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| Kathmandu, Sunday January 26, 2003 Magh 12, 2059. |
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Court martial ordered against
errant soldiers: Defence Secy
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Jan 25 The army is determined to
honour human rights and those found guilty for violation would be proceeded against,
Defence Secretary Madan Prasad Aryal said here today. Army personnel found guilty in the
Kahule incident in Nuwakot district are being court martialed and the internal proceeding
in that direction has been initiated, he said.
Speaking at a face-to-face programme organised
by the Reporters’ Club, Aryal, however, asserted that there was no large scale
violation of human rights by the army. "Institution of the human rights cell in the
army, and initiation of court martial procedure against errant army personnel is an
indication of the commitment to respect human rights." The move to set up human
rights cell and order court martial against errant soldiers comes in the wake of the
allegations that the army personnel have been indulging in human rights abuses.
While court martial procedure is underway
against those involved in Nuwakot incident, the procedure is underway against additional
and unspecified number of army personnel, he further claimed.
The army had shot dead five young boys and
initially insisted that they were Maoists but later admitted that those killed were
innocent. Aryal said that the government was mulling compensation to the next of kin of
the deceased. "Although the compensation in such cases amounts to Rs.750,000, I am
not sure how much will be paid to them."
Aryal, however, ruled out that any army officer
was involved in the reported raping of two girls in Nepalgunj. "No case of rape took
place inside the barracks in Bardiya," he thundered, although Amnesty International
had, in its report, claimed that an army captain and another person had indeed raped the
two girls as intimidatory tactics.
In yet another announcement, Aryal said that the
government was mulling to rope in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and INGOs in
rehabilitating the people who have been weaned away from the Maoist outfit but are fearing
reprisals by the rebels.
"We are contemplating ways in which we can
involve donors in the task of rehabilitating the rebels who have given up the Maoist
cause," he told.
The number of people who will be stationed in
the camps run by the army has been put at 1,000. The camps will be set up at different
locations in the five development regions. "Human rights activists will have access
to those people," he promised.
Referring to the Maoist rebels and their
campaign, the Defence Secretary said, "It will take time to crush them." He did
not respond to queries as to how long the army would take to defeat the rebels.
Aryal also conceded that the army was soon
receiving two helicopters from the United Kingdom, although he did not say when would they
arrive to be pressed into operations.
Playing down the procurement of arms from the US
and Belgium, he said that it was the part of regular procurement under the circumstances.
Commenting on the existing weapons, he revealed that they would be sold to the US,
"something which will add to the revenue mobilisation."
Meanwhile, he put the death toll on the Maoist
side at 4,620 and at 244 on the side of the security forces since the very beginning.
Similarly, the number of injured on the rebel side has been put at 437 while the same is
373 on the side of the government forces.
Aryal, however, insisted that the toll includes
only the army and the rebels and not ordinary people who might have been caught in the
crossfire.
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