CITY QUIET DURING CURFEW, BUT PARTIES STILL

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 000211 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2016 TAGS: PGOV PTER NP SUBJECT: CITY QUIET DURING CURFEW, BUT PARTIES STILL PLANNING DEMONSTRATIONS Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty, Reasons, 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (SBU) The January 20 government-called curfew from 0800 to 1800 inside the ring road in Kathmandu and Lalitpur was strictly observed. The city was quiet and the seven-party alliance was unable to hold its planned mass demonstration against the King. INSEC, a reputed human rights NGO, reported that small groups had demonstrated in different parts of Kathmandu and Patan; police arrested a few, and forced others to disperse. Emboffs, using passes issued by the police, traveled around Kathmandu to observe events. While security forces (the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA),the Armed Police Force (APF) and the civil police) were present, many looked bored. All shops, schools and businesses were closed; people remained indoors. The very few vehicles on the road (ambulances, press vans and UN human rights monitoring vans) all had government-issued passes. The government reportedly will lift the curfew on January 20 from 1800 to 2100, when it will resume until 0400 the next morning. ¶2. (SBU) On the morning of January 20, Kantipur news reported that police arrested about two hundred party cadre gathering outside the ring road near the airport; INSEC, however, estimated that only 120 had been arrested by 1200 on January ¶20. Other than this incident, outside the ring road daily activity continued, in sharp contrast to the complete shut-down within the ring road. Emboffs observed three groups of about 20 young male party cadre gathered at various intersections just outside the ring road, some of whom chanted slogans and held party banners. Police allowed such activities. Security personnel had stopped a long line of busses, trucks and other vehicles at checkpoints outside the ring road along the main roads leading into Kathmandu from India and China. People were sitting in these vehicles, apparently waiting for the curfew to lift. INSEC stated that the political parties had organized demonstration programs outside of Kathmandu in Pokhara, Palpa (both in western Nepal),and Jhapa (in eastern Nepal). ¶3. (C) Nepali Congress (NC) party secretary, Shobahkar Parajuli, told Emboff that the political parties were gathering inside the Kathmandu Valley in Bhaktapur (east of Kathmandu city) and Kirtipur (southwest of Kathmandu) to hold protest programs. Because these places are outside the ring road, the Parties expected the government to allow the demonstrations to occur. Parajuli speculated the numbers would likely be in the hundreds, not thousands. After 1800, Parajuli said the political party cadre might try to head toward Basantapur (in Kathmandu's Durbar Square, the locale of the planned, thwarted demonstration),but would most likely gather in small groups in different parts of the city to protest. They expected to be arrested because the government's ban on political demonstrations remained in effect. Comment -------------- ¶4. (C) The political parties are intent on continuing their demonstrations against the government and efforts to disrupt the municipal elections scheduled for February 8. It is hard to predict if the government will release the over 100 detained politicos in the days ahead, or decide to hold them until after the municipal elections, although FM Pandey told the Ambassador on January 20 that the government would release the party leaders by the evening of January 21. MORIARTY