International community hails discharge of disqualified as 'positive step'
KATHMANDU, Feb 08 -
The representatives of international community in Nepal, including the UN have expressed optimism about the latest progress in the peace process -- successful completion of the process of discharging 2,394 disqualified Maoist combatants from the UNMIN-monitored cantonments -- stating that it was a "positive step" at a time the parties face a deficit of trust.
The month-long discharge processm, which on Jan. 7, was completed on Monday when the final lot of 268 individuals, who joined the Maoist army as minors, and late recruits, left the Fifth Division cantonment in Dahaban, Rolpa to re-enter civilian life.
Representatives of the Member States of the UN Security Council, including ambassadors of China, France, Japan, Russia, the UK, the US, and the EU Ambassador visited the site to witness the final discharge. They echoed the Security Council's call for all parties in Nepal to expedite the peace process, and to work together in a spirit of cooperation, consensus, and compromise.
"The conclusion of the discharge process is a positive step in Nepal's peace process at a time when building confidence and trust amongst the parties is all-important," said Representative of the Secretary-General in Nepal, Karin Landgren speaking at the discharge ceremony. She also said that the discharged were no longer under the PLA chain of command. British Ambassador Andrew Hall said the Maoist fulfilled its commitment of adhering to the international law by agreeing to discharge the ineligible soldiers.
A total of 2,973 individuals were disqualified from the Maoist army as minors in a UNMIN verification process that ended in December 2007. About 500 of them are still under 18 years today and foughly one-third of the total number of the disqualified are female.
"The release of these young people today is not only symbolic for the country but a milestone for these young men and women who spent their formative years inside a military structure losing out on critical skills vital for adulthood," said UNICEF Country Representative Gillian Mellsop in a statement on Monday. "All those concerned must now act swiftly to ensure that they reintegrate successfully and help build Nepali society fractured after this long conflict."
The government and UNMIN have agreed to provide rehabilitation packages for discharges, which include formal schooling, vocational training, training as health workers, and training on starting small/micro-enterprises.
The discharge individuals have 12 months from their date of discharge to sign up for one of these packages, toward which the dischargees have shown "an increasing interest", according to the UN statement.
The discharge is a key component of an Action Plan signed in December 2009 by the government, UCPN (Maoist) and the UN. A UN team will monitor the Maoists' compliance with the Action Plan.
The Plan holds the party accountable for re-recruitment of dischargees into the Maoist army or dischargees' engagement in violent activities within UCPN (Maoist)-affiliated organisations. When it is verified that the Maoists have fully complied with the plan, the party can be considered for removal from the list of parties that recruit and use children in conflict.
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