MAOIST BLOCKADE CONTINUES, DISRUPTING KATHMANDU

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 000741 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2016 TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL PHUM NP SUBJECT: MAOIST BLOCKADE CONTINUES, DISRUPTING KATHMANDU ECONOMY REF: KATHMANDU 633 Classified By: CDA John Schlosser. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) Fear of Maoist retribution continued to affect daily life around the country on March 15, the second day of the Maoist-called blockade of district headquarters and the capital. Due to limited supply, commodity prices soared in Kathmandu, and thousands of local commuters were inconvenienced as Kathmandu bus services observed the bandh (closure). Joining the voices of the seven-party alliance and human rights groups, a Kathmandu Post editorial highlighted the bandh's affect on regular people and called for the Maoists to withdraw it. Press reports suggested that the seven-party alliance representatives and the Maoists negotiating in New Delhi had reached an agreement in principle on election to a constituent assembly and they would announce the results of their talks on March 17. However, Party members in Kathmandu were unsure what the final outcome would be, or when the Maoists would lift the ongoing blockade. Maoist leader Prachanda announced on March 15 that they would not obstruct the movement of vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or ambulances, although the day before, Maoists had attacked an ambulance. Maoist violence around the country continued. End Summary. Maoist Blockade Continues Nationwide -------------- ¶2. (U) Normal life continued to be disrupted nationwide on March 15, the second day of the Maoist-called transportation strike and blockade of district headquarters and the capital. Though some vehicles defied the ban, most chose to stay off the roads as the Maoists placed obstacles, some rigged with bombs, on various stretches of Nepal's major roadways and attacked some vehicles that had opted to travel. After the Maoists bombed a bridge on March 13 in Tanahu District, on the road between Kathmandu and Pokhara, heavy vehicles, including buses and trucks were unable to pass. Though security forces reached the site and cleared away a two-foot wall Maoists had erected 150 meters from the damaged bridge, papers reported that it was unlikely the bridge would become fully operational until after it was rebuilt. On March 14, Maoists placed roadblocks along the east-west Mahendra Highway, completely cutting off the city of Mahendranagar, located at the southwest tip of Nepal; an RNA team from its eastern division reportedly defused bombs placed along the same highway in the east. Traffic in the Kathmandu Valley was less affected, although the Kathmandu Valley traffic police continued to report much lower than normal levels of traffic leaving and entering the Valley (ref A). Police stated that 217 vehicles entered the Valley and 220 vehicles left the Valley (as compared to 175 entering and 299 leaving on March 14.) Papers reported that between 1500 and 1600 on March 15, not a single bus entered the Valley. The government issued a warning that it would revoke route permits of vehicles that did not travel their routes, and would provide additional compensation for vehicles damaged during the bandh. Rumors of Agreement -------------- ¶3. (C) Arjun Narsingh KC (NC) asserted the accuracy of a front-page story in the March 16 English-language daily Himalayan Times that that the Maoists and the Parties had reached an agreement during their talks in New Delhi on the issue of election of a constituent assembly. He noted that the agreement built on their November 2005 12-point understanding. He explained, "this is not new." However, discussions among the seven-party alliance were continuing over how to present this new understanding. He stated that the Parties wanted separate, parallel statements, reiterating the November understanding, but the Maoists were pushing for a joint statement signed by Party leaders and Maoists. KC noted that he was personally urging the Parties to issue a separate statement, but he did not know how this issue would turn out. KP Oli (UML) told us, "it is not clear when and if a statement will come out." He stated that "it could be today, or never." He was equally unclear about a Maoist commitment to lift the ongoing blockade; he explained, "the Maoists could lift a bandh today, or after 15 days." Maoists Attack Ambulance ... -------------- ¶4. (U) Maoists continued to use violence nationwide to enforce their blockade. In a statement released on March 15, the Defense Ministry stated that on March 14 near Pokhara, Maoists opened fire on an ambulance carrying a 9 year old boy with pneumonia, and in the process seriously injured his grandfather. A representative from local NGO Insec commented that "the Maoists have demonstrated excessive cruelty by attacking an ambulance that was being used for humanitarian service." Also on March 14, Maoists set fire to a tractor and abducted the owner in the western district of Baglung. ... But Promise Not To Disrupt OHCHR, ICRC Vehicles -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) On March 15, Maoist leader Prachanda issued a press statement saying his cadres would not obstruct the movement of vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Officer of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) during the bandh called by his party. He claimed the Maoists had a "positive view, from the very beginning, about the role played by the ICRC and the OHCHR in humanitarian assistance and monitoring and protection of human rights in Nepal." He continued, "in this context, we would like to make clear that there will be no obstruction from our side to the vehicles belonging to the ICRC, OHCHR and the ambulances of the Nepal Red Cross in any part of the country during general strikes, bandhs and blockades called by our party." Prachanda added that the Maoists had a policy to cooperate with these organizations in visiting or inspecting conflict-hit areas, incident sites, meeting people under Maoist control, or having discussions and interactions