LEFTISTS LAMBASTE MAOIST VIOLENCE; PRACHANDA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 000985 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR SA/INS LONDON FOR POL - RIEDEL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PGOV NP SUBJECT: LEFTISTS LAMBASTE MAOIST VIOLENCE; PRACHANDA PROMISES PROBE REF: A. (A) KATHMANDU 977 ¶B. (B) KATHMANDU 968 ¶C. (C) KATHMANDU 964 ¶D. (D) 01 KATHMANDU 1615 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) In a joint public statement May 20, nine left-wing opposition parties criticized Maoist tactics and called for the insurgents to "reinstate their credibility" by initiating a unilateral ceasefire. Eight of the parties--only three of which have Members in Parliament--asked Opposition Leader and CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Nepal not to support a six-month extension of the emergency (Ref B); Nepal remains undecided. A press release issued by Maoist leader Prachanda the same day asserted attacks against infrastructure violate the party's "central policies" and promised a "probe" of any infractions. While acknowledging some "weaknesses in our past," the Maoist leader charged that much of the violence attributed to his cadres was committed by the Royal Nepal Army (RNA). The translated text of Prachanda's statement follows in Para 5 below. Whether Prachanda's disavowal of the attacks on infrastructure is just another example of Maoist dissembling or is instead an indication of the much-rumored rift in leadership remains unclear. What seems certain, however, is that no one--especially no one in the Government--is likely to take the Maoist supremo's representations seriously. End summary. -------------- LEFT-WING PARTIES CONDEMN MAOIST VIOLENCE -------------- ¶2. (U) Nine left-wing parties, including the leading Opposition Communist Party of Nepal - United Marxist Leninist (UML),met May 20 to discuss the Government of Nepal (GON) bid to extend the state of emergency for another six months (Ref B). The parties issued a joint public statement strongly condemning Maoist tactics of murder, abduction, and destruction of infrastructure and calling on the insurgents to lay down their arms. While asserting the need for a peaceful resolution to the current crisis, the statement called on the Maoists to "reinstate their credibility" and demonstrate their sincerity in pursuing dialogue by initiating a unilateral ceasefire, according to Arun Nepal, Secretary of the UML's International Department. SIPDIS ¶3. (U) In the same meeting, eight of the parties appealed to Opposition Leader and UML General Secretary Madhav Nepal not to support an extension of the emergency in the special Parliamentary session scheduled to begin May 23. (Note: Three of the eight parties have a total of seven Members in Parliament, all of whom voted against ratification of the emergency in February. The remaining five parties have no seats in Parliament. Since a two-thirds majority of MPs present is needed to extend the emergency, UML support--or, at a minimum, lack of opposition--is crucial to the GON's effort. End note.) Nepal has not yet indicated openly how his party will vote. -------------- PRACHANDA RESPONDS -------------- ¶4. (U) In an apparent response to the left parties' statement, Maoist leader Prachanda later issued a press release dated the same day. While asserting some "sabotage" is necessary to further the movement's revolutionary ends, the statement flatly denies that destruction of infrastructure and personal residences is an accepted tactic of the insurgents. (Note: Torture, murder, and kidnapping, however, are not mentioned as unacceptable. End note.) Most of the destruction attributed to the Maoists was in fact carried out by the Royal Nepal Army (RNA),the broadside charges, in order to discredit the movement. Acknowledging the possibility of "weaknesses in the past," however, Prachanda promises to launch a "probe" into any such infractions. An unofficial translation of the press release follows in Para 5 below. ¶5. (U) Begin text of unofficial translation: Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Central Committee Press Statement The fact that the feudal tyrannical elements under the instructions of their imperialist masters are plotting yet another conspiracy against Nepal and the Nepalese people has become clear with their dramatic attempt of extending the so-called emergency. Although it is clear that the whole country favors a positive political way out through dialogue and talks, this attempt, the wish of the so-called Royal Army, has made a mockery of parliamentary norms. It has further bolstered our conclusion that all of our fellow political parties of the 1990 people,s movement should unite and resist feudal despotism. Despite a string of murders, robberies, bombings and rumors over the last six months, Maoist fighters have overrun the so-called Royal Army in real battles. This new attempt to extend the emergency just proves that. In this situation, a historic responsibility has arisen once again before all political powers, including the ones in Parliament, to learn from past mistakes and take initiatives against despotic interests. It is clear that as the Royal Army terror became unrestrained nationwide with the ratification of the emergency in Parliament, we protested with various struggle programs, including the five-day Nepal bandh. Our attention has been drawn to the questions raised about various sabotage actions then. The first thing we want to make clear here is that that it is internationally proved that sabotage, as a part of resistance and insurgency against feudal tyranny, is necessary and justified to a certain extent to weaken the economic and military interests of the enemy. The second thing, we cannot even think of destroying the institutions related to such basic needs of people,s lives as health, education and drinking water or setting peoples, houses on fire. The party considers such activities against its central policies. The party is committed to launch a probe into such activities and take strong action based on the nature of the offenses. We would like to appeal to all to consider this fact seriously. In the meantime, under the planned conspiracy, there have been countless crimes, including plain-clothes Royal Army and Police personnel in the name of Maoists setting peoples, houses on fire, cutting off drinking water pipes, looting and committing destructive activities in order to defame our party and the movement. The burning of 102 houses in Thawang, Rolpa has been the latest conspiracy to slander us. Finally, with the commitment to correcting our weaknesses in the past and revealing the facts about the destruction caused by the enemy to defame this movement, we appeal to all political forces, intellectuals and the public to unite against the so-called emergency imposed by feudal elements. Date: May 20, 2002 Prachanda President NCP (Maoist) Central Committee End text. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Members of left-wing parties met with Maoist leaders in India as recently as last August (Ref D). Since then, however, the Maoists have unilaterally backed out of dialogue, broken a ceasefire, and engaged in a killing spree that nowadays includes members of these same parties in addition to their more traditional Nepali Congress targets. The insurgents had already earned nearly universal condemnation for carrying out attacks on village-level infrastructure, such as drinking water programs and mini-hydropower schemes. But their latest attack on a Surkhet orphanage (Ref A),many believe, is a new low and may well have prompted this united left rebuke. Prachanda's disavowal of tactics adopted by his cadres throughout the country could be another indication of the much-rumored rift in the Maoist leadership between the political and militant wings. On the other hand, the leader's statement could be no more than pre-emergency debate political posturing--just as his counterparts in the UML and the Nepali Congress are so predictably doing. In any event, no one--especially no one in the Government--is likely to take either Prachanda's purported commitment to correct his party's "weaknesses" or his pledge to probe violations seriously. MALINOWSKI