Division commanders jostle for post in NA directorate

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 30: With the PLA integration process making steady headway, senior Maoist commanders have entered a race to become the highest ranking Nepal Army (NA) official from among themselves.
Sources say that is why six of the division commanders have opted for integration, though Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had earlier asked them to make arrangements for integration of only those below the rank of division vice-commander. “We don´t want to lose the opportunity to become the leading ex-PLA in the directorate. Also, we will otherwise severely weaken our bargaining capacity with the party for better positions,” said a division commander who did not want to be named. 

Scions of Maoist brass for retirement package

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 29: After leading a life of uncertainty and shortages at the cantonments since 2007, personnel of the Maoist People´s Liberation Army (PLA) are finally heaving a sigh of relief, with most of them opting for either integration or voluntary retirement.

But a few Maoist fighters are luckier than others. The sons and daughters of top Maoist echelons, who have been registered as combatants but are living a comfortable life with their parents in Kathmandu, have gone back to the cantonments, and will enjoy the same packages.

"It is not that we are enjoying the comforts of city life. We are working with our parents as their staff," said Femash Pun, son of PLA chief Nanda Kishor Pun. He is registered as company commander at the Fifth Division in Rolpa.

Why majority combatants chose integration?

KIRAN CHAPAGAIN / KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 28: Though Maoist combatants were seen opting for voluntary retirement and integration at the ratio of 40:60 on the first few days of the categorization process, the trend has seen a reversal as the process concludes in all the seven cantonments, except in Kailali, on Monday.

With the completion of categorization of 14,625 by Sunday, around 60 percent of the ex-Maoist combatants have chosen integration while around 40 percent have preferred voluntary retirement. It is also something contrary to what politicians had widely believed before the categorization began.

Now a question arises: what bucked the initial trend as the categorization progressed and what prompted such a large number of the PLA to opt for integration?  

Just two combatants opt for rehabilitation package

Krishna Kumar Rai Atal

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 27: A few days into the combatants categorization, it seems almost nobody is opting for the rehabilitation package. Out of the 13,000 combatants surveyed so far, just two combatants, Krishna Kumar Rai and Nirmal Rai from the Second Division, have opted for the rehabilitation package.
The Rai duo has chosen a one-year training as drivers as their first option.

PLA threatens to shun integration over edu criteria

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 16: The Maoist People´s Liberation Army (PLA) commanders have warned to boycott the integration process if the criteria set for educational qualifications of the PLA in the seven-point agreement are not amended.

Talking to the Republica on Tuesday evening, the commanders also flayed Maoists leadership for its continuing indifference toward the problems and vowed no combatant will opt for integration if the leadership makes no arrangement that recognizes the educational qualifications of the PLA personnel earned after UN verification in 2007.

Disabled combatants feel neglected, humiliated

Prabina Gole Namuna (photo: Nabin Bibhas)

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 13: Neither the ordeals of jungle life nor the well-trained state soldiers could discourage them. As the members of the Maoist People’s Liberation Army (PLA), they were at the forefront of successive battles and fought the state forces bravely for the sake of a utopia the party promised.

But they matter less as the peace process strides forward, and it is especially true of over 1,000 PLA amputees who have been left to fend for themselves at this juncture.

शिविरका सपनाहरू

सातबँुदे सहमतिअनुसार शान्तिप्रक्रिया अगाडि बढाउने सहमतिले माओवादी लडाकुको शिविरमा खुवै चहलपहल त बढेको छ । तर, शिविरमा खुसी र हाँसोभन्दा के हुने भन्ने अन्योल बढी देखिन्छ । सातबुँदेपछि माओवादी लडाकुको चौथो डिभिजनअन्तर्गत रूपन्देहीको कृष्णसेन स्मृति बि्रगेडमा पुगेका थिए संवाददाता नेत्र पन्थी । प्रस्तुत छ २४ घन्टाको शिविर बसाइमा उनले देखेको दृश्य:

सबैभन्दा खतरनाक हुन्छ

मुर्दाशान्तिले भरिनु

कुनै छटपटी नहुनु

सबै सहनु

घरबाट काममा निक्लनु 

र कामबाट खुरुखुरु घर र्फकनु

सबैभन्दा खतरनाक हुन्छ 

हाम्रा सपनाहरूको मृत्यु हुनु !

