UPDATE ON NEPAL'S MAOIST INSURGENCY, NOVEMBER 22-28

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINS PTER CASC PGOV NP
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON NEPAL'S MAOIST INSURGENCY, NOVEMBER 22-28

REFERENCE: KATHMANDU 0140

SUMMARY
--------------


1. Forty Maoists, one Royal Nepal Army soldier and twelve
police died in clashes this week, while twelve security
personnel were injured. Maoists reportedly killed three
civilians and abducted five. Three children died after
bombs left by the insurgents exploded. Police seized a
large cache of weapons from a business south of Kathmandu,
while Nepal's donor community expressed concern over the
security situation. On November 24, a vernacular newspaper
reported that senior Maoists have been invited to
participate in an international conference of rebels to be
held in Mumbai, India. On November 21, the Royal Nepal Army
(RNA) announced plans to recruit 8,000 additional soldiers,
including 100 women. Ninety-six percent of schools in the
far-western district of Achham remain closed due to Maoist
threats. The Government of Nepal (GON) has issued warrants
for the arrest of senior Maoist leaders, including
Prachanda, Baburam Bhattarai, and Krishna Bahadur Mahara.
End Summary.

CASUALTIES ACROSS NEPAL
--------------


2. A November 27 blast outside a Coca-Cola factory in
Bharatpur, in the west, killed one policeman and a Royal
Nepal Army (RNA) soldier. Three other policemen were
injured. On November 26, two policemen reportedly were
ambushed and killed by Maoists while on duty in the eastern
district of Dolakha. According to witnesses, the rebels
fired six rounds at the officers, and also detonated a
socket bomb as other security personnel arrived to help.
Five Maoists reportedly were killed that same day in the
western districts of Dang and Dailekh. On November 25, ten
Maoists were killed in separate clashes. Two rebels were
killed in Nuwakot, north of Kathmandu, four died in the
eastern districts of Rautahat and Jhapa, and four others
were killed in the western Terai districts of Dang and
Bardiya. Five policemen died and seven others were injured
in two separate Maoist landmines on November 24. Two of the
officers were killed by a remote detonated landmine in the
central district of Syangja, and three others were killed by
a similar device in the eastern district of Jhapa. Six
rebels were killed that same day in clashes with security
forces. Four died in Rautahat and Morang Districts, in the
east, while two more died in Nuwakot District.


3. On November 23, the press reported that fourteen
insurgents were killed. Seven, including a Maoist district
commander, were killed in the southern district of Dang, and
two others in the western district of Banke. Five rebels
also died in the eastern districts of Panchthar and Sunsari.
On November 22, a policeman was killed and two Royal Nepal
Army (RNA) soldiers were injured in a Maoist ambush in
Nawalparsi, central Nepal. Three Maoists were killed by
security forces in a separate incident that same day in the
far-western district of Bardiya. On November 21, two police
were killed in a Maoist planted landmine in the far-eastern
district of Therathum, and rebels killed another officer
standing guard at a courthouse in Rupandehi. Also on that
day, security forces killed two Maoists in Dhankuta
District.

POLICE SEIZE CACHE OF EXPLOSIVES
--------------

4. Police in Bhaktapur District, immediately south of
Kathmandu, seized a cache of explosives from a business on
November 24. Among the items seized were 86 cases of
gelatin, which is widely used in making improvised bombs. A
portion of the cases were imported from a company based in
India. Police officials said there was enough material to
blow up almost 100 vehicles, and is the same substance used
in recent explosions by the Maoists.

DONORS CONCERNED OVER SECURIY SITUATION
--------------


5. Several leading members of Nepal's donor community have
expressed concern over the security situation, and the
future of development projects. In a meeting held on
November 27 between the Government of Nepal (GON) and
representatives of major donors, including the World Bank
(WB),Asian Development Bank (ADB),and Japan Bank for
International Cooperation (JBIC),the latter said lack of
security has delayed the implementation of crucial
development projects, including highway construction,
drinking water projects, and hydropower projects. Both WB
and JBIC asserted that the future of these projects was in
jeopardy because of the security situation.

