Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03KATHMANDU18
2003-01-03 11:29:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:  

NEPALI KING'S PUBLIC ADDRESS WELL ATTENDED;

Tags:  PGOV NP GON 
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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 KATHMANDU 000018 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR SA/INS
LONDON FOR POL - RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV NP GON
SUBJECT: NEPALI KING'S PUBLIC ADDRESS WELL ATTENDED;
POLITICIANS MIFFED

REF: 02 KATHMANDU 2295

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000018

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR SA/INS
LONDON FOR POL - RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV NP GON
SUBJECT: NEPALI KING'S PUBLIC ADDRESS WELL ATTENDED;
POLITICIANS MIFFED

REF: 02 KATHMANDU 2295


1. (SBU) Summary: On January 3 King Gyanendra assured
thousands of attendees at a much-heralded "civic reception"
in the southeastern border city of Biratnagar that he will
uphold multi-party democracy and urged all groups to work
together toward national unity. Biratnagar residents defied
a Maoist general strike, or "bandh," specifically called to
disrupt the royal reception. Leaders of the two largest
political parties criticized the reception as inappropriate
for a constitutional monarch. The apparent success of this
event may encourage the king to engage in more frequent
public appearances and more direct outreach to the Nepali
people. End summary.


2. (U) On January 3 King Gyanendra made his first,
much-heralded public speech before a crowd of 25,000 in the
southeastern border city of Biratnagar, according to local
press reports. The event, billed as "a civic reception,"
marks the first live public address by the monarch since his
accession to the throne in June 2001. By scheduling his
first address in Biratnagar, Gyanendra is perpetuating a
tradition begun by his grandfather that a new king holds his
first public speaking appearance in that city.


3. (U) Security was tight throughout the city. A Maoist
general strike, or "bandh," called specifically to disrupt
the event, went unheeded by local residents, who turned out
in force to greet the monarch. Approximately 30,000 soldiers
and police were deployed throughout the city, and the local
press reported that 900 "suspicious" persons had been
arrested in the city and its environs in the days leading up
to the reception.


4. (U) Despite popular expectations that the king was saving
a major announcement--perhaps news of a political
rapprochement with political parties and/or impending
dialogue with Maoist insurgents--for his debut, his
ten-minute address contained no surprises. He reaffirmed the
importance of multiparty democracy, which he cited as a
catalyst for the political, economic and social development
of the nation. By adhering to the principles of multiparty
democracy and constitutional monarchy and working together,
the people can build "a capable and prosperous new Nepal.".
Repeated references to the importance of cooperation and the
need to transcend petty partisan interests for the good of
the nation were most likely backhanded swipes at political
leaders who continue to criticize his October 11 appointment
of an interim government. While making no specific
references to the Maoists or the violent insurgency that has
crippled Nepal for almost seven years, he called for "all
misunderstandings" to be solved through dialogue.


5. (SBU) Preparations for the reception were harshly
criticized by leaders of the two largest political parties,
with the outcry from Nepali Congress Party President G.P.
Koirala (whose constituency is just outside Biratnagar) the
loudest. Addressing the party faithful at a rally January 2,
Koirala claimed the king was transgressing his role as
constitutional monarch by participating in the program. He
also complained that millions of rupees of taxpayers' money
was being spent on the reception.


6. (SBU) Comment: Now that the one-year moratorium on
public appearances and travel imposed after his brother's
death has expired, King Gyanendra may gradually be more in
the public eye. Nepali monarchs traditionally have held
occasional public receptions. Koirala's claims that the
current king is somehow violating the Constitution by
following this tradition is therefore specious. The real,
implicit concern is that the King's efforts at popular
outreach might prove more successful than the partisan
rallies being held by Koirala himself and his Communist Party
of Nepal - United Marxist Leninist (UML) counterpart in
locations around the country (Reftel). It will be
interesting to see if the King follows up the apparent
success of his debut with more such appearances in other
parts of the country.
MALINOWSKI