KATHMANDU – The government has decided to remove a tag of ‘disqualified’ imposed upon former combatants of the then CPN (Maoist).
Ramesh Basel, President of Discharged People’s Liberation Army- Nepal (DPLAN), said that the government has agreed to make announcement of terminating the tag of ‘disqualified’ imposed upon former combatants who were deemed late recruits and minors by the UNMIN and discharged from various cantonments set up for the integration and settlement of the former Maoist combatants.
A total of 4,800 combatants were ‘disqualified’ by the UN verification process in 2009 mostly as a result of being minors or late recruited, making them ineligible for the integration into Nepal Army after the then rebel CPN (Maoist) joined the mainstream politics in 2006.
He said that Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has told them that the government has made a decision to remove such tags against such combatants and honor them with a badge of ‘democracy fighter’.
The government had recently formed a three-member committee led by Foreign Minister Gyawali to address the demands of ex combatants.
Former combatants were putting forth various demands including removal of such tags and other facilities from the government.
According to a government source, 300 ex combatants, martyrs’ families and families of disappeared, among other victims of the Maoist war will be felicitated as ‘democracy fighters’ in the first phase. Remaining others will be honored with the badge in the second phase, according to the source.
