COMMUNIST PARTY OF BHUTAN INTENSIFIES ACTIVITIES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000316 SIPDIS SIPDIS NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2017 TAGS: PREF PREL PGOV PTER BT IN NP SUBJECT: COMMUNIST PARTY OF BHUTAN INTENSIFIES ACTIVITIES IN BHUTANESE REFUGEE CAMPS Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty for reasons 1.4(b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C/NF) According to several recent reports in the Royal Government of Bhutan's (RGOB) news service and the Indian press, the Communist Party of Bhutan - Marxist Leninist Maoist (CPB) has intensified its activities in the Bhutanese refugee camps in eastern Nepal. A close Embassy contact and refugee from Khudunabari Camp, Narayan Subedi (please protect),confirmed these reports, suggesting that between 1,000 and 3,000 refugee youth had been indoctrinated into the CPB movement. Subedi also indicated that the CPB was actively seeking "donations" in the camps and provided RefCoord a scanned copy of a CPB donation card. Press Reports Indicate Increased CPB Activity -------------- ¶2. (C/NF) A 24 January news report from Kuensel on-line, the Royal Government of Bhutan's (RGOB) news service, claimed that a Bhutanese refugee from Beldangi 2 camp had been arrested in Bhutan for planning terrorist activities. According to the article, the arrested refugee admitted that he, along with a small group of other CPB members, had received training from Nepali Maoists in January 2006 and another small group had recently gone to Bhutan to provide surveillance on a public works project. A close Embassy contact and Bhutanese refugee from Khudunabari Camp, Narayan Subedi, separately confirmed February 6 to RefCoord that CPB President Chabilal Kharel and General Secretary Vikalpa Chetri were refugees in their mid-20s from Khudunabari and Beldangi 2 camps, respectively. A separate article appearing in the Indian press around the same time reported that the RGOB's seeming apathy toward the Bhutanese refugees had injected fervor into the CPB movement. The Indian journalist appears to have spoken with a CPB leader, who allegedly claimed that a "revolution" would be launched to "overthrow the monarchy" in Bhutan. CPB Recruitment in the Refugee Camps -------------- ¶3. (C/NF) On February 6, Subedi detailed his conversation with a former classmate from Khudunabari Camp who had recently traveled to the Bhutan-Indian border to participate in a CPB committee meeting. According to the classmate, the CPB plans to establish camps in eastern Bhutan soon and that 
"by July our first target will be fulfilled." He refused to elaborate on the nature of their target. The classmate indicated that CPB members were working in small groups inside Bhutan, particularly in Samchi and Sarbhang along the mid-western section of the India-Bhutan border. Subedi believed anywhere between 1,000 - 3,000 refugee youth between ages 21 - 29 had received some kind of indoctrination into the CPB outside the camps. Many of these youth are now absent from the camps, he added. CPB Actively Seeks Donations From Refugees -------------- ¶4. (C/NF) Subedi reported to RefCoord that the CPB had actively begun collecting "donations" from refugees in the camps. Donations ranged from NRs 10 to 10,000 (USD .15 to 150),he said. Subedi sent RefCoord a scanned copy of the CPB "Levy Card." The flag symbol and style on the card is the same as Nepal's Maoists, including the slogans "Workers of the world unite, Let's unite for people's democracy, and Let's smash down the absolute monarchy." The sector, subsector and hut number of the family who provided the donation are detailed on the card. The back of the card in English says the following: Begin Text. KATHMANDU 00000316 002 OF 002 -- CPB (MLM) is only the party of exploited Bhutanese -- CPB (MLM) fights for the new democracy in Bhutan -- CPB (MLM) believes only in the peoples' war -- CPB (MLM) can't exist without the support of the Bhutanese -- CPB (MLM) considers everyone as the agent who opposes the just revolution -- CPB (MLM) appeals every patriotic Bhutanese to sacrifice everything, even their life, for the future generation's democracy and the country as a whole. End Text. Comment -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) RefCoord's recent visit to the Bhutanese refugee camps revealed a growing awareness among refugees that third-country resettlement, not repatriation to Bhutan, would be the most likely solution to their plight. As this awareness grows, some political leaders in the refugee community have become increasingly radical in their demands for repatriation. These leaders, such as Tek Nath Rizal, have undoubtedly secured moral and technical, if not financial, support from Nepal's Maoists. Other refugee community leaders speak publicly about the benefits of third-country resettlement, but live in fear of retaliation from either the CPB or the Maoists. Without concrete action on resettlement soon, Post fears that the growing polarization between those with a political agenda in Bhutan and those who support resettlement could result in violence. That said, the Prime Minister's February 7 agreement to a resettlement program (septel),if implemented, would go far to undermine radicalization in the camps. MORIARTY