UPDATE ON NEPAL'S MAOIST INSURGENCY, JANUARY 3-9,

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SUBJECT: UPDATE ON NEPAL'S MAOIST INSURGENCY, JANUARY 3-9,
2004

REFERENCE: KATHMANDU 0064

SUMMARY
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1. Sixteen security personnel reportedly were killed and
forty others injured by Maoist ambushes while nine
insurgents died in clashes. Maoists reportedly torched a
vehicle carrying vials of polio vaccine which was to be
distributed to children in the villages. The United Nations
World Food Program (WFP) announced that it was suspending
some of its food-for-work programs in the far-west due to
Maoist looting. Maoist cadres proudly posed for pictures
holding an American M-16 rifle seized from the Royal Nepal
Army (RNA) after an ambush. Sixteen Maoist cadres
surrendered to government officials. Maoists reportedly
killed four civilians, two of their own cadres, and abducted
fourteen others, including three soldiers. Indian
Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran said that India, the UK and
the US "are on the same wavelength" regarding the conflict
in Nepal. The number of Nepalis migrating into India
continues to rise. Maoist supremo Prachanda dismissed the
recent series of meetings between political parties and the
Royal Palace as a mere "ploy" to weaken the movement against
the so-called royal regression. Thousands of Nepalis are
benefiting from mobile camps providing government services.
According to security officials, residents overwhelmingly
support the Unified Command Force (UCF) posts. Maoist-
called strikes yielded mixed results in the east. The
insurgents are campaigning for autonomous rule on behalf of
the Magar community, an ethnic group they claim remains
oppressed. End Summary.

AMBUSHES KILL AND INJURE SCORES OF SECURITY PERSONNEL
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2. Maoist ambushes killed sixteen security personnel and
injured forty others. A Royal Nepal Army (RNA) soldier died
on January 8 from Maoist-planted landmine in the western
district of Salyan. On January 7, rebels reportedly killed
a policeman in broad daylight in the far-eastern district of
Morang. The insurgents had abducted the junior officer on
January 6. On that same day, a clash in Sindhuli District,
also in the east, left one officer and one soldier dead. A
security convoy, returning from a government sponsored
mobile camp in the eastern district of Khotang, was attacked
by Maoists on January 6, killing two RNA soldiers and
injuring fourteen others. Rebels reportedly also abducted
from the convoy three soldiers and three civilians, who
remain missing. In Chitwan District, southwest of
Kathmandu, a Maoist-detonated landmine killed three RNA
soldiers and injured eighteen on January 4. Eight civilians
suffered injuries in the ensuing battle between the RNA and
Maoists. Also on that day, in the eastern district of Bara,
another convoy returning from a mobile service camp came
under attack from Maoists. Five soldiers were injured in
that ambush. On January 3, in the central-western district
of Gulmi, rebels reportedly killed an off-duty, unarmed RNA
soldier. On January 2, three policemen were killed in Bara
and Sindhupalchowk districts. On January 1, in the eastern
district of Kavre, insurgents killed a police head
constable.


3. Nine Maoist rebels were killed in separate clashes with
security forces. Two insurgents were killed on January 8 in
Nuwakot, northwest of Kathmandu, and on January 7, three
more in the northeastern district of Taplejung and one in
Sindhuli District. On January 4, more clashes in Nuwakot
District claimed the lives of two insurgents. A female
insurgent was killed on January 2 in Bara District.
MAOISTS DESTROY POLIO VACCINES
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4. On January 5, in Chitwan, Maoists reportedly torched a
vehicle carrying vials of polio vaccine, which was to be
distributed to children in the villages. Two armed rebels
seized the vehicle and poured kerosene on it. Twenty-five
vials of the vaccine and thousands of syringes were
destroyed.


5. On January 2, the United Nations World Food Program
(WFP) announced that it was suspending its food-for-work
program in the far-western district of Bajura due to the
Maoist looting of supplies. Representatives of the program
denounced the looting as "immoral and unacceptable," and
voiced concern over the increasing number of similar
incidents. The organization appealed for the return of the
food so that it could be distributed to the community. The
WFP had planned to distribute 400 tons of food through the
program.


6. On January 7, a group of Maoists in the western district
of Bara reportedly also torched five trucks full of
construction supplies. In Rupandehi District, also in the
west, rebels bombed the state run Radio Nepal station and
set fire to the Agriculture Development Training Office.

MAOISTS SEIZE M-16S
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7. Maoist cadres proudly posed for pictures holding an
American M-16 rifle which they had seized from the RNA after
an ambush. The January 2 edition of a weekly English
newspaper printed the pictures, and quoted army officials
admitting that some of the American rifles had been taken
during Maoist ambushes. However, army sources claimed the
rebels do not have the proper ammunition for the weapons.
The GON's amnesty program offers 700 USD to Maoists who
surrender and hand over M-16s.