BOMB BLASTS KILL THREE CHILDREN
--------------


6. Three children died when socket bombs left by Maoists
exploded. On November 27, a fourteen-year-old boy in
Dailekh District was killed by a Maoist socket bomb he had
been playing with. On November 23, a Maoist-planted bomb
killed two small boys in Nuwakot, just north of Kathmandu.
The rebels reportedly also threatened retribution if the
families of the victims reported these incidents to security
officials. Maoists reportedly set off several bombs this
week. On November 23, Maoists bombed the District Education
office (DEO) of Banke, injuring one civilian. On November
21, rebels detonated a bomb at the Royal Nepal Airlines
Corporation (RNAC) office in the same district. The rebels
asked employees to leave the building before setting off the
explosion. Damage estimates are over 135,000 USD. On that
same day, the insurgents detonated bombs at two vacant
police posts in the southern district of Nawalparsi.


7. On November 19, Maoists reportedly shot and killed two
Nepali Congress (NC) workers in the far-eastern district of
Ilam. On that same day in Jajarkot District, in the west,
insurgents reportedly beat a civilian to death for singing.
On November 21, the rebels abducted three civilians in the
central district of Makwanpur, accusing them of providing
water to security forces. The insurgents also abducted two
elderly women from Parbat District on November 22. They
were later released.

MAOISTS RECEIVE INVITATION REBEL CONFERENCE
--------------


8. On November 24, a vernacular newspaper reported that
senior Maoists have been invited to participate in an
international conference of revolutionaries to be held in
Mumbai, India. The International League of Peoples'
Struggle (ILPS) reportedly confirmed that one of the Maoist
senior leaders would be present at the conference, along
with over 100 rebel organizations, including groups from
India, Turkey, Philippines, and AUSTRALIA.
SOLDIERS AND REBELS INCREASE RECRUITMENT
--------------

9. On November 21, the local press reported that the Royal
Nepal Army (RNA) plans to increase its strength by enlisting
8,000 recruits. RNA spokesman Colonel Deepak Gurung said
the demand for additional troops is "not our wish, but the
need of the country." The RNA reportedly has also requested
additional finances to enhance surveillance and intelligence
capabilities. An unnamed Defense Ministry official
justified the training and increase in troops, declaring
that the "achievements in the war against Maoists have not
been as expected due to lack of adequate army personnel."


10. RNA officials said that almost 1500 women responded to
an advertisement placed two weeks ago for female applicants.
Brigadier General BA Kumar Sharma said the women will be
placed in non-combatant positions, but will receive all of
the necessary training to go into the battlefield in case of
emergency.


11. Maoists reportedly are also increasing their training
and numbers. A vernacular newspaper reported on November 23
that rebels from five neighboring districts in the west--
Rukum, Jumla, Dolpa, Kalikot and Jajarkot--received military
training in Jajarkot. Over 5,000 cadres reportedly
participated in the training.

INSURGENCY DESTROYING EDUCATION;
INCREASING HARDSHIP
--------------


12. As of November 25, ninety-six percent of schools in the
far-western district of Achham remain closed due to the
Maoist insurgency. The local press reports that of the 342
schools in the district, 327 are closed, leaving over 45,000
students without formal education. The District Education
Officer (DEO) said the students and teachers are afraid to
open the schools because the Maoists forcibly recruit
students from the classroom. Over 500 youths from the
southern district of Nawalparasi reportedly have fled to
India to avoid forced recruitment by the Maoists.


13. Residents of Achham are already suffering under a
Maoist imposed visa system, in which locals are required to
obtain permission from the rebels to go from one village to
another. The rebels also have forced the closure of many
government offices after expelling Village Development
Committee (VDC) secretaries, and embargoing the importation
of food and commodities from the outside. According to the
locals, there have been no food deliveries for over two
months, since the rebels looted three tractor loads of food.
Shops remain empty, electricity and drinking water are non-
existent, and prices of goods that are available are high.

WARRANTS ISSUED AGAIN FOR SENIOR MAOISTS
--------------


14. The Government of Nepal (GON) has issued warrants for
the arrest of senior Maoist leaders, including Prachanda,
Baburam Bhattarai, and Krishna Bahadur Mahara, filed under
the Terrorist and Destructive Activities Act. The Maoists
are wanted in connection with the assassination of Mohan
Krishna Shrestha, Inspector General for the Armed Police
Force (APF),on January 26 (reftel). The Patan Appellate
Court has notified the Maoist leaders' respective home
districts to serve the warrants.

MALINOWSKI