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MAOIST ACTIVITY IN KATHMANDU

Date Reported: Monday, April 24, 2000
Incident Type: SECURITY
Country: KATHMANDU, NEPAL

Incident: The U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu submitted the following assessment of Maoist activity in Kathmandu:

Since the end of March, there have been eighteen reported Maoist incidents in Kathmandu. The majority of these incidents have been public demonstrations, which have occurred without violence or any police interference. However, several incidents indicate a more aggressive Maoist presence in the Valley.

Maoists attempted to bomb an electrical appliance shop in the new road area of the city. This action was particularly audacious, as the attack occurred at 3:00 PM in one of the major commercial districts of the city. Three attackers hurled petrol bombs, while a previously-placed time bomb exploded in the store. There was no loss of life and minor damage, since the device did not detonate properly. However, the timing of the attack, during a busy shopping period, indicates that the Maoists had no qualms about causing casualties among innocent citizens.

On April 4, police defused bombs on bridges in the Paropkar and Kalimati areas of Kathmandu. While details are scarce, press reports indicate that the explosives were large (in excess of 20 kilograms of gelatin). The bridges serve the principal routes from the center of the city to the Kalimati area (where the American School and USAID are located).

In the past two days, Maoists have entered two boarding schools in broad daylight. At 3:00 PM on April 17, a group of Maoists entered the Ganesh English Boarding School in the Sitapaila section of Kathmandu. The occupants of the school, including students, teachers, and parents, were held inside as the Maoists solicited funds and passed out pamphlets to students and parents. The documents accused the director of the school was "business oriented," a criminal involved in illicit enterprises, as well as a torturer of children. Additionally, the Maoists stated that the director was a police spy, who aided police in capturing "comrades."

At 9:30 AM on April 19, Maoists entered the Bishwo Gorkha Academy in the New Baneshwor section of the city. This area is an active business district located on the Major road leading from the city center to the airport. The Maoists occupied the school for approximately 20 minutes, telling students to study elsewhere, as the Maoists were going to "take action" against the school at any time.

Maoists have been active in Kathmandu since the start of the four-year-old insurgency. However, their activity had been limited to the collection of funds, occasional attacks on government offices and police stations with petrol bombs, and attacks on official residences during general strikes (Bandhas). These recent actions against public roads, a shop, and private schools seem to follow a trend in recent weeks; the targeting of public and private facilities, where the risk to private citizens is high. These incidents, added to the robberies of tourists and the occupation of a tourist resort, demonstrate that the insurgency is reaching groups and institutions previously avoided by the Maoists.