Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04KATHMANDU439
2004-03-10 09:47:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:  

NEPAL:AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO VILLAGE DEFENSE

Tags:  MCAP MOPS PHUM PREL NP 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000439 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SA/INS
LONDON FOR POL/GURNEY
NSC FOR MILLARD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2014
TAGS: MCAP MOPS PHUM PREL NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL:AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO VILLAGE DEFENSE
COMMITTEE

REF: A. A) US DAO KATHMANDU IIR 6 867 0043 03 (NOTAL)

B. B) US DAO KATHMANDU 03 IIR 6 867 0028 03 (NOTAL)

Classified By: Ambassador Michael E. Malinowski for reasons 1.5 (B, D).

=====
SUMMARY
=======

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000439

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SA/INS
LONDON FOR POL/GURNEY
NSC FOR MILLARD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2014
TAGS: MCAP MOPS PHUM PREL NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL:AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO VILLAGE DEFENSE
COMMITTEE

REF: A. A) US DAO KATHMANDU IIR 6 867 0043 03 (NOTAL)

B. B) US DAO KATHMANDU 03 IIR 6 867 0028 03 (NOTAL)

Classified By: Ambassador Michael E. Malinowski for reasons 1.5 (B, D).

=====
SUMMARY
=======


1. (SBU) In an effort better to understand Nepal's
controversial, new "Village Defense Committees," Ambassador
Malinowski and the Defense Attache on March 2 visited by
helicopter one of the Royal Nepal Army's (RNA) pilot projects
located in Lamjung District (in a remote area northeast of
Pokhara). Within the Nepalese government and the
international donor and non-governmental organization
community there has been much debate on the RNA's concept for
helping the civilian population to defend itself against
Maoist depredations. Despite many fears and
misrepresentations, the project visited functions like a
"neighborhood watch," involving retired British/Indian Gurkha
officers carrying their own licensed weapons, like shotguns
(NOTE: The RNA indicates that they have not provided
villagers with any military-grade weapons. END NOTE.)
Currently, the RNA has established just two such "Village
Defense Committees" in Lamjung and Sarlahi Districts. END
SUMMARY.

=================================
Lamjung Village Defense Committee
=================================


2. (C) On March 2, Ambassador Malinowski, Defense Attache
and other Embassy officers visited one of Royal Nepal Army's
(RNA) Civic Peace and Development Mobilization Committees
(commonly referred to as "Village Defense Committees")
located in Lamjung District (in a remote area northeast of
Pokhara). The Village Defense Committee in Lamjung District
is comprised of five villages with a RNA outpost located on a
strategic ridge outside the village of Pasgaun. All five
villages are populated exclusively by members of the Gurung
ethnic group. This adds to the cohesiveness among the
villagers. (Note: The network of villages has a total
population 15,000 with a considerable number of retired
Indian/British Gurkha residents. End Note.) The
five-village network is located along a frequently-used
Maoist route between the Maoist heartland in the western part
of Nepal and Kathmandu. Fearing being identified by security
forces as friendly to the Maoist cause, the five villages
volunteered to be included in the RNA's pilot project. The
Village Defense Committee in Lamjung has had one encounter
with the Maoists in the past, but has not seen Maoists for at
least two months.


3. (C) Despite its name, the Village Defense Committee is
not an armed paramilitary force. Rather, in this particular
example, the Village Defense Committee seems to function like
an early warning/neighborhood watch system. In Pasgaun, the
village that Emboffs visited, four or five residents patrol
nightly with dogs and alert security forces with light
signals and runners if anything is out of the ordinary. The
security forces patrol separately.


4. (C) In Pasguan, out of a population of 1500, about 70 to
80 residents participate in the Village Defense Committee.
The head of the committee is a 70-year old retired Indian
Gurkha officer, who also happens to be the village patriarch.
He is assisted by two other retired Indian Gurkha soldiers.
(COMMENT: Retired as the rank of a Warrant Officer Second
Class, he still embarks on a three-day walk to Pokhara every
month to collect his military pension check. He has fought
in six wars, including the Sino-Indian War of 1962,
Indian-Bangladeshi War in 1971 and in all the conflicts
between India and Pakistan. END COMMENT.) The residents of
Pasgaun indicated that committee members use their own six
12-bore shotgun rifles, which they have had licensed by the
Government of Nepal to conduct patrols.

=======
COMMENT
=======


5. (C) There has been much debate within the NGO,
international donor community and the GON on what the Village
Defense concept means in practice. The Ambassador's visit to
Lamgunj District Village Defense Committee was only the most
recent effort by the Embassy to determine what, in fact, was
being done to implement the village self-defense concept.
Although definitely not a "one size fits all" model, the
pilot project in Lamgunj does appear to function well. The
five-village network in Lamjung may be unique, with a
strategically important location and a cohesive and reliable
network of trained ex-Gurkha soldiers. This model may be
difficult to replicate in other villages. We will encourage
the Government of Nepal to proceed cautiously and to find the
best ways to build upon carefully identified villages'
strengths. END COMMENT

(NOTE: A copy of a RNA brief describing the Village Defense
Committee will be forwarded to Nepal's desk officer in
SA/INS. END NOTE.)
MALINOWSKI