VZCZCXRO0323
OO RUEHCI
DE RUEHKT #0304/01 1051029
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151029Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0042
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 6903
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 7221
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 2543
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 5265
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 6415
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 2969
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA PRIORITY 4557
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2281
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3476
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000304 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC AMGT NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: AMBASSADOR RAISES HANDLING OF ACCIDENT 
INVOLVING EMBASSY EMPLOYEE WITH MFA 
 
REF: KATHMANDU 296 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) On April 15, the Ambassador expressed concern to 
Acting Foreign Secretary Madan Bhattarai about how members of 
the police, the family and the press were handling an 
accident on March 9 in Kathmandu in which an out-of-control 
Nepali motorcyclist collided with an Embassy employee in a 
private vehicle.  The Ambassador expressed willingness by 
Embassy staff to meet with the family, but stressed that such 
a meeting would be dependent on continued suspension of 
protests vilifying the Embassy employee.  The Ambassador 
explained that she was requesting a meeting with the Home 
Minister and Inspector General of Police also.  She noted 
that she had requested permission from the Department for a 
one-time contribution to toward the cyclist's medical 
expenses on humanitarian grounds, but that the request was 
still pending.  Acting Foreign Secretary Bhattarai encouraged 
the U.S. Embassy to meet the family and indicated he would 
share the Ambassador's concerns and comments with the Home 
Secretary. 
 
Ambassador Expresses Concern 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Ambassador requested a meeting April 15 with 
Acting Foreign Minister Madan Bhattarai to convey her 
sympathies to the family of the Nepali motorcyclist whose 
cycle collided with the personal vehicle of an Embassy 
employee on March 9 in Kathmandu (reftel), and also to 
express concern about how the case had been handled to date. 
The Ambassador, who was accompanied by the Deputy Chief of 
Mission, pointed out that members of the Nepal Police, 
including the Home Minister's nephew, had made statements to 
the press which were patently false -- alleging for example, 
that Embassy employee had left the scene of the accident. 
The police had also leaked her driver's license to the press. 
 The picture had since appeared on placards used during 
protests against the employee.  The family had also 
contributed to the false reporting, which the Nepali media 
had sensationalized. 
 
Prepared To Have Embassy Staff Meet the Family 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Ambassador pointed out that Embassy local staff 
had already been in contact with the family, but she was also 
prepared to have more senior Embassy staff meet with the 
cyclist's relatives.  That meeting, she said, could be with 
the Foreign Ministry (MFA) present or not.  The condition was 
that the family would not resume the public protests in which 
groups of students and others had vilified the Embassy 
employee specifically.  Those protests appeared to have 
stopped since April 10.  If Nepalis wanted to protest against 
the U.S., that was their right, but the Ambassador was 
concerned about the personal safety of the Embassy employee, 
and Mission employees in general, in light of further 
protests. 
 
Meeting with Home Minister To Be Requested 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) In the near future, the Ambassador was requesting a 
meeting with the Home Minister and the Inspector General of 
the Nepal Police to discuss how to resolve the issues arising 
from the accident, including the unhelpful and false 
statements made by the police early on.  The Ambassador said 
she intended to ask the Home Ministry/Nepal Police to issue a 
statement clarifying key facts about the incident based on 
the police report.  She stated she would also discuss if the 
police were prepared to make a finding of liability in this 
case, as it was our understanding that the accident took 
place due to no fault on the part of the Embassy employee. 
 
 
KATHMANDU 00000304  002 OF 002 
 
 
Possible U.S. Payment 
--------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Ambassador explained that she had also contacted 
the State Department about the possibility of a one-time 
contribution to the family on humanitarian grounds to help 
defray the cyclist's medical costs.  She pointed out, 
however, that the release of funds required senior-level 
approval in Washington, that it might or might not be 
approved and that a decision would not be forthcoming for 
several days, at the earliest. 
 
MFA Reaction 
------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) Acting Foreign Secretary Bhattarai encouraged the 
Embassy to contact the family directly.  The MFA had no need 
to work through the MFA. He took note of the Ambassador's 
concerns and comments and said he would convey them to the 
Home Secretary. 
POWELL