US embassy cable - 03KATHMANDU18

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000018 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR POL - RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, NP, Political Parties, Government of Nepal (GON) 
SUBJECT: NEPALI KING'S PUBLIC ADDRESS WELL ATTENDED; 
POLITICIANS MIFFED 
 
REF: 02 KATHMANDU 2295 
 
1.  (SBU)  Summary:  On January 3 King Gyanendra assured 
thousands of attendees at a much-heralded "civic reception" 
in the southeastern border city of Biratnagar that he will 
uphold multi-party democracy and urged all groups to work 
together toward national unity.  Biratnagar residents defied 
a Maoist general strike, or "bandh," specifically called to 
disrupt the royal reception.  Leaders of the two largest 
political parties criticized the  reception as inappropriate 
for a constitutional monarch.  The apparent success of this 
event may encourage the king to engage in more frequent 
public appearances and more direct outreach to the Nepali 
people.  End summary. 
 
2.  (U)  On January 3 King Gyanendra made his first, 
much-heralded public speech before a crowd of 25,000 in the 
southeastern border city of Biratnagar, according to local 
press reports.  The event, billed as "a civic reception," 
marks the first live public address by the monarch since his 
accession to the throne in June 2001.  By scheduling his 
first address in Biratnagar, Gyanendra is perpetuating a 
tradition begun by his grandfather that a new king holds his 
first public speaking appearance in that city. 
 
3.  (U)  Security was tight throughout the city.  A Maoist 
general strike, or "bandh," called specifically to disrupt 
the event, went unheeded by local residents, who turned out 
in force to greet the monarch.  Approximately 30,000 soldiers 
and police were deployed throughout the city, and the local 
press reported that 900 "suspicious" persons had been 
arrested in the city and its environs in the days leading up 
to the reception. 
 
4.  (U) Despite popular expectations that the king was saving 
a major announcement--perhaps news of a political 
rapprochement with political parties and/or impending 
dialogue with Maoist insurgents--for his debut, his 
ten-minute address contained no surprises.  He reaffirmed the 
importance of multiparty democracy, which he cited as a 
catalyst for the political, economic and social development 
of the nation.  By adhering to the principles of multiparty 
democracy and constitutional monarchy and working together, 
the people can build "a capable and prosperous new Nepal.". 
Repeated references to the importance of cooperation and the 
need to transcend petty partisan interests for the good of 
the nation were most likely backhanded swipes at political 
leaders who continue to criticize his October 11 appointment 
of an interim government.  While making no specific 
references to the Maoists or the violent insurgency that has 
crippled Nepal for almost seven years, he called for "all 
misunderstandings" to be solved through dialogue. 
 
5.  (SBU)  Preparations for the reception were harshly 
criticized by leaders of the two largest political parties, 
with the outcry from Nepali Congress Party President G.P. 
Koirala (whose constituency is just outside Biratnagar) the 
loudest.  Addressing the party faithful at a rally January 2, 
Koirala claimed the king was transgressing his role as 
constitutional monarch by participating in the program.  He 
also complained that millions of rupees of taxpayers' money 
was being spent on the reception. 
 
6.  (SBU)  Comment:  Now that the one-year moratorium on 
public appearances and travel imposed after his brother's 
death has expired, King Gyanendra may gradually be more in 
the public eye.  Nepali monarchs traditionally have held 
occasional public receptions.   Koirala's claims that the 
current king is somehow violating the Constitution by 
following  this tradition is therefore specious.  The real, 
implicit concern is that the King's efforts at popular 
outreach might prove more successful than the partisan 
rallies being held by Koirala himself and his Communist Party 
of Nepal - United Marxist Leninist (UML) counterpart in 
locations around the country (Reftel).  It will be 
interesting to see if the King follows up the apparent 
success of his debut with more such appearances in other 
parts of the country. 
MALINOWSKI