Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09KATHMANDU916
2009-10-07 11:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:
NEPAL-CHINA BORDER: FACT AND FICTION
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UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000916
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/INSB
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM CH IN NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL-CHINA BORDER: FACT AND FICTION
UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000916
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/INSB
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM CH IN NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL-CHINA BORDER: FACT AND FICTION
1. (SBU) Summary: Media reports indicate the Government of
Nepal (GON) is deploying armed police along its 884 mile
northern border with China in response to pressure from the
Chinese government to prevent Tibetan activism. These
reports are overstated; the GON does not have the resources
to fortify this mountainous border region.
2. (U) On October 6, Reuters reported Nepal will deploy
armed police along its largely unguarded border with Tibet,
raising criticism that pressure from China, a key donor and
trading partner, prompted the move. The article quoted Home
Minister Bhim Rawal, "We want to secure our borders from any
trans-border movement by any criminal elements...not because
of the insistence of any country." A Nepalese editor told
Reuters, "What this reflects is China's extreme sensitivity
to the possibility of Nepal being used as a springboard for
Tibetan nationalism."
3. (SBU) These reports overstate the reality of the buildup
of the Armed Police Force (APF) along the Nepal-China border.
The police presence on the 884 mile border has been limited
to the temporary placement of a company of 100-120 personnel
at each of the five major border crossings -- a total of 850
rotating personnel, far short of the intended 10,000 claimed
by Nepali vernacular media. Police contacts told post that
some newly placed officers, suffering in tents battered by
snow and freezing temperatures, have threatened to resign
because they do not have the equipment or training to perform
their duties in the harsh Himalayan climate. One contact
said many of these personnel have already been pulled back
from the border. The APF has not received any additional
personnel, funding, or training for northern border
operations; current security resources have been obligated
primarily to Nepal's southern Terai region along the Indian
border.
4. (SBU) Comment: Whether the APF's efforts are indicative
of a shift in GON policy to tighten control of its border
with Tibet or a gesture to placate Chinese pressure is
largely irrelevant. The GON does not have the resources for
a significant police presence on its northern border and
would be unable to build or maintain permanent posts without
assistance.
MOON
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/INSB
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM CH IN NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL-CHINA BORDER: FACT AND FICTION
1. (SBU) Summary: Media reports indicate the Government of
Nepal (GON) is deploying armed police along its 884 mile
northern border with China in response to pressure from the
Chinese government to prevent Tibetan activism. These
reports are overstated; the GON does not have the resources
to fortify this mountainous border region.
2. (U) On October 6, Reuters reported Nepal will deploy
armed police along its largely unguarded border with Tibet,
raising criticism that pressure from China, a key donor and
trading partner, prompted the move. The article quoted Home
Minister Bhim Rawal, "We want to secure our borders from any
trans-border movement by any criminal elements...not because
of the insistence of any country." A Nepalese editor told
Reuters, "What this reflects is China's extreme sensitivity
to the possibility of Nepal being used as a springboard for
Tibetan nationalism."
3. (SBU) These reports overstate the reality of the buildup
of the Armed Police Force (APF) along the Nepal-China border.
The police presence on the 884 mile border has been limited
to the temporary placement of a company of 100-120 personnel
at each of the five major border crossings -- a total of 850
rotating personnel, far short of the intended 10,000 claimed
by Nepali vernacular media. Police contacts told post that
some newly placed officers, suffering in tents battered by
snow and freezing temperatures, have threatened to resign
because they do not have the equipment or training to perform
their duties in the harsh Himalayan climate. One contact
said many of these personnel have already been pulled back
from the border. The APF has not received any additional
personnel, funding, or training for northern border
operations; current security resources have been obligated
primarily to Nepal's southern Terai region along the Indian
border.
4. (SBU) Comment: Whether the APF's efforts are indicative
of a shift in GON policy to tighten control of its border
with Tibet or a gesture to placate Chinese pressure is
largely irrelevant. The GON does not have the resources for
a significant police presence on its northern border and
would be unable to build or maintain permanent posts without
assistance.
MOON