POLITICOS IN RAJBIRAJ: WE HAVE NO VOICE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 003163

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2016
TAGS: PGOV PTER NP
SUBJECT: POLITICOS IN RAJBIRAJ: WE HAVE NO VOICE


Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).

Summary
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1. (C) During a meeting in Rajbiraj (about 200 kilometers
south-east of Kathmandu) on December 3, local political
leaders told Emboff that they felt isolated from their
parties and the government. The politicos in this rural
community stated that the party leaders in Kathmandu did not
listen to them and that no one paid attention to the demands
of their region. They stressed that, although the Maoists
continued to pose a danger, the bigger danger came from the
Maoist splinter group, the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha
("People's Terai Liberation Front" or JTMM). The local
leaders said that, if the party hierarchy in Kathmandu
continued to ignore the needs of the minority communities,
more groups like the Maoists would pop up, even if the
Maoists themselves came into the mainstream. Law and order
was still a problem in Rajbiraj and surrounding communities,
and the Maoists openly operated parallel government
structures in the town.

Rural Leaders Feel Isolated
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2. (C) In a meeting on December 3, political leaders from the
Nepali Congress (NC),Nepali Congress-Democratic (NC-D),
Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML),
and the Nepal Sadbhavana Party-Anandi Devi (NSP-A) from
Rajbiraj (a small town in Saptari District in south-eastern
Nepal) told Emboff that they felt increasingly isolated from
Kathmandu-centric party politics. The leaders all had made
many demands on the Government of Nepal (GON) and on their
own political parties, mostly regarding the inclusion of
Madhesis (the majority ethnic group in the district) and
dalits (low-caste individuals who form a large group in the
district). According to the local leaders, these demands had
gone mostly unheard within the GON and their parties in
Kathmandu. Politicians from Kathmandu come to visit the
town, and make big promises of inclusion and social
development, but nothing concrete ever emerged, complained an
NC leader. Most of the concerns in Rajbiraj and the
surrounding area focused on basic needs: water, education,
housing, and employment. However, the political leaders in
the town believed that no one from the center was honestly
trying to help them solve their problems.

Maoists and Other Groups Create Fear
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3. (C) Party leaders all expressed hope that the Maoists
would enter mainstream politics and give up violence,
although each admitted that the Maoists had not yet
demonstrated this through their actions. Maoist actions and
words did not coincide, and leaders from the CPN-UML and the
NC (the two largest parties in the government) complained
that Maoist excesses continued to affect party operations
across the district. The NSP-A leader stressed that it was
not just the Maoists who caused problems; the JTMM was even
worse. (Note: The JTMM split from the Maoist-affiliated
Madhesi Mukti Morcha -- Madhesi Liberation Front -- in 2005
because its members, while Maoists, believed that violent
action needed to be taken to establish an independent state
for the people of the Terai in southern Nepal. End note.)
The JTMM, the local leaders stated, had attacked both
civilians and government targets, and had prevented all the
other parties, including the Maoists, from conducting
political activities in the southern areas of the district.

Ignoring Rural Nepal Could Lead to New Factions
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4. (C) The leaders warned that, if the leadership of the
political parties in Kathmandu continued to ignore the
problems of the minority communities in southern Nepal, more
groups like the JTMM might form. The NSP-A leader stressed
that people were fed up with the old government ignoring
their demands; that alienation had led to the rise of the
Maoists and their affiliated groups in the area. However,
many people in Saptari and surrounding districts who

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supported the Maoists now realized that the Maoists were also
ignoring their issues. Without proper inclusion into the
government and political mainstream, the politicos worried,
some people might turn to more violent means to attain their
rights.

Law and Order Nonexistent: Parallel Government Strong
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5. (C) When asked about the law and order situation, the
group of political leaders laughed and said it did "not
exist." Although there was one small police post in town,
the police were not able to enforce the law against the
Maoists nor against common criminals. The leaders suggested
that the Maoist "people's government" in the district did not
allow the police to engage in law enforcement activities.
When asked about the "people's government" activities, the
leaders stated that the Maoist "people's court" and
"government" were very active in the district and were
hearing cases and making decisions. (Note: Emboff drove by
the "people's government" office later in the day and noticed
that it was, in fact, open for business with a large crowd
gathered at the door waiting to enter. End note.) The
leaders said they had no indication that the Maoists planned
to close their "government" offices any time soon.

Comment
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6. (C) It was encouraging to see that political parties in
Saptari District were working together to reestablish
themselves on the ground. However, it is troubling that the
Maoists and other groups, such as the JTMM, are so active in
the area, with the Maoists still running parallel government
structures despite their commitments to the contrary.
Whether the GON will effectively address the issues of the
minority communities in southern Nepal is unclear. The
warning of local leaders about more splinter groups is a real
concern. Inclusiveness was a theme of the People's Movement
and an important element of democracy. Although the recent
adoption by the government of a new law that will grant
citizenship, and voting rights, to many in the region looks
like a positive first step, the concerns of rural ethnic and
regional groups must be addressed and included in government
in order for peace to prevail.
MORIARTY