PROTESTS CONTINUE AS PARTIES ENJOY MOMENTUM

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 000948 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/11/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER ASEC NP SUBJECT: PROTESTS CONTINUE AS PARTIES ENJOY MOMENTUM AGAINST KING REF: A. KATHMANDU 931 ¶B. KATHMANDU 944 Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) His Majesty's Government of Nepal (HMGN) announced a day-time curfew in Kathmandu for the fourth consecutive day in an attempt to deal with growing civil unrest on the sixth day of the Party-organized pro-democracy movement. Protests continued across the country while political party leaders decided to hold a nationwide demonstration on April 12 at 1:00 pm. Party leaders insist that, contrary to HMGN claims, the Maoists were not involved in the demonstrations and accused the government of inciting violence. Human rights observers witnessed security forces using both restraint and excessive force while policing demonstrations. There are indications that the security forces are wearing themselves thin, pulling desk-bound officers out for duty on the streets. End Summary. CURFEW SHORTENED ON FOURTH DAY; CITIZENS OUT DURING BREAKS -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) On April 11, HMGN announced a curfew in Kathmandu for the fourth consecutive day, from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm, two hours less than on April 10 (ref A),as well as in other cities across Nepal. The curfew was announced as in effect for inside Kathmandu's ring road and the Kirtipur locality just south of the ring road. Ram Sharan Mahat, Joint General Secretary of the Nepali Congress (NC),commented that HMGN SIPDIS was "confused" on how to respond to the ongoing demonstrations and did not know when to issue curfew orders. During morning and evening breaks in the curfew, Kathmanduites have been coming out of their homes to do much-needed shopping for provisions and to just get outdoors. Before the curfew began on April 11, Emboff observed that approximately fifty percent of shops were open and many people were outside, in contravention of the sixth day of the Parties' general strike/closure. According to news reports, the price of longer-lasting vegetables such as potatoes and onions was rising. The Nepal Oil Corporation reportedly has sufficient stock of petrol, diesel, kerosene, and aviation fuel in the Kathmandu Valley to meet demands. Cell phone service remained disconnected since the morning of April 8. SUPPORT FOR DEMONSTRATIONS REMAINS STRONG... -------------- ¶3. (C) Violent demonstrations continued in numerous parts of Kathmandu and Pokhara (central Nepal),as well as other places across Nepal. Most of the demonstrations appeared spontaneous and it was unclear how many were organized by the political parties. Emboffs observed a group of about 200 security forces standing in the middle of Kathmandu's ring road in Gongabu (northwest portion of the ring road) who were being pelted with stones from both sides of the road and seemed to be readying themselves for action against the demonstrators. In the town of Kirtipur (just outside the southern portion of the ring road and home to Tribhuvan University),Emboffs observed security forces pushing back several hundred demonstrators who were throwing rocks. On April 10, over 5,000 people defied the curfew and held a peaceful sit-in. One of the organizers reportedly suggested that the seven-party alliance "should launch similar protest programs across the country." ...AS PARTIES ANNOUNCE NATIONWIDE PROTEST FOR APRIL 12 -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Party leaders said demonstrations would continue and announced a special nationwide protest on April 12. K.P. Oli, Central Committee Member of the Communist Party of Nepal - United Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML),told Emboff that the Parties had announced a nationwide protest for 1:00 pm on April 12 in remembrance of the four demonstrators killed during the general strike thus far. Ram Sharan Mahat, Nepali Congress (NC),explained to Emboff that members of the seven-party alliance had been meeting underground to decide the Parties' future course of action. Mahat said it was likely the Parties would either announce a call for the continuation of the current nationwide general strike that has been ongoing since April 6, or decide on a new course of action. He added that he did not know what new course of action the Parties might take. Udaya Rana, head of the Nepali Congress-Democratic (NC-D) Student Wing, said that the leftist parties wanted the strike to continue, while the NC-D and others wanted to continue demonstrations but cancel the strike to reduce the impact of events on local citizens. Oli mentioned Home Minister Kamal Thapa's call for the Parties to reach out to HMGN and stated that the Parties would "not talk to peons" because the only "real person" was the King. Rana told Emboff that he was "surprised" by the positive public support for demonstrations. He noted that that leftist members of the seven-party alliance had taken the lead in organizing demonstrations, as the leftist parties had more cadre out demonstrating than either the NC or NC-D. However, Sarita Giri, Executive Committee Member of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party, opined that the middle class