US embassy cable - 02KATHMANDU1902

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001902 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
LONDON FOR POL/REIDEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC, PGOV, ASEC, NP, CH 
SUBJECT: AMCIT CLIMBERS DISCUSS SHOOTING INCIDENT 
 
REF: KATHMANDU 1877 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (SBU)  On September 20, American climbers David Morton and 
Jeff Lamoureaux were fired upon by two men wearing what they 
believe were Chinese military uniforms and one of whom stated 
that he belonged to the Chinese military (ref).  Altitude 
readings taken by the climbers and landmarks near their 
location on the approach to Nangpa-La (aka Khumbu-La) make it 
clear that the Americans were in Nepal.  Reftel gives a basic 
chronology of the event; additional details below were 
related by the climbers in a September 30 meeting with 
EmbOffs following the trekkers' return to Kathmandu.  Draft 
press guidance on the incident, on an if-asked basis, follows 
in para 9. End summary. 
 
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POSSIBLY CHINESE MILITARY; 
DEFINITELY IN NEPAL 
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2. (SBU)  Post received a copy of an e-mail on September 24, 
describing a September 20 incident in which two unidentified 
men fired on two AmCit climbers near Nepal's border with the 
Tibet Autonomous Region.  Neither American was injured in the 
incident (ref).  In order to clarify details of the report, 
post asked the climbers involved, David Morton and Jeff 
Lamoureaux, to meet with Embassy officers on their return to 
Kathmandu. 
 
3. (SBU)  In a September 30 meeting, the climbers confirmed 
to EmbOffs that they had just passed 5100 m (16,725 feet) 
altitude on the route north to Nangpa-La when they first 
encountered one of the shooters.  The climbers had checked 
their altimeter and noted that they were at the same altitude 
as their base camp farther to the east.  That altitude would 
place them 600 m (1960 feet) lower than the pass and 
therefore still in Nepal. (Note: Nangpa-La is just south of 
the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region. End 
note.)  Though the area is extremely remote, with few 
landmarks, the climbers were able to pinpoint the location of 
the first encounter as south of and below Luang, a collection 
of yak-herders' huts approximately 12 km south of the border. 
 The climbers stated that they had "just rounded the corner," 
meaning that they had just passed the outcropping of the 
closest peak that blocks the view of Nangpa-La from below. 
They turned around at Luang and headed back south when they 
spotted a second man watching them from above.  They say they 
were shot at during their descent. 
 
4. (SBU)  The two AmCits offered further information about 
the (purported) identity of the assailants.  They say that 
the man who initially stopped them showed them his camouflage 
uniform with a red stripe/epaulette and yellow star on the 
shoulder, and had a red balaclava-type hat with a yellow or 
orange border at the bottom.  The climbers said that the man 
looked "like the Han Chinese you see in Tibet... 
light-skinned with short hair," and that he told the 
Americans he was a member of the Chinese military.  They also 
stated that the man carried an automatic weapon with a curved 
clip and thin metal stock.  They informed him that they were 
Americans prior to the shooting, to which he said nothing. 
 
5. (SBU)  The climbers told EmbOffs that when they were 
returning with police protection to their base camp to 
retrieve their climbing gear, they encountered a group of 
Tibetan traders near Luang.  When asked if they had seen any 
Chinese police around the area, the traders replied that they 
had just passed two of them about a kilometer up the trail, 
near the yak-herders' huts at Luang.  (Note:  Morton and 
Lamoureaux state that the Tibetan traders and their 
translator were using the terms "police," "military" and 
"border patrol" interchangeably during the exchange. End 
note.)  According to the American climbers, the traders did 
not seem surprised by the possible presence of Chinese forces 
inside Nepal. 
 
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REFUGEES ON THE TRAIL 
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6. (SBU)  On their descent to Namche Bazar, where they hoped 
to be able to communicate with Kathmandu, Morton and 
Lamoureaux encountered a lone Tibetan refugee suffering from 
hypothermia.  One of the local guides accompanying the 
climbers spoke Tibetan, and translated the refugee's 
statements that he had been traveling with a group of 30-40 
others but had been left behind because he was moving too 
slowly.  After his group had moved on, the lone refugee had 
heard gunfire and fighting ahead of him on the trail.  In 
Namche Bazar, the District Chief of Police confirmed to the 
climbers that a group of 35 Tibetan refugees had crossed into 
Nepal on the morning of the incident. 
 
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ISOLATED INCIDENT SURPRISING TO MOST 
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7. (SBU)  This is the first incidence of shooting on Nepal's 
border with China in two years, and the first we have heard 
of involving AmCits.  Office of Tibet Representative Wangchuk 
Tsering indicated to PolOff that there have been no shootings 
 
SIPDIS 
on the Chinese border since October 2000, when one refugee 
was killed and two others injured by the Nepal police.  The 
incident does not bear the typical marks of either banditry 
or a Maoist encounter.  The two climbers were never asked for 
their money, their packs, or any of the expensive climbing 
equipment or cameras they had with them.  Maoist insurgents 
are not typically found at the high altitude where the 
incident took place.  Mountaineering professionals were 
surprised by the story, and could not recall any prior events 
of this kind involving trekkers. 
 
8. (SBU)  The commander of Royal Nepal Army forces in Namche 
Bazar was also stunned by the news according to Morton and 
Lamoureaux.  The men stated that the Major in charge of the 
local forces initially tried to convince them that they must 
have crossed the border into China before the incident 
occurred, but became "clearly very concerned" when he 
realized where the incident had actually taken place. 
 
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SUGGESTED PRESS GUIDANCE 
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9. (U)  On September 30 PD FSN was contacted by CNN, 
requesting further information about the incident.  Given the 
possibility of media coverage, post has drafted the following 
press guidance on an if-asked basis: 
 
Q: (IF ASKED)  What can you tell us about the two American 
trekkers who were shot at by two (purported) members of the 
Chinese military? 
 
A: 
  - The safety of U.S. citizens is of great concern to us. 
 
  - Two private American citizen climbers informed our 
Embassy that on September 20 they were shot at by two 
unidentified  individuals in an extremely remote, mountainous 
area about 12 km from Nepal's border with the Tibet 
Autonomous Region. 
 
  - Our Embassy officers have talked to the two American 
citizens involved, who were unharmed in the incident. 
 
  - Our Embassy has raised the matter with the Government of 
Nepal and asked for its assistance in resolving the matter. 
 
  - Our Embassy will continue to gather more information on 
this highly unusual incident and pursue its successful 
resolution. 
 
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COMMENT 
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10. (SBU) We believe the shooting incident is an unfortunate 
anomaly.  The circumstances of the encounter are unlikely to 
affect any other American citizens.  Post has raised this 
issue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on two separate 
occasions, and will address it again with the Inspector 
General of Police in a meeting on October 1.  We will 
continue to pursue a resolution of the matter with the 
concerned authorities. 
 
MALINOWSKI