इतिहासकै सबैभन्दा ठूलो मन्त्रीमण्डलको नामावली

1. डा. बाबुराम भट्टराई प्रधानमन्त्री
माननीय उपप्रधानमन्त्रीहरू
2. विजयकुमार गच्छदार गृह र रक्षा
3. नारायणकाजी श्रेष्ठ परराष्ट्र

                      

No rollback on Dhungel pardon decision: PM

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 13: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai said on Saturday that he will not withdraw the recommendation his cabinet made to the president to grant a pardon to court-convicted CA member Bal Krishna Dhungel.

The prime minister said this upon arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport from his five-day visit to the Maldives to participate in the 17th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

सम्मानपूर्वक नहुँदासम्म सेना समायोजन हुँदैन

नेत्रविक्रम चन्द विप्लव, माओवादी नेता
शान्ति प्रकृया टुंग्याउने विषयमा मुख्य तीन दलबीच कात्तिक १५ गते भएको महत्वपूर्ण सहमतिप्रति सवै राजनीतिक दल र आम जनता खुसी भइरहेका बेला माओवादीकै एउटा हिस्सा भने चर्को बिरोधमा उत्रिएको छ । उसका गतिबिधि र अभिब्यक्ति हेर्दा लाग्छ कात्तिक १५ को रात खुसी भन्दा पनि दुःखी हुनुपर्ने रात हो । सहमति कार्यन्वनय हुन नसक्ने बताउँदै आएको बैद्य समूहले कब्जा सम्पत्ति फिर्ता गर्ने पार्टी निर्देशनको पनि अबज्ञा गरेको छ । सबै क्षेत्रले स्वागत गरेको सहमतिप्रति माओवादीको वैद्य समूह किन असन्तुष्ट ? वैद्य पक्षले चाहेको के हो ? त्यो पक्षका लडाकुले अब के गर्लान् ? बैद्य पक्षका खास नेता र योजनाकार भनेर चिनिने नेत्रबिक्रम चन्द बिप्लवसँग हामीले छोटो कुराकानी गरेका छौं ।

देवीले संसदमा भनिन- ‘म पनि माधव नेपालविरुद्ध किटानी जाहेरी दिन्छु’

Photo: Nabin Bibhas

२५ कात्तिक, काठमाण्डौं । ब्यक्ति हत्याको आरोपमा जन्मकैद फैसला सुनाइएका माओवादी सभासद बालकृष्ण ढुंगेलको मुद्दा फिर्ता लिन सरकारले सिफारिस गरेको बिषयले आइतवारको सदन तात्यो । माओवादी र बिपक्षी सभासद्ले पक्ष र बिपक्षमा आ-आफ्ना धारणा राखे ।

यसरी बोल्ने समासदमध्ये सवैभन्दा मार्मिक र पेचिलो सम्बोधन थियो- माओवादी सभासद देवी खड्काको । जनयुद्धका क्रममा आफ्ना श्रीमान र दाजुसहित चार जना गुमाएकी तथा प्रहरी हिरातमा आफ्नै अस्मिता गुमाएकी देवीको सम्बोधनले त्यसअघि बोल्ने धेरै वक्ताको अनुहारलाई अँध्यारो बनाएको थियो भने सदनमा सन्नाटा छाएको थियो ।

Maoist war vortex now draws scholars

	KIRAN PUN KATHMANDU, Nov 10: Jelbang village at the foothills of Jaljala in Rolpa fell under the control of the Maoist rebels immediately after the insurgency began in 1996, and bore the full brunt of the violent conflict. Today, Jelbang stands out. Not only because it is one of of the first liberated zones the Maoists created during the war, but also because it has a whole lot of untold stories of pain and suffering.

Families with two or more PLA member to rake in moolah

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 8: Families with more than one member in the Maoist PLA stand to receive handsome amounts of money if they opt for voluntary retirement in the course of management of the combatants.

Many families have more than three members in the Maoist army, which is awaiting management under the recently-signed peace deal, it is learnt. PLA chief Nanda Kishor Pun, top PLA commanders, division commanders and vice-commanders have more than three members each in the former rebel army.

