THT 10 YEARS AGO: Disqualified PLA fighters to be sent home

Kathmandu, January 10, 2008

The cabinet met at Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s office today and endorsed the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction proposal to send home PLA combatants who were disqalified by UNMIN.

Following the completion of the second stage of the verification of the Maoist combatants, UNMIN had disqualfied 12,648 Maoist combatants in 28 camps. Of the total 32,350 Maoist combatants registered, only 19,602 combatants — 15,756 men and 3,846 women — had passed UNMIN’s test.

Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Ram Chandra Poudel, Minister for Information and Communications Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Minister for Education and Sports Pradip Nepal and Minister for Health and Population Giriraj Mani Pokharel are members of the Special Committee, which would set policies and procedures of sending back home the disqualified Maoist combatants.

According to the CPA and the Agreement on Management and the Monitoring of Arms and the Armies, the disqualified combatants would be honourably discharged from the cantonments. After the meeting, Sitaula said adjustment process of the Maoist combatants would be carried out according to the interim constitution and the CPA.

Asked about the PM’s statement that the Maoist combatants would not be integrated in the Nepali Army, Sitaula said, “Adjustment of the Maoist combatants would be made as per the agreements and the interim constitution.”

No more honking now

Kathmandu, January 10, 2008

The traffic police today began a campaign to restraint motorists from using illegal horns.

They removed 80 pressure horns added by bus and minibus drivers. The Traffic Management Improvement Committee of Gaushala led by traffic sub-inspector Sitaram Hathechhu removed pressure horns from buses and minibuses that were largely contributing to sound pollution.

A youth club, Jayabageswori Tole Sudhar Samiti, and some 25 school-students were also involved in the campaign. Despite a ban on pressure horns in the valley, bigger vehicles including minibuses were using them frequently. “All kinds of horns are restricted at sensitive places including hospitals, schools and colleges,” Hathechhu said.

Secretary of the Valley Swoyambhu bus Service Committee Arjun Prasad Phuyal said pressure horns cause nuisance and therefore all the members and drivers of the committee were directed to remove them long ago.

Chief of the Metropolitan Traffic Police Office Ram Shah Path SSP Bhisma Prasai said the MTPO had repeatedly warned the bus entrepreneurs but now onwards it would take action on those violating the rules. He said the use of pressure horns is illegal inside the valley.