Monitors find 500 PLA men below 18 yrs in 7th division

Some 500 combatants in the 7th division of the Maoists' People's Liberation Army l(PLA) located in Kailali district have been found below the threshold 18 years.

Quoting sources, state-owned Radio Nepal said 500 underage combatants were found during the second stage verification conducted at the main cantonment site in Talbandh and three satellite camps in Sahajpur, Gorange and Badaipur.

UNMIN monitors had completed the second stage verification of PLA men in the 7th division on Saturday. The UNMIN, however, has not disclosed the findings of the verification in Kailali. It will submit the verification results to the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee, which comprises of UN monitors and representations of the PLA and the Nepal Army.

Earlier, UNMIN had completed second stage verification in the PLA divisions in Ilam and Sindhuli districts amidst frequent hurdles. nepalnews.com mk Oct 07 07