PM defends integration model, PLA labels it as surrender

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 8: Prime Minister and Chairman of Special Committee Baburam Bhattarai has refuted the allegation that the integration modality of the Maoist combatants as envisioned in the seven-point agreement was surrender and stressed that the proposed integration is necessary to complete the revolution.

In a meeting with the top PLA commanders held at PM´s official residence at Baluwatar on Monday evening, Prime Minister Bhattarai tried his best to assure the former combatants that the integration model perfectly safeguarded core interests of the PLA and the Maoist party.

Forgotten combatant struggles for life

UPENDRA LAMICHHANE
BARA, Nov 6: He wrote inspirational lines on walls glorifying the Maoist insurgency during his stint as an insurgent. Left to fend for himself, ParshuramChaudhary who is suffering from stomach ailment is now struggling to save his life.

“I couldn’t die a glorious death during the insurgency despite staring death in the eyes on many occasions and now I’m going to die due to lack of treatment,” Chaudhary, 45, rued.

PLA allots integration quota to 7 divisions

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 7: The General Staff meeting of People´s Liberation Army (PLA) has finalized the quotas for all its seven divisions on the number of combatants opting for integration and has directed all divisional headquarters to initiate selection procedures accordingly.

Thapa asks PLA to defy gag order

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 6: Taking strong exception to the recent whip issued by the People´s Liberation Army (PLA), UCPN (Maoist) General Secretary and in-charge of the party´s military commission Ram Bahadur Thapa has asked PLA members not to follow the whip that bars the latter from making public statements against integration and rehabilitation modality.

Thapa expressed his objection with some central committee members of the party from the far-western region who met Thapa on Saturday.

4th Division commanders oppose education provision

KIRAN PUN KATHMANDU, Nov 6: Commanders of the Maoist People´s Liberation Army (PLA) Fourth Division on Saturday seriously objected to the provision in the integration deal to take into account the educational level that combatants had at the time of joining the insurgency -- not the current one.

Education, age put PLA top brass off integration

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 5: As the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) braces for integration of its combatants into the national army, education level, age and service period in the PLA seem to discourage many top commanders and vice commanders from opting for the integration.

Most of the PLA top commanders- let alone other combatants- do not have the required educational level to qualify for higher posts in the Nepal Army(NA).

PLA division commanders to opt out of integration

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Nov 3: Top echelons of the Maoist People´s Liberation Army (PLA) will not join the Nepal Army (NA), but are likely to get some ´political appointments´ instead.

Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal told PLA division commanders during a meeting at his residence Thursday morning that PLA commanders including division commanders and above should opt out of integration.

UCPN (Maoist) decides to proceed with peace deal

POST B BASNET/KIRAN PUN KATHMANDU, Oct 30: In a UCPN (Maoist) meeting "boycotted" by the party´s radical faction, the party establishment has decided to seal a deal on the protracted peace process in the next couple of days. "There were only a few contentious issues including the number of the combatants to be integrated and rehabilitation packages for the rest. We agreed to strike a deal within the next couple of days," Maoist spokesman Dinanath Sharma told Republica after the "informal meeting" of the party standing committee.

The seven point agreement

	KATHMANDU, Nov 2: National consensus is a must to take the peace process to a logical end and complete the task of writing the new constitution. So, as per the Comprehensive Peace Agreement 2006 and various other understanding between the political parties at different times, the following understanding has been reached to compete the remaining task of constitution writing and move forward as per the politics of national consensus.

Baidya registers dissent

	REPUBLICA KATHMANDU, Nov 2: Taking strong exception to the peace deal, Maoist radical faction has stated that the agreement seriously violates the party´s basic principles and commitment made to the people during the "People´s War".

BREAKTHROUGH IN PEACE PROCESS

	7-point peace deal
	KIRAN CHAPAGAIN & KIRAN PUN KATHMANDU, Nov 2: In a rare show of political consensus, major political parties on Tuesday set aside their differences and signed a historic seven-point deal on management of ex-Maoist combatants and on concluding the peace process despite objection from the Mohan Baidya faction of the Maoist party.