REFUGEES CONFIRM DETAILS OF SHOOTING INCIDENT AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001933 SIPDIS DEPT PASS CHENGDU FOR INFO LONDON FOR POL/REIDEL E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2012 TAGS: CH NP PGOV CASC ASEC SUBJECT: REFUGEES CONFIRM DETAILS OF SHOOTING INCIDENT AT NEPAL-CHINESE BORDER REF: A. KATHMANDU 1877 ¶B. KATHMANDU 1902 Classified By: Ambassador Malinowski for reasons 1.5 (b)(d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) PolOff met with UNHCR Protection Officer regarding a group of Tibetans involved in the incident near Nangpa-La in which two American climbers were fired upon by unknown individuals. Neither American was injured in the encounter (refs). Information related by the refugees is consistent with reports received from the American climbers and via e-mail from a journalist in touch with a separate group of climbers on the Chinese side of the border. Taken together, the reports appear to confirm that several members of a Chinese security force entered Nepal in pursuit of Tibetan refugees. End summary. -------------- CLIMBERS REPORT ALTERCATION NEAR CHO OYU; REFUGEES TELL SAME STORY -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On October 2, ConOff received e-mail from Brot Coburn, a climber, author and journalist with extensive experience in Nepal. Coburn's e-mail related September 19 events on the Chinese side of Cho Oyu, a mountain situated on Nepal's border with the Tibet Autonomous Region near the almost 17,000-foot Nangpa-La pass. According to Coburn, two climbers ascending Cho Oyu on the north side "encountered PLA officers apparently shaking down 25-30 Tibetan refugees." After a 30-year old woman was shot and killed, the refugees disarmed the PLA soldiers and nearly stoned them to death. They then "took off for Nepal over the Nangpa-La." ¶3. (C) In response to PolOff inquiries, UNHCR expedited interviews of Tibetan refugees newly arrived at the Tibetan Resettlement Center (TRC) from the Solukhumbu region. In an October 4 meeting with PolOff, Roland Weil, UNHCR Protection Officer (protect),related statements collected by his staff that directly correspond to reports from the climbers. ¶4. (C) Weil stated that according the the newly arrived refugees, their group of 28 was on its way to Nepal but stopped just short of the border when one woman became ill. As they waited for her to recover, they were approached by four members of the Chinese military who told them they were not allowed to cross the border and began hitting the woman 
who was ill. When one soldier left, presumably for reinforcements, the group of refugees attacked the three remaining soldiers, took two of their weapons and, leaving their belongings and the ill refugee behind, fled for the Nepali border. The refugees state that when they left, the Chinese military personnel were alive but badly beaten. ¶5. (C) The refugees further stated that the group split up when a sixteen-year-old girl became fatigued. She and two men took one of the captured guns and continued toward Namche Bazar at a slower pace than the main group. Not long after, the trio became aware of four Chinese soldiers descending from the pass behind them, wearing civilian attire over their military uniforms. The three refugees hid in the rocks and waited for the four soldiers to pass, but were later spotted by a fifth soldier, travelling alone. The three refugees exchanged gunfire with the lone soldier until running out of ammunition, at which time they dropped the weapon and fled. They stated that as they continued their descent, they saw two foreign climbers on the same trail, and later saw the packs of the two foreign climbers lying on the ground. The three refugees stated that they never encountered again the four soldiers that they had let pass. Members of the main group reported that they buried their captured weapon and reached Namche Bazar without further incident. ¶6. (C) Weil stated that his staff advised the refugees not to spread the story, and that UNHCR would expedite the transfer of the group of refugees to India in order to avoid entangling them in a lengthy investigation by the GON. He indicated that twenty-four of the refugees are currently in the TRC and stated that of the remaining four, one was left behind in China, two did not have bus fare and so are walking to Kathmandu, and one was unaccounted for. PolOff advised Weil that Morton and Lamoureaux, the AmCit climbers involved in the shooting incident, had found a lone refugee claiming to have been part of the group, and that the refugee had later died on the trail. -------------- INFORMATION CONSISTENT WITH EARLIER REPORTS -------------- ¶7. (SBU) In their September 30 meeting with EmbOffs (ref B), AmCit climbers Morton and Lamoureaux related details of their encounter with unidentified individuals that correspond in large measure to the reports by the refugees and the climbers at Cho Oyu. According to Morton and Lamoureaux, the armed men they encountered were wearing military uniforms under civilian clothes, and one stated that he was a member of the Chinese military. The two AmCits reported that they dropped their packs when running from the shooting, a detail mentioned by the refugees at the TRC, and that they had encountered a refugee claiming to have been part of a group of around 30 people. They said that they Chief of Police in Namche Bazar later informed them that a group of approxiately 30 Tibetans had crossed Nangpa-La on September 19. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) The reports by climbers and statements taken from Tibetan refugees appear to indicate that a highly unusual series of events may have led Chinese military personnel to enter Nepal and fire on American citizens. Less clear are reasons for the military personnel to fire on Morton and Lamoureaux. Post can only speculate that the soldiers had expected their movement would go unnoticed in the extremely isolated area around Nangpa-La, and were startled by potential witnesses. Post does not believe that the circumstances of the incident will affect any other American citizens. Ambassador Malinowski has raised the issue with the Foreign Secretary in an October 3 meeting, and RSO addressed the topic with the Inspector General of Police on October 1. MALINOWSKI