automatic rifle - came to our 
     camp on April 5 morning," Raymond Coughron, an 
     energy management consultant from Berkeley, 
     California, said.  In the beginning, the guerrillas 
     demanded Rs. 5,000 ($64) plus cameras, binoculars 
     and altimeters, but after some negotiations, they 
     settled for Rs 10,000 ($128) per member, Coughron 
     said. 
 
     "It was clear that they were not alone. In the 
     surrounding forests, hundreds of their comrades 
     could be seen," he said.  "After our expedition 
     members paid them the amount and received a receipt, 
     the Maoists went to members of the Swiss expedition 
     team and repeated the act. The Spanish expedition 
     was approached the night before," he stated. 
 
Fulbrighter Threatened and Robbed, Reportedly Because of 
USG Sponsorship 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
------------------------------------- 
 
5. American Fulbright scholar Jeffrey Potter reports that 
on February 23, he and his fianc  were visited in their 
residence "by the local Maoist commander and 23 of his 
armed friends". Potter, a University of Wisconsin grad 
student who formerly served as a Peace Corps volunteer 
here, was conducting ethnographic research in the small 
village of Benchan located in remote Sankhuwasaba 
District .  During the ensuing half-hour lecture, the 
commander informed Potter that the Maoists liked him 
personally, but that they didn't like the U.S. Government 
and, because he was sponsored by the USG it was time for 
him to go.  The Maoists also relieved Potter of 2,000 
rupees (26 USD) and his camera.  He left the village 
immediately and continues to write up his research within 
the confines of the Kathmandu Valley. 
 
Incidents on the Rise -- Maoists or Hoodlums? 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
6.  Although robberies of Westerners on the trail have 
been reported several times in the past, it was 
previously unclear whether some of these incidents were 
perpetrated by actual Maoists or simply local gangs of 
youths.  There are, undoubtedly, thefts by hoodlums. 
However, the circumstances of recent incidents strongly 
indicate that Maoist cadres are committing many, if not 
most, of the rising spate of robberies in Nepal's 
hinterlands.  Weapons and uniforms are not the only 
indicators of Maoist affiliation.  Maoists 
characteristically detain their victims for some time - 
they don't just take the money and run.  The often spend 
hours haranguing the Westerners' Nepali guides and 
porters about Maoist philosophy, ridiculing them for not 
taking part in the "great work" and attempting to convert 
them to the cause.  They often provide printed "donation 
receipts" embossed with the likenesses of Mao, Lenin, 
Stalin, Marx and Engels. 
 
7. Another telling proof of Maoist involvement is the 
increase in the number of robberies that have occurred 
since the end of November when the Maoists abrogated 
their cease-fire with the GON.  In the same week as the 
first large scale attacks, including the battle in Phaplu 
where an AmCit student spent the night hiding under a 
stairwell (see Reftel), there were three separate 
instances where Dutch trekkers were held up and robbed of 
cameras and money by Maoists in nearby Salleri.  Within 
the past four months more than a dozen Western trekking 
parties have been detained and robbed. 
 
8. On March 5, armed Maoists stopped a trekking party on 
the previously heavily traveled Milkedanda trail near 
Chainpur, Sankhuwasaba District.  After confiscating 
cameras and money the trekkers were told "Thank you for 
your donation, but never come to this area again".   In 
Mugu District, German trekkers were robbed by a well- 
armed group of young attackers (reportedly all aged 
between 9 - 20 years and mostly girls).  Other German 
parties have recently been held up and robbed by armed 
groups in Rowailing Valley (Dolakha District) and in 
Humla District, where Westerners often embark for the 
overland "pilgrimage" route to Mount Kailash in Tibet. 
[Note: ConOffs arranged an emergency helicopter 
evacuation of Americans from Simikot, Humla two months 
ago in the midst of a battle between Maoists and GON 
forces.  End Note]  A British climbing group headed 
toward Kanchanjanga Base Camp (in the far eastern 
district of Taplejung) was also robbed and most of its 
equipment was carried off by alleged Maoists. 
 
9. Because of the number of recent trail robberies and 
other security concerns, the French Embassy has issued a 
warning advising French travelers to confine their Nepal 
forays solely to the Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, Chitwan 
National Nature Reserve and the Annapurna, Langtang and 
Everest treks.  [Note: Last Thursday Maoists bombed and 
destroyed a major bridge on the only road linking 
Kathmandu with the Langtang trek trailhead, effectively 
cutting off access for the time being.  We expect that 
the bridge will be restored fairly soon. End Note.]  In 
an effort to bolster lagging tourist arrivals, the GON 
last Fall opened approximately 100 new mountains as 
"trekking peaks" with lowered climbing fees. 
Unfortunately, most of these new "trekking peaks" are 
located in regions where we cannot presently advise U.S. 
citizens that it is safe to travel.  Royal Bardia 
National Park is virtually closed down, because of Maoist 
activities in the area.  The adventure experience in 
Nepal is swiftly becoming constricted. 
 
10. [Comment] The sudden rash of international tourists 
accosted during expeditions and treks by Maoists for 
money and equipment is a major new area of concern for 
the security of Americans visiting Nepal.  The Embassy's 
current advice for Americans is to avoid all nighttime 
road travel outside the Kathmandu Valley, to limit road 
travel outside the Valley to the greatest extent possible 
and to contact the Embassy before undertaking travel to 
outlying areas.  If security conditions continue to 
worsen, we may be forced to tighten the caution 
concerning travel outside the Valley even further. 
Malinowski