E-Kantipur

DUDHAULI (SINDHULI), NOV 19 - Despite minor hiccups and opposition from the hard-line faction of the UCPN (Maoist), the integration of former Maoist combatants has been kicked off on Saturday edging Nepal's five-year-long peace process one step closer to an "irreversible point."

Combatants from the 21 satellite cantonments will be ferried in buses to the seven main cantonment sites where the regrouping process will be carried out. The Special Committee Secretariat plans to complete the regrouping of over 19,000 UN-verified combatants by November 28.

The regrouping process was agreed as part of the November 1 seven-point agreement committing to conclude the process by November 23.

All seven main cantonment sites have completed preparation and are all set to start the process of the combatants' regrouping from Saturday morning. The much-awaited event in the peace process will categorise the combatants into integration, rehabilitation and voluntary retirement groups and push the peace process that started in 2006 towards its conclusion.

"We have completed all the preparations to start the regrouping process. The process will commence at all the seven main cantonment sites from 8 am on Saturday," said coordinator of the Special Committee Secretariat Balananda Sharma. Sharma is leading a 40-member survey team that will undertake regrouping at the Third Division cantonment site located at Shaktikhor in Chitwan.

Commanders of the Maoist army were busy throughout Friday briefing the combatants and distributing sample forms to be filled up on Saturday morning for the regrouping process. All the combatants will have to fill up two forms: one will record their personal information (bio-data) and the other form will register their expression of interests voluntarily about the three options presented before them.

Temporary camps have been set up at each of the main cantonment sites with the support of tents for conducting the regrouping. Combatants will first hand over the basic information form to surveyors and will pass through tents where they will be briefed on conditions and packages they will receive after they choose integration, rehabilitation or voluntary retirement.

Surveyors including their team leaders will be living at the makeshift tents inside the cantonments until the regrouping process concludes next week. Surveyors deployed in Chitwan have complained about hygiene issues.

Special Committee Secretariat member Sambhu Ram Simkhada and Brigadier General Hari Basnet are leading teams that will carry out surveys in Ilam, Chandra Prakash Khanal "Baldev" and Rama Nanda Mishra in Sindhuli, Sanandan Prasad Kurmi and Tej Bahadur Oli in Nawalparsi, DIG Simha Bahadur Shrestha and Kul Prasad KC "Sonam' in Rolpa, Deepak Prakash Bhatta and DIG Parbati Thapa in Surkhet and Gopal Singh Bohara in Kailali.

Though there is some dissention against the integration and rehabilitation process in the camps by the Maoist hardliners, PLA division commanders have expressed readiness to support the process "wholeheartedly".

"We are fully extending our support to the surveying team," said the commander of the Second Division Suk Bahadur Roka "Sarad." "We will do all we can to take this process to completion."

Rain disrupts drive

Meanwhile, rain disrupted the plan to begin regrouping on Friday itself at the Fourth Division cantonment site located in Nawalparasi. "The temporary camps were blown away by storm and rain. We have now reconstructed them and will only begin work from Saturday morning," said member of the Special Committee Secretariat Sanandan Prasad Kurmi, the team leader of the surveying team.

 

Posted on: 2011-11-19 04:00

Post Your Comment

Please note that all the fields marked * are mandatory.
* Full Name
* Address
* Email Address
* Comment
* Captcha	Get another CAPTCHA code
Note:	Comments containing abusive words or slander shall not be published.