NEPAL: REPORT FROM MAOIST HEARTLAND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 002347

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA/INS BAYER;NSC FOR MILLARD;USAID/ANE/SA
FOR BUNDY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINS PTER PGOV MARR NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: REPORT FROM MAOIST HEARTLAND


1. (U) A journalist working for one of Nepal's most
respected English language newspapers has recently visited
Rukum, a district in west central Nepal considered part of
the heartland of the Maoist insurgency. His published report
offers some insights into the autocratic nature of Maoist
governance and the villagers' responses in the absence of
Nepali Government administration. Highlights of the report
are the following quotes:


2. (U) While the district headquarters at Khalanga and
former battle zones like Khara show strong army presence,
most villages are under the sway of the Maoists. The Nepali
Government and representatives of the national political
parties are conspicuous in their absence. Once in a while,
an army helicopter hovers overhead, but otherwise there is no
sign of the Government.


3. (U) The rebels are so confident the security forces
cannot invade their strongholds that they have left the
villages under the control of their "village peoples'
government." Low-ranking Maoist rebels run day-to-day
activities in Rukum. They say the Maoist militia and
district level leaders have gone to "special areas" and won't
divulge any other details. Reports from other sources
indicate the leaders are gathering in the Terai.


4. (U) According to one Maoist spokesman, the revolutionary
government plans to develop the villages in accordance with a
public directive issued by a district leader, who threatens
"severe punishment" if his orders are not obeyed. Locals
have to construct toilets in their homes or face the
possibility of being taken to a Maoist labour camp, even
though they have tried to explain that their more immediate
priority is safe drinking water.


5. (U) In one village, the rebels have commandeered about
300 ropanis of land belonging to one landlord. A dozen or so
convicts charged with murder and facing the Maoist brand of
justice are forced to work the fields, while the former
landlord has fled to the city of Nepalgunj.


6. (U) It is now mandatory for people to take permission
from Maoist authorities for weddings, divorces, and even to
travel to the district headquarters. After they tied the
knot two months ago, two 15-year-old newlyweds were forcibly
separated and sent to their respective homes by the rebels
because they were underage. The couple was also forced to
pay Rs 3,000 each. The Maoists declare that they are
strictly against child marriage and polygamy.


7. (U) Maoist laws change from one village to the next
because Maoist government is irregularly administered without
any rationale. "Our laws change according to the times. It
is not necessary that the law of one village should be the
same as that of another," explains a leader.


8. (U) Areas of Rukum under Maoist control are officially
dry. But there is moonshine available and some villagers
will secretly take a swig or two when they are sure no one is
looking.


9. (U) Maoists require those who want to leave a village to
get permission first. A Maoist
"visa" is necessary for travel to Khalanga, the district
headquarters. People visiting relatives for the holidays
recently needed special Maoist permits. All travellers face
intense interrogations by both Maoist sentries as well as
security forces anywhere they go.


10. (U) In village after village, there are only older
people and children. There are no young men and women, no
teenagers. A whole generation has gone missing in the
villages of the midwest; they have moved to the cities or
left the country for safety and in search of work.


11. (U) Most stayed away from their homes in the district
even during the Dasai holidays out of fear of extortion and
harassment. The shortage of able-bodied men and women has
meant that farm production has dwindled, and there are
looming food shortages.


12. (U) A teacher says that, "The children are forced to take
on adult chores and now have little time for school." So the
schools have shut and it is the elderly who are left to fend
for themselves and take care of their grandchildren.


13. (U) The locals have discovered that people's rule is not
what they had been promised. They mutter about how their
real needs have gone unattended while the rebels are
comfortable because they have no real opposition. "Of course
we are scared that they may take action against us if we
complain," whispers one local. "We just do what they tell us
to do." They are weary of the compulsory activities that the
Maoists force on villagers, and some admit secretly that they
are sick of obeying orders and being threatened. But they
are too scared to say these things openly for fear of
reprisal.


14. (U) Everyone is worried that, with the collapse of the
last ceasefire, an outbreak of fierce fighting similar to
what took place in Bhawang in neighboring Rolpa last month
could erupt in their district. Their overwhelming desire is
for peace, so their loved ones can return home, and they can
get on with their lives.
MALINOWSKI