would not come out on the streets to support demonstrations over fear that Maoists would take control of their property outside Kathmandu should the King's government fall to the Maoists. That said, American family members witnessed doctors walking out of the University Teaching Hospital in a peaceful protest closely monitored by police on April 11; employees of the national bank have staged walkouts and other professional organizations have joined the strike. PARTY LEADERS - MAOISTS NOT INVOLVED IN DEMONSTRATIONS; ARMY INCITING UNREST -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) CPN-UML and NC leaders stressed to Emboff that there was no working agreement between the Parties and Maoists on the ongoing demonstrations, and blamed the RNA for inciting violence. Referring to the Maoists' April 9 statement (ref B),Mahat stated there was no Party-Maoist joint program. He accused the Maoists of trying to "take momentum" from the Parties by issuing their statement. Oli opined that the Maoists were trying to "cash in" on the success of the Parties' demonstrations but stressed the Maoists have had no role in demonstrations. Mahat commented that HMGN allegations that the Maoists were infiltrating Party demonstrations were "untrue." HMGN reportedly ordered security forces to begin searching homes on April 11, alleging Maoist rebels had infiltrated pro-democracy protests. Mahat referred to an April 11 news report of a a plainclothes soldier in Nepalgunj (western Nepal) found in the middle of a demonstration carrying a grenade and said that this had exposed HMGN involvement in inciting violence. Oli referred to the Nepalgunj incident and said the RNA was "inciting violence." (Note: OHCHR reported late in the afternoon of April 11 that news reports that OHCHR had found an RNA soldier had infiltrated a demonstration in Nepalgunj were "wildly inaccurate" and said it could not verify any information about the event. End Note.) BUT DEMONSTRATORS STONING DIPLOMATIC-PLATED VEHICLES -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) In contravention of the seven-party alliance's commitment that diplomatic-plated vehicles could travel the roads safely, demonstrators have stoned a number of diplomatic vehicles. The evening of April 10 two Embassy motorpool vehicles and one embassy security vehicle were hit by stones thrown by demonstrators. French, Danish and Japanese diplomats report single incidents of stones being thrown at their vehicles, but commented that they did not feel they were targeted for being in a diplomatic vehicle but rather the incidents were a result of large angry crowds throwing stones at any large passing vehicles. Demonstrators threw stones at the German Ambassador's car on April 9. SECURITY FORCE REACTIONS TO DEMONSTRATIONS VARY; PERSONNEL BEING WORN THIN -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) There were reports of security forces both exercising restraint and using unnecessary force. There were also indications that security forces are wearing themselves thin policing demonstrations. Monitors from the OHCHR on April 10 noted the restraint of the security forces in some areas, but also witnessed the "unnecessary beating of protesters both during demonstrations and upon pursuit of protesters into lanes and houses." OHCHR reported that approximately 150 security force members in Gongabu (just north of the ring road in an area not under curfew and where demonstrations are allowed) "conducted aggressive lathi (cane baton) charges and beat protesters once overpowered." Security forces reportedly hit a Japanese tourist in the head as he returned from dinner in a restaurant in the tourist district of Pokhara. According to news reports, security forces beat two journalists covering demonstrations in Kathmandu during the afternoon of April 10 even after the reporters showed press identification. An Embassy contact in the Nepal Police Forensic Unit told Emboff that he and other members of the forensic unit were being pulled from behind their desks to help police demonstrations, which was not the norm. Emboff observed many members of the Armed Police Force (APF) sleeping or relaxing away from the action of demonstrations in many parts of the city on April 10 and 11. Thus, security force personnel seem to be getting worn thin in an effort to monitor and thwart demonstrations. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that since April 6, approximately 2,300 people had been arrested in conjunction with demonstrations, of whom 1,300 remained in detention as of April 11. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) With each passing day of civil unrest, the King's silence is eroding his influence in the country. The haphazard announcements of curfews indicate possible uncertainty within HMGN and tend to undermine its authority. The report of police officers being pulled from their other duties to contain the demonstrations suggests that a prolonged period of uncertainty could reduce the morale of the security forces. It also raises the question of the security forces' ability to control larger demonstrations. An increased RNA presence within Kathmandu has been visible in recent days, another indication that the front-line force, the police, is wearing thin. The strain on security forces could be an added source of pressure on the King to act to end the civil unrest. MORIARTY