VZCZCXRO2321
OO RUEHAST RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHNEH RUEHPW
DE RUEHBI #0554/01 3350838
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 300838Z NOV 08
FM AMCONSUL MUMBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6765
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 8003
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA IMMEDIATE 1744
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI IMMEDIATE 1949
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI IMMEDIATE 1927
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MUMBAI 000554 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DS/ER/CC 
DS FRONT OFFICE 
DS/IP/SCA 
DS/DSS/ITA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC PTER PGOV IN
SUBJECT: MUMBAI TERRORIST ATTACKS, SITREP #9: RETURN TO NORMALCY 
CONTINUES AFTER INDIAN TRAGEDY 
 
REF: Mumbai 553 and previous 
 
MUMBAI 00000554  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  As the tragedy sinks in, Mumbai's residents 
are coming to terms with their grief for those lost in the 
attacks, and beginning to return to the normal lives.  The media 
extensively covered the funerals of prominent police officials, 
actors, and businesspeople who were killed in the attacks. 
Mumbaikars are sharing their personal stories of escape or 
tragedy, and expressing their anger at local and national 
political leaders for failing to prevent these attacks.  It is 
expected that those schools and businesses that closed during 
the attacks will re-open on Monday, and public transportation 
will run as usual.  The Consulate will begin to draw down 24/7 
staffing as consular cases are closed, and the criminal 
investigations begin.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
Siege Sites Turn to Crime Scenes 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) The police and National Security Guard (NSG) forces 
continue to clear the Taj Palace Hotel of bodies and unexploded 
ammunition.  RSO and Legatt teams have not been allowed access 
to the hotel, and do not expect to be granted access today by 
local authorities.  The Embassy is pursuing access and law 
enforcement cooperation requests in New Delhi.  The police have 
also not confirmed how many people were killed in the Taj, 
though some media reports indicate that 99 bodies were found 
there.  In any case, it is expected that the death toll - 
variously reported between 173 and 195 - will rise. 
 
 
 
¶3.  (U) Oberoi hotel owner and chairman PRS Oberoi addressed 
Indian media on the evening of November 29, saying all bodies 
had been removed from the Oberoi and Trident hotels, but he was 
not able to confirm that the Oberoi had been completely 
sanitized by Indian security forces.  Echoing the comments of 
numerous Indians, he criticized the lack of security which led 
to the attack.  He also stressed the need for better security at 
hotels, citing the Marriott bombing in Islamabad.  Oberoi would 
not speculate when his hotels would reopen. 
 
 
 
Mumbai Shows Signs of Normalcy 
 
------------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶4.  (U)   As the tragedy sinks in, Mumbai's residents are coming 
to terms with their grief for those lost in the attacks, and 
beginning to return to the normal lives.  A makeshift memorial 
is growing at the Taj, with candles, pictures of lost friends 
and family members, and religious symbols.  Focus in the media 
has switched from breathless minute-by-minute reporting to 
stories of heroes, victims, and hairy escapes.  TV stations are 
reporting Leopold's Cafi, site of one of the first attacks, will 
reopen for business today.  The cafi reportedly has hung 
pictures over the bullet holes, has new tables and chairs, and 
has chefs ready to go.  In his editorial "I can't wait to check 
back in," Shekhar Gupta, Indian's Express Editor-in-Chief, waxes 
eloquent about his "second home" the Bombay Oberoi, predicting 
that both the owners will "fix and reopen their crown jewels 
sooner than anyone imagines." 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) The press also covered extensively the funerals of 
slain Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Chief Hemant 
Karkare and other police officers who were killed on the first 
 
MUMBAI 00000554  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
night of the attack.  Senior state politicians and police 
officers attended these funerals.  The NSG forces and military 
commandos were praised for their role in eliminating the 
terrorists.  So far, no politician or party has been successful 
in gaining political mileage out of the attacks.  The statements 
of local politicians - such as the remark by Maharashtra's 
Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, that "Such small incidents 
happen in big cities - have largely been ridiculed, or ignored. 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) Ambassador Mulford addressed the press in New Delhi 
following his meeting with Minister of External Affairs 
Mukherjee on the afternoon of Saturday, November 29.  His 
comments have been widely covered in the TV and print press.  He 
shared condolences with the people of India on behalf of 
President Bush and the people of the United States and offered 
U.S. assistance in the aftermath of the attacks.  He took a 
single question, predictably about the possibility of FBI 
assistance, in answer to which the Ambassador reiterated the 
offer of full U.S. cooperation.  The American School of Bombay 
is scheduled to re-open Monday, as are all other schools in the 
city.  DS is meeting with school administrators and teachers 
today. 
 
