FORMER PLA COMBATANTS TOGET SECOND CHANCE TO CHOOSE BETWEENINTEGRATION, RETIREMENT

9,900 PLUS MAOIST FORMER FIGHTERS TO BE GIVEN SECOND
CHANCE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN INTEGRATION AND VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT

Kathmandu, 22 March: Thursday’s meeting of a special committee on integration and supervision chaired by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai directed a secretariat
under it to develop standards and norms for integration as envisioned by a 7-point agreement and report back in five days.
The meeting also agreed to let remaining combatants numbering 9,9000 plus to choose for the second time between integration and voluntary retirement.
Parties agreed to recruit only 6,500 combatant sin 15 cantonments and satellite camps
tor integration in Nepal Army (NA).
Maoists were earlier pressing opposition parties in the special committee to
integrate the9,900 plus fighters—opposed by NC and UML mainly.
Next round of talks will be held 27March.
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