April, 10,2012
Kathmandu (dpa) - The Maoist army, their arms and their military camps were brought under the auspices of the Nepalese Army Tuesday, in a landmark decision following the start of Nepal's peace process in 2006.
The army took over responsibility from a special integration committee, in line with a decision made previously by the government and the main political parties.
The security of the military camps, or cantonments, was handed over to the army, along with their management. The decision came in the wake of violent confrontation among the Maoist combatants living in the camps.
Chief opposition leader Ram Chandra Poudel, of the Nepali Congress party, said the decision had opened the door for the peace process to be completed and the constitution to be written.
A fresh screening process is to begin immediately for potential army recruits, while those who opt for voluntary retirement will be released with a severance package. The parties have agreed to integrate 6,500 Maoist combatants into the national army.
More than 19,000 Maoist combatants had been living in seven encampments across the country after the Maoists signed a peace deal with the government in 2006, ending a decade-long armed insurgency.
One of the clauses of the pact is to write a new constitution, by May 27. But the task has lagged, as the Nepali Congress party has insisted that the army integration must be completed first.
The parties are still disputing the electoral system, the distribution of provinces and the system of governance in the new constitution.
dpa pt hm jln
Author: Pratibha Tuladhar