 
 
Consular Operations Continue, But Consulate Will Draw Down 
Operations 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
---------- 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) The focus of consular operations remains the provision 
of American Citizens Services to casualties and their families. 
Consular staff notified the next of kin of Aryeh Teitelbaum and 
Rabbi Holtzberg and are working closely to effect repatriation 
of remains of all six confirmed victims.  Consular is also 
helping victims retrieve their luggage from the Oberoi Hotel and 
will do the same once the Taj is accessible.  With the siege of 
Mumbai over, Consulate General Mumbai will begin returning to 
normal operations.  The nonimmigrant visa section will remain 
closed on Monday, December 1 but will still process immigrant 
visas.  Consular TDY help from New Delhi and the Consulates will 
remain through Wednesday to assist with routine section 
activities.  We will reduce our overnight staffing in all 
sections beginning Sunday night.  Post will remain focused on 
the aftermath of the terrorist attack and its implications for 
Mumbai and India. 
 
 
 
Comment:  Mumbaikars Ask: Will Anything Change, This Time? 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) As the financial capital of India, Mumbai has always 
been a tempting target for terrorists, criminals, and 
communalists.  After the demolition of Ayodhya's Babri Masjid in 
1992, Mumbai was the scene of some of the country's worst 
communal riots:  over 900 people were killed in violence in 
December 1992 and January 1993 before the army was finally 
called in by the central government.  On March 12, 1993, 
terrorists detonated 11 bombs at key locations in Mumbai, 
killing 250 people and injuring over 700.  Indian authorities 
believe that Mumbai gangster Dawood Ibrahim planned these blasts 
to avenge the deaths of Muslims in the riots, as well as the 
destruction of the Babri Masjid.  Sadly, communal violence is a 
regular occurrence in India; while most incidents end quickly 
with few casualties, opportunistic politicians, politicized 
police, and street-level anger can turn a small conflict into a 
 
MUMBAI 00000554  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
mass conflagration, such as in the violence that broke out in 
New Delhi in 1984, Mumbai in 1992-93, and Gujarat in 2002.  Its 
victims are predominately the poor and middle classes who live 
in close quarters with members of other communities. 
 
 
 
¶9. (SBU)  The terrorist attacks in Mumbai are an attack against 
India itself, and not any particular community.  The terrorists 
have also brought a lethal reality to India's wealthy and elite 
by attacking them in their exclusive habitats.  In expressing 
their grief and anger, Mumbai's residents have grasped this, and 
are urging politicians to turn this tragedy into an opportunity 
to reform and strengthen India's security apparatus at all 
levels.  In the papers, and on TV shows, many have argued that 
the resilience and pragmatism of Mumbai's residents will allow 
the city to return to normal quickly, as has happened after 
previous bouts of violence.  With the blame passing to elements 
in Pakistan, the calls for Indian unity also resonate.  The 
Asian Age editorializes, "If this is our 9/11, let's fight it 
like the U.S." calling this a moment for India "to fight the 
menace of terrorism unitedly as one nation, with all elements of 
the State and civil society acting in cohesion." 
 
 
 
¶10. (SBU) A louder cohort, however, is arguing that Indians 
should not continue to allow politicians to count on their 
complacency and fatalism, and that they should be held 
responsible for their failures.  Vir Sanghvi writes in the 
Hindustan Times, "In our view, politicians had failed Bombay [in 
1992-93].  And it was only a matter of time before they failed 
India.  Well, that time has come~. The authorities reacted to 
this attack exactly they had reacted to all the previous ones: 
with astonishment and ineptitude."  Even business leaders - 
normally reluctant to criticize the politicians and bureaucrats 
who control the fortunes of their companies - have spoken out in 
disappointment and disgust about their political leadership. 
Before the attacks, Mumbaikars considered the city, and the 
state of Maharashtra, to be rudderless, and its leaders inept 
and apathetic.  Their case will only be amplified in the coming 
weeks.  End Comment. 
FOLMSBEE