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C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001087 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2016 
TAGS: PTER PGOV PHUM NP
SUBJECT: MAOISTS ASSERT THEIR PRESENCE 
 
REF: A. KATHMANDU 1064 
 
     ¶B. KATHMANDU 928 
 
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty.  Reasons 1.4 (b,d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C)  Following their three month cease-fire announcement 
on April 27, the Maoists have been organizing mass meetings 
openly in Kathmandu (ref A) and the western terai, presumably 
to remind the seven-party alliance of their power and support 
in rural areas, and to pressure the Parties to meet the 
Maoist demand for "unconditional" constituent assembly 
elections.  On April 29, the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) 
attacked one such mass Maoist gathering in Nawalparasi 
District, injuring several people.  Local Maoists closed down 
the east-west Mahendra highway for over 24 hours in response. 
 Elsewhere, the Maoists continued to hold the Chief District 
Officer of Sarlahi District, whom they had abducted on April 
6 (ref B), and the National Human Rights Commission urged 
Maoists to allow people to return to their homes.  An RNA 
landmine accident on a base in Gulmi District killed eight 
new recruits.  The RNA continued to investigate an April 26 
incident in Belbari, Morang District in which RNA soldiers 
fired into a crowd killing six demonstrators.  End Summary. 
 
RNA Attacks Maoist Meeting 
-------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) On April 29, the Royal Nepalese Army attacked a Maoist 
gathering in Nawalparasi District (western terai).  Earlier 
in the day, a group of armed Maoists had paraded along one 
kilometer of the east-west Mahendra Highway in Nawalparasi 
urging, sometimes forcing, villagers to attend the meeting. 
Between 6,000 and 10,000 people, including more than two 
dozen local journalists, gathered with the armed Maoists in 
the jungle near a settlement to hear Maoist leaders speak. 
An RNA contact asserted to Emboff that Maoists shot at the 
RNA helicopter monitoring the event, causing the soldiers to 
return fire from the helicopter, injuring several people, 
including at least one of the Maoist speakers.  However, 
media claimed the RNA action was unprovoked.  Maoists in 
Nawalparasi protested the RNA's actions against the 
"peaceful" gathering by burning tires and closing the 
east-west Mahendra Highway on April 29 until late in the 
afternoon of April 30.  (Note: The RNA has used helicopters 
to attack several other recent Maoist gatherings, claiming 
the Maoists fired first, though on-site witnesses claim the 
RNA fired first.  The RNA bombing at a school in 
Sindhupalchok District on March 27 is one such example.  End 
note.) 
 
Maoists Operate Openly in Terai 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) A resident of Nawalparasi's neighboring Rupandehi 
District told Emboff that the Maoists were organizing mass 
meetings openly in the western terai since their cease-fire 
announcement on April 27.  He contrasted a peaceful mass 
meeting in Rupandehi on April 30 with the Nawalparasi 
gathering the day before.  The Maoists in Rupandehi did not 
carry arms.  He said that following the Maoist declaration of 
a three-month cease-fire, people in the area were "relieved" 
that they would be safe for the next three months.  He added, 
that the Parliament's unanimous support of a constituent 
assembly and call for the Maoists to give up arms added to 
the feeling of peace and normalcy.  However, he stated that 
people still did not fully trust the Maoists.  People knew 
that a constituent assembly was a Maoist demand and that the 
Maoists had only supported the seven-party alliance protest 
program in order to come to power.  Our source maintained 
that the display of military power, such as the march in 
Nawalparasi on April 29, was intended to create pressure on 
the new Parliament to include Maoists in the new government. 
 
Maoists Continue to Hold Abducted CDO 
------------------------------------- 
¶4. (U) On April 29, Maoists released nine RNA soldiers whom 
they had abducted on April 27 in Dhankuta District, (eastern 
hills).  The Maoists still held the Chief District Officer of 
Sarlahi District, whom they had abducted on April 6 during an 
attack on District Headquarters (ref A).  On April 30, the 
National Human Rights Commission appealed to the Maoists to 
allow a family in Jhapa District (eastern terai) to return 
home.  The Maoists had locked the family out of their house 
since July 2005. 
 
Accidental Blast Kills Eight RNA 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) On April 29, a landmine planted by the RNA to protect 
the outer perimeter of the battalion headquarters at the 
District Headquarters of Gulmi (western hills) accidentally 
went off, killing eight solders and injuring nine others. 
The dead soldiers were new recruits who were digging trenches 
along the perimeter of the barracks.   The RNA is 
investigating the unfortunate incident.  An RNA source told 
Emboff that when the previous unit moved to a new Post, it 
had not given information to the incoming unit on the 
location of landmines that had been planted to protect the 
area from a Maoist attack. 
 
RNA Still Investigating Belbari 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Although the RNA had publicly promised to release 
results of an investigation of April 25 and April 26 
incidents in Belbari, Morang District (eastern terai) by 
April 30, the RNA now has extended the deadline.  On April 
25, the RNA claimed it received information that Maoists were 
planning an attack in the Belbari area.  At about 2130 local 
time, an RNA patrol noted "suspicious movement" and fired, 
killing a 22-year old woman.  The RNA issued a statement on 
April 26 saying the soldiers had rushed the victim to the 
hospital for treatment, but locals claimed the RNA had raped 
and then killed her.  In a preliminary investigation, the 
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human 
Rights (OHCHR) noted that the doctor who did the post-mortem 
on the 22-year old women did not report any evidence of rape. 
 
¶7. (C)  On April 26, a few hundred locals gathered at the RNA 
base in Belbari to protest the incident.  An RNA statement 
issued the evening of April 26 reported that at 1400 "the 
crowd turned violent and started breaking the fences, 
dismantling barbed wire."  Though the RNA tried non-violently 
to control the crowd, the protesters reportedly "ransacked 
two sentry towers and burned the main gate" and tried to 
"snatch weapons from sentries and even fired at security 
forces."  The RNA statement continued, "to control the 
situation" and in self-defense, security forces opened fire 
and killed six demonstrators "on the spot," and injured 
eleven other demonstrators who were transported to the 
hospital.  OHCHR interviews with demonstrators did not 
support the RNA's claim that demonstrators fired at the RNA. 
OHCHR reported that one security force member fired into the 
air to try to control the crowd.  Security forces on opposite 
corners failed to distinguish the friendly fire, and open 
fired into the agitated crowd, displaying excessive use of 
force.  On April 30, though still investigating the incident, 
the RNA pledged to provide 50,000 NR (700 USD) in emergency 
relief to families of the victims. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (C) Though they have announced a cease-fire, the Maoists 
are "peacefully" parading through villages with their arms, 
forcing people to support the Maoist demand for unconditional 
constituent assembly elections.  Such displays of weapons are 
disturbing, especially as the Maoists are urging the 
government to remove their terrorist tag.  Until the Maoists 
give up arms, their true intentions will remain suspect. 
MORIARTY