NEPAL: NO ELECTION IN TERAI ABSENT PROGRESS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 002110

SIPDIS

SIPDIS, SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KDEM NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: NO ELECTION IN TERAI ABSENT PROGRESS
ON MADHESI ISSUES


Summary
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1. (U) Local political leaders and officials in
Danusha District, in the central Terai, opined to
Emboffs December 4-5 that without first addressing
Madhesi issues of inclusiveness and federalism,
holding the Constituent Assembly election would not be
possible in the Terai. Despite reinstating more than
900 police posts after the peace accord in November
2006, the Government of Nepal has failed to maintain
peace and security in the rural areas. Extortion and
abductions are rampant and have forced Village
Development Committee (VDC) Secretaries to abandon
their VDCs and shift to the district capital of
Jankapur. This has negatively affected development
activities in the district.

Madhesi Issues Linked with Constituent Assembly
Election
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2. (SBU) Local Madhesi leaders representing the four
major political parties in Danusha District in central
Terai told Emboffs December 5 that without first
addressing the Madhesi issues of inclusiveness and
federalism, it would be impossible to hold a
Constituent Assembly (CA) election in the Terai. The
leaders -- who were from the Nepali Congress (NC),the
Communist Party of Nepal -- United Marxist Leninist
(UML),the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Ananda Devi)(NSP-
A),and the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) --
claimed that Pahadi ("hilly people") elites in
Kathmandu had suppressed and alienated Madhesis for
centuries. It was now incumbent on the Interim
Government and the Six-Party Alliance to devise a
policy to include Madhesis in all government agencies.
Satrughan Mahato, District Secretary (i.e., president-
equivalent) for the UML, stated that, while the 1990
People's Movement had given the Madhesis political
rights, they were still waiting for social, cultural
and economic rights. The failure by the Government of
Nepal (GON) to include Madhesis in the policy process
had embittered the population and made Madhesis easy
prey for demagogues and extremists who were intent on
blocking the CA election. Mahato further claimed
that, except for the UML, no other political party was
prepared to face an election. Ram Saroj Yadav, NC
District President, Party, countered that none of the
national political parties truly supported holding an
election, at least not in the Terai. If they did,
they would have reached out to the Madhesis. Rabindra
Thakur, district in-charge for the MPRF, stressed that
until the GON implemented its agreement from August
with the MPRF, it would be impossible to hold the
election. Thakur also discussed MPRF's plans to work
together with other Madhesi groups to form a united
front to promote an autonomous Madhes.

Security in Shambles
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3. (SBU) Ramsharan Chimoriya, the Chief District
Officer in Janakpur, the district capital, claimed to
Emboffs December 4 that the open border between
Nepal's Terai and India allowed Indian criminals to
pass freely into Nepal where they were immune from
Indian law. He noted that the situation in the
district capital was fairly calm, but added that small
extremist groups such as the Janatantrik Terai Mukti
Morcha ("People's Terai Liberation Front") (JTMM) were
involved in atrocities in rural areas. Bhog Bahadur
Thapa, District Superintendent of Police, told Emboffs
that the Home Ministry had reestablished all of the
district's 916 police posts after the Comprehensive
Peace Accord was signed in November 2006. Thapa
mentioned that there were approximately 1000 civil
police and 400 Armed Police Force in the district for

KATHMANDU 00002110 002 OF 002


the maintenance of law and order. He freely admitted,
however, that political interference and the lack of
resources, equipment and weapons ("We have 303s --
rifles; the criminals have SLRs -- machine guns),made
it very difficult for the police to do their work. He
added that the Home Ministry had succeeded in
reinstating only 50 percent of the police posts in the
adjoining district of Siraha due to the violent
activities carried out by JTMM and other criminal
groups.

Poor Security Impedes Development
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4. (SBU) Mitharam Humagain, Planning Officer at the
District Development Committee (DDC) office, stated
December 5 that Danusha had plenty of money from the
central government for development work. The DDC had
an annual allocation of one million rupees (Note:
approximately USD 16,000) per Village Development
Commitee (VDC),which was used mostly for maintaining
and constructing roads, bridges and infrastructure of
the school buildings. In addition, the Food and
Agriculture Organization was funding a "food for work
program" in the district which was used to construct
roads. The roads in the rural areas were in
dilapidated condition due to flood and rain, and were
in need of repair. Despite the adequate funds, poor
security in the Terai had prevented the completion of
many of these projects. Several VDC Secretaries told
Emboffs that they were not in a position to engage in
development activities -- a core function -- because
extremist and criminal groups were threatening and
demanding enormous sums from them. In fact, 100 of
the 101 VDC secretaries in the district were
conducting their work from the district headquarters,
due to the unchecked extortion and abduction. Local
human rights leaders echoed the reports of lawlessness
in the district.

Comment
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5. (SBU) Although Danusha is far from the worst of the
Terai districts in terms of law and order, it is
striking that only one VDC Secretary out of 101 feels
safe enough to remain at his post. Emboffs heard that
this level of insecurity is a recent phenomenon -- the
situation is deteriorated sharply in the past few
months. VDCs which were staffed throughout the Maoist
insurgency are now vacant. The depth of Madhesi
dissatisfaction with the central government, even
among the district's mainstream political leaders, was
also immediately evident. It is little wonder that
former NC Minister Thakur's new grouping and his
effort to unify Madhesi political forces have
reportedly been widely welcomed in the Terai.