NEPAL: MAOISTS EXECUTE INFORMANT, CONTINUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001796 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SA/INS AND DS/IP/SA ISLAMABAD FOR AMBASSADOR POWELL LONDON FOR POL/GURNEY NSC FOR MILLARD E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2013 TAGS: PTER PGOV CASC ASEC NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: MAOISTS EXECUTE INFORMANT, CONTINUE INDISCRIMINATE BOMBING CAMPAIGN REF: KATHMANDU 1768 Classified By: Ambassador Michael E. Malinowski for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). Summary ======== ¶1. (SBU) On September 12, Maoists continued their wave of violence in urban areas. A Maoist hit squad killed two people in northern Kathmandu. The Maoists planted two bombs on the rim of Kathmandu Valley; one detonated causing USD 2,700 in damage. Four bombs exploded in an industrial city 222 kms south of Kathmandu, killing one. The bombings are intended to cow the public into observing the Maoists' September 18-20 general strike. End summary. Maoist Hit Squad Kills an Informant and Witness ============================================= === ¶2. (C) On the morning of September 12, a Maoist hit squad shot and killed grocery store owner Rameswore Shrestha and stationery store owner Dipendra Thapa, as they were opening their shops in northern Kathmandu (approximately 1.5 miles north of the Embassy). According to police sources, Shrestha was a police informant, reportedly providing information on the Maoists, and was affiliated with the Prime Minister's National Democratic Party (RPP). Thapa appears to have been killed as a witness to the crime. The press reports one arrest. Two Bombs in the Valley ======================== ¶3. (SBU) The press reported and police sources confirm that a bomb exploded at the Jitpur municipal office, 15 kms east of Kathmandu. Although no injuries were reported, the explosion caused an estimated USD 2,700 in damage. A separate improvised explosive device was reportedly discovered in the village of Matatirtha, 9 kms west of Kathmandu, and successfully defused by the Royal Nepalese Army. Indiscriminate Bombing Campaign Continues ======================================== ¶4. (C) Four bombs were detonated in and around the city of Hetauda, 222 kms south of Kathmandu, killing one. The devices were targeted at the police post of the Hetauda Industrial Estate, the Election Commission Office, the Hetauda Municipality Office, and a store. An American citizen had left the shop shortly before the blast. Police sources report that the bomb was placed at the business because the owner had refused to meet Maoist extortion demands. Comment ======== ¶5. (C) The Maoists' bombings are intended to cow the public into observing their general strike, called for 18-20 September. The execution of the reported informant is a return to standard Maoist practices done prior to the cease-fire. The bombing of the shop in Hetauda highlights the risk the Maoists' indiscriminate bombing campaign poses to American citizens. However, while the store is a regular shopping place for American citizens in the area, there is no information to indicate that American citizens are Maoist targets (reftel). MALINOWSKI