Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02KATHMANDU985
2002-05-21 13:45:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:  

LEFTISTS LAMBASTE MAOIST VIOLENCE; PRACHANDA

Tags:  PTER PGOV NP 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
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
---------

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