NEPAL: MAOIST LEADER ATTEMPTS TO EXPLAIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 001922 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2017 TAGS: PGOV PTER KDEM IN NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: MAOIST LEADER ATTEMPTS TO EXPLAIN INSISTENCE ON REPUBLIC NOW REF: KATHMANDU 1572 Classified By: Ambassador Nancy J. Powell. Reasons 1.4 (b/d) Introduction -------------- ¶1. (C) On October 29, K.B. Rokaya, a Nepali Christian leader who was recently appointed as a member of the National Human Rights Commission at the urging of the Maoists, delivered a letter dated October 28 from Krishna Mahara, in his capacity as a member of the Maoist Central Committee, via Emboff to the Ambassador. This is the second letter from Mahara to the Ambassador. The first was dated August 14 (reftel). The Ambassador responded via the same channel in a letter dated September 28. In the letter, Mahara, whose resignation as Minister of Information has been pending since mid-September with the Prime Minister, cites interference from India as the reason for the Maoist insistence on the immediate declaration of a republic. He also admits that the Maoist leadership cannot always control its members and notes the case of a journalist, Birendra Shah, whose abduction has "embarrassed" his party. He closes with assurances that he and the Maoists "will make every effort to address any concerns that you would like to bring to my/our attention." Text of Letter to the Ambassador -------------- ¶2. (C) TEXT OF LETTER Ambassador Nancy Powell U.S. Embassy Kathmandu, Nepal October 28, 2007 Dear Ambassador Powell, Thank you for your kind response dated September 28, 2007. I appreciate your comments very much and we will do our best to gain your confidence as we attempt to move Nepal towards Democracy and justice. I realize that you may not be able to support all of the CPN(Maoist) activities. Nevertheless, I would like to share with you a few things that may help you develop a deeper understanding of our problems and goals. Presently, we are very much concerned about the interference from elements south of our border. For some time we have had intelligence regarding this possibility and in the past few months our fears have been proven true. Just lately, the announcement by a BJP leader regarding their support for the Monarchy has only confirmed this fact. And, for him to be so bold as to speak publicly in such a manner has caused us to be all the more concerned that these elements will be very active in the forthcoming CA election. Unfortunately, since 1991, the outcome of the elections in Nepal has been greatly affected by money, power and family connections. Consequently, we fully expect that BJP and others like them will be quite willing and able to inject large amounts of money in support of candidates of their liking and that this alone could significantly change the outcome of the election as elements like BJP and others in India are making every effort to keep the monarchy in Nepal as the defender and protector of Hindu faith and to keep Nepal as the Hindu kingdom. But we are fighting for the abolition of the institution of monarchy which we consider as the main enemy of the Nepali people and for full religious freedom where the state treats all religions equally. (Note: In the original letter, the phrase from "the abolition" through "as the" appears twice. End note.) With that in mind, we have felt it necessary to demand that KATHMANDU 00001922 002.3 OF 003 the interim Parliament declare Nepal a Republic before the elections. We had originally been satisfied for this declaration to be made after the CA elections. But interference from the South increased above and beyond what we had expected. This has required us to push for the declaration of a Republic before elections. Only such an event can dampen the pro-Monarchy forces from outside our borders. In April 2006, at the end of the 10 year long people's war, millions of Nepali citizens risked their lives in the people's movement-2, and marched in open defiance of the King's orders. Many brave people were shot, beaten, tortured and killed at this time and thousands more were injured. Some of the wounded are still suffering in hospital today for their support of freedom and democracy. Airline pilots, journalists, doctors and all sectors of society, at great risk to themselves, came out publicly against the oppression of the Monarchy. This great event, which finally forced the King to relinquish his power, was the real vote for a Republic. It was not a vote made on paper or with guns, but it was a true vote made with the bodies and souls of the brave citizens of Nepal. Abolition of the Monarchy and the establishment of a republic state was the single agenda of the Nepali people in the people's movement-2. We feel we would be poor stewards, as leaders of the revolution, if we were to knowingly allow this credible threat to our Democracy form the South to succeed. Consequently, we have found it necessary to demand that Nepal be declared a republic at this time. Otherwise, the CA election, which was the agenda of CPN(Maoist) and which we fully support and eagerly look forward to, could be significantly affected and the election become a sham. This would be most tragic for the Nepali people who have been continuously struggling for democracy, freedom and human rights. Some elements in our society have already lost patience and have begun to revert to guns and bloodshed. If the CA election does not result in a republic and bring an end to the gross government corruption and injustices of the past, then we are fearful of where it will lead our nation. Secondly, one of the obstacles that we face these days is that our leadership can not always control the actions of every member. As I mentioned in my first letter, we were greatly embarrassed by the incident when some of our youth members threw stones at Ambassador Moriarty's vehicle. Now, just recently some of our members abducted a journalist, Mr. Birendra Shah in Bara. This was not done with CPN-M Leadership knowledge or support. Consequently, you might have seen that I first publicly denied that this abduction was done by our members. Nevertheless, I later found out the truth and discovered that I was wrong. So, once again, we have been embarrassed by an incident. We have already taken action against the criminal activities of some people affiliated with our party. I say this so you might understand one of the problems we face and to request that you might be kind enough to have patience with CPN-M in the days ahead. As the Ambassador for the United States, whose citizens have shown compassion and good-will towards Nepal, I hope that these comments will be helpful for you to understand something more of the crisis that we face in these days. Please be assured that I and my party will make every effort to address any concerns that you would like to bring to my/our attention. Thanking you for your kind understanding of the Nepali people's struggle and the war out party has been waging for true democracy, freedom and human rights. Our goal is to liberate the Nepali people from every kind of exploitation, oppression, marginalisation, and dehumanization at the hand of feudal and autocratic regimes. Sincerely Yours, *********************** * Missing Section 003 * ***********************