8. Sixteen Maoist cadres surrendered to government
officials. On January 7, the Defense Ministry reported that
nine cadres, including six females, surrendered to
authorities in Nuwakot District, just north of Kathmandu.
On January 4, the Defense Ministry said five insurgents from
Sindhuli and one from Dailekh surrendered out of
"disillusionment with Maoist terrorism," and their
"irresponsible and inhumane activities." Another one
surrendered on January 2 in the far-western district of
Kailali.

MAOIST MURDERS AND ABDUCTION
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9. Maoists reportedly hacked to death a retired Indian
soldier on January 8 for refusing to pay the insurgents'
earlier extortion demands. The rebels dragged him from his
home in Baglung District and killed him in front of family
members. On that same day, the rebels reportedly killed two
of their own cadres in Rupandehi District, accusing them of
betraying the party. On January 4, an armed group of
Maoists reportedly shot and killed two employees of the
District Forest office in Rautahat District, which borders
India on the south. On that same day in central Myagdi
District, rebels reportedly killed a man for allegedly
posing as a Maoist and robbing people.


10. Maoists reportedly abducted eight people. Two members
of the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-
UML) were abducted by rebels on January 3 in Syangja
District. Three laborers were abducted in Banke District on
January 4, and three family members from Ramechap District
were abducted by insurgents on January 2.

US, UK AND INDIA "ON SAME WAVELENGTH"
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11. In a January interview with a vernacular newspaper,
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran said that India, the
UK and the US "are on the same wavelength" regarding the
conflict in Nepal. Saran also declared that India was not
worried about a big American presence in Nepal because the
needs of Nepal can be supplied by sources other than India.
Ambassador Saran again denied allegations that India was a
safe haven for Maoists, declaring that Maoists who cross the
border into India are not coming with Indian approval.
Declaring that Nepal's Maoist problem "is also that of
India," Saran said India must be prepared for a mass exodus
of Nepalis into India if the insurgency continues unabated.


12. A January 7 press report said that on average 300
Nepalis leave for India everyday due to mounting violence
and lack of employment. According to one police post along
the India-Nepal border in western Banke District, almost
10,000 people have fled to Nepal in the last three months,
most of whom are from the hilly and western regions.

PRACHANDA BLASTS "PLOY"
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13. In a statement released on January 7, Maoist Supremo
Prachanda dismissed the recent series of meetings between
political parties and the Royal Palace as a mere "ploy" to
weaken the movements against the so-called royal regression.
He dismissed the King's efforts, and declared that they
would not solve the country's problems. Prachanda also
voiced his support for the ongoing student protests in
Kathmandu (reftel).

MOBILE CAMPS HELP TO FILL VOID
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14. In an attempt to provide administrative and health
services to regions hit hardest by the Maoist insurgency,
the Government of Nepal's (GON) mobile camps have proven
highly successful. Camps held in Parbat, Bardiya, and Bara
have provided administrative, medical, agricultural, and
educational assistance to over fifty thousand people, many
of whom defied Maoist orders not to attend the camps.

LOCALS WELCOME UNIFIED COMMAND FORCE
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15. According to security officials, residents in Jhapa
District, which borders India in the east, overwhelmingly
support the Unified Command Force (UCF) posts in that
district. One local was quoted as saying that the UCF has
"boosted our morale," and decreased depredations by Maoists
and Indian dacoits.

MAOIST-CALLED STRIKES YIELD MIXED RESULTS
--------------


16. A strike called by the Maoist-aligned student wing, All
Nepal National Independent Students' Union-Revolutionary
(ANNISU-R),on January 3 to protest alleged American
intervention and killings of ANNISU-R cadres by security
forces yielded mixed results and some violence. Over six
districts in the eastern region of Nepal were affected by
the strike. In Sankhuwasabha, Maoists torched the Nepal Red
Cross Building, but most other activities carried on
normally. In Taplejung and Jhapa, stores remained open
despite the detonation of a bomb in Jhapa. Sunsari, Morang
and Dhankuta reportedly were highly affected by the strike,
with streets deserted and shops closed. The strike also
caused the postponement of a polio vaccine clinic that was
to have been held in Dhankuta. A bomb blast in Dhankuta
frightened many into observing the Maoist-imposed shut-down.


17. A two-day strike which began on January 1 paralyzed
life in the districts of Nuwakot, Dhading and Rasuwa, which
surround Kathmandu. Transportation stopped, schools closed,
and businesses remained shut. The strike was called by the
Maoists to protest the killing of one of their cadres.

MAOISTS TOUT ETHNIC AUTONOMY
--------------


18. Maoist cadres in Pyuthan District, immediately north of
the Maoist stronghold of Dang in the west, continue their
party's push for ethnic autonomy. The insurgents are
campaigning on behalf of the Magar community, an ethnic
group they claim remains oppressed. The insurgents
reportedly are also planning to hold elections for a new
"Peoples' Government" in the near future.

MALINOWSKI