with various units of the Maoist party. Ongoing Violence -------------- ¶6. (U) The media continue to report on Maoist violence across the country. On March 15 in the western terai district of Rupandehi, Maoists shot dead two civilians accused of robbery and stealing, and severely beat up six others on similar "charges." earlier, on March 12, Maoists killed one civilian on similar charges. Those killed and injured were among 12 people the Maoists abducted from different parts of the district on March 11, claiming that the abductees were involved in robbing and stealing, or were working as informers for the security forces. On March 15, Maoists attacked a patrolling team of security forces west of Kathmandu, in Dhading district; security forces killed two Maoists and injured 15 others. Also on March 15, about 50 Maoists attacked patrolling troops in Kavre district, on the rim of the Kathmandu Valley. No casualties were reported on either side. However, the security forces also drew public criticism. On March 15, papers reported that three drunken plainclothes police killed a civilian and injured another in the mid-western town of Nepalgunj. The man killed was a school principal, and served as a priest at a Hindu temple. Local authorities refused to comment as they investigated the incident. Commodity Prices Rise in Kathmandu -------------- ¶7. (U) While markets in some of Nepal's towns were closed, in a classic response to demand outstripping supply, prices of fruit and vegetables in Kathmandu soared as the Maoist-called blockade restricted the amount of produce brought to market. On March 15, the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetables Market traded only 250 metric tons of vegetables, compared to 450 metric tons on a normal day. Wholesale prices of small tomatoes rose about 80 percent, from 19 NR (26 cents) to 35 NR (50 cents) per kilogram. Prices of other staples, such as cabbages, beans and chilies also increased over 50 percent. Fruit prices also increased. Naryan Dhital, president of Kuleshwor Fruit Market, the main fruit supplier in the capital, stated that the blockade had severely limited fruit supplies, driving up the prices. "Not a single truck carried fruits today," he said on March 15, adding that on average 15 trucks transported fruit daily. A grocery shop owner commented, "with the imposition of the blockade, the price of foodgrains rose in the range of anywhere between two and five rupees per kilogram." Gaja Bahadur Rana, director of the Department of Commerce, noted that despite the rise in prices, consumers would not face any shortage of food items. "Both the public and private enterprises have enough stocks of goods to last one and a half months," he explained. He commented that the government was focusing on the availability of goods rather than price stability. "The government will step in to take measures to control prices only if prices soar to unreasonably high levels," he explained. Economic Toll on Commuters and Bus Operators in Kathmandu -------------- -------------- ¶8. (U) The Maoist-called strike adversely affected thousands of commuters in Kathmandu. In the Kathmandu Valley, the two major public bus services that on an average day transported over one hundred thousand passengers remained suspended, causing many workers and students great difficulty in carrying on daily activities. Nepal Yatayat Minibus Service Committee (NYMSC),with 125 vehicles, expected to resume operations "at the latest by next week," noting that the company lost 500,000 NR (7,050 USD) each day it did not operate. However, Kantipur Yatayat Entrepreneur Association (KYEA),with 75 vehicles, was unsure when it would resume operations. Both bus operators reportedly suspended operations after the media quoted the Maoists' labor wing threatening the two bus operators. The heads of both operations appealed for support and asked "human rights organizations and political parties to reach out to the Maoists for their assurances of safety of vehicles and passengers." Editorial Focuses on Effects on Regular People -------------- - ¶9. (U) Adding its voice to the Parties and human rights groups calling on the Maoists to end the blockade, the lead editorial in the March 16 English-language daily The Kathmandu Post "desist Blockade" highlighted the effect of the Maoist's action on regular people. The editorial stated, "past experiences have proved that bandhs and blockades did not bother the royal government, because it is not accountable to the people, and its intention is to remain in power." It continued, "Rather, such blockades and strikes have punished farmers, small businessmen, and daily-wage earners." It concluded, "we urge the Maoists to immediately call off the blockade and the bandh, and show that they are seriously considering laying down their weapons..." Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) The Maoist blockade and its associated violence is once again damaging the Maoists' reputation. As the Kathmandu Post editorial noted: "The people in the seven party alliance, who question the intentions of the Maoists, have become further apprehensive." As life for citizens in Nepal becomes increasingly difficult, everyone seems to expect the Maoists to call off the bandh soon. The Maoists may do so for one of several reasons. In the past, the Maoists have not been able to sustain a blockade for more than a week (the current blockade is planned to continue until it is subsumed by the Maoists' nationwide general closure on April 3). In addition, given the current violence and economic hardship, the groundswell of public opinion against them is growing. Moreover, the Parties are pressuring them to call off the bandh as part of negotiations in their Delhi talks as a sign of their commitment to their twelve-point understanding. If the Maoists decide to call off the blockade and proposed nationwide bandh as part of a new understanding, the parties will try to gain by claiming they persuaded the Maoists to do so, while the Maoists, and their cadre, will have demonstrated that their blockade and threat of a nationwide bandh was effective and the security services were not able to successfully counter it. SCHLOSSER