VZCZCXRO7730
PP RUEHCI
DE RUEHKT #2110/01 3551207
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211207Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7645
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2069
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1789
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 4554
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 6528
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 5791
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6204
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 3924
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1939
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3041
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 002110 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS, SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KDEM NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: NO ELECTION IN TERAI ABSENT PROGRESS 
ON MADHESI ISSUES 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) Local political leaders and officials in 
Danusha District, in the central Terai, opined to 
Emboffs December 4-5 that without first addressing 
Madhesi issues of inclusiveness and federalism, 
holding the Constituent Assembly election would not be 
possible in the Terai.  Despite reinstating more than 
900 police posts after the peace accord in November 
2006, the Government of Nepal has failed to maintain 
peace and security in the rural areas.  Extortion and 
abductions are rampant and have forced Village 
Development Committee (VDC) Secretaries to abandon 
their VDCs and shift to the district capital of 
Jankapur.  This has negatively affected development 
activities in the district. 
 
Madhesi Issues Linked with Constituent Assembly 
Election 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
-- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Local Madhesi leaders representing the four 
major political parties in Danusha District in central 
Terai told Emboffs December 5 that without first 
addressing the Madhesi issues of inclusiveness and 
federalism, it would be impossible to hold a 
Constituent Assembly (CA) election in the Terai.  The 
leaders -- who were from the Nepali Congress (NC), the 
Communist Party of Nepal -- United Marxist Leninist 
(UML), the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Ananda Devi)(NSP- 
A), and the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) -- 
claimed that Pahadi ("hilly people") elites in 
Kathmandu had suppressed and alienated Madhesis for 
centuries.  It was now incumbent on the Interim 
Government and the Six-Party Alliance to devise a 
policy to include Madhesis in all government agencies. 
Satrughan Mahato, District Secretary (i.e., president- 
equivalent) for the UML, stated that, while the 1990 
People's Movement had given the Madhesis political 
rights, they were still waiting for social, cultural 
and economic rights.  The failure by the Government of 
Nepal (GON) to include Madhesis in the policy process 
had embittered the population and made Madhesis easy 
prey for demagogues and extremists who were intent on 
blocking the CA election.  Mahato further claimed 
that, except for the UML, no other political party was 
prepared to face an election.  Ram Saroj Yadav, NC 
District President, Party, countered that none of the 
national political parties truly supported holding an 
election, at least not in the Terai.  If they did, 
they would have reached out to the Madhesis.  Rabindra 
Thakur, district in-charge for the MPRF, stressed that 
until the GON implemented its agreement from August 
with the MPRF, it would be impossible to hold the 
election.  Thakur also discussed MPRF's plans to work 
together with other Madhesi groups to form a united 
front to promote an autonomous Madhes. 
 
Security in Shambles 
-------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Ramsharan Chimoriya, the Chief District 
Officer in Janakpur, the district capital, claimed to 
Emboffs December 4 that the open border between 
Nepal's Terai and India allowed Indian criminals to 
pass freely into Nepal where they were immune from 
Indian law.  He noted that the situation in the 
district capital was fairly calm, but added that small 
extremist groups such as the Janatantrik Terai Mukti 
Morcha ("People's Terai Liberation Front") (JTMM) were 
involved in atrocities in rural areas.  Bhog Bahadur 
Thapa, District Superintendent of Police, told Emboffs 
that the Home Ministry had reestablished all of the 
district's 916 police posts after the Comprehensive 
Peace Accord was signed in November 2006. Thapa 
mentioned that there were approximately 1000 civil 
police and 400 Armed Police Force in the district for 
 
KATHMANDU 00002110  002 OF 002 
 
 
the maintenance of law and order.  He freely admitted, 
however, that political interference and the lack of 
resources, equipment and weapons ("We have 303s -- 
rifles; the criminals have SLRs -- machine guns), made 
it very difficult for the police to do their work.  He 
added that the Home Ministry had succeeded in 
reinstating only 50 percent of the police posts in the 
adjoining district of Siraha due to the violent 
activities carried out by JTMM and other criminal 
groups. 
 
Poor Security Impedes Development 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Mitharam Humagain, Planning Officer at the 
District Development Committee (DDC) office, stated 
December 5 that Danusha had plenty of money from the 
central government for development work.  The DDC had 
an annual allocation of one million rupees (Note: 
approximately USD 16,000) per Village Development 
Commitee (VDC), which was used mostly for maintaining 
and constructing roads, bridges and infrastructure of 
the school buildings.  In addition, the Food and 
Agriculture Organization was funding a "food for work 
program" in the district which was used to construct 
roads.  The roads in the rural areas were in 
dilapidated condition due to flood and rain, and were 
in need of repair.  Despite the adequate funds, poor 
security in the Terai had prevented the completion of 
many of these projects.  Several VDC Secretaries told 
Emboffs that they were not in a position to engage in 
development activities -- a core function -- because 
extremist and criminal groups were threatening and 
demanding enormous sums from them.  In fact, 100 of 
the 101 VDC secretaries in the district were 
conducting their work from the district headquarters, 
due to the unchecked extortion and abduction.  Local 
human rights leaders echoed the reports of lawlessness 
in the district. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Although Danusha is far from the worst of the 
Terai districts in terms of law and order, it is 
striking that only one VDC Secretary out of 101 feels 
safe enough to remain at his post.  Emboffs heard that 
this level of insecurity is a recent phenomenon -- the 
situation is deteriorated sharply in the past few 
months.  VDCs which were staffed throughout the Maoist 
insurgency are now vacant.  The depth of Madhesi 
dissatisfaction with the central government, even 
among the district's mainstream political leaders, was 
also immediately evident.  It is little wonder that 
former NC Minister Thakur's new grouping and his 
effort to unify Madhesi political forces have 
reportedly been widely welcomed in the Terai.