NEPAL: MAOIST VIOLENCE CONTINUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000345 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2017 TAGS: PTER PGOV NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: MAOIST VIOLENCE CONTINUES Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Recent events around the country indicate that Maoists continue to use violence to advance their agenda. Maoist actions have disrupted the voter registration process, spurring a request from the Election Commission to allow registration to continue beyond the initially planned closing date. Separately, the British Embassy reported a recent threat against a staff member. Maoist cadre also attacked a newly established police post in the Far West. Election Commission Pressed by Maoists -------------- ¶2. (C) Gajendra Nath Sharma, Lalitpur District Election Officer, told Emboff on February 8 that between 250 and 300 Maoists under the direction of Shiva Kattel (Central Committee Member of the All NEPAL Trade Union Federation-Revolutionary) had gathered at his office to press him to include temporary workers on the district's voter registration list. Sharma stated that he had told the Maoists he was unable to fulfill their demand as it was against Nepali election law. He said Maoists had seized the voter lists in Saibu Village Development Committee (VDC) and in Ward 16 in Lalitpur. In other areas Maoists had insisted Election Commission (EC) workers stop the voter registration process. Sharma added that the Maoists had threatened a bandh (general strike) in the Kathmandu Valley if the Government of NEPAL (GON) did not address their demand to include temporary residents on voting lists. (Note: In addition to the Maoist cadre who have entered Kathmandu since last April's People's Movement, many of these temporary residents are students, renters and laborers, the bedrock of Maoist support. End Note.) Election Commission Response: Back Off -------------- ¶3. (C) On February 8, Laxman Prasad Bhattarai, Spokesperson for the Election Commission, complained to Emboff that the Maoists were interfering with voter registration nationwide. He publicly appealed to the Maoists the same day to not disrupt the registration process. Bhattarai told us the EC had completed over 80 percent of the registration work, and once the situation in the Terai returned to normal, he expected registration would be quickly completed nationwide. Maoists Disagree With Other Political Parties -------------- 
¶4. (C) According to Embassy contacts, the ruling Seven-Party Alliance and the Maoists held a meeting February 1 to discuss voter registration, and all the parties except the Maoists agreed that it was against Nepali law to include temporary residents. Arjun Narsingh K.C, Central Committee Member of the Nepali Congress Party (NC),told Emboff February 8 that the demands by the Maoists were part of a Maoist conspiracy to thwart the elections. Kashi Nath Adhikari, Central Committee Member of the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML),expressed the hope that the Maoists would realize their actions were illegal and represented serious interference with the election process. Against this background, Maoist leader Hisila Yami told the press February 9 that the Maoists would not recognize the voters' list if temporary residents and people without land-ownership certificates were not included. UK Embassy Staff Faces Intimidation -------------- ¶5. (C) Post learned recently that a Maoist member of Parliament had directly threatened a local staff member at the UK Embassy in NEPAL and that intimidation by Maoists was ongoing (septel). Jemina Gordon-Duff, Political Officer at the UK Embassy, told Emboff February 9 that the UK Embassy KATHMANDU 00000345 002 OF 002 was taking the threat very seriously. The Embassy had expressed its concerns directly to the Maoist leaders and was waiting to see if the actions would desist. If not, Gordon-Duff anticipated there would be a change in the UK's policy toward the Maoists. Maoists Attack Police Posts -------------- ¶6. (C) Press reports indicated that on February 4, the Maoists attacked the recently re-established police post in Bugal, Bajhang District (remote Far-West Nepal). The post was only re-established in January and had a staff of 18 officers. The policemen reportedly abandoned the post after the Maoists beat them and ransacked their furniture and other property. Police sources told Emboff that they had yet to hear back from any of the police officers. Maoists also reportedly continued to block the re-establishment of other police posts across the country. Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) Recent events around the country show that Maoists continue to rely heavily on violence to advance their agenda. Their preferred mechanism at present, based on other post sources, appears to be Maoist trade unions. The Maoist effort to register temporary residents appears to be an attempt to boost Maoist support in the upcoming election, rather than an effort to thwart the election completely. The direct threat by a Maoist Member of Parliament to a local employee at the UK Embassy will harden the UK position on the Maoists, according to UK DCM Paul Bute. Meanwhile, attacks by the Maoists on police posts continue to hamper the GON's ability to prepare for a free and fair election. MORIARTY