US embassy cable - 03KATHMANDU620

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000620 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR POL/CGURNEY 
NSC FOR MILLARD 
PLEASE PASS TO USAID/ANE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PINS, PTER, NP, Maoist Insurgency 
SUBJECT: NEPAL:  MAOIST NEGOTIATING TEAM HOLDS PUBLIC RALLY 
IN KATHMANDU 
 
 
Summary 
======= 
 
1.  (U)  On April 3, the Maoists held a rally of an estimated 
20,000 in a public park in Kathmandu.  Near the venue, widows 
and orphans of Maoist violence called for charges to be 
brought against the Maoist leadership.  The Maoist 
negotiating team led by Baburam Bhattarai reiterated their 
demands for a roundtable meeting, an interim cabinet, and a 
constituent assembly.  They described themselves as champions 
of the people and called for the creation of a new, 
representative constitution.  The Maoist military leader, Ram 
Bahadur Thapa, proposed the merger of the People's Liberation 
Army with the Royal Nepal Army under the authority of an 
elected body.  At no time did the speakers apologize for past 
excesses and in fact threatened to "return to the jungle," if 
the Government of Nepal failed to negotiate a settlement. 
End summary. 
 
Supporters and Spectators Gather for Maoist Show 
============================================= === 
 
2.  (U) On April 3, an estimated 20,000 people gathered in a 
public park in the heart of Kathmandu to listen to the 
five-member Maoist negotiating team.  According to Embassy 
contacts, the attendees were a mix of genuine supporters (25 
percent), plain clothes security personnel (10-15 percent), 
and curiosity seekers, hoping to catch a glimpse of the 
heretofore elusive Maoist leaders.  The Maoist group was led 
by chief ideologue Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, who was accompanied 
by negotiation team members Ram Bahadur Thapa (alias "Badal," 
a politburo member and chief of the People's Liberation 
Army), and politburo members Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Matrika 
Prasad Yadav, and Dev Gurung.  The event was well-organized 
and peaceful.  In addition to plain clothes police, roughly 
700 uniformed officers surrounded the event to provide 
security and to direct traffic. 
 
Maoist Themes Unchanged:  Details Sketchy 
========================================= 
 
3.  (U) Bhattarai reiterated the now familiar Maoist 
political agenda: a roundtable meeting, interim cabinet, and 
constituent assembly.  He explained the timing of the 
cease-fire as a reflection of the "ground reality that 
neither we (Maoists) nor the state could win, which brought 
us to the negotiating table."  Bhattarai and the other Maoist 
negotiators repeatedly alleged that Nepal's constitution and 
democratic political order are dead, done in by the King when 
he dismissed the Sher Bahadur Deuba government on October 4, 
2002.  They stated that their goal is to usher in a "new 
Nepal," in which there would be equal representation from all 
religions, castes, communities, and genders in an "upcoming 
parliament." 
 
4.  (U) On the podium, the Maoist speakers presented 
themselves as the champions of the people.  Yadav went so far 
as to say the "Maoists are here not to rule but to serve." 
The speakers placed the blame for the conflict at the feet of 
the political parties, berating them for twelve years of poor 
governance and corruption.  Despite these charges, Bhattarai 
insisted that the Maoists intend to work with the King and 
the political parties at a roundtable conference.  Bhattarai 
stated that the Maoists would abide by the results of the 
constituent assembly and called for "no unalterable articles 
or provisions" in the new constitution.  "The people should 
have the right to amend the constitution any time they want 
through referendum.  Let the people decide if they want 
active monarchy or a republic through a referendum." 
 
5.  (U) At no time during the rally did the speakers 
apologize for past destructive excesses.  Thapa asserted that 
"our bullets were for the oppressed people, whereas the 
state's bullets were to suppress the people."  Thapa and 
Bhattarai threatened to return to the jungles to fight 
against the "reactionary forces," should peace talks fail. 
They also called for the merging of the Royal Nepal Army with 
the "People's Liberation Army" to form a new national army. 
According to Thapa, the new army should be under the 
authority of elected representatives because "until and 
unless the army operates under the elected body, chances of 
despotism are always there." 
 
Widows and Orphans Confront Bhattarai 
===================================== 
 
6.  (U) Near the rally, survivors of people killed in the 
insurgency held a counter-demonstration, where they charged 
Bhattarai with crimes against the Nepali people.  Waving 
black flags and shouting, "who will take action against these 
criminals?" the widows and orphans appeared to have shaken 
Bhattarai.  Some of the Maoist strongmen moved to block the 
counter-demonstrators, urging them to protest on a different 
day. 
 
Comment 
======= 
 
7.  (SBU) Local press coverage of the rally could convey the 
impression that the public has accepted the Maoists with open 
arms.  But in a society where nearly half of the work force 
is underemployed, it is important not to confuse the draw of 
the Maoists as pure spectacle and diversion with true 
ideological appeal.  Public fascination should not be equated 
with political support; the Maoist leaders have been in 
hiding and inaccessible for seven years, and their appearance 
in public is a novelty that may wear off in time.  The Maoist 
claim to be the "people's champion" is belied by the Maoist 
practices of maintaining arms, continuing extortion, and 
threatening to return to violence should they not get their 
way through negotiation.  More time and evidence of 
compromise is necessary to test the Maoists' sincerity for a 
peaceful, political resolution to the conflict. 
 
8.  (SBU) Since the leadership's coming out reception on 
March 29, the Maoists have made generous use of double-speak 
directed at the government and the political parties.  In 
private meetings with established figures, the Maoists 
reportedly have praised the efforts of Government of Nepal 
and political party leaders to work towards peace, while in 
public the Maoists have taken every opportunity to criticize 
leading political and government personalities.  Such tactics 
may backfire by increasing the already substantial distrust 
felt by their future negotiating partners. 
MALINOWSKI